Chapter 178: The Forest of Profane (2)
el0jLcArin cast the Might of Darkness. Now that the giant was wounded, it was the perfect opportunity to see if her ability would work.r1XI3YB
f2SaThe Might of Darkness that Arin used took the form of shadowy tendrils extending like branches of a plant. The tendrils climbed up the giant’s shadow, wrapping around its ankles like vines.JGhPy4
re7Arin then cast Mental Shock, a spell designed to deliver a psychic jolt.Ygv
eoHlKIf telepathy was akin to theft, Mental Shock was like a full-on robbery. While it couldn’t induce trauma, it could certainly instill a phobia-level shock.BclCG7v
AVcThe true strength of Mental Shock lay in its ability to link into Mind Control.aKbS
v2eR0KMind Control, one of Arcane’s specialties, was a spell that allowed the caster to manipulate the target’s body, though it was difficult to succeed. To achieve near 100% success, it required concentration twenty times greater than the target’s mental strength.
Ultimately, this meant one couldn’t dominate a stronger opponent.dw6kK
TIIyoWHowever, with the right strategy and tactics, it was occasionally possible—especially if Mental Shock succeeded.oDRWl8r
N2jCIRHIf they could control the giant with Mind Control, they would have nothing to fear in the forest. Knowing this, Canis watched the outcome without intervening.J2BxaQW
44QMental Shock failed.Zhw
CMsPThe giant, with its face aflame, lunged at the group with even more ferocity.vyzpMg
HDecpstArin bit her lip. Telepathy, Mental Shock, and Mind Control, the so-called three great psychic skills, were ineffective against the giant.GAQN
nDyFor Arin, it was her first time experiencing such powerlessness. Her gentle temperament burned with frustration.JQIJh
tWJCu2‘Why? Why isn’t it working? It’s just a giant human, isn’t it?’4mTHN
1Uj9F2L“Arin! Move!”rbF
kl9hCanis stepped in front of Arin and cast Shadow Wall.4rSN
9MhAs the shadow rose, the giant’s fist crashed into it. The Shadow Wall disintegrated like dust. The impact exceeded the spell’s absorption capacity.NvM
SBICBut the giant also seemed to lose some of its strength and couldn’t push further.pZ2bU
lY5Harvest climbed up the giant’s arm, using its claws to slice at a likely blood vessel.FjKQ
Lg9RIf the giant had mastered Schema, it would have a physiology similar to a human’s.nL1V
QPoed3OBlood spurted from a severed vessel in the crook of the giant’s elbow, but the wound quickly healed. Instead of slowing, the giant rampaged even more violently, spurred by the pain.EKcOa
YynfV‘It’s incredibly strong. That such a creature exists in the world…’rLM89pI
QVzdUJShirone used teleportation to bait the giant while Rian slashed at its Achilles tendon from behind.plj8o
dUVLhAZCanis cast the Might of Darkness. Though the toothed shadows were specialized for attack, they couldn’t cut through the giant’s muscles even while wrapping around its ankles.U7GW
msQIpAll Canis could do was shout, “It’s incredibly strong! Do something, quick!”KdTnD
tUCmAmy’s Flame Strike bombarded the giant’s face. Yet, adding more fire to an already burning giant made little difference. While the added wind enhanced the effect, it was physically weaker than the Photon Canon.e5CG
MOxuEShirone compressed photons. Contrary to everyone’s belief that he was preparing another Photon Canon, it took longer to activate than expected.npkAfOl
6kBXNoticing the light mass wobbling, Canis yelled in frustration.tqrlqy
xI5x“Damn it! What are you doing? Focus!”bWyn
ZuubKI“No, it’s not that,” Arin said.CtwBQmX
esG0kWl“He’s altering the form of the photons.”dXV5x7S
B7QNUnable to bring it down with brute force, he was converting the photons into a cutting force. If neither heat nor impact worked, then sharpness might.rYcte
SlviIt was the right decision in the current situation.Epolqu8
QWlBut Canis doubted its feasibility. Altering the shape of light was beyond common sense.6faVJj
7qg2Shirone felt it too. Suppressing the light he intended to release was tough. He believed it possible by varying the direction of the compression force on the photons, but the mental effort required was enormous.x59F4p
RjJTU4iA groan escaped through his teeth. Tightening his fluctuating mind with an iron will, he increased his concentration until the photons flattened.78qQ
OBl7The Photon Canon, now in the form of a disc, surged towards the giant.QK5wEDT
yTZkQFThe giant, breaking free from the Might of Darkness, twisted its body. As the light blade sliced through its side, the wound opened a handspan wide, blood gushing like a waterfall.GGiq
EdVTyjaIt was a critical hit.olam1NF
2RdRealizing this, the group—both swordsmen and mages—charged with newfound intensity.uWiJe
3eC7PvJThey stabbed with sabers and pummeled with greatswords. They burned with flames and sawed with shadowy blades until the giant toppled over.hj0MpC
U9AIRWZThe assault continued, but it felt like trying to carve up a dragon with a pocket knife. Each muscle fiber was as tough as steel.oKCt1y
kIf5Panting, Amy said, “Ha… ha. It’s dead, right? It must be dead, right? Isn’t it?”kvxjb
tYEsj0T“I don’t know. Should we hit it one more time just to be sure?”sw6H
wOXRFZ0Tess shuddered.JpgPkR2
gVcp29w“No, I can’t do it anymore. There’s a limit to how cruel we can be.”DCrc
06YtP“I tried to cut its neck with the Might of Darkness, but it wouldn’t cut. How about peeling off its skin?”DXkW
r67CaCanis’s suggestion made everyone turn pale. Since the giant wasn’t moving, and Shirone’s wound hadn’t healed, it was best to leave it alone.tiy
P5dsHVDTess gave Shirone a thumbs-up.zfbWe
aM0iyPT“Nice job, Shirone. Another new spell, huh?”u1Ymg
OOM“I was lucky. If the giant had dodged, there wouldn’t have been a second chance. Just thinking about it is terrifying.”iiYj8L
4BKPhptCanis wasn’t pleased. The Photon Canon was meant for impact. Altering its form for cutting? The idea was impressive, but as a dark mage, he couldn’t help but feel his territory was being encroached upon.4NC2F
rV6“Hmph, it worked out, but it was a gamble. Since we operate as a team, individual mental strength converges with the party’s. Failure would have left us combat-ineffective. If a mage withdraws from the front line, even their body becomes a shield. It’s dangerous.”yVV
pHCBOg“I know. The efficiency surprised me too.”rMdF
fmUVHCanis snorted and turned away. Though he snapped at Shirone, he acknowledged that the insight to change strategies in that situation was a talent.QYE
H8O5TJ5Arin seemed to share the sentiment. Watching Shirone rest through her Insight, she spoke.CvVkxkE
6SO“As I’ve felt before, that kid really thinks freely.”IRbnv
h2ySJIt was a gamble, but one with high odds.Vs8CtZ
vB9pKigInsight to choose what to give up and what to keep to reach victory. If even one or two out of ten choices had been wrong, they wouldn’t have achieved this result.MDaTCh
TVGf“Tch, he’s always had good instincts,” Canis added. They were a team now, and denying Shirone’s talent was just a sign of Canis’s own inferiority.A2tmGq
mP0a3PZ“Grrrr…”yI7z
sWCSThe giant’s groan made everyone’s heart skip a beat. Although it showed no signs of rising, its fingers were twitching.U75PqJN
prZ0Without needing to discuss, they sprinted into the forest.anO3s2b
j9wCEjvThey still didn’t know what kind of world heaven was, but they weren’t planning to fight another giant.m2iFD
QIm5ZbWith Amy’s keen eyes, Tess’s senses, and Arin’s ability to distinguish natural from unnatural, they navigated without much trouble.DBy
ErSMiSThey arrived at a rocky area.MlhuJuS
4L4BXThe abundance of shadows pleased Canis and Arin. While Shirone’s magic was unaffected by the environment, dark magic was maximized in darkness.XZMLoi6
SQn“This place feels safe. In a pinch, we can use Dark Port to move.”IS33
sCD7G4“But Dark Port can’t transport multiple people, can it?”Q0mEDn0
UqWNDark magic lacks the theoretical foundation for effect transference like Photonization magic. Thus, only dark mages can travel through shadows.TbIUc6M
htPhCanis shrugged as if it didn’t matter.TeGRqV
LXj“At least it’ll be tactically useful. Here, I can lure enemies alone if necessary.”Sy3x
u80NeVeTess, taking the water bottle being passed around, said, “A giant using Schema. Isn’t this place too dangerous? And the fact that Arin’s mental magic doesn’t work is worrying.”9fmXLW
dkjiTcn“I’m sorry. I wasn’t any help.”LDwu
KwuPpAs Arin lowered her head, Tess waved her hands.epeQ
W6SMOxG“No, it’s fine. Even I couldn’t handle the giant. The important thing is that we won. We all worked together to win. Heaven isn’t so bad after all, haha!”R25
hHOSsThough Tess tried to lighten the mood, the mages’ faces darkened.hiQD55J
TRveARQUnlike warriors who were used to improvisation, mages disliked unexpected situations. They needed to control all variables to feel secure.Fq6N
vZjLThe magic of altering the shape of photons wasn’t part of their strategic plan for the party.9zI
inYKKnowing that adding variables to variables led to disaster, they weren’t happy about a victory gained through improvisation.gRBDS0
iTl“In the last battle, we didn’t have complete control over the situation. It’s early to say this, but we might need to reconsider our return. What do others think?”ILNwv
0s6As Shirone opened the discussion, Amy responded.TcmwSI
VE2hCi6“For a first attempt, I think it was okay. We shouldn’t overlook the fact that we won. I mean, Shirone found a solution, and we can apply that solution in various situations going forward. We can avoid a repeat of the same situation.”p6K9lJ
nJ1Amy had a point.pOh
g0uCanis, though not inclined to return, wasn’t foolish enough to lie out of greed.o11Dd
bESm“It’s not that simple. Shirone probably won’t use the same strategy again, right?”R2i
Vd9“Right. It’s too risky. The time it takes to compress photons is long, and the efficiency is low. I wouldn’t try it unless it was absolutely necessary.”chAO6i
F14ATHn“The idea was clever. If photons can have mass, they become more like matter, making shape alteration possible. That’s what you thought, right?”dLo
t41OCanis could read Shirone’s thoughts because the method he tried was typical of dark magic.hFNm
MRUSY“But it’s a miscalculation. Shaping mental energy isn’t your strength. It’s a trait of dark magic. Dark magic has less impact but achieves mechanical force through shape alteration. For me, it’s gears; for Arin, it’s vines.”KGnlCJ
f8cL2IArin demonstrated with the Might of Darkness. The shadows rising from the ground formed an intricate apple tree, adjusting the size to create a three-dimensional effect.tab
RevdK56As Shirone marveled, Arin smiled and explained.Ab7
ZhB“Mages use the Four-Way Formation, but dark magic, specialized in mental shaping, doesn’t need it. We call it modeling. While stable elements like ice or darkness are easy to shape, fire or light is too active to model easily.”7Aa4
HKytLAmy agreed.JEUdv
Wiou“Now that I think about it, I can’t control the shape of flames either. That’s why I incorporate air attributes into my magic.”pwxPlqo
4eIEvmq“Exactly. But light is even harder than fire. In theory, modeling light is impossible. You can add light attributes to other elements, but not the other way around. Shirone did it with the Particle of God, but it was a special case. Though he succeeded to some extent, it’s impractical for combat.”hEegjl
L76Shirone sighed.xdHQreM
od2YTg“Then how should we fight giants in the future? Laser might work, but considering the giant’s movements, it wouldn’t be easy.”ltVfJ
anLPsYtA laser could destroy matter regardless of durability, but its energy buildup time made it less effective against fast-moving targets.PouldbH
QhY7QxIt was a new type of magic, and if Harvest had known about the laser’s properties beforehand, they wouldn’t have been caught off guard.IjAL1
FXJiK“The problem is we only encountered one giant. How strong are giants in this world? If we knew that, it would help in our exploration.”XRALi7
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