Not-So an Extra

A/N:

Since some people got confused/missed the info I put on the paragraph comment, for today onward, if you see ** at the end of a sentence, please click on it.

Thank you.

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A towering figure emerged from the entrance of the fort.

He was a man of imposing stature with broad shoulders and a muscular build.

He had tanned skin combined with long and curly brown hair that cascaded down his shoulders.

His feral black eyes roamed the area and found two youngsters perching on top of nearby trees.

The first one was dressed in a black robe that flowed around his slender frame, obscuring his features.

Switching his attention sideways, a wheat-haired boy with hazel eyes was seen.

The man could only narrow his eyebrows at the sight of the two children.

Were they really the ones responsible for the chaos in this place? 

They were just kids—or not ordinary kids.

Nonetheless, he posed them a question.

"Who sent you here, kids?"

His voice was deep and rumbling.

"We're here on our own!"

The wheat-haired boy shouted boldly and the man guffawed, his throaty sound echoing throughout the woods. 

"You two have guts, I'll give you that."

A hint of admiration filled his voice.

"However—"

The man pulled his giant sword that rested behind his back and stood on guard stance.

"—If you think you can leave here alive, you are fools."

"Ha! We're not afraid of you!"

Péréz snapped back brashly.

Ignoring those who were chatting, Adrian peeked at the man's [Status Window].**

The man had an incredibly high Physical Defense and Magical Defense—which was a sign of a headache.

In terms of physicality, he had the upper hand, but when it came to magic, Adrian was confident.

Still, this was not going to be an easy fight.

The bandit raised an eyebrow and scoffed, amused by Péréz's bravado.

"Is that so?"

His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Well then, let's see how—"

Unbothered to continue his words, he hastily rolled to the side.

—Boom!

His previous footing blasted, leaving a small crater behind.

"Let's ditch the preface and fight."

He darted at the voice and the black-robed boy came into view.

The bandit chortled as he rose.

"Hahaha!"

Subsequently subsiding his laugh, the man fired a Wind Elemental, and an invisible bullet hurtled at him.

Without flinching, Adrian tilted his head sideways with ease; allowing the bullet to pass by him.

·ƈθm —Boom!

The tree on the rear burst into a shower of splinters.

The man gritted his teeth and fired another one, but to his surprise, the black-robed boy did the same.

The bullets rushed towards each other, slicing through the air at breakneck speed before colliding and letting out a deafening roar.

—Boom!

A ferocious gust of wind was unleashed, stirring up clouds of dust that engulfed them in a thick haze.

The surrounding trees swayed and rustled heavily in frenzied intensity.

However, his black eyes widened upon witnessing a bullet cut through the air, aimed directly at him.

Wasting no more time, he bent his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullet.

—Boom!

The ground behind him exploded, dispatching dirt flying into the surroundings.

Feeling something warm sliding down his face, the man swiped it only to see his hand was stained red. 

Despite having dodged the bullet, the boy's magic still managed to graze him.

The moment the dust settled, he fixated his eyes on the black-robed figure.

After beholding his magic, now he was pretty sure that little brat was the culprit behind this mess—doubtlessly about it.

And one thing was certain; the boy's magical prowess exceeded him.

Péréz stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock as he watched the sheer destruction before him.

Regardless of his rigorous training, the brutal reality of combat was vastly different from what he had learned.

His confidence, which had been so strong just moments ago began to falter and dissipate into thin air.

Péréz couldn't help but wonder if this was truly what a real battle was like.

The chaos and devastation were almost too much to bear. 

He had prepared himself mentally and physically for this moment, but nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming emotions he was experiencing. 

"Péréz move!"

"Huh?"

Adrian's sudden cry woke him out of his reverie.

Before he could even process what was happening, a wind bullet flew straight at him.

"Ah…"

Péréz knew he should have dodged it, yet he just stayed still—unable to move.

Adrian hastily took out his sword and sent a white crescent light, severing the branch Péréz was standing on; tumbling him downward.

"Ah!"

Péréz cried out as he fell, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

As he was hovering, Péréz could hear the bullet whizzing past him at a hair's breadth.

—Boom!

The boy's body was thrown forward by the force of the blast and he landed hard on a nearby branch. 

His body jolted with the impact and he let out a grunt of pain.

"Ugh!" 

He immediately curled himself up and protected his head from the splinters that rained down around him.

"Tsk."

Adrian clucked his tongue in annoyance and approached Péréz.

He resisted the urge to smack him in the back but then again, the boy who lay like a grub right now was not his subordinate.

Also, what were you expecting from a 9-year-old kid who had no experience in a real battle at all?

Adrian sighed heavily and spat his mind.

"If you have no intention of fighting, just go and help Ralph."

Unbothered to waiting for Péréz's reaction, Adrian turned around and swiftly hopped off of the ground.

Soon, he began to sprint and the bandit fired three wind bullets.

Unfazed by it, Adrian continued to run and effortlessly avoided them in a zigzag pattern.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

When distance grew thin, they swung their weapon.

—Bang!

Sparks of metal burst between the collided blades.

Adrian winced when a sudden, searing pain shot through his hands, the sensation reverberating up his arms.

Although the difference in their ranks was slight, Adrian could still feel the impact on his skin, which left him displeased.

With a quick motion, they retrieved and raised their swords once again.

—Bang!

As their swords bound, the man surreptitiously raised his knee.

Sensing a movement below him, Adrian deftly shoved his sword away and leaped backward; making the bandit kick the empty air.

Just right after Adrian landed, the man shot three wind bullets whilst dashing toward him.

Reciting a spell inwardly, shortly the blade on Adrian's hands shone and quickly thwarted them with his sword.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

The ground erupted, causing debris hurtling in all directions.

When the distance closed by, the bandit jumped and made a vertical slash, forcing Adrian to hop backward.

—Boom!

His strike hit the floor, wrecking the earth below.

The man lifted and waved his sword in the air, and soon, countless thorny earth emerged from the soil.

It continued to pop out whilst rushing at the boy.

The moment Adrian landed, he chanted his spell and swung his sword; calling forth a storm of white crescent lights that sliced through the air.

—Boom!

The palisade earth that raced to him stopped and shattered into pieces like a dandelion blown away by the wind.

However, the fierce wind train did not stop.

Since it was too late for him to cast a spell, the bandit frantically raised his sword; holding the flat side of his sword in front of his face.

—Slash! —Slash! —Slash!

The man's skin was lacerated by deep, gaping cuts, and blood poured from each wound as he valiantly defended himself relentlessly.

"Haaa!!"

Once the wind weakened, the man's shouted, unleashing the same spell at Adrian.

The sharp winds rushed at him with incredible speed, however, with a flick of his wrist, Adrian summoned a massive block of earth in front of him.

—Boom!

Little by little, the wind eroded his barrier.

Nevertheless, the earth wall was too strong to be penetrated.

Right after the attack stopped, Adrian seized the opportunity and sent the remaining pieces of his earth wall to the man.

Seeing a thick wall gliding at him, the bandit slashed his sword diagonally.

The moment the white light in a crescent moon shape cut through his earthen wall and scurried at him, Adrian rolled sideways.

—Boom!

As his instincts told him to run, Adrian sprang into action and instantly bolted away—the man was firing his wind bullet once more.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

The ground behind him exploded and Adrian let out a frustrated sigh. 

Somehow, he didn't like how this fight was going.

Nonetheless, Adrian secretly recited his spell inwardly, preparing a counterattack.

Sensing a condensed mana pulsing beneath his feet, the man glanced down and immediately jumped up; avoiding a sharp spear of earth shooting from the ground toward him.

Thankfully, he was able to dodge.

Had he not evaded it, he would have surely been impaled.

However, his relief was short-lived.

The man's eyes bulged in surprise as he sensed the sudden appearance of a figure behind him

Taking a glance behind him, a wheat-haired boy was seen.

And before he could react, his body flung downward and hit the ground.

—Boom!