Chapter 50

The green card flew out of Rod's hand and quickly transformed into a spirit bird with outstretched wings, flying towards Marin's back.

Marin, however, was completely unaware of this unusual change. In her mind, the Storm Guardian she had cast could definitely withstand any sudden attack. She didn't believe that Rod would not take any offensive action; once he attacked, she could immediately turn defense into offense and catch him off guard.

It was precisely because of this that when the bird's chirping suddenly sounded from behind Marin, the girl's first reaction was confusion and helplessness.

What's happening? What is it?

Instinctively, the girl wanted to turn around to see what was going on, but just as she turned her head, a massive wave of air hit her.

"Boom!!"

The Storm Guardian could indeed block most attacks, but unfortunately, Rod chose the simplest and most fatal method—for a spirit composed of wind elements, even a raging hurricane was like a fish swimming in the sea, offering no obstruction at all.

Under the tremendous impact, Marin, who was completely unprepared, was knocked to the ground. The violent collision made her vision go black, and she almost couldn't catch her breath. However, at this moment, when she was attacked by an external force, the robes on Marin's body immediately began to shine. Soon, several golden rays appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the girl and forming a sturdy crystalline shield. Marin, despite the turmoil in her heart, forced herself to turn around. Soon, she saw Rod standing behind her.

When did he get there?

Marin was a bit flustered, but she still tried to remain calm, raising her staff to attempt another attack on Rod. However, this time, Rod didn't give her any chance.

Miss, your strength is good, but you lack experience.

After seeing how Marin dealt with the soul bird, Rod had already given up on continuing to tangle with her. The girl didn't even try to find out what had attacked her; instead, she focused on him, which showed that Marin's combat awareness was quite inadequate. Since that was the case, Rod didn't mind using a crushing defeat to wake up this proud young lady. After all—thinking of this, Rod glanced at the sidelines.

After all, there's Liss.

Thinking of this, Rod's lips curled up, and then his right hand moved slightly.

The green card reappeared in his palm, then suddenly flipped, turning red.

The green whirlwind also changed color at the same time.

For the girl, everything that happened before her eyes was completely beyond her imagination. In just the blink of an eye, a bright red flame mixed with the wind rushed down, colliding with the shield. Under the tremendous force, the sturdy crystalline shield groaned under the strain. Just as Marin was about to take countermeasures, a sharp claw suddenly emerged from the flames, striking the shield heavily.

"Bang!!"

The shield, which was just a low-level protection spell, couldn't withstand prolonged strong attacks. With this claw, the girl's last line of defense completely shattered. Then, a black hound leaped out of the flames, baring its fangs and claws, pouncing on the girl.

Marin was truly terrified this time.

The battle had completely exceeded her expectations from the beginning. She didn't manage to gain the upper hand as she had anticipated; instead, she was passive in every aspect and couldn't guess what the young man was planning. Although Marin had never practiced such battles and confrontations in the academy, her previous experience seemed to be useless when facing Rod.

A mage should protect themselves first before launching an attack?

Aim to deliver the strongest attack to intimidate and damage the enemy in the first moment?

Of course, I know, but what should I do now?!

Faced with the black hound's attack, Marin was almost on the verge of collapse. But at this moment, her noble pride finally helped her shake off her confusion. The girl almost instinctively raised her hand, pointing at the black shadow pouncing at her, and shouted.

"Jir!"

The whirlwind condensed at the top of her staff, then spun and burst forward. Faced with this sudden attack, the body of the Flame Killer suddenly stopped in mid-air, then, with a howl, flew backward—this made Marin feel a bit relieved. She steadied her mind and raised her staff again.

At this moment, the card in Rod's hand had already turned white.

A light flashed.

Marin felt a chill on her wrist. She instinctively shifted her attention and glanced at her wrist, but then, the girl immediately felt a chill all over her body.

The once elegant and noble robes were now torn, revealing her white, smooth arm. But at this moment, a bright red was slowly seeping out, spreading around.

It hurts.

This was Marin's first thought, and her second thought was...

I'm hurt?

I'm hurt?

I'm hurt!?

In that instant, the girl felt her mind go blank. All she could see was the bright red dripping from her arm. The defensive plan she had thought of and her counterattack against Rod were completely forgotten. She even reflexively dropped her staff as if burned, tightly gripping her wrist. At this moment, she had completely given up on the battle and the confrontation. In her eyes, only her injury was the most important!

How could I get hurt? Why did I get hurt? I'm hurt now, what should I do?!

It must be said that although Marin was a resilient rose, she was still a flower in a greenhouse. A genius like her, who was usually so disciplined and confident, was naturally pampered and had hardly encountered any setbacks. But now, she was facing something she had never encountered in her life.

The cold chill brought the girl back to her senses. When she regained her clarity and looked forward, the first thing she saw was a long, flawless sword shining with a cold light.

"Swish!!"

The Star Trace grazed the girl's neck and then stabbed into the ground.

It was only then that Marin, like a puppet with its strings cut, felt her legs give way, and she knelt on the ground, her eyes blankly staring at the sky, completely at a loss.

"You can combine multiple elements in your spells, which shows that your understanding of magic is indeed deep."

Rod's calm voice sounded. As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and soon, the white card in his palm disappeared, and the white long sword that had been stuck in the ground beside the girl vanished as well.

"But in actual combat, your performance is like this... If you perform the same way in a mission, I would definitely abandon you. Liss, go help her treat her wound, then take her to rest. It seems this young lady won't recover for a while."

"Ah, yes!"

Liss, who had been worriedly watching from the side, hurriedly ran forward to start treating Marin's wound. Marin, on the other hand, sat on the ground like a soulless puppet, unable to say a word, completely at a loss. She was like a bird that had just survived a storm, pale and trembling.

Seeing Marin in this state, Rod frowned but didn't say much. He was confident in the girl's mental strength. After all, if she was to be called the "Queen of Mercenaries" in the future, her mental strength wouldn't be too bad. It all depended on her now. If this young lady continued in this state, a total wipeout was almost certain—Rod had no interest in suicide missions.

As Rod had said, Marin's understanding of magic was quite thorough, but in actual combat, it was completely useless. This was a common problem, even for players. It's like in a dungeon, everyone knows the dungeon guide and the boss's weaknesses, but how does it really play out? If everything goes according to plan, it's fine, but what if something unexpected happens? If the minions spawn too early, the boss lands a critical hit, or the positioning isn't good enough. If you can't handle these situations properly, it will end in a tragic wipeout. Rod was sure that if the battle had gone according to the young lady's expectations, she would have performed like a god of magic, a legendary return. Unfortunately, real combat isn't a CG animation; it's unpredictable. When faced with unexpected situations, she became so unstable, which was the biggest隐患.

After instructing Liss, Rod turned and walked back to the old house. Old Hank, on the other hand, was amazed. He never expected this young man to be so strong. The magic prodigy who was highly regarded in the Golden City didn't even last a move under his hands and was completely defeated. On the other hand, he was also impressed by the young man's ruthlessness, able to attack such a beautiful lady. But now, Old Hank was at a loss, helplessly watching Rod's departing back and the pale, trembling Marin being supported by Liss, not knowing what to do.

Sitting quietly on the soft bed, Marin gazed out the window, silent.

After that, Liss had taken her to her room, and she finally calmed down. It must be said that for Marin, this was the most significant blow of her life. It was like an idol being pulled from the top and kicked in the face, a shocking experience.

She heard Rod's words, and although she was reluctant, she couldn't refute them. Indeed, she could complain about the man's strange, devious, and shameless fighting style, but she now understood that this was real combat. In a life-and-death struggle, the one who survives is the winner. Putting herself in his shoes, if Rod were her enemy, she would have been killed by now. Who could she complain to about his deviousness and shamelessness then?

"How are you feeling, Marin?"

Liss placed a cup of hot tea in front of Marin and asked softly.

"Much better, thank you, Liss."

Marin forced a somewhat stiff smile. Although it was a pleasant surprise to meet her old friend here, the impact of the battle was too great. She had lost before, but never so miserably. Most mage battles were civilized, and it was rare to see blood... Marin shook her head, realizing how weak she had been.

"To be honest, I did think it was too simple."

She sighed lightly.

"I thought that with my strength, completing these mercenary tasks wouldn't be difficult. But... I can't even handle a normal battle. I know what to do, but my body doesn't listen. In the end, I didn't even know what to do."

At this point, Marin smiled bitterly.

"I used to mock those incompetent geese, but now, my performance isn't much better than theirs, is it?"

"That's not true, Marin."

Liss stood up, held her hand, and looked into the girl's wine-red eyes.

"Real combat is different from what we imagine. I'm the same. Before joining the mercenary group, I was full of fantasies. I hoped to use my abilities to help everyone recover from their injuries. They took me in when I needed help the most, and I wanted to help them in return."

At this point, a hint of sadness flashed in Liss's eyes.

"But during my first real battle, seeing everyone's blood and gore, I was almost paralyzed with fear. I didn't even have time to heal anyone, and many were severely injured. Although the leader didn't blame me, everyone's disappointed looks made me realize how much they needed my help, and I had the ability to help them, but I froze at the crucial moment... The leader told me that everyone faces such a test, without exception. After that, I worked hard and finally..."

"I understand..."

Marin lowered her eyes, her beautiful eyes filled with complex emotions.

"I understand what you mean, Liss. As that gentleman said, if I perform so poorly in a mission, it's no wonder he wants to abandon me. But..."

At this point, the girl clenched her fists.

"I still want to try. I know I lack experience, and I realize that what I was proud of before didn't bring me any gains. But I won't run away like a coward. I am Marin Sennia, carrying the honor and pride of my family. I absolutely won't allow myself to back down, no matter how difficult or hard it is. I've made up my mind."

"The honor of the family..."

Hearing Marin's words, Liss's face darkened, but she didn't say more. Marin seemed to notice something was off and quickly looked up, puzzled.

"By the way, Liss, you haven't told me why you came here as a mercenary. Why did you leave the Golden City? I wasn't there at the time, so I didn't know what happened. When I returned, you were gone, and I searched for you for a long time but couldn't find you. Why did you leave?"

Hearing Marin's question, Liss's face turned sad. She bit her lower lip tightly but finally spoke.

"Because... it was the decision of the family council."

"You were expelled?!"

Hearing "family council," Marin stood up in disbelief, looking at the girl sitting beside her with surprise and anger.

"How could those old stubborn heads do this! They dared to expel you! Didn't Mr. Drekman stop them?!"

"My father agreed with the council's decision."

"This..."

Hearing this, Marin felt as if all her strength had been drained, and her previous momentum vanished.

"How could he..."

"It's not surprising."

Liss smiled bitterly, shaking her head. She reached out and played with her golden ponytail.

"After all... I'm different from them. I'm not Liss Carant Berlade anymore. I'm now Liss Noelle... This is who I am now."

"Those self-righteous old stubborn heads!"

Marin raised her eyebrows, sitting down coldly, but soon, she looked at Liss with concern.

"So, what about you in the future..."

"Like now."

Liss answered quietly and gently.

"I'll stay in the mercenary group and continue living like this. It's dangerous, but it's not bad for me. Mr. Rod promised to revitalize the mercenary group. I think this is more meaningful than wearing fancy dresses and attending balls and banquets, don't you think?"

Looking at the calm and gentle girl in front of her, Marin felt a mix of emotions.

The little girl who used to cry... has grown up.

c

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