Jacob activated the [Shield] spell he'd been channeling and took a step back to give himself distance against the massive bandit coming for him. Even if his jump just now isn't closing their distance of 8 feet in a single leap, he still would've done the same thing by sheer virtue of seeing leaves fly up and the ground shakes from the man's jump alone. What the hell was the man in front of him made out of to do that sort of thing?

'Steel- fucking- probably!' He internally yelled as his [Shield] collided against him and took the man's powerful hit, which, if it did anything, didn't discourage him and made him grin widely instead. Two powerful strikes came hand in hand from the man and Jacob felt his shield falter afterward, it was a good thing that was the man's limit as he took a step back to regain his footing and reset his momentum.

Jacob threw his [Shield] down and threw out a powerful [Bolt] spell towards Galavan, which the bandit blocked in a panicked haste to throw his sword directly to his face. No doubt he could've survived a hit or two thanks to his [Tough] skill but Galavan thought it was better to use that as a surprise attack against the unsuspecting mage, he knows that people like him are arrogant and the guy in front of him should think that his powerful [Bolt]s can kill him in one shot.

Galavan is about to prove the man in front of him wrong.

With another step backward, Jacob began to sense his traps with [Locate] as he channeled another [Shield] in preparation for his enemy's retaliation, recovering or not, he doubted that the bandit is just gonna suddenly stop attacking. Especially after he just shot him in the face. Jacob eyed the sword that the man used to block his [Bolt] and then at the scarred arms packed with muscle carrying it, the greatsword looked heavy enough that he probably wouldn't carry it unless he had at least a 15 on his Physicals and that means that the man in front of him is at least superhuman in terms of that stat. But will he survive a [Bolt] shot? Probably- is the answer.

Jacob thought that it was better to treat the bandit as a slasher movie killer that won't stay dead as he activated [Shield] for the second time to block another sword swing that glowed in an ominous red light. The bandit didn't attack again this time around and in a fit of cautiousness, Jacob eyed the forest behind his enemy in search for the other [Mage] - that man was able to cast a [Shield] spell earlier which meant that he has a [Bolt] spell as well, those come in a package after all.

Was the bandit in front of him waiting for a [Bolt] to weaken his shield? Most likely. But Jacob isn't gonna let them, closing his eyes, he felt his own amp and estimated the remaining charges- After killing those two bandits, he had successfully leveled up his [Energy Mage] class and got the two Cognitive stats it so promised, raising his Amp to 20 and because of that as well as his class' ability to consume any type of energy to use for his own spells, he had at least 8 amp left over.

Enough for another [Bolt] spell or a weaker version of [Shield]. That is, if he doesn't wait for his own [Shield] to get more energy from the bandit's attacks or if he doesn't let it slowly regenerate from simply walking- But then there's also the other problem of the other mage, Jacob doesn't know if that guy's [Bolt]s are enough to break his [Shield] and again, 'This is just another risk.'

So he chose to channel another [Shield] spell slowly and wait for him to get enough amp from the attacks to fully power the spell before releasing it again. The trap that he wanted to throw this bandit into is close enough for another shield to last onto and right as long as there aren't any surprises, Jacob should be fine.

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A manic grin came from the bandit leader as he swung down on his barrier, this time the hit was strong enough to send down a ripple of kinetic energy that turned into enough amp for Jacob to both finish his [Shield] as well as for him to cast another [Bolt].

"You are powerful!" Two swings, "GOOD!"

Jacob frowned as the bandit held his greatsword up high, then, he swung down, the forces of gravity helping his attack get that much stronger. The blade of the heavy sword struck his barrier, shattering it completely, "But it seems that you're now dead-" Jacob cast his channeled and fully powered [Shield] and another barrier came up to the surprise of the bandit, "Hoh?" he said in pleasant surprise.

Was what he is doing strange? Why did the bandit react like that? Whatever- bandits probably didn't know what they were talking about.

The swings got heavier and heavier and the bandit visibly panted as the sword kept going a bright red- a far cry from earlier when it was only doing so after a swing or two, "Why do you keep blocking, mage?" the bandit leader asked as he struck down with another powerful swing, "Come on, you surely can't just keep defending?"

Jacob eyed the back of the bandit, worried that he is just getting baited. The bandit followed his gaze and nodded, "I see, you fight smart, then- Hup!" He swung up, then down, hoping that doing so would break his barrier for the second time but Jacob already had another one prepared because despite his attacks getting much more frequent and much stronger, they were short and when one is holding a greatsword, that means that they're weak, red effect or not.

And it seems that his enemy realized it either because he raised his sword up high and that forced Jacob to channel another [Shield] in preparation, it wouldn't be fully powered and instead be weaker but that was fine, right as long as he survives till the trap.

The bandit swung and Jacob's shield broke and immediately, he activated the one he'd been channeling to create another barrier in front of him. The attack just now actually gave him a bit of amp but he didn't want to pour it to his channeled spell in fear of him wasting time and allowing the bandit to go for another swing. Said bandit didn't show any reaction this time except for clear satisfaction at the sight of his weaker shield, that was fine, they were close to the trap.

More and more swings came down as they got closer and closer to the trap, and soon, when they were only two or so feet away from it, Jacob's shield was starting to flicker but he had gotten enough amp for a [Bolt] spell.

Jacob stepped to the side and somehow, the bandit leader took that as him preparing an attack because his muscles went stiff and his wrists twisted in a way that made it easy for him to twist his sword if he ever wanted to block- In some sense, he wasn't wrong and Jacob decided to indulge him, he took his hammer out of the makeshift tool-belt he wore on his waist and then took a step back.

"You're finally fighting back! Good!" The bandit says as he took a step forward, "Show me what you've got!" - the sole of his feet stepped down and pulled the vine Jacob tied to the trunk of a tree to keep the spike rack at the top aloft, when his feet pushed the rope further down, the taut cord snapped entirely and released the trap laying above him.

The trap fell, and the bandit leader took all that he could to raise his sword up high to block the platform of spikes descending onto him.

It wasn't enough.

The trap hit and the bandit leader's back took the brunt of it, the spikes pierced through his shoulder, then down to his lungs. His head, somehow, was left intact and Jacob couldn't help but commend that part of the bandit leader, the guy was tough, that's for sure. Sadly, he wasn't tough enough and as Jacob neared the man, he coughed out blood, "Traps." He glared at Jacob, "Is this what you amount to?"

Jacob shrugged, "maybe." he answered, "But you're pretty much the same, with you attacking unsuspecting victims through ambushes."

The man's glare intensified, "I put up a good fight!"

"Sure you do," He said, channeling the bolt spell, "but at the end of the day, if what you're saying is true, then it should be you going to villages and fighting. You'd be a pillager instead of a bandit."

The man scoffed, causing blood to erupt out of his nose, "Fine." he closed his eyes and Jacob shot him with a fully [Bolt], it broke through his forehead and cracked his skull before shattering it completely, all that's left of the man's upper face is now gone, in its place is a hole.

Class level up!

Lvl 2 > 4

+4 Cognitive stat.

Bolt has leveled up!

2 > 5

Evolution ready!