Practice Like It's Real
“…?”
I wondered if I was seeing things correctly.
I'd worked tirelessly, sacrificing sleep to create this spell, and this was the result?
It was beyond baffling; it was absurd.
This was the same magic that had just ripped through Barbatos's skin.
Which meant—
"Hold on. You're telling me human skin is tougher than a Legion Commander's...?"
How could this be logical?
Even seasoned mages, pouring their hearts into their spells, couldn't scratch this guy with a goofy grin on his face.
Screech-screech
The Rat Spear strained, trying to pierce Cthulhu's skin.
With enough force, even Cthulhu's hide began to give way.
That's more like it.
As if mere human skin could stop a Rat Spear.
It was working.
And then, a moment later.
Thud
The spear punched through Cthulhu's body.
"Ah, dammit!"
It couldn't be helped.
The Rat Spear was designed to exploit an opponent's defenses, to break through in a single, decisive strike.
But this was a spar.
I couldn't aim for weak points, so for now, Cthulhu would probably feel a slight pinch at best.
However, if I kept at it—
"Even the toughest defenses have their limits."
If martial artists could reach a level where their bodies were this durable and they could shoot Rasengans from their hands, who wouldn't choose that path?
It was the near impossibility of reaching that level that kept people away from the martial path.
As the Rat Spear continued its relentless assault on Cthulhu's skin, Cthulhu wasn't just going to stand there and take it.
Whoosh
Cthulhu leaped back with incredible speed.
This was his usual tactic against mages.
Instead of trying to block the magic itself, he went straight for the caster.
And in that regard, Cthulhu was employing a textbook strategy.
Hook
Whoosh
A barrage of fists came flying at me with blinding speed.
Thank goodness I'd used magic to enhance my reflexes. Otherwise, I would've been knocked flat on my back by that onslaught.
"Not bad, you're pretty good at dodging."
I didn't have the breath to reply.
Dodging those punches was taking all my concentration.
As I evaded his attacks, I continued to pepper Cthulhu's body with Rat Spears, creating more openings.
Thud
As the Rat Spears found their mark, even Cthulhu's monstrous speed began to falter.
It seemed my relentless barrage was paying off.
With that thought, I chained together my next spell combination.
[Lightning Bolt]
[Lightning Chain]
I channeled bolts of lightning through the holes created by the Rat Spears, using them as conduits for the Lightning Chain.
And then—
"What the...?"
Cthulhu's body seized up, paralyzed by the electric current.
This was my chance.
My chance to end this fight.
Since this was a spar, I couldn't kill him.
Not that I had any intention of killing Cthulhu in the first place.
[Dark Spear]
I summoned multiple Dark Spears in the air.
One wouldn't be enough to hold him, so I had to go all out.
Cthulhu opened his mouth, seemingly unfazed.
"Those look pretty damn dangerous, dude."
"That's the point."
I launched the Dark Spears at Cthulhu.
But they didn't pierce him instantly.
Of course not. This was the same guy who shrugged off my Rat Spears. There was no way the Dark Spears would just cut through him like butter.
I poured more mana into the spell.
Hum
The Dark Spears slowly began to penetrate his skin.
At this point, I couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.
"Is this... really necessary?"
To think I was exhausting this much mana just to pierce a human's skin.
I might as well be slaying monsters—it would be easier.
Pushing that thought aside, I continued to fuel the spell.
Thud
The Dark Spears finally impaled Cthulhu's body.
"It's over now, right?"
Even Cthulhu, as strong as he was, couldn't possibly walk away from that unscathed.
I needed to heal him, fast.
But just as I was about to approach him—
"Agh, damn it, that stings!"
Rip
Cthulhu ripped the Dark Spears out of his chest with his bare hands.
Blood gushed from his wounds, a horrifying amount. Any normal person would be dead by now.
"A-Are you okay?" I stammered, fearing the worst.
"Psh, if I died from that, I wouldn't be a martial artist," Cthulhu chuckled, brushing it off.
He stretched, and as he did—
Wooong
—his wounds began to knit themselves back together.
"...You're sure you're human?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Of course I am. Any martial artist worth their salt can do this much," he replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
My shock quickly gave way to opportunity. Cthulhu's regeneration was impressive, but it wasn't instantaneous. Now was the perfect time to strike.
I swiftly wove my next set of spells.
[Inferno]
[Nature's Shackles]
Thick, thorny vines erupted from the ground, ensnaring Cthulhu. At the same time, flames engulfed the vines, crawling towards him like fiery serpents.
Fwoom
Normally, the sight of someone being consumed by flames would be horrifying. But right now, facing Cthulhu, all I felt was a strange sense of detachment.
"That Legion Commander must have been something else," I thought to myself.
If Cthulhu had been pushed to the point of exhaustion and mana depletion, then that Legion Commander must have been an absolute monster.
With that thought, I prepared to escalate my attack. I needed to use lethal force, or at least the magical equivalent of it. There was no other way to subdue him.
[Tsar Bomba]
[Holy Sword]
[Tsar Bomba]
Three spells, unleashed simultaneously.
A blinding explosion engulfed Cthulhu, shaking the very foundation of the training grounds.
BOOOOOM
"Whoa!"
"Holy shit, what was that?"
The others looked on in shock and awe.
But I didn't let my guard down. Cthulhu was beyond conventional measures. Even with this much firepower, I couldn't be sure.
[Tsar Bomba]
[Tsar Bomba]
[Tsar Bomba]
Three more explosions, one after another.
The air crackled with energy, and a thick cloud of dust and debris enveloped the training grounds. My ears rang from the deafening blasts.
"Cough, cough!"
"What the hell was that spell? That was insane!"
Even with all that, I knew Cthulhu wouldn't be down for the count. But surely, this would be enough to restrain him.
As the dust settled, Cthulhu's form slowly came into view.
"Ugh... you crazy bastard..." he groaned.
His skin was scorched, peeled back in places to reveal the bone beneath. His clothes were nothing but ashes, leaving him completely bare.
"Oh..."
I hadn't expected him to be so... vulnerable. It seemed I might have gone a little overboard.
But a small part of me felt a sense of relief. It would have been embarrassing, to say the least, to lose after going easy on him.
I walked towards the fallen Cthulhu.
"You're seriously something else... you crazy bastard," he rasped, struggling to stay conscious.
"Just got lucky," I replied, offering him a hand.
Luck had everything to do with it. Cthulhu had underestimated the Rat Spear, putting too much faith in his regeneration or failing to anticipate my follow-up attacks.
Under normal circumstances, I would have had to make sacrifices, to push myself to the limit to stand a chance against him.
In any case, the spar was over.
"I think it's time we get you some medical attention," I said, helping him to his feet.
As I did, I felt their eyes on me, burning with a mixture of awe and fear.
It wasn't fair. Cthulhu was the one who challenged me, who pushed me to this point with his monstrous resilience.
Why was I the one they looked at with fear?
Pushing the thought aside, I helped Cthulhu over to Old Man Shin, our resident healer.
"He needs your help, Old Man," I said, gesturing to Cthulhu's wounds.
Old Man Shin looked at Cthulhu, then back at me, his expression unreadable.
"...You didn't hold back, did you?" he finally said, his voice a low rumble.
"It was a spar. Better to go all out than hold back," I replied, meeting his gaze.
"True enough..." Old Man Shin conceded with a sigh.
He placed his hand on Cthulhu's back, and a warm, golden light emanated from his palm.
Wooong
The divine energy flowed into Cthulhu, slowly but surely knitting his wounds closed. The residual mana from my spells seemed to be causing some interference, making the healing process slower than usual.
A pang of guilt shot through me. Maybe I had gone too far.
But I knew, deep down, that I wouldn't change a thing. Cthulhu's durability was simply off the charts. I had to pull out all the stops.
As I watched Cthulhu slowly regain his strength, a question popped into my head.
"By the way, what kind of training did you do to get skin that tough?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Cthulhu chuckled, wincing slightly as Old Man Shin worked his healing magic.
"Honestly? I just fought a lot. It kinda happened naturally," he replied, shrugging as best he could.
Of course. He was a natural, a prodigy when it came to physical prowess. The complete opposite of me.
"Some people have all the luck," I thought to myself, shaking my head in amusement.
I decided to check the forum while I waited for Cthulhu to recover. It looked like it was going to be a while.
As I scrolled through the latest posts, a notification popped up, catching my eye. It was from... her.
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