Chapter 22

Liliana reacted quickly, hastily creating a barrier of light to intercept the attack. Although she managed to stop the attack, she simultaneously produced a bright flash that overwhelmed her senses, disorienting her for a moment.

By the time she recovered, the first thing she noticed was that she was surrounded by flying slashes and invisible arrows from every direction. Without hesitation, she conjured a massive multi-layered spherical barrier that completely enveloped her.

The barrier successfully stopped the attacks but shattered in the process, revealing a shocked Liliana, while Erik stood right beside her, pointing his machete towards her neck with his right hand.

"Erik truly read her like a book, leading her step by step from the beginning, inducing an error he then capitalized on to win, especially considering he was limited with less mana and abilities. The experience difference is evident despite the significant age gap," Sigrún remarked with a smug smile, looking at her disciple.

"How can a child his age have such combat experience, Master Eldurdóttir?" Desmond asked in a dignified and elegant manner, yet he couldn't hide his surprise and curiosity.

"Hehehe, well, he just had to survive for years on an island all by himself, surrounded by hundreds of magical beasts stronger than him. Believe it or not, you pick up a trick or two in that situation," Sigrún boasted proudly of her disciple's achievements, while Eleonora added, somewhat taken aback.

"You weren't exaggerating about his abilities. That precise mana control and that exquisite mystical confluence are truly a sight to behold in someone so young... and his mastery over communing with the Myst is on another level."

"Hehehe, he's my first disciple after all; such a level is the bare minimum."

Desmond looked somewhat puzzled at the masters as they discussed advanced-level techniques and mastery, which neither of the two should be capable of. To clear his doubts, he decided to ask his own master, "Master, may I ask what you're referring to?"

"Fufufu, my dear Desmond, to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, young Erik is merely an advanced apprentice and didn't use a single spell or artifact during the fight."

Desmond's eyes widened in astonishment; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. After all, the speed and strength the boy displayed wasn't something a mere advanced apprentice could achieve.

From the beginning, Desmond believed the boy was using some sort of magical artifact or perhaps a silent spell to achieve the feats he was witnessing. However, his master's words suggested otherwise. The boy had put on such a display using only mana control techniques and harmony with the myst, things that were supposed to be only for training and spell preparation.

"What a monster..." Desmond's words came out as a whisper, while Eleonora gently smiled and waved her hand, causing the light sphere enveloping Liliana and Erik to vanish. The youngsters slowly walked toward their masters, one with a faint smile and the other with a sour expression on her face.

"How do you feel, Liliana?" Eleonora asked as the two drew near, looking at Liliana.

"Very frustrated..."

"Fufufu, that's a good thing. What you lacked in that fight wasn't power; it was experience. You'll improve over time."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master," Liliana thanked her master with a slight bow, then stepped aside with her head down.

"And did you understand what you're lacking, Erik?" Sigrún asked with a smile, as Erik petted his wolves, which had been barking worriedly since the start of the fight.

"Yes, Master, I lack everything, especially casting spells like she did. I really had to study them a lot with my arrows and the mana sphere." Sigrún quickly corrected him, "It's Ethereal Projection," to which Erik promptly replied, "Right, Ethereal Projection. So, as I was saying, only after studying them thoroughly did I get an idea of how to deflect them, but it was way harder than with animals."

"Hahaha, of course it's harder. After all, the structure is much more compact and organized. I must say you were a bit lucky that she underestimated you and used lower-level spells. Against higher-level ones, you'd stand no chance."

"Yes, I was quite lucky. In a real fight, I might've died." Erik placed a hand on his chin, pondering several things before looking back at his master. "I want to start learning as soon as possible, Master. It's quite uncomfortable being a fish on a chopping board."

"Hahaha, don't rush things. First things first, you need to learn the languages thoroughly before moving on to something more."

Eleonora and her disciples watched the exchange between Sigrún and Erik somewhat wordlessly. Despite Erik having triumphed over someone not only stronger but also far more skillful and knowledgeable, it was clear as day that Sigrún was the proudest of the two for the great achievement. She had a bright smile on her face, while on the other hand, the prodigious boy who had performed beyond anyone's expectations was deeply pondering his mistakes and ways to improve.

"And you also have to learn a lot of math. Sacred geometry is achieved through rigorous calculations, so get ready, Erik," Eleonora joined the conversation, hoping to see a funny reaction from Erik. But instead, the boy simply nodded and replied in a relaxed manner.

"That's fine. I've always been good at math."

"Hahaha, well said, Erik!" Sigrún laughed cheerfully at Erik's response. After that, she approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder before continuing. "But I think it's time for us to go home. It was a pleasure greeting all of you, and you're free to visit us anytime. However, we'll be a bit busy since Erik has to learn the languages from scratch."

"Hey, don't bail like that, Sig. We still have to set our schedules for teaching Erik," Eleonora remarked with annoyance, glancing at Sigrún.

"Tsch," Sigrún only clicked her tongue in irritation and looked away.

"Fufufu, how about you take Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I'll handle Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

At Eleonora's suggestion, Sigrún simply nodded as a myriad of runes surrounded her, Erik, and the wolves, and they vanished in a flash of light.

After the group disappeared, Eleonora smirked ironically at her friend's attitude. Shaking her head slightly, she turned to face her disciples and asked with a smile, "What do you think of Erik?"

The expressions on the young students' faces in response to their master's question varied greatly. Desmond wore a slightly bitter smile, while Liliana looked annoyed.

"He's a monster, the greatest prodigy I've ever seen, no doubt about it," Desmond remarked in a firm voice. But Liliana looked at him as if he were mad and quickly retorted.

"What a genius, he's just an annoying trickster with annoying quiet spells."

"Fufufufu, is that what you think, Liliana?" Eleonora looked at her disciple with a mischievous smile as she asked.

"What else could it be? He only defeated me because I let my guard down, and that will never happen again," Liliana said, still annoyed, crossing her arms.

"Fufufufu, let me tell you, Erik is only 15 years old and he didn't use a single spell during the whole fight. In fact, he doesn't even know the languages, let alone magical systems or spells."

"Impossible! How can he be only 15 years old? He clearly used ethereal projection, plus those cuts and the way he deflected my spell are clearly a spell!" Liliana looked angrily at her teacher, who was clearly trying to tease her, but Desmond quickly scolded her for her tone.

"Don't forget whom you're speaking to, Liliana." Desmond shot a piercing look at Liliana, who jumped like a startled rabbit and quickly apologized to Eleonora.

"I'm sorry, master. I apologize for my disrespectful act, but it's not fair for you to make fun of me like this."

"Fufufufu, I forgive you, and you're wrong. Erik really has no idea how to cast a single spell. What you saw was just a masterful demonstration of mana control and harmony techniques with the myst. And he really is only 15 years old; his bones don't lie."

"I can't believe it, master. That flying cut could have shattered my light barrier. Plus, it's impossible for him to deflect my spells with just harmony with the myst. Even with the best resources and teachers, I've never seen anyone master ethereal projection before the age of 30."