Novels... It isn't just about reading them, but also understanding and connecting with the characters.
Some readers dream of becoming the Protagonist of their favorite novel, while others dream of meeting the Protagonist face to face. But there was a certain someone who had a different thought.
Yes, Arin hated the Protagonist, but while reading Humanity's Strongest Mage, he always had another thought:
What would it be like to be in the world of Humanity's Strongest Mage with my own set of unique powers? Will I be able to defeat Alex, who is the strongest?
Arin always had this thought, but his hate for Alex was more dominant.
After finding himself in the world of Humanity's Strongest Mage, this thought resurfaced again. His hate for Alex even fueled it more.
So how well would he fare against Alex with his current capabilities? That was the question Arin wanted an answer to, and that was why he wanted Alex to fight him at full strength.
He wasn't planning to die, so if things escalated, he had a plan that would ensure his survival.
At this point, it was Arin, the anomaly in this world, versus Alex, Humanity's Strongest Mage.
"First Formation of the Elements: The Divine Curse of Destruction..."
'Finally...' Arin thought with a smirk on his face. 'This is the moment I've been waiting for.'
Flames engulfed the four tornadoes that were spinning rapidly. Now, it was wind and fire.
The fire blazed with intensity as it spun together with the tornadoes.
A blue mist suddenly left Alex's hands, moving towards the tornadoes and spinning with them.
The blue mist was actually ice, though it didn't affect the fire in any way.
The four tornadoes were now spinning with flames and ice, but Arin instinctively knew Alex wasn't done.
A lightning bolt instantly left Alex's palms, joining the four tornadoes and spinning alongside them.
The tornadoes were visible to all the students and teachers, but the teachers couldn't do anything about it because, for some reason, the Assistant Principal had not ordered them to intervene.
The four tornadoes were now a mixture of wind, fire, ice, and lightning. They were tall and spinning rapidly.
Arin, standing in the middle of these tornadoes, gripped his swords tightly, the smirk still on his face.
His cloak and long white hair fluttered wildly due to the intense wind, but he remained standing.
"Let's do this," he muttered to himself, crouching, ready to attack.
Meanwhile, the golden and dark aura enveloping Alex suddenly solidified, forming a full-body armor.
The right side of the armor was golden, and the left side was black. The armor covered his entire face, with only his eyes visible.
After that, two swords formed in his hands, one golden-colored and the other black.
"Hmmm, you might have quite the confidence to still stand here even with these raging tornadoes and my appearance," Alex said, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.
"Or perhaps, should I call it pride?" he added.
Arin let out a sigh as he looked at Alex. "You're quite the talkative, you know that, right?"
Alex clicked his tongue in annoyance after hearing Arin's remark but maintained his composure.
Arin squinted his eyes, observing Alex's every move. Things had just gotten more intense.
Alex suddenly raised his right hand, whispering, "Slash..."
In that same moment...
The pace of the wind further increased. The tornadoes spun faster, and the wind became sharp.
The wind around Arin began attacking him, leaving scratches on his body.
Instantly, he raised both swords, trying to block the slashing winds.
"Shit..." Arin cursed, a frown appearing on his face.
Since it was the wind around him attacking, there was no way he could stop it with his swords. So, he did something else.
He instantly slammed his right hand on the ground, and a bubble of water rose, surrounding him.
This was the new Water Element Spell he had learned before the expedition, and this was actually the first time he was using it.
The wind slashes were instantly blocked by the Water Bubble, but Arin felt a certain unease.
'What is this feeling?' Arin thought, but his question was quickly answered.
Alex's eyes suddenly glowed green for a second, and in that instant...
Not only did more slashes form, but the existing ones became sharper.
The wind slashes were almost invisible, but Arin could still sense them with his enhanced senses. He could tell there were more now, and they were sharper.
'Aghhh, this Water Bubble won't be able to stop them,' Arin thought.
Just as he had that thought, the Water Bubble began to weaken. Instantly, he channeled mana into it, stabilizing it, but it couldn't hold on for long.
Seeing this, Arin decided to act.
He stretched out both hands, and Blood Energy began seeping out from them. Within seconds, a transparent red barrier formed, enveloping him.
This was the last Vampiric Skill he had learned before the expedition: Blood Barrier.
Together with the Water Bubble, the Blood Barrier shielded Arin from the wind slashes coming from all directions.
Trees were still getting uprooted because of the tornadoes, spinning faster than before. From a distance, it looked like a storm had consumed that part of the forest.
Arin furrowed his brows as he stared at the Blood Barrier. 'Even my Blood Barrier won't hold on for long.'
He added more Blood Energy to the barrier and mana to the Water Bubble, keeping them active while thinking.
'No, this isn't over yet,' Arin thought. 'I can still do something. This isn't my limit.'
He wanted to know how far he would fare against Alex with his current capabilities. He felt he hadn't gotten that answer yet.
A chill, eerie grin appeared on Arin's face.
'Why do I feel so excited? What is this...?'
For some reason, Arin was feeling a certain kind of excitement. It was as if his blood was boiling. Even with the tornadoes surrounding him and the trees swaying wildly, he felt excited.
'No...' Arin thought as his eyes glowed red, his grin widening. 'That's not the word.'
'This feeling... It's thrill.'
Arin continued pouring Blood Energy into the barrier, keeping it in place.
At this point, more scratches appeared on his body as some wind slashes penetrated the Water Bubble and Blood Barrier.
Arin's veins bulged, his eyes wide.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!" he suddenly screamed, pouring more Blood Energy into the barrier.
"You think a scream will make you more powerful, huh?" Alex laughed. "Well, you might as well surrender."
Arin wasn't even hearing Alex. At this point, he was drunk on thrill.
"So this is it, huh?" Arin chuckled, raising his head. "SO THIS IS THE THRILL OF BATTLE!"
"THIS IS HOW IT FEELS, HUH? THRILL!"
Alex was taken aback by Arin's sudden outburst. "What is wrong with him?"
The scratches on Arin's body increased, his cloak torn and stained with blood.
"This feeling..." Arin whispered, his grin widening. "I'LL EMBRACE IT!"
And in that moment...
"Huh?" Seraphine muttered, her voice filled with shock. "Th... This is... Master, did you ju...?"
She couldn't complete her sentence.
Meanwhile, red smoke suddenly began oozing out from Arin's body, the red glow in his eyes deepening.
[An Unwritten Event is happening.]
[Congratulations, you have successfully activated the first innate Skill of a Progenitor.]
[First Innate Skill of a Progenitor: Overheat]