“Aren’t you being a bit too cruel?” Ludwig asked, keeping his tone steady. “This is a school, after all!”
The blond noble sneered, eyes alight with malice. “Who cares if one or two commoners die?” he shot back, flexing his fingers until flames blossomed in each hand, flaring like twin orbs of raw anger.
“Shit!” Ludwig muttered, as both fireballs hurtled toward him. He lunged sideways, barely escaping their searing heat as they exploded against the wall behind him, blasting outwards in a flaming cone that left scorch marks across the stone.
[-8 HP]
But instead of fear, Ludwig felt a strange calm settle over him. As an Undead, he realized, fear was a sensation he no longer fully possessed. What did the dead have to fear if they’d already passed from life once?
Taking a split second to think, he dismissed the idea of retreating back to the academy halls where he’d find safety from this reckless pyromaniac. The ticking death timer on his quest flashed in his mind; he had no intention of wasting an opportunity to complete his mission.
Far ahead, a low wall marked the boundary of the training grounds, and beyond that stretched a dense forest that hugged the academy’s outskirts. He had only seen the forest from afar, but he knew it was vast and unexplored, reaching toward the horizon. That would be the perfect place to make his move.
A fiery burst whizzed past his head, the heat grazing him as he ducked. “Damn it!” he cursed. The noble had a longer range than Ludwig anticipated, and he would have to zigzag to avoid more attacks. As he glanced back, he decided to test his [Inspect] ability.
Ludwig’s eyes lit up for a fraction of a second, revealing his assailant’s status information.
[Status Screen: Vondel Thomas]
Level: 12
Health: 4320/4320
Mana: 330/600
Class: Mage Apprentice, Second Circle
Title: Low Noble
“Level twelve,” Ludwig muttered under his breath. “No way I can face him head-on. He’s got way more stats than me.” Reaching the low wall, he crouched and sprang forward, intending to jump just high enough to land on the other side. But with his improved strength, Ludwig soared three times higher than expected, sailing over the wall and crashing into the dense branches of a tree.
[-14 HP]
“Damn it!” he cursed, picking himself up. Behind him, Vondel Thomas clambered over the wall, his face contorted in fury as he pulled himself up.
“You’re not getting away, boy!” he growled.
Ludwig turned and darted deeper into the forest, his undead body moving effortlessly over the rough terrain. As he ran, he noticed something that might play to his advantage: the noble, huffing and puffing as he gave chase, was clearly not used to prolonged physical exertion. If Ludwig wanted, he could easily outrun him and disappear into the forest.
But that wasn’t his plan; he needed this spoiled noble to keep pursuing him.
Ludwig ducked behind a large tree, glancing back to observe his opponent’s movements. Thomas, exhausted and red-faced, stumbled to a stop, cursing under his breath. “You coward! Running away, are you?” he shouted, voice hoarse. “I swear, if I see you back in the academy, I’ll burn the skin off your bones!”
Turning, the noble began to stomp away, muttering a string of expletives. Ludwig grinned. No way was he letting his target escape now. Picking up a stone, he hurled it as hard as he could. The rock hit Thomas squarely in the back, and the noble collapsed onto his knees, cursing as he clutched his back.
[-81 HP]
“You little—” Thomas’s stream of curses was so extensive that it momentarily amused Ludwig, reminding him of the chaotic lobbies in the shooter games he used to play. For a noble, Thomas swore like a hardened sailor. Rage contorted his face as he scrambled to his feet, hurling fireballs erratically.
Flames crackled and spread, singeing trees and bushes, filling the air with heat and the thick smell of smoke.
Ludwig backed up as he noticed the smoke thickening. They weren’t far from the academy grounds, and if any professors saw the rising plumes, they would surely investigate. Ludwig couldn’t afford that kind of attention now.
In his anger, Thomas seemed to forget the nature of fire and forest. Soon enough, the flames were catching faster than he could control. Ludwig watched from behind a nearby bush, noting that the noble’s tantrum had created a deadly ring of fire around himself.
[As an Undead, smoke has no effect on your body.]
The notification briefly flashed across Ludwig’s vision, sparking an idea. While Thomas was oblivious, Ludwig quickly took a detour around the ring of flames and crouched in the shadows, eyeing his target.
The smoke grew thicker, filling Thomas’s lungs with each breath, and his fiery attacks became fewer and further between as he coughed and spluttered. At last, he realized the precarious situation he was in. His gaze darted around in panic, looking for an exit. He tried to turn back the way he’d come, where the flames hadn’t yet reached.
Perfect timing.
Ludwig whispered a single word: [Exhaust].
A faint, shadowy aura flickered around Thomas as the spell took hold.
[Exhaust has been applied by element of surprise.]
The noble’s face went ashen, his eyes wide with shock as the energy drained from his body. He collapsed onto his knees, each breath a ragged wheeze as he struggled to rise. He crawled desperately toward the thinning line of flames, hoping for a way out, but his pace was agonizingly slow, and the fire was spreading faster than he could move.
From the darkness, Ludwig stepped forward, a smoldering branch in hand. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the patch of ground just beyond Thomas, igniting the last “safe” area and cutting off the noble’s escape.
“Please!” Thomas cried, his voice a strained, fearful rasp. “Help me!”
Ludwig gazed down at him, his face an unreadable mask. He felt no anger, no pity—only the same detached indifference that death itself might display to the living. He watched as the flames licked at Thomas’s robes, catching on the fabric and spreading across his skin. The noble’s screams filled the forest as the fire consumed him, his body thrashing as he tried and failed to escape the inferno.
Soon, his voice faded, the crackling of flames overtaking the sound of his dying breaths. And then there was only silence.
[You have succeeded in achieving the condition required to meet with The Inevitable.]
[Do you wish to meet them now?]
Ludwig didn’t respond immediately. The roaring flames were spreading further into the forest, certain to draw attention from teachers or students nearby. He turned from the grim scene, deciding it was best to put distance between himself and the fire. Heading deeper into the forest, he made his way along a roundabout path, careful to avoid doubling back the way he had come.
The last thing he wanted was to encounter anyone who might ask too many questions.
Before long, Ludwig heard the distant sounds of people shouting as they rushed toward the rising smoke. He nodded to himself. His decision to leave immediately had been a wise one.