The silence is dreadfully long. But just as fast as that silence begins, the Viperstag lunges, breaking the quiet with a hiss.
"Gale Javel-" I shout but stop the incantation
The serpent laterally undulates, slithering in an S shape and attacking from the side. Its antlers glide directed to my torso…
But I knew that.
"BURST!" I scream
My left palm beneath my right tricep, unclenching my fist and unleashing a torrent of wind out of my palm. The concussive force sufficiently blocked the antlers, leaving the underbelly of the Viperstag exposed.
[ Remaining MP: 110/250 ]
With quick efficiency, I duck under the staggered Viperstag and drive my fingers into its soft underbelly. Flesh parted like rotten fruit, my nails scraping against its solid muscles
"Burst!"
This time from within. A gory eruption of wind and viscera ballooned beneath its scales, the armour around its body containing the implosion within. Its genetic evolution serves as its downfall. The resulting burst splits the creature apart in a shower of glistening scarlet and ruptured organs.
[ Remaining MP: 30/250 ]
[ Stamina: 5% ]
I won, without a question of a doubt.
I stood there, chest heaving, fingers tingling with fading energy. I had won. No question. No hesitation. The touch of mana, no. Authority.
Not the carefully balanced, cooldown-restricted spells from the game. This was raw, unfiltered power—something that had surged through me like a storm breaking loose. And it had cost me. My vision swam, my limbs heavy as lead. 30 mana points left.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, tasting iron. The silence of the forest pressed in around me. No horns. No hunters. Just the distant rustle of creatures wisely deciding to stay away.
Good.
I couldn't afford witnesses. Not covered in gore, wielding magic I shouldn't yet possess. The Academy would have questions. The wrong kind.
"Oh?"
The system's blue interface popped up, flickering back into existence. And at the sight, I could only help but smile
[ Vitality: 2-Star → 3-Star ]
[ Agility: 2-Star → 3-Star ]
I will gladly take this improvement…
Steeling myself, I stepped over the mangled remains and kept moving. The Stormbreak Spire loomed ahead, its jagged peak spearing the bruised sky. Two days' trek. Two days through a world that was no longer bound by game mechanics, where death wasn't just a respawn screen away.
But I had no choice. I'm stuck and so be it. An outsider that doesn't belong but will force himself to be.
.
.
.
"Fucking hell…"
Even with the star upgrades to my vitality and agility, two days of nonstop travel is impossible. Two hours in, and my muscles are already screaming in protest—though the physical stat boosts at least keep my breathing steady and my strides from faltering.
This is not enough. The Academy looms ahead, and every second wasted risks another encounter with something far worse than exhaustion. If I'm lacking in stamina, then the lifeline that always got me out was mana. Maybe right now it can get me through it.
I sift through my memories of EAA's wind magic. Float and Flight are out of reach—Float is a Novice-Class (4-Star) spell, and Flight sits firmly in Adept-Class (5-Star) territory. Float is barely possible due to the star upgrade in my wind affinity. But the inefficiency of the MP drain would leave me defenseless. I'd rather not gamble my survival on convenience.
That leaves the lower tiers: Beginner to Apprentice Spells. The only traversal spells in that range are Tempest Leap and Wind Walker—both 3-Star, both risky. Issue is, Tempest Leap would likely shatter my legs without mana reinforcement, increasing the MP cost to an unprecedented level.
I sigh as I reach the conclusion. Wind Walker is my only option. If I recall correctly, EAA described Wind Walker as a Dance of Unseen Hands:
"With each step, the gusts of the wind gather beneath your feet, cupping your soles like loyal hands. They push you forward, ensuring your stride is swifter than a river's rush. It wraps its coat around you, parting before your body like a courtier bowing to a king. What once was resistance becomes a whispered plea for you to hurry."
Or something like that, of course to me this was all gibberish. To use Wind Walker, I'll use science to perform this spell.
With this in mind, the part about the gust under your feet pushing you forward? Utter bullshit. EAA is trying to nudge the player into using "Burst" in their soles rather than palm. And the part about the winds wrapping you in its coat? Another Apprentice-Class spell, one that I have used before: "Veil"
In practice, Wind Walker is not a new spell. No. It is a conglomeration of 2 spells that are "Burst" and "Veil". The reason why it's so difficult to master is because the caster is essentially dual casting. But I know this:
First, intent — the mental blueprint. I picture the blueprint in my mind: two bursts of power, one coiled in each foot, and a stream of wind like cloth wrapping around my body. I hold both images in focus, then let them merge — overlapping, collapsing into one unified concept. A single, flawless design. An anatomy of arrangement.
Second, Incantation — the request. Just two words: 'Wind Walker.' But I won't whisper them. I'll hurl them into the world with all the force I can muster — a cry, a command, a vow. As if daring the winds of the universe to bend to my will.
"Wind Walker!"
And third, Invocation — the physical catalyst. I drive a foot into the ground and launch forward, every muscle igniting like a drawn bow loose. My arms snap wide, carving through the air, tearing open a path ahead.