Chapter 342
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Chapter 342: Retaliatory Practice
"I’m done with sword practice, who’s next?"
The dwarf picked up his sword blade and hilt, wrapped them together with the scabbard, packed them into the bag, and looked up, saying, "Let’s talk about that magic thing, the protective shield?"
As he spoke, he took out his warhammer from his luggage and said, "I can’t wait to help you practice the new magic, Jesse! Look at me, I’m your good brother, very eager to enhance your strength."
"You said we agreed not to use hammers, right?" Jesse asked.
"Who said we agreed?"
The dwarf swung the hammer to throw it, but Jesse quickly chanted, "Tomso… So what…"
Before he could remember the next word, the warhammer was already flying towards him!
It was obvious that the opponent did not throw it with full force, the hammer was not charged, far from being as fierce as it could have been heading towards the Gnoll’s head.
But this was a hammer after all. Jesse ducked his head, and as he lifted it back up, the hammer flashed with electricity and hit Greed’s hand hard.
Suddenly, he felt the wind roaring around him, and the dark green forest under the moonlight swayed with the lingering glow of the war hammer.
Tom Soga, Viholysia… Jesse silently recited in his mind, while Greed’s war hammer spun in his hand again.
"Wait, Greed, slow down!"
The dwarf ignored his attempt to stop him, and directly threw the war hammer horizontally. The hammer flew flatly, drawing a curve as it rotated, and the gust of wind it stirred up flattened the tall grass it passed over…
Jesse still held a sword in his hand, not having time to cast a spell, let alone make any gestures. He could only jump aside, watching as the hammer flew past him and another electric flash shot out from behind him, like a cannonball, aimed directly at the dwarf’s hand.
Greed wanted to practice over and over again to develop his ability to block incoming attacks with a Shadow Shield.
"Don’t tell me you haven’t even memorized your spells, Jesse Seso!" he said sternly, unsure if it was because he was still upset from earlier and wanted to regain control immediately, or if he was genuinely trying to help Jesse master a new magic.
But these two goals didn’t seem to conflict with each other.
The dwarf raised his hand, and Jesse quickly chanted a spell. A black light ring emerged from his hand, spinning and expanding until it surrounded his body.
However, Greed just watched without swinging his hammer. Jesse saw the light ring fading, and the dwarf suddenly threw the hammer at him!
Jesse wanted to cast another spell, but it was too late. He awkwardly jumped to the side, watching the hammer fly past his arm. The rushing air brushed against his shirt loudly, and as soon as his foot landed, the hammer flew back, forcing him to dodge again until the dwarf caught the hammer.
Greed laughed and shouted, "It didn’t take long!"
Jesse glanced at the dwarf opposite him, who effortlessly used the power of thunder to attract the hammer back, seeming to him like it was no effort at all. He breathed evenly, his eyes firm, showing no signs of fatigue.
There was no doubt that Greed had not just been touring Ironforge for the past two to three months. He had traveled around Loch Lake and the snowy mountains of Dun Morogh, definitely experiencing numerous battles and dangers, and gradually adapting to his rhythm before getting injured, returning to his previous state.
But he also had his struggles.
When practicing this shadow shield magic before, he had always used both hands to cast spells. Now, holding a sword, even if it was the Azuresong Mageblade, made him uncertain about his movements.
"Look at how flustered you are. Are you about to exhaust yourself?" Greed shouted loudly.
"It’s like a joke."
Jesse tossed the Azuresong Mageblade aside, the blade piercing into the earth emitting a dull hum, the Arcane glow slowly fading as it merged with the moonlight.
"Come again!" he shouted.
"Sure!"
Greed suddenly swung his warhammer, Jesse calmly reciting an incantation as he watched the hammer spinning towards him. However, he had to sidestep the hammer before the spell could be cast, resulting in the spell being released too late.
To cast the spell for the longest time possible, he had to focus on Greed’s hand and start casting the spell as early as possible.
If he recited the incantation before releasing the hammer, based on the dwarf’s familiarity with the mage, he would definitely not throw the hammer, just like before.
Despite deliberately reducing the force of the throw, the hammer was still flying too fast, making it difficult for Jesse to control in such a short time window.
But he knew that this was the purpose of practice.
Jesse silently repeated the spell again in his mind, watching the Gryphon Rider swing his war hammer over and over, everything outside his vision slowly fading away as his focus intensified.
The dwarf’s movements suddenly changed, Jesse even noticed the muscles in his arms and neck changing from this far away in the dark night, he was about to strike…
At the moment the war hammer slipped from his hand, he immediately began chanting the spell!
This time he was prepared and chanted very quickly, feeling no fear as the war hammer flew halfway.
The spell completed smoothly, creating a halo around him with both hands, the incoming war hammer smashed against the halo, creating a colorful light reminiscent of oil floating on water.
Suddenly, the halo dispersed, causing the grass around to rapidly wither and collapse, the war hammer weakly swaying in mid-air before landing near a tree.
"Didn’t you say you didn’t have time to chant the spell, Jesse Seso," the dwarf said as he summoned the crackling war hammer back into his hands, "I’d say you chanted fast enough!"
Jesse replied, "If it hadn’t been so successful just now, my head might have exploded."
"Would I really let the hammer hit your face, Jesse?" Greed said, "You underestimate my skills too much, but if you don’t get nervous, how can you develop the level you can achieve in real combat?"
"I know," Jesse nodded.
"But this is a flying hammer after all," Greed said. "If it was a sword, it would be too late. You should use the protective spell Vereesa gave you with the precious item she bestowed upon you."
"I still need to practice more, little by little," Jesse said, glancing at the Azuresong Mageblade. The sword flew back into his hand and he deftly sheathed it.
Greed watched, stunned by the scene.
"Can you use this magic to retrieve any weapon back to your hand other than a magic wand?"
Jesse didn’t chant any spells. He simply… wished for the sword to come to his hand, using a magic that he wasn’t even aware of.
