Chapter 27: Clash

The "Fireball" spell, ramped up to its limit, barely withstood the opponent's magical assault. However, the sneak-attacking magical beast did not cease its attack. According to Shaoke's knowledge, a Third Rank Snow Tiger in its prime could fire off three to five mutated "Ice Ball" spells in a row, and its recovery rate was remarkably strong. Yet, Shaoke's previous spell had already consumed half of his mana. Although he still had ample focus, a mage without mana was just as unable to cast spells.

After the collision of spells ended, the Soldiers, under the captain's command, swiftly prepared for battle. A Third Rank Snow Tiger, twice as big as a normal one, appeared not far from the squad. The scouts in front quickly returned. Under the captain's orders, the soldiers threw volleys of ranged weapons. However, the might of a Third Rank creature was not something ordinary soldiers without aura could contend with. Occasionally, attacks that landed on the beast were merely deflected. After one round of assault, only the captain, relying on his formidable strength, successfully lodged a javelin into the magical beast's flank.

The wounded Snow Tiger became even more enraged. An ice ball rapidly materialized before its mouth. Fortunately, Shaoke did not hesitate. After casting his first spell, he immediately began preparing the second. "Fireball" was the most powerful offensive spell he currently knew. Although a First Rank spell, its power wasn't any weaker than Second Rank attack spells. Moreover, by injecting excessive mana, the Spell Structure could be made to collapse, which could boost its power even further.

Shaoke's spell formed before the beast's. Without hesitation, and to prevent accidents, he did not inject extra mana to amplify its power. Doing so would not only consume his remaining mana but also require double the mental energy to prevent the spell from collapsing prematurely and harming himself or missing the target.

Under the control of his focus, the scorching fireball, trailing a long tail of flame, flew towards the spell coalescing before the Snow Tiger's mouth. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the Snow Tiger decisively abandoned its unfinished spell, spat it at the fireball while leaping aside to evade the fiery blast.

Under Shaoke's control, the fireball just barely veered off course. Only grazed by the icy breath, it slammed violently into the Snow Tiger's hindquarters. The slightly diminished fireball hurled the Snow Tiger over ten feet into the air. Its tail was severed, and charred chunks of flesh scattered in all directions. "Roar!..." A furious, mournful roar accompanied the Snow Tiger as it lunged towards Shaoke upon landing.

Although Shaoke wanted to dodge, the Third Rank magical beast's speed was several times faster than his. It was better to continue preparing a spell, hoping to kill it before it arrived. A distance of less than a hundred meters on the open, snowy ground was merely a matter of a few leaps for the Snow Tiger, even injured. That bundled-up bastard would surely not escape its pounce.

Seeing the beast charge at the mage who had just wounded it, the soldiers anxiously hurled their javelins, hoping to slow its advance and buy time for the mage to cast a spell. The Snow Tiger's forward momentum was somewhat hindered by wave after wave of ranged weapons, but it still swiftly closed in on the area just ahead of the mage.

"Iron Tower, even if you die, you must not let it harm the mage!" shouted the captain, who had not yet caught up from the front, to the lieutenant protecting Shaoke. This lieutenant had been guarding Shaoke all along. His nearly three-meter-tall frame had earned him the nickname "Iron Tower" from Shaoke, a moniker the somewhat slow-witted lieutenant accepted without complaint. In his view, being given a special name by a noble mage was a great honor. The soldiers gradually grew accustomed to the name Iron Tower as well.

Iron Tower was immensely strong. Although he did not unleash aura, he could effortlessly uproot a white birch tree as thick as a man. With skin like bronze and bones like iron, if he collided with a tree as thick as a man's waist, it was the tree that would fall. He had once competed in strength with barbarians who came to the town, and none were his match. The barbarians, who were easily defeated by him, refused to believe he was human, firmly convinced he was one of the ancient lineages, very much like the ancient Blizzard Warriors.

It was precisely because of Iron Tower's presence that Shaoke dared to stand there calmly preparing his spell. He had encountered similar situations before. Back then, though he was too frightened to accurately prepare a spell, Iron Tower had steadfastly stood before him, using his iron shield to block a swipe from an Explosive Bear. Shaoke believed that a Third Rank Snow Tiger relying solely on strength could not compare to the full-force strike of a First Rank Explosive Bear.

The description seems lengthy, but in reality, it all happened in an instant. Iron Tower, who had been protecting Shaoke, suddenly raised his massive shield. Instead of passively defending, he charged head-on towards the beast. "Thud... Clang!" A tremendous crash reverberated, causing Shaoke's ears to ring and nearly disrupting the spell he was preparing. Fortunately, he managed to regain control of his focus in time.

After colliding with the enraged magical beast, Iron Tower's towering frame swayed violently before he slumped down right in front of Shaoke. The massive shield in his hand was clearly shattered by the impact. His left arm, which had held the shield, hung limply at his side, apparently broken.

The Snow Tiger, initially triumphant, had thought it would easily kill the spell-casting bastard. But after receiving a sudden, head-on blow, its massive body was sent flying five or six meters away. Blood streamed from its eyes onto its snow-white fur. Its head spun with dizziness, much like the effect of a shield bash in past games.

By this time, Shaoke's spell was ready. "Scorching Ray" – its power was mid to low among First Rank spells, but its penetrating ability was the best. An oak tree as thick as a man could be pierced through five in a row by Shaoke's attack. Moreover, its effectiveness in breaking through magical defenses was also the best among spells of the same rank.

A red line, thick as a pine cone, shot forth from between Shaoke's hands. The Snow Tiger, which had just landed, had its head brutally pierced through, the ray exiting from its abdomen and boring a fist-sized black hole into the ground.

When it was all over, Shaoke's taut nerves suddenly relaxed. His body swayed, and he almost sat down in the muddy snow, which would have been utterly embarrassing.

A fist-sized hole was pierced through the Snow Tiger's head, with white brain matter mixed with blood continuously flowing out. After catching his breath slightly, Shaoke instructed a nearby soldier, "Quick, use that pouch to collect this brain matter. Third Rank magic materials! Very valuable." He immediately regretted his words. His image, his image was completely ruined in an instant. Shaoke paid no further mind to the somewhat dumbfounded soldier and asked Iron Tower, who had already stood up, "How are you, Iron Tower? Let the physician take a look. Is it broken?"

"Heh heh! It's fine, I... I knocked it flying, but the shield's broken," Iron Tower grinned, rubbing his bald head before bending down to pick up the fragments.

"Don't worry about that. When we get back, I'll have the blacksmith forge you a better one, bigger and sturdier than this," Shaoke said with an amused smile, stopping his action and making a promise. He knew Iron Tower cherished his shield dearly, as it had cost a full Blue Feather gold coin just for the materials, fortunately with the blacksmith's labor being free. Remember, a soldier only received one gold coin and fifty silver coins per month. This shield was equivalent to Iron Tower's monthly military pay.

The captain hurried over, inquired about the mage's condition, and apologized for the inadequate protection. Shaoke did not blame him, believing that in such circumstances, anything could happen normally. Moreover, he had Iron Tower, the strongest soldier in the entire town, providing constant protection by his side. What more could he possibly be dissatisfied with?

The attack by the Third Rank magical beast resulted in no casualties among the soldiers, which filled both Shaoke and the captain with relief. Against a Third Rank beast, among all the weapons thrown by the group, only the captain had managed to breach its defense. The others hadn't even scratched its fur. Of course, this was also because Iron Tower hadn't thrown his weapon, mainly due to his terrible aim.

This victory instilled a hint of panic in the soldiers who had hunted dozens of Second Rank magical beasts throughout the day. They examined the prey. Aside from the damage caused by the mage's spells, the captain's initially lodged javelin had also fallen out due to the Snow Tiger's running. There was no other damage whatsoever.

Surrounded by soldiers, Shaoke found a relatively clean spot and began recovering his depleted focus and mana. This recovery took approximately half a magic hour. When Shaoke sat up, he realized it was already late. The soldiers had built several bonfires around him. Not far away, the Third Rank Snow Tiger had been thoroughly looted by the soldiers—skin, blood, magic core, brain matter, bones—anything that could be sold for money was collected. Someone even suggested keeping the meat to sell for a good price upon return. After all, it was Third Rank beast meat; many First, Second, and even Third Rank mercenaries would want it.

During Shaoke's Meditation, the group had thoroughly searched the Third Rank Snow Tiger's den, discovering over a dozen First Rank magic cores inside. None of higher rank were found; perhaps they had all been consumed by the deceased Snow Tiger. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for a Third Rank beast to emerge in this area teeming with Second Rank ones.

The magical beast's den was spacious, capable of accommodating over thirty people. Even Iron Tower could stand inside without feeling cramped. It was truly a mystery how it was dug out.

Although the den still carried the distinctive pungent odor of magical beasts, under the effect of the Elder Physician's medicine, the smell had diminished considerably. Besides, the soldiers didn't mind; it was much warmer here than in the tents.

Everyone busied themselves clearing stones from the cave. Useless rocks were piled by the soldiers at the entrance, apparently to build simple defenses. Six or seven fire pits were also constructed with stones. The soldiers quickly chopped enough firewood for nighttime warmth. Since few tents had been set up outside, they soon completed their resting places for the night by the firelight.