“Nice job, Luke!”
The moment that elite goblin crashed to the ground, Sarah sharply picked up on the lingering, intense fire element energy left on the battlefield.
She naturally credited it to the team’s only fire-specialized mage and didn’t hesitate to offer a crisp compliment.
At the rear, Emma, who was focused on maintaining her support spells, also noticed the result after Sarah’s reminder, her tone full of sincere admiration:
“Junior Luke, I didn’t expect you to be this powerful. Even an elite monster fell to you. Looks like you’ve really put in the work in your fire magic practice.”
However, as the supposed “hero,” Luke was utterly bewildered.
He stared at the fallen elite goblin, his mind racing as he tried to recall when he had launched an attack deadly enough to take it down.
“Did I do this?” Luke was full of questions inside.
“To deal with a goblin of this level, I’d need at least several solid casts of โFlame Burst,โ right? But I was clearly busy spreading firepower to suppress the front line, when did I have the chance to focus on killing it?”
Although he was confused, the result was right in front of him, and Sarah-senpai had just praised him.
Luke couldn’t make sense of it, but he couldn’t help feeling a little giddy. His spellcasting grew even more energetic.
Meanwhile, the true “contributor,” Ize, had much simpler thoughts.
He realized he’d found a perfect “cover”โno matter what strange fire magic effects occurred, he could just pin it on Luke. This was a heaven-sent opportunity for practice!
While everyone else was occupied with the front lines, Ize immersed himself once again in his “Fireball Study.” The earlier small success had opened the floodgates of inspiration, and ideas poured forth.
“A single fireball is too slow, easy to dodge or ignore by strong enemiesโฆ What if I speed it up?”
Try it and see! Ize quietly mobilized the wind element, attempting to add a microใGaleใas he cast a fireball.
Sure enough, the fireball’s speed skyrocketed, flying at the target with a piercing whoosh!
According to basic physical law (even if it didnโt fully apply in this magic world), greater speed meant more kinetic energy, and naturally, greater impact.
This discovery thrilled Ize.
Next, he combined his abnormally fast casting speed with the new “accelerated fireball.”
In an instant, he seemed to become a human-shaped mobile magic Gatling gun, unleashing fireballs, each one wind-accelerated and streaking like meteors, in a metallic storm upon the goblin horde!
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh whooshโโ!”
The endless sound of fireballs cutting through the air finally drew Luke’s attention.
He stopped chanting, stunned as he watched the battlefield blanketed by an “abnormal” rain of fireballs, his face filled with confusionโ”Who am I? Where am I?”
“What the hellโฆ where did all these fireballs come from?!”
Luke couldn’t help but curse.
He was absolutely certain he hadn’t cast even the most basic ใFireballใ since the fight began!
His gaze swept across the battlefield, and soon he locked on to the “culprit” in a relatively hidden corner.
When he saw Ize, both hands firing off those incredibly fast fireballs in volleys of ten, then twenty, at a speed no human should manage, Luke’s jaw nearly hit the ground.
He rushed over to Ize, his voice trembling with shock, “Ize-senpai! How can you rapid-fire fireballs like that?! And how is it so fast?! Is your mana infinite?!”
Caught up in the thrill, Ize had momentarily forgotten himself, only to be startled by Luke’s sudden questioning. He realized he’d gotten carried away and violated the basic rule of keeping a low profile.
He hurriedly stopped, a sheepish grin appearing as if he’d been caught red-handed.
‘Damn! Got carried away!’ Ize wailed inwardly.
But on second thought, it wasnโt entirely his fault.
Everyone knew, for boys, the ideal toys were guns, swords, sticks, Ultraman or Kamen Rider transformation belts, and of courseโmagic.
Getting too into it was understandableโฆ What boy could resist the temptation of firing magic, especially pouring out fireballs like a machine gun?
“Wellโฆ Luke, let me explainโฆ” Ize scratched the back of his head, racking his brain for a plausible excuse.
However, Lukeโs reaction was completely beyond his expectations.
Luke’s eyes sparkled with “admiration” and “longing” as he grabbed Ize’s arm in excitement:
“Ize-senpai! That rapid-fire fireball just now was so cool! Did you invent a new magic tool? Like my Flame Amplification Gloves? Youโre so unfair! Hiding something this fun for yourself! If Iโd had that, I wouldnโt have had such a tough fight earlier!”
He circled Ize twice, as if heโd uncovered some huge secret, and continued guessing excitedly:
“And you must have used some new kind of magic potion, right? Otherwise, how could you have so much mana? Orโฆ maybe this new tool comes with a massive mana storage built in?”
Ize, listening to Lukeโs top-tier wild imagination, couldn’t help but marvelโthis was a godsend, no need to rack his brains for a cover story at all.
He immediately played along, purposely coughed twice, and put on a “researcher” serious face:
“Mmโฆ you guessed part of it. This really is a new magic tool I’m testing, but it’s not stable yet. Look, after that burst just now, the experimental mana inside has run dry. Once the projectโs finished and stable, I promise you’ll be the first to try it out.”
He made a mental noteโhe really did need to whip up a magic tool for Luke to “explain” high-speed casting and mana recovery when needed.
When Luke heard this, his face filled with regret, like a big dog deprived of his favorite toy, and he confirmed pitifully, “Really? Ize-senpai, you have to remember! Let me be the first when you finish it! Donโt forget!”
“Alright, alright, I promise! Now get back to helping Sarah-senpaiโsheโs having a tough time over there.” Ize quickly reassured him and pushed him back to the main battle.
With Izeโs earlier “fireball storm” clearing the field, the pressure on the right flank eased dramatically.
Luke returned and swiftly helped Sarah clean up the remaining goblins sheโd missed.
Sarah noticed how quickly the right side had stabilized and looked at Luke in surprise, her appreciation growing even deeper:
“Luke, I didnโt expect your clearing speed to be so high. You really helped a lot.”
Luke was embarrassed by the praise and subconsciously started to tell the truth, “It was all Ize-senpai whoโ”
But as soon as he spoke, he felt a familiar, chilly stare from behind, and shivered, forcing himself to change course:
“โฆIt was all Ize-senpai cheering me on from the back, giving me a huge morale boost so I could perform at my best! And, of course, I couldn’t have done it without Emma-senpaiโs ongoing support magic!”
Sarah glanced curiously at Ize, who looked idle in the distance, and teased, “Oh? Ize-kun’s cheering has that kind of effect? Should I have him come and cheer me on too?”
Luke gave an awkward chuckle and quickly explained, “Uhโฆ maybe it only works because of the special bond between me and Ize-senpai? For someone as strong as you, Sarah-senpai, it probably wouldnโt have much effect.”
In the back, Izeโs lips couldnโt help but twitch when he heard this.
He was truly in awe of Lukeโs quick-witted nonsense.
Jokes aside, the battlefield situation was still far from optimistic.
The main goblin force continued to surge in, and the armored leader who had yet to move remained the biggest threat looming over them all.
At that moment, Ize sensed something, and suddenly looked up, locking eyes with the distant goblin leader.
That gaze was no longer cold and appraising like before, but full of undisguised greed and murderous intentโfixed directly on him!