An unpleasant exchange left the atmosphere gloomy until midnight.
The humidity of Zeb'Nowa was heavy at night, and Leylin cast a constant temperature spell on himself to prevent the damp, cold air from invading his body.
Aminel sat beside Leylin. Leylin didn't speak, and she didn't need to speak first.
Suddenly, the chirping of insects in the surrounding jungle faded. Leylin immediately became alert. He turned and gestured to Aminel, signaling her to hide.
Did he sense danger? That's what Aminel thought.
"A beast is approaching us." Leylin sensed through the vibrations on the ground, scanning the surroundings.
Sure enough, in the moonlight, Leylin spotted a pair of dark green eyes in the nearby jungle.
To assess the creature's overall condition, Aminel cast her [Far Sight] spell, placing her hands over her eyes, releasing a faint halo of light. Leylin immediately grabbed Aminel's hand, interrupting her spell.
The sudden force pinched Aminel's wrist, causing it to ache. She whispered, "What are you doing?"
An indescribable dignity seemed to etch itself between Leylin's brows. He lowered his voice and asked, "The magic just now had light. You must be aware of the consequences of that light." The troll camp lay just below the mountain.
Aminel immediately calmed down. Leylin had been right. Aminel felt as if their roles had reversed. She was clearly a dual-specialization mage and the leader of this team, but now, she was being corrected by a member of her own team.
Leylin paid no attention to Aminel's thoughts. He was contemplating how to kill this beast without the explosion and light of his spells.
Leylin was currently using both fire and arcane magic spells without explosions and light simply didn't exist. He doesn't want to showcase his third specialization yet.
Any spell from Leylin's arsenal would undoubtedly attract the attention of the troll camp ahead.
"You're cultivating both ice and arcane magic, right?" Leylin asked.
Aminel nodded. Leylin was now in control.
Leylin stretched his fingers and placed his hood back on. He said, "Make me two ice spears. I'll deal with this beast."
Hearing this, Aminel looked at Leylin in surprise. "You're crazy! You want to fight this beast in close combat?"
Without further explanation, Leylin simply extended his right hand to Aminel. The female mage's face shifted slightly, impressed by the bravery of this human.
She mobilized the surrounding water element, instantly lowering the temperature. Shaped by the cold magical energy, two slender ice spears appeared in Leylin's hands.
He took the spears and thrust them into the ground. Their strength was decent, Leylin was confident he could pierce the mountain lynx's belly with these two sharp weapons.
Continuously observing the surrounding, Leylin slowly descended the mountainside. He wanted to test how far his [Sage Body] has improved from the constant refining by pure magical energy
His current situation was somewhat awkward. After all the time spent on studying magic, that there would come a time where in he would engage in a close combat battle.
To avoid exposing his position, he had no choice but to engage in hand-to-hand combat with this beast.
Noticing the lynx's position, it fixed its eyes on Leylin. It swung its head left and right, pacing back and forth, searching for an opportunity to snatch its prey.
Leylin gripped his ice spear tightly, waiting for a chance, waiting for the beast to charge.
As a mage, Aminel had fought dozens of battles, but none quite like this. A mage, unable to use magic, had to rely solely on physical strength to combat a single beast.
She was nervous and ashamed. She was the captain, and it should have been her in that position. She clenched her fists tightly, awaiting the start of the fight.
The lynx scratched the ground with its left paw, its head tilted to the left. Unlike its ferocious stance a moment ago, the beast seemed distracted.
Leylin blinked briefly, and suddenly, the beast charged.
It was mistaken, Leylin's wink had been an attempt to entice it to attack. Leylin also charged forward, his ice spear firmly aimed at the lynx eyes.
The giant lynx leaped up and pounced upon Leylin.
Leylin ducked down and swung his ice spear with all his might. The lynx, sensing the danger, was forced to pivot mid-air to avoid the deadly blow.
The lynx's attack paused, and Leylin moved instantly. His speed was incredible.
He pierced the spear aiming for the body of the lynx, pinning the beast to the ground.
Aminel, watching Leylin's frenzy, couldn't help but stand up. She had never been so nervous.
The lynx, pinned to the ground by Leylin, sprawled, its most vulnerable part exposed.
Leylin quickly continued piercing using the second ice spear directly to the lynx's abdomen. With a low growl, the lynx's body convulsed violently. He wasn't done yet.
Pulling out the other ice spear, Leylin stabbed the lynx several times in the abdomen. Until the ice spear was melted by the lynx's scalding blood, and its sharpness faded.
Leylin stood still watching the giant lynx's corpse. Aminel hurried down, checking Leylin up, whether there were any visible wounds.
With a hint of sob in her voice, Aminel anxiously asked, "Are you okay? Are you okay, Leylin?"
Leylin looked at her and coughed lightly a few times. He calmed his breath and said, "The ice spear is very sharp. We are now safe."
Aminel looked at Leylin's bloodstained hand and peeled off her tight-fitting clothes, revealing a snow-white shirt. She tore off the white cloth below her chest.
"No need for bandage, it's not my blood." he said, blushing awkwardly as he saw her slim belly and slender waist.
Looking at his hand, stained with oozing blood, Aminel gave a wry smile. "The ice spear fragments are still in your palm. Don't you need a bandage?"
Taking Leylin's hand, Aminel carefully checked the bloodstains.
"I'm sorry, Leylin." Aminel apologized.
Leylin shook his head and said calmly, "Don't worry about it. Just now, even without using magic, I had a clear advantage over the beast."
It was he who had protected her, the very human mage she had slandered yesterday. A tenderness grew in Aminel's eyes. As she gently removed his damaged gloves then bandaged Leylin's hands, she stole a few glances at his face.
He wasn't handsome, but he looked incredibly reliable.
"I take back what I said to you and your mentor today. You're a million times better than I thought." Aminel said to Leylin with a smile.
Leylin smiled back and said, "Is that so? Then what image do you have of me now?"
Aminel was stumped by the question, but she wasn't at all confused by her inability to come up with an answer. She had a clear impression in her mind, she just didn't know how to express it.