Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

The area beneath the city wall had turned into a complete mess.

Wayne led the way, carrying the cross, followed by a group of howling mercenaries. Diaz charged ahead, wielding his longsword like a windmill, cutting down monster after monster.

But everyone's eyes were on Wayne.

It wasn't because he was at the very front.

It's because his playing style is too outrageous.

Others fight monsters by slashing, stabbing, or stabbing. Wayne fights monsters by smashing. The cross in his hands isn't a sacred object; it's a pile driver. One strike, and the monster's head is gone. Another strike, and its body is gone too.

"Follow Bishop Wayne! It's the safest option!"

A mercenary shouted at the top of his lungs, grabbed his knife, and jumped off the city wall.

"Yes, yes, follow him!"

Another one has flipped over.

"Wait for me!"

The third.

One by one, more and more people scaled the city walls and followed Vain. They weren't going to their deaths; they were there to scavenge. Some of the monsters Vain smashed weren't quite dead yet, so he just needed to finish them off with a final blow. Others were already dead, so he'd dig out their magic cores.

Safe, efficient, and profitable.

Why not?

"Bishop Wayne! Left, left!"

"There's one on the right too!"

"Behind! Behind us! There's one creeping up from behind!"

Wayne didn't turn around.

The cross swung around from right to left, smashing the monster behind it in half at the waist. Its upper body flew out and crashed into the city wall, leaving a black mark.

"good!"

The mercenaries cheered in unison.

Diaz stood not far away, panting heavily.

He watched Wayne's retreating figure and muttered to himself.

"Is he trying to take this opportunity to break through?"

Each of Wayne's attacks was more powerful than the last. Battle energy surged from within him, condensing into a faint glow on his body's surface—not holy light, but something else entirely. Purer, more primal, more like life force squeezed from the very marrow of his bones.

"Such a solid foundation." Diaz's gaze fell on Wayne, sweeping from his shoulders to his waist, and from his waist to his knees. "I reckon he can now fight against an ordinary fourth-tier fighter."

There is an insurmountable chasm between the third and fourth tiers.

The third stage represents the pinnacle of human capability. Muscles, bones, blood, and battle aura have all been trained to the limits of human endurance. Beyond that, it's no longer something that can be achieved through mere "training"; it requires "comprehension." Once you fully comprehend it, you cross over to another realm. Without comprehension, you remain stuck there for life, never even touching the threshold of the fourth stage until death.

The gap between each subsequent level is like an insurmountable chasm.

Diaz began cultivating at fifteen, reached the third rank at twenty-five, and the fourth rank at thirty-five. He spent ten years trying to reach that threshold—ten years of accumulation, ten years of honing his skills, ten years of torment. He had seen too many people stuck at the third rank, too many people who died without ever taking that step.

How old is Wayne?

Early twenties.

Diaz watched the figure scrambling through the monster horde, and a twitch appeared on his lips. He recalled what he was doing at twenty: bragging in taverns and fighting over girls in brothels.

People are more mad than people.

"Never mind." Diaz pulled his sword from the ground, wiped the sweat from his face, and said, "Follow them."

He rushed into the monster horde and stood shoulder to shoulder with Wayne.

"Your Majesty Bishop."

"Um."

"You lead the charge, I'll protect your flanks."

"it is good."

The two, one on the left and one on the right, like a pair of scissors, tore a slit through the monster horde. Wayne's cross slammed down in front, while Diaz's longsword swept to either side, their offense and defense perfectly coordinated, as if they had practiced countless times.

The mercenaries behind them followed even closer.

"kill!"

"Kill them!"

"Follow the bishop and kill them!"

The shouts of battle were deafening.

The torches on the city wall burned brighter and brighter, illuminating the battlefield.

The monsters were still surging, but their momentum wasn't as fierce as at the beginning. The first wave was smashed to pieces by Vayne, and the monsters behind them charged forward, stepping on the corpses of their companions, only to retreat halfway. It wasn't fear, it was instinct. Even the trash of the abyss has instincts; they could sense that the thing carrying the cross ahead was not to be trifled with.

Wayne's breathing began to become heavier.

It's not that I'm tired.

It was the battle energy surging within his body.

He just needs to smash it one more time.

Smash it again, and the door will open.

Wayne gripped the crossbar with both hands, took a deep breath, and poured all the battle energy into his body.

He swung it.

The cross drew an arc in the air.

Smash it down.

boom!

The monster's corpse flew out from both sides of the rift, splashing black liquid all over the ground.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Everyone stopped moving.

They all looked at Wayne.

Wayne stood there, his cross propped on the ground, head bowed, shoulders trembling slightly.

Inside his body, that door opened.

Battle energy surged out from the door, like a flood bursting its banks, rushing through every corner of the body.

Fourth order.

The panel popped up.

[Wayne - Current Status]

[Realm: Early Stage 4. Breakthrough Method: Combat Breakthrough. Evaluation: Solid foundation, no side effects during the breakthrough process. Battle Qi quality far surpasses others of the same level, the fusion of water element and battle qi reaches a new height. From today onwards, you are no longer a weak priest who only knows how to heal. You are an all-around priest who can fight, tank, heal, and deal damage.]

[Note: Side effect after breakthrough: Hunger. Not ordinary hunger, but the kind that makes you feel like you could eat a whole cow. Your battle qi consumed a lot of energy during the breakthrough process and urgently needs replenishment. It is recommended to eat as soon as possible, otherwise you might find yourself eyeing those lively mercenaries around you.]

Wayne looked up after glancing at the panel.

Diaz stood three steps away, looking at him with a complex expression. Half of that expression was admiration, half was jealousy, and there was something else that was hard to define.

"Congratulations," Diaz said.

"Thanks."

Diaz opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. He turned around and shouted to the mercenaries behind him, "What are you standing there for? We haven't finished fighting the monsters yet!"

The mercenaries then came to their senses, gripped their weapons tightly again, but their eyes still kept drifting towards Wayne.

The monsters started to retreat.

It wasn't an orderly retreat; it was a rout. The first wave was decimated by Wayne's attacks, and the monsters behind them sensed fear and began to shrink into the darkness.

Diaz seized the opportunity and swung his longsword: "Chase!"

The mercenaries roared and charged forward, chasing and hacking at the monster.

Wayne stood still, without moving.

He looked down at his hands, turning them over and over, then clenching his fist again. The power of the fourth tier flowed within him, more than twice as strong as that of the third tier. If the third tier was a dagger, the fourth tier was a battle axe.

He raised his head and looked at the city wall.

On the city wall, the fire was still burning, and people were still shouting.

He saw Wilford, who was peering down from the top of the barricade, wearing a coat he had borrowed from somewhere. The coat was too short to cover his backside, and his two pale legs were exposed, swaying in the firelight.

Someone stared at Wilford's feet for a while, then lowered their voice and said to the person next to them, "Hmm? The mayor's feet look familiar."

The person next to him also looked down.

"Now that you mention it..."

"Have we seen this somewhere before?"

The two exchanged a glance, simultaneously recalling the "elf's foot" in the square. Fair-skinned, well-proportioned, with long toes and rounded nails, it was exactly the same as the foot before them...

The two people's expressions changed from confusion to shock, from shock to fear, and from fear to a panicked feeling of "I think I know something I shouldn't know."

At the same time, he turned his head away.

No one spoke again.

But Wilford noticed.

He looked down at his feet, then looked up at the two people, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you looking at?"

The two men shook their heads at the same time, shaking them like rattles.

"I didn't see it, I didn't see it."

"Didn't you see anything?"

"I didn't see it... I didn't see it..."

Wilford's brow furrowed even more.

He pulled his coat down, trying to cover more, but the coat was too short. If he covered the top, the bottom would be exposed; if he covered the bottom, the top would be exposed. He was trying to cover his head but not his buttocks, and vice versa.

"Let's see again." His voice rose half an octave. "If we keep looking, I'll throw you down to feed the wild beasts. I don't like men."

Wilford snorted, turned around, and faced the battlefield with his back to the city wall. His gaze fell on the figure carrying the cross.

If I were to like someone, it would only be someone who likes…

He quickly put an end to the thought.

He silently repeated "I'm straight" three times in his mind.