HLnovel Chapter 172 Capture Mana Formula
Chapter 172 Capture Mana Formula
Irina and Sylvie were drawn to Morse's actions and turned their attention to the direction he was pointing.
To their surprise, a small squirrel made entirely of magic walked past them. Its body shimmered with an ethereal light, and it seemed to be moving along a fixed path through the forest.
"A magic formula disguised as a squirrel?" Irina murmured thoughtfully, squinting as she observed the magical creature. It was truly astonishing to see such a complex life form mimicked by a magic formula. She could gain more points by catching and deciphering it.
Sylvie couldn't help but laugh. "It's so cute! Can we catch it?"
'Hmm...she has no resistance to cute things.'
Irina noted Sylvie's reaction in her mind and chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Of course. But remember, our goal is to find these formulas and understand them. Let's work together to get to it without harming it..."
Whoosh!
Just as she was about to continue speaking, suddenly, an arrow flashing green light flew past her ear.
puff!
The arrow struck the poor squirrel in the leg, hindering its movement. However, the squirrel did not disappear; instead, it staggered a few steps from the impact of the magic.
"what!"
Sylvie gasped, worried about the creature's safety. "Do you really have to do this?"
Irina, with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity, turned to look at Morse. "What do you mean? We should have caught it unharmed!"
Morse ignored their disapproving looks and calmly drew another arrow. "Relax, it's just a mana formula. We need to see how it reacts to attacks, don't we?"
He appeared calm and collected, as if he hadn't just shot an innocent squirrel. "Besides, it's not dead. The mana formula is intact; what you saw was just an illusion."
As he stated, if the mana formula was broken, the squirrel should have dissipated. This indicates that the arrow did not cause any damage to the target. In fact, this is advantageous for them to complete their mission; this squirrel is likely different from others using the same formula.
It will likely escape quickly.
"But……"
Even so, seeing that cute squirrel struggling like that is still heartbreaking.
"For someone who burns monsters to ashes, you're quite sensitive to a tiny mana squirrel," Morse commented, his tone as flat as ever.
Irina glared at him, her anger intensifying. The reason was that he was right; she had indeed killed countless monsters and found pleasure in the battle.
'But I wouldn't stoop so low as to shoot an innocent squirrel.' She wanted to retort, but ultimately didn't. She knew he would just shrug and not care at all.
"Sigh... let me see."
Irina sighed and approached the struggling squirrel. She extended her hand, her palm shimmering with magic. A magical aura enveloped the injured creature as she carefully observed its reaction. The squirrel writhed, but showed no sign of dissipating.
“Really impressive,” Irina murmured, her gaze fixed on the enchanted squirrel. “The structure of this formula is incredibly robust. The impact of the arrow seemed to alter its movement, but it didn’t break the magical structure. Interesting.”
She took out a sophisticated device provided by the academy for this exam. This device was used to record and analyze mana formulas, an indispensable tool for investigators; the skills of awakened beings would also leave traces of mana formulas.
However, the device they received was a simplified version of the real equipment, but it was still able to complete the mission.
Irina brought the device close to the magic squirrel and started the recording program. A minute later, the squirrel disappeared without a trace; the magic had been absorbed by the device.
“It’s over, let’s go.” Then, she continued to lead the group deeper into the forest.
The three of them remained silent throughout the journey. Sylvie was busy observing her surroundings and controlling her eyes, while Irina was observing Morse.
'This guy...'
Looking into those sparkling purple eyes, Irina thought to herself.
'He's quite smart.'
But she couldn't understand why his ranking was so low. After spending the entire semester with him and exploring multiple dungeons, she admitted that Morse was a very capable learner. He might not be a genius like herself or Sylvie, but he was certainly far above average.
She had sparred with a sorcerer in her family when she was young, and she knew that he had learned to observe magical power in a shorter time than most sorcerers in her family.
'Tsk, I can't laugh at him anymore.'
Now that he has finally mastered the use of magical observation, she has lost her chance to mock him.
'However, perhaps this isn't so bad.'
His reaction speed is astonishing, and most importantly, he has almost zero time to assess the situation and make decisions.
He was swift and decisive in making plans, just as he was in his dealings with that squirrel.
'Although I hate to admit it, he's far superior to me in this aspect.'
Although it might hurt her pride, she's not the kind of jerk who refuses to acknowledge the achievements of others.
'Okay, I might have been that kind of jerk before.'
And so, the group ventured deep into the forest, searching for squirrels. Since all three could use magical observation, they quickly discovered a magical formula disguised as part of the forest.
Irina used magic to trap the monster that was attached to the mana formula.
Although she is a mage primarily focused on fire and explosive elements, this was a capture mission, and she also used other forms of magic. Even so, her other spells were equally powerful and swift, proving why she is considered a genius.
Morse continued to use his bow and arrow simply. As for Sylvie, her performance surprised the two the most, as she was able to "charm" the magic formulas, rendering them immobile.
This scene was quite strange; it was clearly the first time Irina had ever seen it.
However, this peaceful period did not last long.
......
Something's not right.
I thought to myself as I walked through the forest.
The other students' presence has noticeably diminished.
For the past hour, we've been exploring the forest and recording quite a few magic formulas on the device. Since many first-year students are also in the forest, we'd definitely encounter other people, and perhaps even clash with them. But our "clever" leader came up with a good idea.
She deliberately released her aura to make the other students aware of her presence.
'That's definitely something Irina would do.'
Her actions weren't entirely bad; most students wouldn't want to fight her in the forest, and she was basically one of the strongest students in the academy.
It is unwise to be her enemy, and most students are aware of this.
However, this method has a minor drawback that may be detrimental to us.
Those are the other high-ranking students, those who can go toe-to-toe with Irina. If such people are around us, they will be well aware of our position, and they can conceal themselves in advance, which will give them an advantage.
I slowly approached Irina and whispered:
Did you notice?
"Note......"
"Shh..."
Seeing my gesture, she naturally lowered her voice and looked at me.
"What did you notice?"
"..."
It seems this girl still retains the pride that makes her carefree; she deliberately releases her aura, oblivious to the commotion around her...
'Do I need to rub salt into her wounds?'
I thought so, but quickly dismissed the idea. Despite her flaws, that's precisely what makes Irina a strong person.
What are you saying?
She still seemed somewhat slow to notice her surroundings.
"You really need to be careful when you do this kind of thing."
"What do you mean......"
Just as she was about to continue speaking, she suddenly stopped. It seemed she had finally realized something; her attributes were much higher than mine, and if she had observed carefully, she would have definitely noticed the details I had noticed.
'I really wish she could tone down her arrogance a little; maybe then she would be even stronger.'
Sylvie.
She immediately looked at Sylvie, then turned her attention to me.
"Protect her."
But at least, she knows one of the core rules of teamwork.
If there's a healer, you must protect her. But I knew Sylvie couldn't protect herself, so I rushed towards her, sensing the impending attack.
"Varied......"
boom!
When Sylvie looked at me with confusion, I quickly grabbed her and tackled her to the ground.
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
Countless ice spikes solidified where we had just stood, and deadly ice crystals hurtled towards us.
"Get down," I whispered to Sylvie, already hiding behind the boulder in front of us.
She didn't ask any further questions, it seems she had already gotten used to this situation during her first semester of dungeon exploration.
'Good, at least she's not a burden.'
Having someone easily panicked in a team is not a good thing, and I think I should thank her first team for giving her this experience.
Boom! Whoosh!
In that instant, flames erupted around us. I glanced over and saw determination burning in Irina's eyes. She skillfully manipulated the flames, forming a wall of fire that intercepted the incoming ice spikes.
“What…what happened?” Sylvie asked, her eyes wide with surprise as she watched the collision of fire and ice.
'Yes, this scene is indeed unusual.'
The magical power gathered around us was extraordinary, and it's understandable that Sylvie felt bewildered because she couldn't sense her surroundings with her new abilities.
"Calm down, don't make a sound," I advised, keeping my eyes fixed on the source of the attack.
There is only one person in the game who will face off against Irina.
"Heh...you're still the same as always."
An extremely beautiful girl emerged from the shadows, her long silver hair cascading down to her waist, her eyes as blue as the winter sky.
"Serafina".
Irina's rival, and one of the strongest characters of the future, has appeared before us.
Serafina Winslet.