Lucian blinked, momentarily stunned as he looked at Carrie standing nearby with her bow in hand. This was quite a distance from Greybone Academy—had she followed him all the way here?
This was reckless. Even if Carrie had developed her own combat style and was considered exceptional among the new apprentices, she was still only a first-level wizard apprentice. Against a second-level apprentice or, heaven forbid, a third-level one, her abilities would mean very little. If she had encountered a higher-level apprentice collecting materials or out on a mission, things could have taken a dangerous turn.
Various scenarios flashed through Lucian's mind, and he felt a wave of unease. But there was no time to dwell on it. Carrie had been lucky this time, and he could save the safety lesson for later. Right now, he needed to ensure that Norian's fusion creature, the Abomination, was truly dealt with.
With this in mind, Lucian activated his system, spending 15 Reverence Points to inspect the fallen Abomination.
[Item]: Stitched Beast – Abomination
[Type]: Magical Creature - Constructed
[Status]: Critically Wounded
[Description]: …
[Details]: …
Lucian glanced over the panel, and his eyes narrowed in alarm.
Critically wounded? That meant it was still alive!
What was Norian waiting for? Rapidly, Lucian sifted through everything he knew about Abominations in his mind.
He quickly stepped back, his gaze darting to Carrie, who was obliviously running toward him. "Get back!" he bellowed.
At the same time, he cast a fire missile spell, launching it directly at the Abomination's prone form.
But even as he moved away, he noticed the Abomination's body beginning to swell at an alarming rate. The monster's form, already shrunken from the earlier "fat-burning" spell, now puffed up like an overfilled balloon, stretching its seams taut to the point of tearing.
Lucian's body crackled with electricity, adding a burst of speed as he rushed to Carrie's side. With no time to get her out of the blast range, he threw himself to the ground, pulling Carrie down with him, and summoned an ice shield to block the explosion.
At that moment, the Abomination's dimming soul flame flickered briefly, as if filled with regret.
Then—BOOM!
The creature detonated with a deafening roar that echoed throughout the entire forest, sending a flock of birds screaming into the sky. The blast obliterated everything within a ten-meter radius, reducing trees and rocks to shrapnel, and sending jagged fragments of bone and chunks of decaying flesh hurtling through the air.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Shrapnel struck Lucian's ice shield, leaving cracks that spidered across its surface.
Finally, after taking the brunt of the impact, the ice shield shattered into glittering fragments.
Lucian let out a sigh of relief as he stared at the deep crater where the Abomination had once been. The blast had packed an estimated 1200 pawas of force; at its centre, it might have been even more intense. Such an explosion would have been difficult even for a formal wizard to withstand without serious injury.
But Lucian wasn't unscathed. His right arm had been pierced by a shard of bone, leaving a wound tinged with an unnatural greyish hue—evidence that it had been tainted with foreign energy that would require some time to cleanse.
This wasn't the right moment to tend to it, however. The commotion would inevitably attract other apprentices, and they couldn't afford to linger.
Lucian gritted his teeth, yanked out the bone shard, and retrieved a vial of pristine, emerald-coloured healing potion from his spatial ring, drinking it in quick gulps.
The slightly bitter potion slid down his throat, and Lucian could feel it swiftly mending his earlier injuries.
He looked down at his wounded arm and saw thin wisps of black mist being forced out of the wound. As the contamination was expelled, the greyish skin returned to a healthy pink, and the injury healed rapidly.
"I didn't realise a flawless-quality healing potion could cleanse invasive energies so effectively," Lucian muttered, a hint of admiration in his voice. Satisfied that he and Carrie were unharmed, he surveyed the surrounding area for anything of value.
"Let's go. We'll talk later." Lucian shot Carrie a disapproving glance, then used his mental sweep to locate a badly dented silver alchemical pendant amidst the debris.
Carrie, however, hung her head, glancing sadly at her broken hunting bow.
The bow had snapped in two, now utterly useless.
"What's wrong?" Lucian began to scold her but paused upon seeing her disheartened expression.
"My bow broke…" she mumbled.
"We'll handle it back at the academy. I'll get you a new one," Lucian said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
Carrie had been lucky to emerge unscathed after following him so recklessly. A broken bow was the least of their worries.
"Alright…" Carrie murmured, still cradling the broken bow as if it were a cherished treasure.
Seeing this, Lucian raised an eyebrow.
Carrie gave an awkward smile and murmured shyly, "It's…my first bow."
Lucian's expression softened slightly. "Once we're back at the academy, I'll see if I can fix it for you."
"Thank you, Master Lucian!" Carrie's face brightened instantly. To her, Lucian's word was as good as a guarantee.
[Your student, Carrie, feels deep admiration for you. Reverence Points +20]