Chapter Seventeen: Gungro, an Invincible Opponent (II)

Ravia’s idea was good. Indeed, under normal circumstances, if Professor Hodde were really ahead, the loud noises here would surely draw his attention. As long as they could hold on long enough for him to come to their rescue, they would be able to escape danger.
Unfortunately, that was only under normal circumstances. What Ravia hadn’t anticipated was that Professor Hodde was now also trapped by a group of Gungro. Worse still, his magical power had been greatly depleted. Even with Argus’s help—whose strength was unknown—it would be difficult for him to free himself in the short term.
As a result, Jiang Zhe and the others found themselves in an extremely dangerous situation…
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The bombardment in the tunnel continued nonstop. As a result, Jiang Zhe’s magical power was severely drained. Yet the Gungro, his opponents, lost none of their numbers. They were merely suppressed by his unrestrained magic—just suppressed…
“What? What did you say just now?” Due to the excessive consumption of magical power, Jiang Zhe looked extremely exhausted. Not only was his breathing becoming rapid, but his ability to cast fireballs also slowed down.
The girl kept shaking her head. Although her companion beside her didn’t have the time to turn around, she could still feel the heat on her face. Stammering, she said, “I… I didn’t say anything.” As she spoke, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
“Be careful, Thos!”
“Boom!” A Gungro that lunged at the two of them was completely engulfed in flames. But through the flames, we could see that the Gungro inside was recovering its damaged body at an astonishing speed.
Gungro—immortal vampires… They were so stubborn!
Jiang Zhe could no longer remember how many times he had killed these monsters. Ten times? Twenty times? Or thirty times?
But what worried him most was that no matter how many times he killed them, they could still regenerate their bodies…
This… completely defied the fundamental laws of this world!
As a first-year student at Rexox Academy, Jiang Zhe had managed to hold off these monsters for ten minutes using only three spells he knew: Mimicry, Fireball, and Fire Bomb. This would be enough to make even the strictest professors proud. But in return, his magical power was on the verge of exhaustion…
“Professor…” Looking at the large beads of sweat on the boy beside her forehead, Ravia had never felt such anxiety and helplessness before.

“This is the final strike…” For some reason, Jiang Zhe whispered, breaking free of his restraints as he sensed the fire element in the air. If this final strike still failed to…
“Tch!” Jiang Zhe couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences. He focused solely on the fireballs rapidly gathering around him. One… two… three… ten… twenty… thirty…
“Good heavens!” Under Lavia’s astonished gaze, the empty tunnel was filled with countless fireballs in just over ten seconds. Such an overwhelming number of fireballs not only shocked the girl but also made the Gungro stop attacking. They stared blankly around at the fireballs that surrounded them like giant nets.
Of course, as undead creatures, the Gungro had no souls and thus felt no fear. It was more like curiosity and confusion toward the unknown.
At that exact moment they paused…
“Snap!” A sharp sound rang out, more decisive than ever before, as if determined to go all out.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
In an instant, the entire tunnel was engulfed in exploding flames. The crimson flames resembled a sea of fire, with such intense heat that the surrounding rocks melted into liquid, flowing through the tunnel. Even the solid ground was covered in red flames, with yellow flames flickering out from the cracks in the stones. It was all like hell!
“Hiss!” The giant fire bear surrounding them burst like a soap bubble. If it weren’t for Lavia, who quickly sensed the danger and created a small barrier to protect them, the overwhelming flames would have devoured them long ago.
The reason for this was that Jiang Zhe no longer had any magic left to maintain the fire bear. The spell he had used earlier had exhausted all his magic. Now, he could barely stand, leaning on the ground and gasping for breath, enduring the pain of being completely drained of magic.
“Sosu!” Hesitantly, Lavia helped Jiang Zhe, who had collapsed to one knee from exhaustion. Her eyes were filled with concern as she asked urgently and softly, “Are you… are you okay?” She could see that the boy was suffering unimaginable pain—not just from being drained of magic, but from overexertion… This could cause severe damage to a magician’s mental strength and even their soul…

“Phew,” Jiang Zhe let out a long sigh, breaking free from Ravia’s support and smiling. “It’s nothing. I’m used to it!” His smile was forced, as draining magic was far more serious than simply running out of magic—the worst outcome could be the weakening of the magician’s soul. In a magician’s world, the soul symbolized life!
“You bastard! You… you were so reckless!” Ravia was surprised by her own inexplicable anger. Just as she wanted to vent her frustration, she suddenly saw the boy’s puzzled gaze, which made her nervous.
“You… do you know we almost died from the fire you cast?”
“Ah!” Jiang Zhe smiled in relief, looking slightly embarrassed. Indeed, if it weren’t for Ravia quickly creating a small barrier, the two of them might really have been burned to death by his magic…
Don’t think that fire mages have higher resistance to fire. Without magic, they’re not much better than ordinary people. History is full of magicians who were burned or even killed by their own fire magic. This is why most fire mages don’t see the burning properties of fire as an advantage—it’s a double-edged sword.
“You’re really too reckless…” Ravia muttered, looking at the boy with a complex expression.
To be honest, Ravia’s initial impression of Jiang Zhe was very poor. He was just a commoner, yet he dared to walk in front of nobles. Not only that, as a commoner, she couldn’t hear even a hint of respect or praise for the nobles from his mouth, let alone flattery. He seemed inherently arrogant and proud—this was Ravia’s initial assessment of him.
Later, her assessment became even more “detailed.” She found that this guy wasn’t only arrogant and proud but also lazy and indifferent. Despite having extraordinary talent, he didn’t put in the effort to improve. When interacting with others, it was obvious they could sense the coldness in his eyes. This coldness stemmed from politeness, but excessive politeness turned into distance, into deliberate aloofness, into indifference…
What if she had his talent and… his status as a boy…
Ravia had thought this countless times over the nights.
To be fair, Ravia’s hostility toward this boy wasn’t just due to Professor Hod’s “deliberate arrangement.” Her hostility grew even stronger after learning about Jiang Zhe’s talent. If another word could describe it, it would be jealousy.

This girl, who came from Altak—a place filled with patriarchal and survival-of-the-fiercest ideas—once resented his identity as a boy and his innate extraordinary talents. In Altak, only strong men could earn respect and praise, as women could never attain honor. Surprisingly, beyond her “jealousy” toward boys, she couldn’t tolerate him, who possessed outstanding talents, learning magic with a superficial understanding. It was simply a desecration of his gifts. Wouldn’t an ordinary person work twice as hard instead? But this guy… Through subsequent interactions, Ravia gradually came to understand his personality, which challenged her initial assumptions. He was actually trying hard, as evidenced by the burn marks that appeared on his palms from time to time. Unfortunately, he learned magic according to his own preferences. As he said, he didn’t need magic to prove himself, didn’t care about others’ opinions, and didn’t have any ulterior motives. His reason for learning magic was simple: he just liked it, wanted to master and use it. He learned magic purely out of interest. If there was anything special about him, it was his preference for powerful magic. Ravia swore he was the strangest guy she had ever met. Watching his lazy daily attitude, she had an inexplicable suspicion—that even if he mastered powerful magic, he would still spend his life in mediocrity… This was unbearable for Ravia, who came from Altak! Someone with the talent and potential to become strong, someone who should strive to reach the peak, was instead drifting halfway up the mountain. Worse still, he might even say, “Ah, it’s so troublesome to reach the top…” Sometimes Ravia really didn’t understand what he was thinking. But after getting to know this boy better, she found something else in him worthy of envy and jealousy… Freedom! He seemed to be born to be unrestrained… He didn’t care about others’ opinions, and no one could bind him. He lived freely, doing only what he liked… “So selfish!” the girl muttered softly, filled with envy. “Huh?” Clearly, Ravia’s muttering made Jiang Zhe frown in confusion. “W-what selfishness?” he asked, puzzled. “Hm?” Ravia snapped out of her thoughts, then shook her head vigorously and said hurriedly, “N-nothing…”

“…It makes no sense!” Jiang Zhe gave Lavia a strange look before focusing his attention on the sea of fire, his expression grave. At that moment, those immortal monsters must have obediently returned to the underworld they belonged to… oh, the Land of Death! Still, Jiang Zhe’s mood couldn’t calm down; his subconscious kept reminding him that the crisis hadn’t passed… he still had an ominous premonition. Just five or six seconds later, his premonition came true—as a figure emerged from the burning sea of fire, followed by a second, then a third… “Hiss! Hiss!” The intense heat from the flames continuously baked the ground, producing sounds similar to steam. Jiang Zhe could easily guess that it was the black blood of those monsters evaporating. Unfortunately, Professor Hodde and the mysterious fugitive Argus, who were in the same situation, had confirmed that unless those immortal monsters named Gungro were completely consumed or evaporated, they would reassemble their bodies and become even more frenzied and brutal due to the loss of blood… Just like now, Jiang Zhe could clearly see the once numb faces of those monsters, their eyes gradually turning blood-red, like hungry beasts eyeing their prey. “How is this possible…” Lavia was shocked. After all, the magic the boy had just used was one capable of altering landscapes. Although it was created by dozens of fireballs, its immense power was almost on par with that of fifth-level magic. In terms of magic levels, third-level magic is dangerous, fourth-level magic can cause severe harm or even death, while fifth-level magic possesses the power to destroy the surrounding environment… Only when magic is powerful enough to alter the terrain around it can it be called fifth-level magic. Above fifth-level magic are only the so-called “minor forbidden spells” of sixth-level magic, and then the true, legendary forbidden spells! Yet the flames produced by those dozens of highly compressed fireballs, which could even melt rocks, only caused slight damage to those monsters… Gungro… The legendary vampires… Unwittingly, Lavia felt a bitter taste in her mouth, and along with that bitterness, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief… He had done very well… Lavia gave Jiang Zhe a gentle smile, a smile that made Jiang Zhe feel inexplicably frightened. “Hey, you…”

I’m not just a woman who relies on others for protection!
“Bear!” The fire elements around Ravia surged instantly, with eight pillar-thick waves of flame resembling fire snakes, fixed intently on their prey.
[Barrier: World of Fire]
“Hey!”
With Jiang Zhe’s cry, the entire tunnel was once again engulfed in flames, even the air taking on a faint red hue.
The scorching air made the Gungro restless; they all turned their heads toward the girl in one leap, and then…
“Be careful!” At Jiang Zhe’s warning, dozens of Gungro appeared around the two in an instant like gusts of black wind. After a series of “slap” sounds, several Gungro were slammed to the ground by the flame waves like whips with a loud thud.
For a moment, the eight waves of flame acted as a solid barrier, protecting the two tightly.
As a magic spell that serves both offensive and defensive purposes, Flame Waves is indeed a very practical spell, but its weakness is obvious—its damage output.
After all, Flame Waves relies on burning opponents and protecting oneself with fire, which means it continuously consumes heat. Thus, its damage is not as great as that of fireballs. Moreover, since it constantly drains energy, the caster must replenish it with magic power.
When used offensively, this spell is more effective at restraining enemies than dealing significant damage. But when used defensively, its strong adhesive nature comes into play.
While this is thanks to Ravia’s excellent control and mental strength, her ability to block the attacks of dozens of Gungro with just eight waves of flame is undoubtedly a standout feature of this spell.
Thanks to the enhancement from the barrier, Flame Waves can concentrate and restore flames more effectively than usual. For the next two minutes, the dozens of Gungro were unable to take a single step forward.
“You…” Jiang Zhe was surprised. He felt this girl was much stronger than during their last encounter.
“What is it?” With a hint of pride, Ravia turned to look at the boy behind her.
Given her stubborn and unyielding personality, she must practice hard every day…
Jiang Zhe shook his head with a wry smile and said sincerely, “I really underestimated you!”
“Hmph!” Ravia snorted lightly, but her eyes clearly showed joy and satisfaction from her personality.
Though he said that, Jiang Zhe actually wasn’t optimistic about Ravia…

He had always believed that the best way to deal with powerful enemies was to use overwhelming, unstoppable magic to destroy them—without mercy or restraint. Attack was the best form of defense.
As for this girl before him, though she could resist those monsters for a short time, what would happen once her magic ran out?
Jiang Zhe had already unlocked the first door to becoming a mage: perception. He could sense the fluctuations in her magic to understand her current condition. What worried him was that as the Gungro launched increasingly fierce attacks, the once-stable fluctuations in her magic began to show irregular ripples—a bad sign for a mage. The stronger the mage, the more stable their magic fluctuations, making them hard to detect.
Hearing her breathing grow faster, Jiang Zhe realized she wouldn’t last much longer…
But…
Even standing there, he was struggling. The exhaustion from overusing his magic left him utterly weak—how could he muster any magic at all?
“Ravia…”
“Shut up!” Clearly, even while focusing on those monsters, she knew exactly what the boy beside her would say, so she was furious.
I’m not the kind of person who abandons her companions to escape on her own!
I’m not just some woman who relies on others for protection!
I…
Unexpectedly, eight waves of fire surged instantly, forming a protective barrier that repelled all Gungro that dared approach.
“Don’t underestimate me all the time, you jerk!”
Yet, along with her angry voice, a sound like breaking soap bubbles came through. In her disbelief, the eight waves of fire popped and turned into sparks, disappearing into the air…
What followed was a growing black shadow…
It was a Gungro with blood-red eyes!
Hah… Still couldn’t surpass him in the end…
He could hold out for over twenty minutes, while she could only last these short five minutes… What a damned guy!
Instinctively, the girl closed her eyes, but then she heard a voice, tinged with mockery.
“I never ‘always’ underestimate you…”
“Boom!”
The girl snapped her eyes open to see only dust in the air.

“Suo…” Looking at the hazy figure in front of her and then at the Gungro rushing towards her, Ravia covered her mouth with both hands like an ordinary girl, crying helplessly, “No… no…”
At that moment, a black aura suddenly emerged from the dust, seemingly tangible, and tightly wrapped around the approaching Gungro, preventing them from escaping no matter how hard they struggled.
As the dust cleared, the girl stared at the boy standing in front of her, her tearful eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
“Suo… Sosu…”