Chapter 30: Messed With The Wrong Guy

Words : 1221 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 30: Messed With The Wrong GuyThe next few hunts went as smoothly as the first, and in just two hours, Hal was able to slay five Blue-hide Boars. The searching and harvesting took far more time than killing the arcane beasts themselves. Unfortunately, he didn't want to risk ruining the boars' hides, so Hal couldn't test his level seven [Weak Mana Blast] on a live target. He simply fired it at a distant rock, leaving a significant crack upon impact. The spell's power hadn't increased much. However, it was now much faster than before, putting a smile on Hal's face. He could definitely use this in the upcoming wizardry duel. Done with his quest, Hal was ready to return, but the quest items weren't making it easy. The ten boar tusks alone didn't fit in his sack bag... "Aihh... What should I do..." he muttered, scratching his head. There were still five rolls of boar hides; he didn't want to leave them behind since they could be sold for quite a lot. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make something myself... There's no rush, anyway..." Hal was from the border village of Poporo and had long been skilled in crafting makeshift items like baskets, spears, and more. Spotting some vines, he smiled, realizing that he had been overthinking things. Why carry them when he can just drag them along? Still, Hal didn't want to risk lowering the quality of the goods, so he took the effort to cover the tusks with leaves and boar hide trimmings, ensuring they wouldn't be damaged in any way as he dragged them using thick vines. He then made his way back to Aeloria City with the tusks in close tow and the boar hides and a few pounds of meat in his sack bag. The journey was quite peaceful until Hal came across a strange trio: a bald man of average height, a tall, scrawny man with an unusually sharp nose, and a short, plump man. They were all carrying wooden tower shields and spears. "Hohoh, lookie here, Mikey, a young wizard!" said the bald man, who seemed to be the leader of the trio. "Hey, hey, are you a student of the Grand Magic Academy? You look like a freshman..." "Ohoh, are those quest items? Your bag looks full too...why don't you let your older brothers have a look inside?" Hal immediately frowned at their words, realizing that the bastards were planning to rob him. The trio quickly circled him, pulling out their weapons and shields. "You look like a bright kid, so why don't we make things easy, huh? Just give us your stuff, and we won't hurt you. What do you say?" They had probably been doing this for a long time, targeting freshman students, fully aware that their spells wouldn't be strong enough yet and could still be blocked by thick wooden tower shields. 'These damned crooks...' The bastards probably had a lot of victims over the years. Unfortunately for them, Hal wasn't just any freshman. The power of his spells, by default, already matched those of a standard novice wizard. Mere wooden shields wouldn't be able to stop his stronger spells. Still, Hal thought it was the perfect chance to test his [Weak Mana Blast]. Without responding to their crooked words, he formed his hand into a claw and fired one. It was fast, catching the slower, plump bastard off guard. BOOM! The translucent blue blast struck the fat man's chest and exploded before he could position his shield, toppling him to the ground with a loud thud. "AAARGHH!!" the plump bastard shrieked in pain. As expected, the [Weak Mana Blast] didn't kill the crook, but it clearly hurt, easily evident as the man rolled and writhed in agony on the ground. "YOU BASTARD!! YOU DARE RESIST, BRAT?!" the bald man roared, charging at him the next moment. The tall, scrawny man, of course, followed suit and dashed forth from his angle. They were already down a member; if they didn't quickly subdue the freshman, they'd be in real trouble. The brat had a rather vicious mana blast, after all. Hal's heart began to race as the battle heated up, but thanks to his previous combat experiences, he was slowly growing calmer. He quickly fired another [Weak Mana Blast] at the bald leader. This time, the blast was blocked by the thick wooden shield, though the shield immediately cracked and looked ready to shatter with one more hit. He would have destroyed it if he could. However, doing so would have allowed them to overwhelm him from both sides. Instead, Hal decisively used one of the 21 charges of his fireball spell on the tall man. seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A modest-sized ball of flame roared through the air, raising the temperature around it as it flew toward the scrawny crook, exploding violently upon impact. The blast instantly destroyed the man's shield and consumed his arms a moment later. "Hiiih!!" the bandit shrieked, quickly dropping his ruined shield and flailing his burning arms in a desperate attempt to extinguish the fire. The bald man's heart began to race as he charged faster, desperation driving him to try and push Hal off his feet with his cracked shield. They might have messed up in choosing their target today! 'How the hell is this brat a one-star student?!' the trio's leader cursed inwardly. Unfortunately for him, right after forcing the scrawny man out of the fight, Hal immediately began running, keeping a safe distance as he fired another [Weak Mana Blast], completely shattering the bald man's shield. "You forced me, brat!!" the bald man desperately threw his spear at Hal after a momentary setback. But he missed... Realizing that they had no more means to defeat the young wizard, the bald man froze, beads of cold sweat forming on his back. "P-Please, young wizard... we're just doing this to earn enough money to live... I-I have two children at home, please, you have to—" Before he could finish begging, however, Hal hit him in the chest with another [Weak Mana Blast], then fired at his last remaining standing comrade. Hal was stuck in a dilemma for a good few moments after defeating the bandits, juggling his attention among the three struggling crooks. He wanted to turn them in, but unfortunately, he didn't have the means to tie them up and drag them back to town. 'Should I...kill them?' In the end, Hal couldn't take a human's life...yet. His chest grew heavy at the mere thought of it. He also chose not to rob them, thinking he would be no better than them if he did. And so, after fighting a brief internal battle, he simply left them behind, grabbing the thick vine rope and dragging his quest items back to the city with a heavy, confused heart. He still wasn't sure what he should have done with the three, fully aware they could rob others in the future. "Sigh..."

Chapter 30: Messed With The Wrong Guy

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