Although the barrier seemed to be holding up well, Arlo wasn't sure how much it could withstand. Hastily, he opened his grimoire, flipping the pages to the [Intermediate Class Magic] section.
"L-Let's see here, this should do…" he muttered, his voice tinged with urgency.
In a hurry, Arlo turned to the first intermediate class spell. Without wasting any time, he stretched out his left hand and began his chant.
"O mighty goddess of the ocean, surge forth from the waves of life…" Arlo chanted, his voice resonating with power.
As he spoke, the air around him began to change, his hair slowly levitating as a bright blue magic circle manifested before his outstretched hand. He aimed his hand at one of the wolves attacking his barrier in a frenzy, their focus so intense that they failed to notice him chanting from within.
"Heed my call…" Arlo continued, his words filled with determination.
A surge of water began to manifest in front of the magic circle, rapidly expanding and rotating with incredible velocity.
"Intermediate Class Water Magic: Water Cannon!"
[MP: 69% -> 68%]
Va-BOOM!
The instant Arlo finished the incantation, a bright light flashed from the magic circle, and the water shot forth like a missile. It passed through an opening that had appeared in the barrier and struck the targeted wolf with immense force.
Crash!
The water sphere collided with the wolf, sending it flying through the air. The beast crashed against the trees in its path, breaking them down one after the other until it finally came to a stop after destroying around five trees within the forest.
Arlo's eyes widened, staring in disbelief as the opening in the barrier quickly closed.
"T-T-T-That's supposed to be intermediate!?" he stammered, his voice trembling. "It's a good thing I unleashed it here… If I had unleashed that at home, I would've destroyed my whole room."
[You have killed a Shadow Wolf.]
[+15 Experience Points.]
‘Looks like I got some experience points too… this system really is like a game. If I kill enough of them, I should be able to level up. I wonder what’ll happen then?’
After exhaling a deep breath, he turned his attention to the other wolves, who were still attacking the barrier in a frenzy. Their eyes glowed a menacing red, and it seemed that Arlo's display of strength had done little to deter them.
Despite the wolves' relentless assault, only a few scratches could be seen on the barrier. Arlo transferred more of his magic power into the barrier itself, causing the scratches to fade as the barrier became even more durable.
"This book really is something else... when I'm holding onto it, monsters of this level aren't a match for me," Arlo muttered, clutching the book tightly in his hands. "But that's only when I'm holding onto it... an F-rank hunter such as myself would never be able to take on these monsters without it. I better make sure not to accidentally drop the book."
As long as Arlo held the book, its magic supply would be linked to him. However, the moment he stopped holding it, the connection would be severed, and the magic supply would no longer be available.
In that situation, Arlo would face certain death. There was no other way to put it. Without any magic being supplied to it, the barrier would instantly disperse, leaving Arlo defenseless against the wolves.
Even if, by some fortune, he managed to pick up the book again, the time it would take for him to finish chanting would be more than enough for the wolves to tear him to shreds.
When he came to that grim realization, Arlo shivered once more before extending his hand towards the remaining wolves.
"L-Let's hurry up and kill them. I'm too scared to try out a different spell, so let's use the same one," he stammered, his voice trembling slightly.
Arlo took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task at hand. With a shaky hand, Arlo began to chant the incantation once more, his voice growing stronger with each word. The magic circle in front of him pulsed with energy, the water within it swirling and churning as it prepared to be unleashed.
"Intermediate Class Water Magic: Water Cannon!"
[MP: 68% -> 67%]
Another powerful blast of water erupted from the magic circle, striking the nearest wolf with devastating force. The creature let out a pained howl as it was sent flying, its body crashing through the trees.
[You have killed a Shadow Wolf.]
[+15 Experience Points.]
"That's two down…" Arlo muttered, nervously turning his attention to the four remaining shadow wolves. "At this rate, I should be able to take the others out without any issues."
Unlike before, when they were attacking in a frenzy, the wolves had become more cautious, taking a few steps back. Arlo watched as one of the wolves from the group suddenly opened its mouth, letting out a powerful howl.
The howl was so loud that Arlo felt as if his ears were being pierced. He could feel the sound waves vibrating throughout his entire being, a testament to the howl's intensity.
Following the howl, the wolves began to circle around the barrier, their speed increasing with each passing moment. Lances made out of shadows manifested in the air above them, aimed directly at the barrier.
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"So they can control the shadows…" Arlo observed, his brow furrowed. "With the way they're moving, I won't be able to hit them either…"
Arlo watched as the fully manifested lances propelled themselves towards the barrier, crashing into it in a relentless barrage. At first, the barrier seemed to withstand the assault, but after a short while, cracks began to form on its surface.
Despite the situation taking a turn for the worse, Arlo's nervousness gave way to contemplation as he examined the barrier.
"Even under this much pressure, the barrier is still holding on nicely…" he mused. "I haven't transferred any magic power into it since they started their assault, and yet it’s nowhere close to shattering…"
After pondering for a moment longer, Arlo nodded to himself and transferred more magic into the barrier, watching as the cracks faded and the barrier quickly repaired itself.
[MP: 67% -> 66%]
The barrier was fully restored, and not only that, it had become more durable than before. The assault of the attacks now seemed to have no effect on it.
A sudden realization dawned on Arlo, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Could it be...? Am I actually a little overpowered?" He shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "No, it's not me that's OP, it's this book. If it wasn't for this, I would've been dead the moment they surrounded me.An F-Rank hunter like me would've never been able to beat these wolves in my old world.":
Arlo turned his attention to the wolves circling outside the barrier. They showed no signs of slowing down or tiring, their relentless pursuit continuing unabated.
"Still, it's a pain if they keep moving…" he muttered, his brow furrowed in thought. "If only I had a spell that could stop them… or a spell that could attack everything in the area…"
Determined to find a solution, Arlo quickly began flipping through the grimoire, searching for a spell that matched the descriptions he sought. After turning a few pages, his eyes widened, and he excitedly yelled out, "Found it!"
Without wasting any time, Arlo began to chant the incantation, watching as a brown magic circle formed on the ground beneath him.
"Intermediate Class Earth Magic: Quagmire!"
[MP: 66% -> 65%]
In an instant, the ground around the sphere became soft and boggy, causing the wolves' legs to sink into the mire as they slowed down. Once their feet had sunk into the ground, the earth instantly hardened, forcing them to come to a complete halt.
While the wolves struggled against the trap, Arlo had been finishing the chant for his next spell.
"Intermediate Class Earth Magic: Earth Spikes!"
In the following second, several spikes rose up from the ground beneath the shadow wolves, skewering all of them within moments. The beasts squirmed and struggled to break free from the spikes, but shortly after, their movements ceased.
[You have killed a Shadow Wolf.]
[+15 Experience Points.]
[You have killed a Shadow Wolf.] (x3)
[+45 Experience Points.]
[LEVEL UP!]
[You've completed the 'Quest: Shadow Wolf Slayer'!]
Arlo cast a nervous glance around at his brutal display of strength, watching as the blood from the wolves' corpses slowly streamed down the earthen spikes.
"Ugh… they stood no chance. Magic is… awesome," he breathed, his voice a mix of awe and unease.
Arlo then turned his attention to the numerous screens that had appeared before him.
[Mail.]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have earned a level-up point.]
[Would you like to exchange your level-up point for rewards?] (Y/N)
-
[You've completed the 'Quest: Shadow Wolf Slayer'!]
[Completion rewards have been sent.]
[Would you like to receive them?] (Y/N)
"Oh, so I get two rewards? One for completing the quest and the other for leveling up…" Arlo mused, his curiosity piqued. "I wonder what the rewards are… I'm curious, but should I really check it out here?"
He glanced around, taking in the gruesome scene that surrounded him. If it weren't for the orb of light illuminating everything inside the barrier, he would have been engulfed in complete darkness.
"Hmm… I'm curious though, and it's not like I plan on heading back now," Arlo reasoned, his mind made up. "I still haven't tested advanced class magic, so I'm going to head deeper into the forest anyway. Might as well get something useful."
Coming to that conclusion, Arlo accepted the first option, exchanging a level-up point for a reward. The moment he did, a bright, blinding light emanated from the screen, transforming into three glowing blue cards.
The cards bore no markings and were simply blank, yet they seemed to pulse, sending strange waves of energy into their surroundings.
[Please select a card of your choice.]
Arlo stared at the cards, his eyes sparkling with excitement. After contemplating for a few seconds, he reached for the card on the far right.
"They all look the same, so I'll follow my gut. Besides, you can't go wrong if you go right!" he exclaimed, grabbing the card with confidence.
The instant his fingers made contact, another bright light was emitted, revealing the contents of the card he had selected.
[+5 stat points.]
Arlo's eyes widened as he stared at the card in disbelief.
"F-Five stat points? Does that mean what I think it means? Can I apply it to my own stats—"
Before he could finish his thought, the card vanished from his grasp, and his status tab automatically opened, interrupting his musings.
[Strength:5] (+)
[Agility: 5] (+)
[Stamina: 5] (+)
[Sense: 5] (+)
[Mana: 0]
[Available Stat Points: 5]
Seeing the status tab, Arlo's eyes began to sparkle, his mind and heart racing as he stared at the screen. It was just as he had thought; he would be able to allocate the points accordingly.
"With this, I'll be able to get stronger even without relying on the book…" Arlo murmured, his voice filled with gratitude. "Cosmic sage who created this system… thank you."
He gave a respectful bow to the grimoire, acknowledging the power it had bestowed upon him. Just as he was about to allocate the stat points, he was interrupted by the contents of the other two remaining cards he hadn't selected, revealing themselves.
[+2 Ability Points.]
[+1 Spin Of The Wheel.]
Arlo's attention shifted to the remaining cards, surprised to see them still there. He had assumed that he was only allowed to take a single card as a reward.
"It said select a card, so I assumed it was only one, but maybe I'm allowed to keep the other two as well?" he questioned, reaching out to grab them.
However, just before his fingers could make contact, the cards faded and disappeared from sight.
"Eh? It disappeared?" Arlo looked around, searching for the vanished cards. "Was it just showing me what I would have gotten if I had selected one of the other two options?"
The disappearance of the cards felt like a gut punch from the system, especially since one of the rewards had sounded particularly appealing.