One-Armed Mage (1)

Kieffer ran. His teacher told him so… He has no choice!

No, Kieffer had a choice. There was always a choice. He could have stayed, and tagged along with his teacher but…

That is too dumb. 'Too inefficient, and what would you do? Stare the enemy to death?' His teacher would criticize him… It is not like Kieffer can replicate his teacher's feat of literally staring at his enemies to death.

"Ugh… I wish I could have done more."

When his teacher finally gave him instructions for the first time as he tries to contribute to the fight, Kieffer was immensely overjoyed. It took him some time, but finally, he was able to learn magic.

However, the battle that was about to follow, is not something he could just meddle with. Kieffer is just too weak.

ARCANE BOLT! He unleashed his magic on the hiding goblin around a corner. Through his Arcane Clarity, he was able to easily discern the hostiles around him.

The Goblin easily fell from his magic. Currently, Kieffer knows three magic: ARCANE CLARITY, ARCANE BOLT, and ARCANE SWORD.

Kieffer is reluctant to use Arcane Sword because it was too energy-draining. It is surprising enough that he was able to learn extreme magic like Arcane Sword. But to think that Kieffer was able to learn this magic this fast is nothing short of his genius.

"Die, goblins!"

A spirited shout, then a blitz, dash, and smash! Against chump goblins, Kieffer simply sent them off with his fist empowered by his teacher's Arcane Strength Spell.

As Kieffer hurriedly ran, he heard the clashing of steel. There, he was greeted by the sight of three struggling mages, surrounded by elite goblins led by a unique Goblin Assassin.

…

HOLY BARRIER! Saul activated his divine magic, trying to defend his two other teammates to the best of his abilities. Pilas, a wind mage wearing light armor enchanted again his curved sword with RAZOR WIND, the Goblin Assassin is an Anti-Mage, who keeps on dispelling Pilas's magic… Pilas is having a tough time defending their rear because just a graze of the Anti-Magic dispels his wind.

Meanwhile, the traditional mage, Mei cannot even cast proper magic because of the harassment of the Goblin Assassin.

At this rate, they will all die.

Not if Kieffer chooses to help

…

Mei came with her two friends, Saul and Pilas to this beginner area in the hopes of earning a small profit. The Academy of Magic, Solomon, is an unforgiving place even with the scholarship provided by the Magic Guild.

Their party consists of a Magi Defender, a Magi Sword, and a Magi Caster. All of them are at the intermediate level and are confident of conquering this measly goblin cave reserved for an elementary grade.

Through some convincing and begging, they were able to ask for a certain friend to allow them access to this particular cave. What they don't know, is that the cave doesn't appear to be what is let on…

Kieffer, aware of this danger, didn't outright help the struggling mages. This cave has secret pathways that allow the goblins ease of passage… as such, allows the goblins to set up ambushes and send many goblins throughout the cave. He watched the struggling mages, waiting for the opportune moment.

"Mei!? We need firepower, these green critters are irritating!" Pilas complained, but Mei cannot really do anything. Every time she was about to unleash her magic, the Goblin Assassin would either throw a DISPEL BOLT in her way or outright attempt for her life. It is annoying!

The most troublesome of all is that the DISPEL BOLT was invisible when launched.

"We should retreat," Mei suggested.

"We will, I will cover the rear." Saul confidently said, ready to sacrifice his life.

"No, I don't mean it like that. We… we should wait for help." Mei struggled with her words. Pilas held his voice, afraid that Saul might get any funny ideas.

"I will be fine, I am the best in Defensive Magic, don't you remember?" Saul smugly said, but before he could do anything, Pilas suddenly launched himself outside their formation.

"HAAAAAAAGH! DIE, YOU BASTARDS! IF IT WERE ANYONE ELSE, IT WOULD BE ME WHO SHALL MAKE THAT GLORIOUS SACRIFICE!" Pilas screamed at the top of his lungs, his magic creating a whirlwind of air around him. The arrows, released by the goblins weren't able to penetrate Pilas's wind.

This is Pilas's trump card, GRACES OF THE WIND! His unique magic!!

It's as if he rode the wind itself, almost instantly arriving at the middle of the goblin formation. His long blonde hair fluttered as his elf ear was revealed for everyone to see. Saul is both surprised by his friend's outburst and at the same time, by the revelation that his friend was actually an elf.

"But he has normal human ears usually, right?" Saul muttered to himself.

Mei felt the same surprise, but she quickly gathered her wits~ she can't let her friend die!

"Saul, guard my side, I will try to immobilize them!" Her voice was filled with vigor, and her magic was full of determination. Saul spoke no more, and instead, focus more on the fight.

Since he only needs to defend one, Saul's job has become easier. He summoned a Basilisk Scaled Shield from his spatial bag. Using this shield is tiring given that it weighs a ton, but Saul steeled his resolve as he wills himself to a life-and-death battle.

The Goblin Assassin worriedly looked at his squad. On the other hand, there was the berserker elf, and on the other end is a mage casting magic worth a heavy load of mana. The Goblin didn't need to hesitate, it shouldn't have, but it did~ this is the perfect opportunity that Kieffer is waiting for…

ARCANE SWORD!

Kieffer lunged from his hiding place, his leg strength unleashing an incredible might. Saul eyed the Goblin Assassin from the distance with scrutiny. Pilas warily extended his perception at the Goblin Assassin's side, alert to the monster's cunning. Mei also provided little of her attention to the Goblin Assassin, looking for an opportunity herself.

The three of them were all observing the Goblin Assassin.

So they all saw. A young man about their age rushed, wielding a sword of pure arcane power, its edges of marvelous blue. The youth slashed the monster, his form full of murderous intent.

The Goblin Assassin instinctively defended, but the sword just cut right through his flimsy steel daggers. The Goblin Assassin didn't panic, for his calm is one of its best attributes. Anti-magic destabilized the sword's shape in the Goblin's attempt to remedy his inattention. He smiled derisively, as he brandishes his sharp claw at the ambusher.

But to the monster's surprise, it didn't go as expected.

Kieffer manipulated the scattering mana into something else midway. From an ARCANE SWORD, it turned into an ARCANE BOLT! Kieffer watched this same feat performed by his teacher multiple times, and by ONLY watching, Kieffer was able to replicate such a marvelous feat.

Saul is especially surprised. As the oldest among their friends, he has seen more in the world than them. That's why Saul knows… Whoever this sudden character is, is not a simple figure. Though Pilas is an elf, he's still considered a juvenile, thus he lacks insights into what truly happened.

Meanwhile, Mei finished her spellcasting. "CHAIN LIGHTNING!" With her words, the lightning elements danced. It rushed to a goblin and then jumped to another. Mei made sure to avoid Pilas by straining her mind. This Chain Lightning is elite magic that immobilizes and incurs damage over time.

Because of Chain Lightning's threat, the goblins rushed at Mei.

Saul took it upon himself to defend the lass, given that Mei's channeling of her magic left her vulnerable. Saul bashed the unscrupulous goblins with his shield as he relies on his magically augmented strength. He also made sure to kill some of them as long as his circumstances allow.

Pilas was given a breather thanks to the sudden change in momentum of the battle. But the young man just won't leave the opportunity for itself, so he forced himself to reap more lives as his magic continues to dwindle at an alarming speed.

Meanwhile, Kieffer rushed at the hapless goblins with his magically enhanced stats, literally punching the monsters to a pulp. Slaying the pack's leader helped them greatly, as they easily rounded up the enemies to finish them all for once.