Chapter 32: The Ancient Stone Beetle
Chapter 32: The Ancient Stone Beetle
Often, Rod was most afraid of suddenly making eye contact with someone he didn't know.
If he looked away immediately, it seemed impolite, but if he stared, it looked like a challenge. In such situations, Rod would be at a loss.
Especially when, after a few seconds of eye contact, the other person would put down their drink and walk over to him.
Fortunately, the talkative Marcus was there to save the day: "Alzack, you're here. That's great, we were just talking about you."
"Talking about me?"
"Yep, this is Rod. You know him, right?"
Alzack nodded: "The one who destroyed an entire forest?"
Marcus clapped his hands: "Exactly!"
Rod slammed his fist on the table: "That's a mistake!"
The two of them looked at him with confusion, as if asking why he was reacting so strongly.
Rod raised his hands: "Sorry, it was unintentional."
They looked even more puzzled. Did he really need to explain such a minor action?
"..." Rod didn't know what to say.
He took a deep breath, formally introduced himself to Alzack, and then clarified the rumors about himself.
He was just a novice mage who had only been practicing for a few days, certainly not capable of destroying an entire forest. "The Guild Master told me the forest was destroyed because a horde of beasts went berserk—strange birds, giant frogs, wolves, and even flying dragons. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale."
It sounded like something he might have done, though.
Rod fell into deep thought.
Something wasn't right here.
He recalled that when he first heard about the incident, he didn't know he could summon monsters. After discovering his ability, he hadn't given the forest incident much thought.
Now, connecting the two events...
Could it be that after being attacked by that bear, the life-threatening situation caused his magic to go out of control, summoning all those monsters?
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. If he really did it, how much would he have to pay to compensate for the destruction of an entire forest?
Rod felt more and more uneasy the more he thought about it.
Meanwhile, the other two had moved on to a different topic. Marcus was complaining about how bored he was lately and suggested organizing an event to keep himself, the guild's official host, busy.
"How about a shooting competition?" Alzack patted the gun at his waist.
"Are you kidding? Who could beat you and Bisca in a shooting competition?"
Alzack suddenly panicked: "No, no, don't mention Bisca. I..."
The young man's flustered response confirmed Rod's suspicions, and he felt a bit of joy from the gossip.
As they continued chatting, Alzack became Rod's next opponent.
...
In the following days, Rod went through one practical training session after another, sometimes one a day, sometimes two or three.
His opponents were either those he sought out or those Marcus dragged in to satisfy his own excitement, having taken over the Guild Master's role as host and judge.
Kana, returning from a mission, also took over the Guild Master's betting duties.
The guild's backyard, rarely so lively, was bustling for a while, and Rod found himself repairing walls with his opponents several times.
However, as the battles became more frequent, the novelty wore off, and the number of spectators dwindled.
Mainly because the outcome was never in doubt.
Rod's current record was 19 fights, 19 losses.
Today was another day of adding to his losing streak. Rod sat on a stool, slumped over the counter, listlessly waiting for the lunch rush.
Worm, after mooching food and drinks at the bar, returned to hug Rod's leg, trying to offer some comfort.
Mira placed a small plate of edamame on the counter, inviting Worm to snack.
While stroking Worm's white fur, she said, "Didn't you almost beat Laxus today?"
"Leidas is too nice to really go all out against me, and I find it hard to punch back at him."
Rod had always been grateful to Leidas. It was his painting magic that had helped him quickly adapt to his new surroundings and alleviated much of his anxiety.
"But that painting magic is just too overpowered. Being able to draw anything makes my summoning magic seem so dull in comparison..."
Today, Leidas had drawn a Swift Crab, using it to attack another crab while also drawing a Poro to play headbutting games with Worm. Although the drawn crabs weren't very sturdy and fell apart after a couple of hits, Leidas could draw more of them in quick succession! The two real crabs happily retreated to the river, leaving Rod to stare in frustration.
He felt like he might develop a phobia of firepower deficiency.
Mira laughed and said, "The things created by painting magic have their limits, and almost every action requires the caster to focus and control them.
"But the creatures summoned by your magic can act autonomously as long as you give them a clear target. That's your advantage.
"In a way, Leidas's weakness is similar to yours. The most effective method is to attack the caster directly.
"Because he has to focus on controlling the 'drawings,' even if he's skilled in hand-to-hand combat, he can't use his full strength.
"So, once you have more powerful allies or improve your combat skills, you'll quickly surpass Leidas."
Like many of his guildmates, Rod had been seen failing repeatedly over the past few days. However, Mira had noticed his progress. The most obvious sign was that she hadn't had to apply any more ointment to his injuries in days.
Even in intense close-quarters combat with Gray, he hadn't suffered the severe bruises he used to get when facing Natsu. While it was possible that Gray held back more than Natsu, Mira could see that Rod's defensive and offensive techniques had become much smoother, and his magic power had increased significantly. He was also using his magic defense techniques with greater ease.
Rod felt comforted by Mira's words. He realized that even though she couldn't fight herself, she understood a lot more than he did. Her confident analysis reminded him of how he used to critique professional gamers, even though he wasn't very good at the games himself.
Of course, Rod was a keyboard warrior, while Mira was more like Wang Yuyan from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
"Ah, I have an idea for my next summon, but I just needed to vent a bit."
Even professional gamers need to vent after a string of losses, let alone in a fight. Thankfully, the friendly sparring matches over the past few days hadn't been in vain, and the sweat he had shed was not wasted.
During today's sparring session with Leidas, Rod had sensed the black mist in a particular area of the Summoner's Rift dissipate, revealing a small alcove. The ground was flat, the rock walls smooth, and patches of moss grew in the corners, giving it a cold and damp feel.
In this small alcove, two 'stones' of different sizes stood quietly.
Familiar with the game, Rod knew exactly what they were: Ancient Stone Scuttlers, commonly known as Stone Beasts. They were known for their durability, and their attacks were fairly strong among the regular monsters.
Moreover, when an Ancient Stone Scuttler was destroyed, it would split into smaller Stone Scuttlers, which would further split into even smaller Mini Stone Scuttlers when destroyed again.
However, during today's match with Leidas, Rod hadn't dared to summon them. He knew their in-game information but wasn't sure about their specific behavior in this world. He needed to consult the Guild Master first to ensure they wouldn't cause any trouble.
If they were uncontrollable and ended up hurting his guildmates, that would be a problem. In a guild known for its impulsive nature, Rod was determined not to cause any major issues.
(End of Chapter)
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