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Syl: Chapter 188
🕑 Added 2024-10-18 06:15:01 +0000 UTCChapter 188: Anti-Mages
Despite the dramatic explosion, the dwarf was still barely alive. I had expected a kill notification, but it appeared that [Taunt] reduced my damage a lot more than I realized.
Which means I need to defeat the mirror knight first.
"Kastramri! Why didn't you reflect the spell!?" The fortress knight screamed in anger.
"That wasn't a spell!" He defended himself.
Internally, I rapidly created four explosive needles and withdrew them between the fingers of my clenched fist. At the same time, I kept up internal production so that I would have a good supply of needles.
"Looks like she might have some assassin training!" The mirror knight shouted before he smirked. "Not that it will do much against a tank. I've got you countered pointy-ears!"
Although I made a throwing gesture with my hands, I was actually utilizing [Slime Shot], which was far faster and more accurate than anything I could try to replicate. The mirror knight brought up his shield, but the reflective glimmer did nothing since it was not a spell.
To my surprise, the needles went straight through the shield and pierced into his armor and flesh. The dwarf uttered an angry and shocked yell moments before I triggered the detonation. Four simultaneous explosions reverberated throughout the tunnel, startling everyone present.
The marksman seemed to have lost her cool, but the geomancer was now trying to skewer me with spires of rock and earth. I dodged the first few before reapplying my [Arcane Shield] and throwing out [Manaburn] to hopefully siphon her resources.
However, that wasn't enough for me, and I also fired more needles at the geomancer and marksman. I needed to try to deal with them before that damn spellbreaker got back into my face. The marksman took a direct hit, but to my astonishment, my projectiles aimed at the geomancer were intercepted by what looked like floating basalt rocks.
That's an interesting way to defend yourself. I wonder if it's a custom spell or something at later levels.
"I can smell the metal in those needles; you won't trick me!" The geomancer spat right as I detonated all the needles.
Interesting...
I wished I had more time to think and examine what was happening, but I had the mirror knight and spellbreaker engaging me in melee. Seeing the fortress knight still trying to recover the sniper, I knew I needed to take him out.
With two sturdy dwarven bodies blocking me, both designed to counter direct magic, I was forced to reveal one of my secrets. I began casting [Chain Lightning], and both immediately readied themselves to stop me.
I guess their classes allow them to sense Mana or when a spell is being cast. It's too bad for you; I'm not casting the spell directly.
I fired the spell after moving the anchor point directly above the fortress knight, who was administering a potion. The bolt of surging lightning Mana struck him directly and then began to bounce back and forth between him and his patient.
The two magical counters looked baffled momentarily before becoming furious. The spellbreaker rushed to strike me with his hammer to disrupt my casting.
<Dwarf LV 25; Sniper LV 12 defeated. Experience gained.>
But he was too late.
To everyone's surprise, once the sniper was slain, the spell then ricocheted towards the mirror knight after bouncing to the fortress knight one last time. I must have underestimated how much I juiced the spell, as it seemed to still have plenty of Mana for some additional bouncing.
I had no idea the spell would stop targeting something once it was dead. Is that because [Conductive] fell off once he died?
Despite being effectively caught blindsided, once the spell hit the mirror knight and dealt some damage, it unraveled entirely and dispersed. To me, that felt unfair, but I suppose it was some antimagic skill from his class.
The spellbreaker's mace once again crashed against my [Arcane Amor], instantly shattering it. He wasted no time throwing follow-ups against me. I dodged the first blow and tried throwing a [Aegis] to block a second, but it might as well have been wet paper, and his weapon crashed into my arm as a result.
My arm splattered into a misshapen form from the powerful blow; I couldn't believe it overcame my defenses so easily. I had [Mana Reinforcement] on constantly; it made no sense!
Even though it hadn't hurt and wasn't genuine damage despite Alpha faking an absolutely bloody mangled mess, I used [Thunder Step] to get out of direct contact with the spellbreaker and mirror knight.
As if expecting that the spellbreaker heckled at me. "Bloody coward! Get back here and fight! Or are you so scared after your Mana failed you?"
Can I really not use any Mana against those two? Crazy that there are classes like this. There better not be a class or skill that disables traits, or I'd be absolutely screwed.
I pretended to "heal" my arm by chugging from an empty canteen. Causing the dwarves to glare in outrage when it "recovered."
"What a rich bitch, affording potions that good," The mirror knight spat in disgust.
"Don't worry; we can split her loot once she's down," The spellbreaker replied. "Plus, this way, she gets to suffer a bit more before we put her down."
The mirror knight nodded, then shouted. "Broudaen! Swap with me!"
"Okay!" The fortress knight shouted back.
<Failed to resist [Taunt].>
<[Taunt] has been replaced.>
Interesting... I guess he's worried about me shoving more explosive needles at him if he gets close and wants the damage reduction. Makes sense if the fortress knight is going to stand back.
If I wasn't concerned that they might have some communication methods with their employer, I'd just go full slime monster on them. I was fine with them knowing I'd killed them, but revealing absolutely everything felt foolish, even if I really wanted to.
Well... If I'm a rich bitch, I might as well pull out some fancy toys to go with it. I chuckled to myself.
I equipped myself with a shield and spear made from satisfying [Metal Slime]. The dwarves approaching me again seemed minorly annoyed at me, making their job more difficult. To make matters worse for them, I hastily cast [Fireball] directly downwards on the poor marksman, leaving the poor dwarf practically on the death's door.
"How does she keep casting spells like that!?" The mirror knight demanded an answer.
"No idea. Must be some elf bullshit!" The spellbreaker spat out. "Either way, you and me don't need to worry about that. She can cast all the tricksy spells she wants, and we'll be just fine."
"Damn you, Nuzzun!" The fortress knight cursed, "Care about your coworkers, you greedy shit!"
"I don't get paid to care. That costs extra!" He said smugly.
Even I was slightly taken aback by such an attitude. But while the fortress knight looked pissed, the mirror knight was even nodding in agreement.
Wow... I guess when you lie with mutts, don't be surprised when you get fleas.
"Stop wasting time and kill her!" The geomancer shouted. "She cast something that's draining my Mana, so hurry up!"
Both anti-mages looked annoyed at that revelation and began charging at me. The geomancer immediately began supporting them; shrapnel was exploding out from the nearby rocks while stone walls began trying to box me in further.
I flung my primed spear at the mirror knight. I expected him to block it, which I hoped for, but he dodged to the side instead, so I was forced to detonate the weapon, to his surprise.
While pulling out a second spear, I blocked the incoming blow of the spellbreaker with my shield. Thankfully, the shield blocked his blow this time, but it still negatively affected me. Each blow, even though I was blocking it, seemed to be eating away at my Mana.
Seriously, does his class let him burn Mana with attacks? I'm blocking him, dammit!
I wasn't going to let him slowly eat away at my health, so spikes erupted from my shield, completely catching him off guard and stabbing him into his arm.
"Agh! You bitch!" He yelled in anger.
As he pulled back, I swiftly stabbed forward with my spear, digging cleanly through his armor and into his side. He looked about to curse in horror when he must have seen my grin and realized this spear was the same as my previous one.
"No! Don't!" He screamed out immediately as I detonated the spearhead.
I didn't want to be unarmed, so I pulled out another spear before the smoke cleared. When it did, it revealed the spellbreaker lying on the ground, bleeding heavily but still alive.
I'm not used to opponents not going down so quickly. Dwarves really are something else. Although I am still taunted.
I glanced toward the fortress knight, who, surprisingly, still hadn't joined the frenzy. Instead, he was looking over the geomancer, who was looking rough, on her knees, panting heavily. Her Mana was looking like dregs. When he caught my gaze toward him, something unexpected happened.
<[Taunt] has been removed.>
I hummed curiously as I wondered what his angle was. Is he asking me to spare him and the geomancer?
My curiosity was interrupted when a lightning bolt struck me out of nowhere; I turned to the source and saw the mirror knight looking incensed. Even with [Voltaic Slime] siphoning off a large amount of the spell into my storage capacity, it still hurt as I was not entirely lightningproof yet.
Seeing my pained face caused him to glee in delight, and then he unleashed a fireball at me. Then, another fireball, and he kept going.
He's not a spellcaster. Where the hell did he get these spells from? He's certainly not casting them. That lightning bolt was especially powerful; was that mine?
Unbeknownst to the mirror knight, the fireballs he was unloading on me were doing almost nothing. Unless he had some blue fire secretly stored away—he just wasn't hot enough. It gave me the perfect opportunity to think.
I guess it's a good thing he doesn't have more lightning spells... Is that how he dispersed my [Chain Lightning]? Does he store the spell inside himself to use later? Then he must be emptying his collection to try to kill me.
Even with all the fiery smoke and explosions, I could still make him out clearly. He must have run out of [Fireball] spells, as he was now resorting to [Fire Arrow]. Mindlessly firing at the singular spot, he last saw me.
Before the smoke and flame cleared, I ordered all [Sub-Cores] to create a batch of needles, and once I had a sufficient stockpile, they all fired out in a spray. It oddly reminded me of Jet's [Splinterstorm], seeing that many go out at once.
The dwarf became a living pincushion as he spat out blood. He seemed about to say something when there was a soft click followed by multiple detonations.
<Dwarf LV 26; Mirror Knight LV 14 defeated. Experience gained.>
When the explosion's echoes finally started quieting down, I could hear someone cursing at himself.
"Bloody hells... Bloody beards... Gods..."
I looked and saw the fortress knight shaking his head.
"What the hell did they sign us up for? An easy target? Bloody fools!" The dwarf continued to rant.
He looked terrified when he saw me looking pretty much unharmed from the fire spell barrage. He dropped his shield and weapon and held up his hands.
"I surrender! I'll do whatever you want!"
Well, now I'm extra glad I didn't go slime monster on them. It would have been quite a blow to my conscience to kill someone who's actively surrendering like that. Even if he probably still deserves it.
"Fine. But I won't hold back if I see your face again," I warned.
He visibly shuddered. "Hold back? That was you holding back? Bloody crazy elves..." He must not have wanted to say the last part out loud as he immediately shut his mouth and looked about to soil himself.
I pointed to the exit and just glared at him. "Go! Before I change my mind."
He nodded, grabbed the unconscious geomancer, and started running, even leaving his weapon and shield behind. Then he awkwardly halted as he reached the rock wall I had thrown up, which was currently blocking his hasty escape.
I sighed and began casting a spell. Using [Shatterquake], I made the wall explode outwards away from them and unsealed the passageway. I didn't have [Sand Pit] yet, so an explosion was the only way out unless I melted it with acid.
Seeing the entire wall explode like that into rocky shrapnel made the dwarf nearly drop his unconscious companion. He briefly bowed his head and then ran.
I don't think letting him live will come back to bite me... Worst case, they send more dwarves to attack me, and I still have my ultimate trump card.
I didn't expect him to try to save the mirror knight after he had abandoned his camaraderie, but I was surprised he left the marksman behind. Then I saw she was dead; I had just missed the notification.
The spellbreaker had long passed out from his wounds. Even if I gave him a potion, it was unlikely he'd survive, not that I had any intention of saving someone with such a troublesome class.
Seriously. Damaging my lifeforce directly through Mana burn is not fun. I don't think I could ever become immune to that form of damage.
I twirled my spear before stabbing down to finish the job.
<Dwarf LV 27; Spellbreaker LV 16 defeated. Experience gained.>
Comments
Boyo
Huh. Mercy here for people who were literally just trying to kill is dumb.
Robert Hinz
Hey speaking of proofreading, uh... "I didn't expect him to try to save the mirror knight after he had abandoned his camaraderie," that word you used means a bond of friendship, the term you were looking for is actually spelled "comrade"
ibrahim Hamoutahar
2 chapters long fight for random minions is insanely boring.
Roombot
I wonder what name the dwarf profile will have? Sybastian?
Roombot
That’s a sweet idea
Roombot
I need more!!!!
BrotherJohn
Saved up 12 chapters and just binged them all. I love this story. And I love that the author isn’t afraid to have the MC kill people. It’s such a irk of mine when authors introduce cartoonishly evil characters to then them get knocked out and really suffer no consequences
Mrfacemanlol
But she might be able to do it among adventures if she says it is in her shoes or clothing
nicolas
Yeah but the spear were made with her silver slime traits whereas rock sharpnell could be generated with spells alone.
Daniel Mountain
"Not holding back" would've had Syl going full slime, using bloodrot, and other tricks she doesn't like to bring out among polite company... but these dwarves and their employers don't have to know that.
Daniel Mountain
Sure, but there's easier ways to fly.
Phrance
Your life for a slime Core short stack!
Mrfacemanlol
Could Syl manifest floatstone inside herself and then use it float around menacingly frieren style
Shai182
You just want Syl to be Richer the Richy Rich, don't you 😉
Aertheron
This is indeed the typical way to deal with magic negation. Just throw real objects really hard. Which Syl did with the spears
Roombot
That’ll teach em to mess with a slime!!
ReadingObsessed
That was awesome!
NotableRonin
TFTC!
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Natthaporn Hongcharoen
9th paragraph The marksman seemed to have lost "his" cool,
Lunadea
Sniper was a he, marksman was a she... I hopefully didn't get them mixed up. I hope. :(
Lunadea
Thanks! >_< I hate when I miss stupid mistakes like that when proofreading. Ugh.
K9defend19
It's not a war crime the first time
Jason Hardman
Probably wouldn't be conducive to her health to have anti-magic in a mana based lifeform.
Phrance
Yeah I'm only talking about the ones that were let go
Shai182
she has 4 corpses worth of loot and profiles...
Shai182
sure lets add more Warcrimes to the list why don't we... 😆
Engineer4God
Tank oo fur da chap!
CataFlan
Found her... =) Sorry
Shai182
they are dead, Now Syl will have complete profiles for Dwarfs
CataFlan
Where's the Marksman? Sniper, Mirror Knight and Spellbreaker dead. Fortress Knight and Geomancer fled. Marksman?
Phrance
TFTC! I'm surprised Syl let them go with out at least extorting them.
nicolas
Yes, but if Syl only use mana to impart kinetic energie to a real object : that object has no mana left and only real physical force when it hit it's target. So they shoudn't be able to affect it with there mana negating skills.
CataFlan
The spellbreaker can negate the mana inside the water/earth spell. The mirror knight can store the spell, and has more defense than a spellbreaker.
CataFlan
Only skills of the race, not class skills.
CataFlan
Last chapter, a dwarf with surname.
nicolas
Can spell breaker and Miror knight negate real attacks that were started with magic : can they negate rock throw, sharpnel from shatterquacke or a waterbeam created from real water instead od summoned water ?
nicolas
What about using magic to move real material? If she had use her shatterquake spell hit the spellbreaker with real rocky shrapnel woud he have been able to negate them? Or can he only negate summoned elements ?
Natthaporn Hongcharoen
Was the marksman male or female? At the stary Syl used "he" but at the end it's "she"
Bi-Dailey
TFTC
Hector Gregorio
Die, probably
nicolas
Acide poisonous flaming slime explosions with sharpnells :p But I wonder what a mage that is not a slime could do against them.
JAndy
Didn't the owner of the mine say they don't know who is sending these people?
Shai182
Oh they know who sent them, remember the goal is to clear the mine, not to confront the house that is responsible for the bribes and mercs, as if they can Mine they are safe
Blanc
TFTC! Syl just casually spreading fear of the elves everywhere.
Abishek Kumar
error !!!
Jeremiah Paltridge
Thanks for the chapter!
Abishek Kumar
cool so we get dwarf profile, can Syl look at the skills that Spellbreaker had using his profile or is that only applicable for monsters
Omnax
"I was going to let him slowly eat away at my health, so spikes erupted from my shield, completely catching him off guard and stabbing him into his arm." Don't you mean "I wasn't"?
Hector Gregorio
Good work i LOVE this fic
Hector Gregorio
That anti- mage class were awasome, vs mages are mortal.
crazybot
Wow, it was surprising to see Syl struggle that much for once. Hopefully we get to see her formulating some strategies against future encounters like this next time.
KhaosEnd
Whenever I see a Syl notification I literally drop everything to read it immediately
Wensber
Thanks for the chapter!
JAndy
Should have asked who sent them before letting them go.
IJustWannaRead
Wonder what would happen if she tried to get those spellbreaker abilities….anti mage and mage in one, or just wouldn’t be able to get them at all?
Shai182
TFTC! and Anti-Who?
Omnax
TFTC!
