Chapter 11: Breakthrough in Crisis
After the blue flames exploded, Mo Fan had barely caught his breath when suddenly, a massive figure leaped out.
The two demon wolves weren't both dead!!
No, to be precise, one had died, but the other was still alive. In that instant, Mo Fan's entire body tensed up.
As the wolf's sharp claws slashed toward his head, Mo Fan rolled to the side to dodge.
"Slash!"
Although he moved fast, the edge of the wolf's claws still grazed his arm.
The sudden pain snapped him into clarity.
"Lightning Strike: Wrath Shock!"
Zzzz!!!
The remaining one-eyed demon wolf was instantly paralyzed.
Yet, even while paralyzed, the wolf was still struggling, determined to fight to the death.
"Awwoooo!!!!"
Though it was immobilized for the moment, the wolf howled, and soon, more howls echoed from the forest!
Mo Fan realized at that moment—he must have stumbled upon a nest of one-eyed demon wolves!
He immediately gave up the idea of killing the wolf and turned to run.
Given his current abilities, there was no way he could take on so many wolves at once. Plus, as only a Novice Tier mage, his magic reserves were running dangerously low!
He sprinted through the forest at a speed that even a world-class sprinter from his previous life couldn't match.
But the noise behind him was getting closer, and Mo Fan's heart raced in panic. Fortunately, during his desperate escape, he spotted a small cave up ahead.
Without hesitation, he darted inside.
The cave wasn't big, but it was too small for the one-eyed demon wolves to squeeze through. The cave was also fairly deep, giving Mo Fan a glimmer of hope. He kept moving deeper inside until he had to crouch down to continue.
But to his dismay, after crawling for a short distance, he reached a dead end.
With no way out and his arm still bleeding, along with the fatigue from crouching, Mo Fan began to feel dizzy. He had no choice but to sit down and rest against the cave wall.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
Bang, Bang, Bang!
Just after he sat down, the sound of heavy impacts echoed from outside of the demon wolves banging against the cave entrance.
Even though there was no escape and the wolves were furiously trying to get in, Mo Fan remained unusually calm.
He knew panicking wouldn't help, so he stayed composed.
Tearing his clothes, he hastily bandaged his bleeding arm. Just as he finished, he noticed something—his Little Loach pendant was trembling!
At this moment, the trembling could only mean one thing: the soul essence from the wolf's soul that it absorbed earlier was finally taking effect.
Sure enough, as Mo Fan looked closely, he noticed the pendant undergoing a transformation. Soon, he felt a surge of energy pouring into his mind.
The blue-red stardust in his spiritual world began to pulse with fluctuating light. Surrounding the stardust was a faint membrane, and the energy radiating from it seemed ready to burst through that veil.
The membrane acted like an eggshell or cocoon, encasing the energy that was about to break free. Though the barrier appeared firm, the energy inside was swelling, pushing outward with increasing intensity.
By Mo Fan's efforts alone, breaking through in such a dangerous situation would have been highly unlikely. However, with the help of the pendant, his chances increased dramatically.
As the energy from the pendant flowed like countless small streams into his stardust, they merged into a vast river. The previously quiet river now surged violently, crashing against the barriers!
Cracks began to form in the outer layer of the barrier. Spider-web-like fractures spread unpredictably across the surface, growing larger by the second. Mo Fan could feel the immense pressure building in his mind, his head pounding as though it were splitting apart.
Under normal circumstances, such pain would have made him give up. But now, with his life hanging by a thread, there was no way he would surrender!
The mental feedback felt like countless swords stabbing into his brain, like a violent storm raging in the ocean of his mind, far more intense than any fatigue he'd experienced in previous training. It was a nightmare of mental torment and destruction.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
Outside, the demon wolves were still relentlessly slamming against the cave entrance. By now, small rocks were beginning to fall from the cave's ceiling.
But despite the imminent threat, Mo Fan remained focused on breaking through the barrier.
As the light around the stardust dimmed to the faintest glimmer, resembling a distant star about to be swallowed by the night, Mo Fan's eyes suddenly snapped open!
His pupils now glowed with a fierce blue flame!
The stardust had transformed into a star cloud — he had succeeded! In two and a half years since awakening his magic, Mo Fan had finally pushed his fire element to the Mid-Tier. Although his lightning element hadn't advanced yet, just one element breaking through meant he was no longer doomed to die.
The immense energy drain he'd experienced moments ago had now been fully replenished.
A stardust in the universe is but a speck of dust, small and insignificant, offering limited energy to a magician.
However, a star cloud was a different matter entirely. This vast cluster of stars, radiating light, was clearly visible within his vast mental space, illuminating the chaotic spiritual void.
The difference between stardust and a star cloud was as vast as that between dust and a cloud itself. Now, Mo Fan no longer needed to worry about running out of magic power!
At least, he no longer had to fear these lesser wolves.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
…
No longer lost in his breakthrough, Mo Fan began crawling toward the cave's entrance. Soon, he stood up and saw the massive, snarling heads of the one-eyed demon wolves trying to force their way inside.
"Fire Burst: Rupture!"
Whoosh!
A fireball formed in his hand, just as small as before, but perfectly condensed, flying forward with blinding speed!
Boom!
Ka-boom!
With the fireball's explosion, the demon wolf quickly pulled its head back!
While the attack looked the same, Mo Fan's speed in casting and the number of fireballs he could launch had drastically improved.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
He fired several more fireballs in quick succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The blue flames exploded outside the cave in a series of thunderous blasts.
As blue flames spread like a sea of fire, engulfing everything outside, Mo Fan finally stepped out of the cave.
Once outside, he saw that a dozen or so demon wolves had perished in the inferno, while another six or seven, sensing his power, fled in terror.
Although Mo Fan still couldn't cast Mid-Tier spells, he was now officially an Mid-Tier magician.
Watching the remaining wolves flee, he didn't give chase. Instead, he gathered their soul remnants and swiftly left.
After all, where there's a wolf nest, there's often a pack leader nearby.
Even with his new power, encountering a warrior-class Bone-Spike Demon Wolf would almost certainly be fatal. So, without hesitation, Mo Fan made his quick escape.
(End of Chapter)