The battlefield gradually quieted as the village's animals and guards took deep breaths, allowing the exhaustion from their intense battles to wash over them. They had triumphed and finally reached a moment of respite.
Everyone was utterly fatigued—some injured, but none teetering on the brink of life and death. The animals and humans of the Eternal Village emerged victorious, with casualties limited to the invading forces. Yet, even in the aftermath, anguished cries of pain echoed from the enemy side.
From his resting spot on the ground, Petyr watched as the two enemy mages were engulfed in flames, consumed by the Village Elder's magic. He wore a stern, resolute expression but didn’t approach Jonn. In contrast, Eliot and some village animals quickly surrounded Jonn and the two burning mages on the charred battlefield.
The ordinary villagers couldn't grasp the true nature of what was unfolding. But Jonn and the nearby magical beings understood. These flames weren't ordinary bonfire fires. They were fueled by mana and elemental fire. They could burn like natural flames, but had mystical properties, too.
Jonn had complete control over his {Spell}, scorching just enough of the enemy mages to drain their remaining mana and inflict wounds that would leave them debilitated. His intention wasn’t to end these two mages today, so he ceased his fiery attack as soon as he recognized they had reached their limits. Continuing would have resulted in their deaths.
The flames diminished, extinguishing entirely within two seconds. The two men felt the intense heat around their bodies finally subside. Yet, remnants of the burning sensation lingered, as if the flames still touched their skin.
Parts of their clothing were shredded, revealing a grotesque blend of flame-tattered armor and deeply reddened skin. They were scorched from their feet to the tops of their heads, leaving them bald and charred.
As Jonn halted his attack, both mages lost consciousness, collapsing where they stood, gravely wounded.
"Sigh! The battle ends here," Jonn muttered, allowing the weight of the fight to press down on his shoulders. Exhaustion coursed through him. His [Mana] was below 20. His [Stamina] and [Health] were at their lowest in a long time.
Searing pain radiated from the wounds etched across his legs and arms. His trusty spear and once-gleaming armor had lost a few points of durability, though not enough to compromise their attributes.
Eliot's voice cut through the post-battle haze. "What are we going to do with them?" he asked, gesturing toward the two unconscious mages sprawled on the ground.
Jonn's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, focused on the fallen foes. "We'll keep them for now. They might be our key to buying some precious time against the masterminds behind this battalion."
As if on cue, Elia emerged from the village core, having seen the entire skirmish from atop one of the observation towers. Close behind, Alis burst through the bamboo gate, flung open by Lance and Tim. Arber and Betta trailed her, their arms laden with medicinal supplies. Anxiety etched their faces as they rushed to help their villagers. They were unsure of the battle's outcome, but their concern drove them.
Alis strode past Jonn's group, casting furtive glances filled with a mixture of reverence and curiosity in his direction. Meanwhile, Elia positioned herself beside the cluster surrounding the fallen mages.
"What do you have in mind?" Elia probed, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "How will holding these two help us?"
A glimmer of cunning flashed in Jonn's eyes as he revealed his strategy. "We'll use them to uncover the identity of our attackers and then turn the tables. Let's spread the word that the Eternal Village has fallen to this battalion!"
Comprehension dawned on the faces of Elia and the more tactically-minded members of the group as Jonn's plan unfolded before them.
Elia remained silent, her mind racing with the implications of this strategy. 'Whoever dispatched this battalion knows the village's true worth and likely wasn't present for the attack,' she mused. 'This defeat won't deter them. The mastermind behind these invaders will certainly send even stronger forces once news of this failure reaches them.'
A chill ran down her spine as the gravity of their situation sank in. 'We barely scraped by today!' Her gaze fell upon Jonn, noting how unusually 'transparent' he appeared. It was clear his [Mana] reserves were all but depleted. What would happen if they faced not two, but three, or even five level 3 Acolyte mages? Or worse yet, level 4 or 5 mages?
The enemies' true strength remained a mystery. They couldn't dismiss the possibility of facing not only more powerful mages but also a larger contingent of ordinary fighters than they had encountered today!
'This is bad!' Elia thought, her mind conjuring increasingly dire scenarios. 'That group was small and relatively weak because they likely underestimated our defenses. But if word spreads of our beasts and mages, the next wave will undoubtedly be far more powerful!'
She locked eyes with Jonn, silently agreeing with his plan. 'Keeping these mages alive might indeed buy us some time while we deceive the battalion leaders. It's our only play for now, but it won't work indefinitely. Sooner or later, we'll have to face the full brunt of these invaders' greed!'
While Elia's mind raced with possibilities, a similar air of contemplation settled over at least a dozen others gathered around the unconscious mages. Jonn approached the charred bodies, Eliot falling into step beside him.
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Jonn began to strip the fallen level 3 mages of their valuables – weapons, armor fragments, and space storage items.
Eliot's voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "Jonn, I killed that guy who disappeared before. I think he was the one who betrayed our village's location."
"Hmm, I suspected that too," Jonn said, his brow furrowing. The danger of welcoming strangers into their territory had always loomed in the back of his mind. From the start, he had been aware of the risks that came with expanding their community. But it was an unavoidable necessity. At best, they could only hope to refine their methods to discourage future traitors.
As Jonn finished collecting the enemy's belongings, he turned to Eliot. "Let's interrogate these two later. We need to uncover who that traitor really was and what information he fed to whoever sent this group."
The uniformity of the enemy's organization and attire, all bearing the same emblem, convinced Jonn of a hidden hand pulling the strings from afar. It was a fact so clear that even Eliot, in his simplicity, grasped the lingering threat beyond today's victory.
Eliot shifted topics, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and unease. "What about the truth about us? I mean, a good chunk of the village just saw you decimating the battlefield, man." He chuckled nervously. "By the way, is there any chance you could teach me that?"
Jonn's laughter held a bitter edge as he surveyed their surroundings. The villagers' gazes, now a cocktail of fear, reverence, and uncertainty, flicked between him and Eliot. "That is indeed a problem… But the truth would have come out eventually. We're past the point of no return now."
"What about that {Spell}?" Eliot asked, hope glimmering in his eyes.
Jonn's expression softened with regret. "I'm sorry, mate. You don't have an affinity for fire, or you'd have picked it up on your own by now." He stood, giving Eliot a comforting pat on the shoulder.
Both Eliot and Elia had delved into Jonn's {Spell} books. But, as Jonn had foreseen, without an innate affinity for a particular element, the corresponding {Spells} failed to resonate, remaining frustratingly out of reach despite their best efforts.
"For now, I need you to bring Alis," Jonn continued. "We'll need her pastes and potions if we're to keep those two alive."
As Eliot hurried off on his errand, Jonn surveyed the aftermath once more, exhaling. A bubble of isolation seemed to surround him; no one approached. Some villagers, consumed by thoughts of their community's uncertain future, remained lost in contemplation. Others grappled with the startling revelation about their Village Elder's true nature.
The sheer destructive force of Jonn's abilities had shattered their previous perceptions. Eliot and the others, however, remained shielded from the fearful scrutiny directed at powerful mages; their own abilities were still hidden.
Taking advantage of this momentary respite, Jonn turned his attention inward, reviewing the system messages he'd ignored in the heat of battle. Among them, notifications of a newly created {Spell} caught his eye, along with updates on some of the animals that had grown stronger amidst the chaos of combat.
His new {Spell} was called [Scorching Whirlwind]. He had the system detail its characteristics, even though he already knew how it worked in practice.
Scorching Whirlwind
Description: the combination of fire and air gives rise to combustion, creating devouring flames capable of consuming mana and devouring essences not protected by opposing elements. It can imbue weapons capable of withstanding the effects of the flames, send long-range attacks, or even use the simplest form of flame control, in the form of a whirlwind that burns everything inside it. The {Spell} is limited to environments not covered by water.
Type: Air and Fire spell, 3 levels.
Costs: 90 mana.
Duration: 30 seconds.
Range: 100 meters.
Cast Time: 2 seconds.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Jonn's eyes gleamed as he absorbed the details of this new {Spell}. While not as overwhelming as [Flame Avatar] or as cataclysmic as [Meteor], [Scorching Whirlwind] offered impressive effects without such a steep cost. It surpassed [Air Palm] in strength and provided Jonn with another offensive option.
Beyond the newly acquired {Spell}, Jonn had earned 20 attribute points for completing the {Creations of a Mage II} quest. Without hesitation, he allocated them to [Wisdom].
While high [Intelligence] granted ample [Mana], Jonn reasoned that superior [Mana] control, enhanced {Spell} mastery, and accelerated [Mana] regeneration—all benefits of [Wisdom]—were equally crucial.
Reflecting on the recent skirmish, Jonn realized that in a prolonged standoff, victory would likely favor the combatant with swifter regeneration rather than the one boasting the largest initial [Mana] pool. Anticipating future encounters with many weaker mages who could collectively pose a threat, he prioritized rapid recovery and the ability to overcome initial disadvantages as battles wore on.
The system had remained quiet about new quests or fluctuations in his progress for his two active quests. It seemed today's conflict had been deemed neither beneficial nor detrimental to the village's future. The current situation was still the same as before the fight.
But Jonn's mind wandered to a realization that had eluded him until that very morning.
It seems that the points I lost earlier are not entirely related to [Exotic Animals]. Maybe I lost something because of the threat of the Triceratops' enemy dinosaurs. But it's possible that the main culprit for my losses that day is the same one who sent those troops here.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, littered with enemy corpses and fallen horses—a grim picture he'd never imagined witnessing so close to his village's walls. As the smoke and dust settled, the full extent of the carnage became visible to the survivors and villagers cautiously emerging from behind the walls.
Alis returned with Eliot, having confirmed no urgent cases requiring her immediate attention. Upon reaching Jonn, she understood her task and began tending to the two enemy mages.
As she worked, Jonn noticed the gathered crowd of villagers and battle-weary animals, all drawn to this spot.
Drawing a deep breath, Jonn's voice carried across the crowd, "My friends, a war looms on our horizon. But before we address what lies ahead, I have a significant revelation to make…"