Ragon's eyes glowed with a bright silver light as his body ascended effortlessly into the air, without the aid of his hands or any visible effort.
"That… that's impossible! He's not a mage—or is he?" Grel'thak, the orc leader, muttered in disbelief. He struggled to comprehend what was unfolding before him.
"I am no ordinary being, so why would I fight like an ordinary man?" Ragon replied. The wounds that had previously was in his body were now completely gone, replaced with fresh.
Grel'thak, recognizing the potential of the boy before him, clenched his teeth and thought grimly to himself, "If I don't crush this boy now, he might bring about the downfall of our race."
The orc leader tightened his grip on his club. With a powerful stomp, Grel'thak impaled his foot into the ground, creating a small crater as he gathered energy for a strike that could obliterate even the toughest foes.
Ragon, now fully healed and a silver lightning that danced across his body, stood calmly. His vision seemed enhanced; he could see every movement, every intention Grel'thak had, as if time itself had slowed.
"I'll show you the difference between a mage and a warrior," Ragon said, a faint smile playing on his lips. Slowly, the lightning surrounding him subsided, and he descended gently to the ground, his feet barely making a sound.
Grel'thak refused to give Ragon any chance to act. He knew that most mages needed precious seconds to chant incantations to summon their magic. With this in mind, the Grel'thak charged forward at breakneck speed, his club poised to strike Ragon's skull in one devastating blow.
But just as Grel'thak's club was about to make contact, a silver barrier materialized out of nowhere, intercepting the attack.
*Clang!*
*Clang*
The impact sent shockwaves through the ground.
"What?!" Grel'thak exclaimed as the force of the shield's rebound hurled him several meters backward, causing him to crash onto the ground with a heavy thud. He groaned as he struggled to get up, his mind racing to comprehend what had just happened.
"That's impossible... What are you? There's no mage in existence—especially a three-star mage—who can summon a defensive barrier this quickly!" Grel'thak growled.
"I told you," Ragon said calmly from behind the glowing shield. "I am no mere mortal. Gods don't waste time chanting spells when they can command their will directly."
With a flick of his wrist, Ragon deactivated the barrier, its energy dissipating into the air like fading embers. He stretched out his hand, his palm glowing faintly. "I'm sorry to spoil your mood, but I'm capable of much more than this."
Before Grel'thak could react, he felt a sudden, excruciating pressure in his body. His limbs trembled as though an invisible force was gripping him. His massive frame began to buckle under the weight of an unseen power, and a horrifying cracking sound echoed through the air as his bones began to shift unnaturally.
Ragon's eyes glinted with cruel amusement as he curled his fingers slightly, manipulating Grel'thak's movements like a puppet master. "I've always been curious about how many bones are in the orcish body," Ragon said with a smirk. "Let's count, shall we?"
Grel'thak roared in agony as his body contorted. His muscles strained against the invisible force that bound him, but he couldn't break free. It was as if his very essence was being controlled.
*Paaaah!*
"Ahhhh! Stop it, please!" Grel'thak screamed, his voice filled with agony as the sound of his bones cracking could be heard.
The onlookers were in shock, unable to comprehend how Ragon was performing such feats. They had heard of mages, but they were accustomed to seeing them chant spells to achieve their results. Yet, Ragon seemed like an endless source of power, executing his abilities effortlessly.
"Pain is inevitable... and I will ensure you feel every ounce of it," Ragon said coldly, folding his hands as Grel'thak's massive body continued to shrink and contort unnaturally.
"Please stop! I will leave! I swear I'll return to where I came from and never step foot here again! I'll give you everything I have—gold, treasures, anything!" Grel'thak pleaded, trying desperately to buy himself more time.
"Gold? Treasures?" Ragon chuckled darkly, his silver eyes gleaming. "None of those things are within your power to offer me. What else could a defeated orc possibly have that would interest me?"
"Wait! Please... wait! I have something you'll want," Grel'thak gasped, as his bones neared complete collapse. His once-mighty frame was now reduced to a pitiful, mangled form.
"Someone begging for their life shouldn't waste time. Speak now, or I'll end this," Ragon commanded, his voice sharp. "If your information is worthwhile, you'll live. Unlike you orcs, I'm not a liar."
"It's about a ruin... I didn't come here to avenge my brother," Grel'thak said hurriedly,
"I came for the ruin! It's said to hold powerful treasures—warrior training manuals, mage spells, and untold riches. If you let me live, I'll give you the map that leads to it. I don't even need it; you can take everything!"
"Hmmm," Ragon mused, his expression softening slightly as he considered the offer. "Your information is... intriguing." He finally lowered his hands, and Grel'thak collapsed onto the ground.
"But don't get too comfortable. I never said I'd let you go completely," Ragon warned. He raised his palm, and with a sudden burst of silver energy, a glowing core emerged from Grel'thak's chest. It shot upward and landed in Ragon's outstretched hand.
"What—what are you doing?" Grel'thak gasped, wide-eyed.
"I'm taking your core," Ragon said nonchalantly, inspecting the pulsating orb of energy. "This will ensure you don't try anything foolish. I trust you wouldn't dare betray me now."
Grel'thak's stared in horror. He couldn't believe that someone as young as Ragon, living in an outskirt community, could know about warrior cores—let alone how to extract them. It was knowledge reserved for the highest-ranking sages and scholars of mystic Arts.
The core, a vital part of a warrior or mage, was the seat of their power and their means of cultivation. Without it, a fighter was severely weakened, almost powerless. Grel'thak's core was a peak three-star warrior, now it rested in the Ragon's hand.
"He saw through my tricks," Grel'thak thought bitterly, realizing his plan to buy time and recultivate his core to reach the four-star rank had failed.
"Now," Ragon said, holding the core up to the light before stowing it away. "Like you said, you'll show me the map to this ruin. If you prove useful, perhaps I'll consider sparing you... for now."
Grel'thak nodded weakly, too broken and defeated to resist.
"Good," Ragon said with a smirk, flicking his wrist. Grel'thak's core disappeared into a faint silver glow, bound by Ragon's magic for safekeeping. "Now, let's see where this ruin of yours will lead us."