Alright, my plan was simple:
1- I'd hide in the corner by the door, in the blind spot of his missing eye. Then, I'd create some noise to lure him inside.
2- Boom, boom — two fire bullets: one straight to his throat and the other to his injured stomach.
3- Follow that with a fireball to burn his body.
4- Run!
A simple plan that relied entirely on surprise. You could call it an assassination attempt.
I wouldn't dare face him in direct combat because, for the thousandth time, I wasn't even rank one yet!
Of course, if this plan failed, I'd use the Light Bombs spell to blind him temporarily. Then, I'd force that purple-haired boy to use his heat explosion by threatening his sister with a fire bullet.
He was still a child, and I doubted he'd realize I was weaker than him. In that case, I could only pray the warlock had no defensive spells prepared.
And if all that failed and I died? Fine, then let me die!
I would've done my best and fought back — what would there be to regret? I wasn't some fool who'd sit around depending on their parents for an unknown miracle.
Waiting was an option, but from what he'd said earlier, it sounded like he was planning something.
Hmph, I wouldn't sit idly by and wait for my death!
As I was preparing myself, the purple-haired girl spoke up:
"Do you really want to fight? Just so you know, he's probably a rank three warlock! He can kill a hundred or a thousand of you with ease!"
"I suggest we wait for my father; he's a sorcerer at—"
"Eli!" the boy shouted, cutting her off.
I ignored them completely. I wasn't going to waste my time arguing with a girl who still clung to her father's protection.
My father was a rank five sorcerer. Would that help me now? No!
Fighting a warlock who might be rank three was practically flirting with death, but sitting here doing nothing was far worse.
He'd said something earlier about starting a "fun" or whatever.
Hmph! I wouldn't sit here like a fool, waiting for my death like these idiots.
Of course, I could've focused on "escaping" more than "killing," but was I foolish enough to engage in a chase with a rank three? The answer was no!
Who knows what kind of demonic spells he possesses? Unless he dies, escaping is pointless; he'll always be able to chase me. Forget his power as a rank three sorcerer—logically, who has better stamina and speed, an adult or a child? Engaging in a chase with him… that would be pure folly.
"Whew… Let's begin."
Hidden near the door, I picked up a small rock and infused it with a bit of mana.
With a moderate level of mana control, I could at least manage something like this. I only wished I could generate elements from nothing like enhancers do and imbue my weapon—that would've been incredibly useful now.
I'll have to ask Haist to teach me that when I get back!
I threw the rock at the wall, creating a muffled explosion.
"Bam!"
"Damn it, what are you brats doing!?"
The door slammed open violently as the disfigured warlock stormed in, fuming with rage. At that moment, I remained hidden by the door and activated
It allowed me to simulate the bullet's path. I pointed my left index finger at his throat and my right at his wounded stomach, shouting:
"[Fire Bullet]!"
"[Fire Bullet]!"
Small orange magic circles appeared at the tips of my fingers, firing off two burning bullets.
This spell didn't require chanting because I had found a magic circle for "Fire Bullet" inside Beginner's Spellbook, which was more refined than the crude version I had experimented with three years ago.
It seems I'm not the only one with creative ideas.
"What—"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Before he could react, the bullets hit their mark.
Using
"That was… easier than I thought…"
I stared at his crumpled body on the floor. I raised my hands and muttered:
"[Fireball]!"
"[Fireball]!"
"Whoosh!"
Two bright orange balls appeared in front of my palms and crashed onto his body. Flames ignited immediately, and his figure began to burn.
Spells at level one were only moderately strong. Fire Bullet had about the power of a small-caliber gun, and Fireball could only cause second-degree burns at best.
That's why I used it twice; I had to make sure he burned completely.
Moments later, the acrid stench of charred flesh mixed with the metallic scent of blood, forming a nauseating combination that nearly choked me.
It was the first time I'd killed someone, but I didn't feel much—just a bitter taste in my mouth.
Perhaps it was because he was scum who'd killed a child before my eyes. Or maybe it was the adrenaline rushing through me. Or it could be the fact that I'd seen plenty of death in my previous life—I didn't know!
With the amplification of Lasca's Ring, my surprise attacks—equivalent to first-level spells—weren't something he could defend against with his bare body. Add to that the fact I hadn't seen him use any defensive spells.
His death was practically certain.
"He's… dead…" the purple-haired boy muttered in disbelief.
"Brother, he killed him…" the girl whispered to her brother, her tone a mixture of fear, denial, and disgust.
Her face betrayed a conflict of emotions: shock, fear, and a hint of repulsion.
"Well, onto the next stage—rum!"
I didn't spare them another glance and turned to leave immediately.
"You… damn… brat… I'll… kill you!!"
The warlock roared hoarsely. Suddenly, a blazing red skull hurled me against the wall.
"Boom!"
Fortunately, the barrier from Loya's Embrace activated just in time, saving me from harm.