With no other options, Mordred approached his severed hand and positioned his arm near the limb lying in the damp soil.
"Invoke Blessing of Life!"
Supernaturally, a golden light emerged just above the wound, and two golden hands materialized from it. These hands joined the two parts, initiating a miraculous healing process, identical to what Mordred had experienced a short while ago.
Muscles, tissues, nerves, and more—all regenerated and came together at a considerable speed. A third hand appeared shortly after, resting on Mordred's broken hand and swiftly restoring it.
In less than a minute, all his injuries had been healed, and the light disappeared, leaving only a scar that circled Mordred's left wrist. At this moment, the golden screen reappeared before him.
『Blessing of Life: 2/3』
Damn! I barely got here and already had to use one of the charges. Now, I can only use it one more time.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, accompanied by irregular breathing and a drop in blood pressure. While the healing may have regenerated his limbs, it seemed unable to replenish the lost blood. The surroundings began to spin, and a dizzy sensation washed over the boy.
Congratulations to me, for the incredible ability to mess things up right on my first mission!
Lying on the ground, Mordred fought not to succumb to unconsciousness. His breathing gradually stabilized, but he felt he shouldn't get up just yet, as if each movement could trigger a new wave of overwhelming weakness.
『Congratulations! You have just completed the Prologue!
Reward received: Main menu.
Access mode: Think about the word Menu.』
At least I got some reward in this game.
Following the given instruction, a new golden screen appeared before his eyes. This time, it was a bit larger and contained much more information than just a message.
『Name: Mordred Antury
Age: 17 years
Affiliation: Codex Academy; Antury Family
Titles: The last descendant of Aries; The chosen one by the world; Exiled from the family』
"Codex Academy, I guess that's the school she mentioned. However, about the Antury family... I'm totally in the dark." - Mordred reflected, his expression filled with thoughts.
However, his thoughts were interrupted by a female voice.
"What is a Codex Academy student doing outside the city walls?"
Mordred jumped in surprise. No nearby presence had caught his attention until that moment, and his expression reflected a mix of shock and alertness, standing out on his tense face.
How the hell did she appear in front of me out of nowhere?! I didn't even feel her coming!
"There's no need to be scared, little boy. If I intended to hurt you, I would have done it before you even realized." - She said, with a slight mocking tone.
The deep red eyes scrutinized Mordred meticulously, traversing every inch of his body like a predator assessing every detail of its prey. From the beginning, she noticed he wasn't in the best condition, and the question lingering in her mind was how he still remained alive after such a devastating neck wound.
"Who are you?" - Mordred asked.
"I should be the one asking that. What is a Codex student doing outside the city walls? Don't you know it's forbidden to leave without a teacher or a team?"
"I don't have any obligation to tell you."
"Oh? So we have a little rebel here? Do you really not know who I am?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't have asked, genius." - He replied, assuming a combat stance.
I've faced enough enemies to recognize someone powerful when I see them, but... this woman is definitely at a power level that's suffocating.
Who would have thought I'd live long enough to meet such an ignorant wannabe adept. Did you go crazy after witnessing death knocking on your door? - The woman theorized.
Analyzing his posture, she noticed there were no openings. Hands and feet were strategically positioned, allowing Mordred to react promptly to any type of attack, no matter what it was. In the eyes of the white-haired figure, such a stance could only be achieved with years and years of refinement. However...
"Did you really position yourself to fight me? Are you too naive to realize the level difference here or too cautious to believe that I would attack you?"
"What do you think?"
With a wide smile on her lips, overwhelming ferocity took hold of her expression. The woman resembled a hungry beast that had just come across a succulent prey, ready to satisfy its hunger.
Without any hesitation, she grabbed the spear, stored on her back, and pointed it directly at Mordred. A single movement of the spear generated a powerful gust of wind that left a deep mark on one of the nearby trees.
"Let's do this, little rebel! I will attack you, and if you manage to make me miss a single strike, I guarantee I'll clear your record when we return to Codex. You'll get, at most, a warning!"
Mordred wasn't sure if he should accept such madness, but a familiar sensation hit him once again. It was that thirst for battles that, in so many moments, kept his sanity in the chaos of the battlefield. Like a burning flame within him, the temptation to test his limits in a fight called to him once more.
I must be crazy as hell to want to fight even when I'm all messed up...
"Bring it on."
As soon as Mordred finished his sentence, the red spear was already close to his chest. Without giving any room for prolonged thoughts, the challenger attacked without any hesitation.
The attack was incredibly fast, but not on a level he hadn't experienced before. His eyes momentarily tracked the blade's arrival, but his body couldn't react quickly enough to dodge as he wanted.
The strike hit his chest squarely, and the spear would undoubtedly have pierced him completely. However, contrary to the woman's expectations, Mordred was thrown away with tremendous brutality.
Colliding violently against a tree, Mordred experienced intense pain upon impact. However, showing surprising resilience even to himself, he quickly gathered strength and stood up. Contrary to his expectations, his opponent remained in the same place, not advancing immediately upon noticing his recovery.
She had a pensive expression, trying to deduce why the spear didn't pierce when it hit.
I have the impression that I saw his eyes turn golden for a second, so he must have used an ability... But what could it be? Looks like I'll have to attack again to find out. - She reflected, with an even more malicious smile.
Raising her weapon vertically, she propelled herself toward Mordred. Upon reaching him, she delivered a downward arcing blow, precisely aiming for his shoulder. This time, Mordred's body didn't react in time again, unable to perform the same leg movement that had saved him minutes before against the monster.
But just like before, instead of the blade piercing upon impact, it only hit him, generating a force strong enough to sink his legs into the ground and break the bones of his shoulder. However, Mordred managed to endure the pain and grabbed the spear's handle with all the strength he had left.
At that very moment, he raised his leg laterally, projecting his body to the side. In a fluid motion, the lateral edge of his foot sliced through the air toward the target, executing a precise and powerful Yoko Geri. However, she released the spear and immediately stepped back, managing to evade the attack's range before being hit.
Reacting instantly to see her retreat, Mordred made one last desperate effort. As he aimed the spear at the warrior, a dense golden aura enveloped his entire arm and extended to the spear, completely wrapping them.
Responding instantly to his movement, Mordred decided to make one last desperate effort. Aiming the spear at the warrior, a dense golden aura enveloped his entire arm, extending to the spear and completely wrapping them.
By throwing the weapon with all the power he had left, a powerful red blur advanced toward the woman. The spear, even moving at an impressive speed, couldn't prevent her from raising her arms to defend herself. A dense red aura completely enveloped her body, while a reddish mark expanded across her neck and left arm.
The moment the spear touched her, there was no resistance. The blade pierced through her body with disturbing ease. As it continued, it penetrated everything within a one-kilometer radius, breaking through obstacles until finally embedding itself deeply in the ground. A trail of bright red energy followed the spear's path, dissipating in the air like sparks from a fleeting fire. The woman, in turn, remained motionless for a brief moment before slowly collapsing to the ground.