Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 9 Powerful Quen Shield

The first round of the competition ended with Wayne's victory. Instead of a joyful expression, Vesemir sighed.

He looked at the two Wolf School members beside him, who looked dejected because of their losses, and said:

"Geralt, Eskel, which of you will go and fight Wayne next?"

Losing the fifty orens he had painstakingly saved was painful for Eskel. He turned to Geralt and said:

"I'll go for the second round, but how about we make another bet? Who will win this time, me or Wayne?"

Thinking of the two hundred and fifty orens he had lost to Vesemir, Geralt gritted his teeth and said:

"Lambert must have underestimated his opponent just now. Although the little guy's sword speed is very fast, if it were you, you should be able to handle it."

"Let's keep betting. We'll bet on Wayne to win, 1 to 1. We'll bet on you to win, 2 to 1."

"Eskel, how much are you betting?"

The scarred witcher thought for a moment, then took a ruby ​​pendant from his inner pocket and handed it to Geralt, saying:

"This is a ruby ​​necklace I found in some ruins; it should be worth two hundred orens."

I'm betting on myself to win.

Geralt whistled.

"Good stuff. Looks like you had a good harvest last year."

He reached for the necklace, swung it around in his hand, and then turned to ask Vesemir:

"So, old man, still want to gamble?"

Vesemir crossed his arms, glanced at Geralt, and snorted:

"I'm betting all three hundred Oren I just won on Wayne."

"However, if I win later, I won't need you to give me six hundred orens. I doubt you have that many coins on you anyway."

"This winter, I plan to teach him how to brew witcher potions."

"When the time comes, you will take him into the forest and teach him how to gather herbs and monster tissues."

Hearing that he wouldn't have to pay his gambling debts, Geralt secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded to the old Witcher and said:

"No problem, sir. Even if you lose, I will take responsibility for this."

After Wayne rested for about ten minutes, Eskel ignored Lambert, who was complaining beside him, and stood opposite Wayne with a training steel sword in hand.

Due to a battle in his early years, this man had a terrible scar on his face. Coupled with the fact that witchers were discriminated against by many unruly people, Eskel was more silent than other witchers.

He picked up his steel sword, assumed a defensive stance reminiscent of the Wolf School of swordsmanship, and said in a deep voice to Wayne:

"Let's begin, little one."

"I will go all out against you."

However, Wayne, standing opposite him, did not immediately assume a fighting stance. Instead, he gestured for him to pause and turned to Vesemir, shouting:

"Teacher, I hope that I can use the power of the hand seals in the next two matches."

"Signs are also part of our strength as Witchers."

Vesemir didn't agree immediately. Instead, he turned to Eskel, and only after the scarred witcher nodded did he speak to Wayne:

"Yes, child, you can use the power of the hand seals."

"But we are all partners, so you need to be mindful of your boundaries."

Wayne respectfully nodded to his teacher, then turned to look at Eskel, exchanging a glance with the silent witcher veteran.

He extended his left hand, twisting his fingers in the gesture of casting the Quen sign. A few seconds later, with the blessing of his level eight sign skill, a net-like shield made of mana covered his body.

Although this shield looks no different from a regular Quen shield, only Wayne himself knows that, thanks to his special class ability and powerful spellcasting, this Quen shield has consumed almost half of his chaotic magic power, making it several times stronger than a regular Quen shield and strong enough to withstand several powerful strikes.

The opposing Eskar was unaware of all this. After casting a Quen shield on himself, he reverted to the defensive stance of the Wolf School swordsmanship.

The second match officially began. This time, Wayne did not rely on his high speed to launch a strong attack. In his previous combat training, he had already figured out Eskel's information. Eskel was probably the most conservative swordsman in the Wolf School.

Unlike the hot-tempered Lambert and the exceptionally talented Geralt, Eskel is very composed in both personality and fighting style. Unlike Lambert in the previous match, Eskel will not be caught off guard by his speed.

Therefore, in this match, Wayne decided to use a strong offensive strategy.

He gripped his steel sword tightly with both hands and took steady steps, approaching Eskel, who was in a defensive stance.

Once both were within each other's attack range, Wayne decisively swung his steel sword first, adopting the most suitable downward slashing stance, and slashed at Eskel with all his might.

Clang! The two swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Eskel's hand holding the sword went slightly numb from the blow, and he stepped back, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Wayne's slashing power was much greater than he had imagined; it wasn't a weakness he had claimed to have.

However, this level of power was still within Eskel's acceptable range. He relied on his powerful force-dissipating skills to exchange two blows with Wayne, and then took the opportunity to knock Wayne's steel sword away, creating a gap in his defense.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Eskel spun around and kicked Wayne's Quen shield hard.

However, contrary to Eskel's expectations of breaking through Quen's shield, his powerful kick to the shield did not cause any damage. A faintly visible shield steadily blocked his attack and did not even hinder Wayne's attack posture.

Eskel's eyes narrowed, and without thinking, he rolled on the spot to Wayne's other side, dodging several swift strikes. His Quen shield was shattered during the roll.

However, before Eskel could even regain his footing, Wayne made a casting gesture with one hand, and the powerful Quen shield that had been formed around him immediately expanded rapidly before exploding.

It blasted Eskel, who hadn't even gotten a firm footing, flying her away and sending her crashing into a wooden dummy.

This sudden attack caught Eskel completely off guard. The powerful explosion left him unable to adjust his posture. By the time he suppressed the pain and tried to stand up, Wayne's blade was already at his throat.

The two exchanged a glance, and Wayne smiled as he sheathed his steel sword. He then reached out and helped Eskel up.

The scarred witcher rubbed his chest and said with some emotion:

"What's going on with this move?"

"Your Quen shield seems much tougher than ours? And it can even explode?"

Wayne turned to look at Vesemir and Geralt, scratched his head, and then said:

"I seem to have a talent for signs as well, and I can enhance my various signs by using more chaotic magic."

Upon hearing this, Eskel looked at Wayne's handsome face—which, apart from his amber cat-like eyes, wasn't much different from that of an ordinary teenager—and sighed, saying with a hint of envy:

"It seems you and Geralt are both gifted individuals."

"I lost, Wayne. Your strength is now on par with most Witchers."

Expert-level task: [Graduation] 2/3 completed.

(End of this chapter)