Meeting a crazy teen

"Ice-Make: Floor!"

"Ice-Make: Shooting Nail!"

Luka watched as the giant wolf stood still. Blood flows from his skull and stains the ice red, almost immediately the system notification appears.

[Congratulations! You have won the duel!

+5 System Point!

Teleporting out of [Battle Arena] in 30 seconds!]

It is the seventh wolf that he killed today, each time he used the same tactic as with the first wolf: prepare the spell Ice-Make: Floor and wait for the wolf to start running towards him, cast the spell and while the wolf staggers kill him using Ice-Make: Shooting Nail.

His aim using Ice-Make: Shooting Nail is improving a lot and he is now able to hit moving targets quite accurately. Not only that, he has also increased the speed with which he casts his spells considerably. He can now use Ice-Make: Shooting Nail in as little as two seconds, the initial version of it in less than that and Ice-Make: Floor only requires twenty seconds of preparation, almost the same time as Ice-Make: Bat-kun.

Every day that passes Luka can see with his own eyes the progress he is making and that only encourages him to train even harder. Every day before going to sleep he checks the number of System Points and flips through the [Store] thinking which magic he should buy first.

Aera is at the top of his list, not only because of its price but because it is a magic that would give him the ability to fly!

Soaring through the skies like a bird has an almost magnetic appeal. It is the dream of millions of humans, it is something many desire but know is impossible. This human ambition is the inspiration for many machines and inventions, the airplane being the most famous of them.

In his past life, Luka used to practice many aerial sports, his favorite being skydiving for those moments when one is free-falling with only the wind and clouds as company. Being able to do that and spread his wings at the last moment, flap them and rise towards the clouds... It's something that Luka can't ignore. As a compass needle always points north, the mage's eyes always turn to that magic every time he opens the [Store].

Aera is not the only magic that would give him the ability to fly, in fact there are many magics that can be used for that. Air magic, Gravity Magic, Transformation Magic, Telekinesis,... Those magics are much more complicated than Aera, they are magics that require a lot of training and effort. It would take him months before he would be able to use them effectively in combat, let alone be able to fly freely through the skies. Aera, on the contrary, is a fairly simple and easy to use magic, if he bought it he could learn to fly in a matter of days.

Luka has two options before him in order to fulfill his dream. Option one is the easy way, the option any lazy person would choose: Buy Aera. Option two is the hard way, the option that will help him in the long run because it would not only fulfill his dream but also increase his arsenal and give him more variety.

`There is a third option.` The boy thinks with a pout. Luka looked at the cloudy sky and sighed. `Ignore my dream and save up SP to buy a more powerful and useful magic.` He plopped down on the armchair and put his feet up on the table.

Luka realized that his young body greatly influences his decisions and how he reacts to any situation. He feels he is more impulsive and it takes a lot of effort to stay focused on a task. If magic wasn't so fun and amazing he doesn't think he would be able to train every day for hours, he wouldn't be able to maintain concentration or motivation for it.

`927 SP, it took me three months to get this amount. In a day I can kill a dozen zombies or about 6 or 7 wolves. Getting SP isn't as difficult as I initially thought, it's just a matter of being patient at first. Once my power increases enough so I can kill C-rank opponents with ease farming SP will be easy-peasy. Killing 10 enemies in a day would earn me 400SP, 12 000SP in a month. Slow and steady is the way to victory here.`

He gets up from the chair and leaves the room, his stomach starts growling so he decides it's time to go down to the restaurant and have lunch.

`In order to farm SP more easily in the future I have to be careful in the present, I have to plan my moves carefully and not let my impulses control me. Aera seems like a great option but there are dozens of magics that would give me the ability to fly in addition to having many other uses. If only I could fly using Ice-` Luka freezes on his spot. His mind goes to distant memories of an anime he used to watch when he was younger, an anime where one of the characters flew through the skies using ice wings.

`I could also create a huge bird and fly on its back.`

"Hey! Are you going to stand there all day?" An irritated voice snaps him out of his thoughts and Luka remembers his original purpose.

He continues walking towards the restaurant ignoring the clearly irritated man. The corridor is wide enough for four men to walk shoulder to shoulder and since there are hardly any people passing by, him staying still for a few minutes didn't bother anyone- ergo the man is just being a jerk. Before he can take two steps a hand grabs his shoulder roughly and spins him around.

The man who grabbed him is in fact a teenager of about thirteen or fourteen years old with white hair and crimson red eyes, eyes that shine with irritation and a bit of sadism.

"Punk when someone talks to you it's polite to look them in the eye." The teenager gives him a very nasty smile and tightens his grip on Luka's shoulder enough to dig his nails into the boy's flesh.

Luka winces in pain and tries to break free but the teen's grip is too strong.

"Let go." He tells him, narrowing his eyes.

"Or what? Are you going to cry and call your mommy?" The teenager mocks him. "Oh wait. Aren't you one of those street rats that live here for free while we risk our necks every night?" He brings his face closer to his and looks at him with a very hostile expression, his eyes have an almost insane glint in them.

`An exorcist and a crazy jerk for the looks of it.` Luka notices the teenager's outfit and suppresses a frustrated growl, technically he is a guest of the Church so picking a fight with an exorcist is a bad idea. He doesn't think he's going to get kicked out for kicking this jerk's ass but that would attract too many people's attention.

Dulio knows he has a "Sacred Gear" that allows him to use Ice Magic and since Dulio knows it, he assumes the blonde's superiors have already been informed of it, therefore he doesn't have to hide his magic if the only witnesses are those already aware of the supernatural world.

But magic of any kind, even that product of a Sacred Gear, is frowned upon by most members of the church. The situation isn't radical enough for someone to yell "Burn the witcher," but it's bad enough for the normally blissful Dulio to look at him solemnly and warn him about it.

"A street rat, a leech." The teen scoffs. "Maybe we should use you as bait for devils and fallen angels, so at least you'd be useful." The teenager starts laughing.

"Mr. Sellzen! Release Mr. Artois immediately!" A strict voice sounds from across the hall.

Sellzen lets go of his shoulder quickly, his facial expression and body language doing a 180 degree turn. His posture relaxes, and all traces of hostility and sadism are replaced by the expression one would expect to see on the perfect boy scout: kind, helpful, and humble.

"Miss Quarta, I didn't expect to see you so early." Sellzen smiles charmingly and looks at Griselda Quarta with concern. "You have patrol at sunset and if I remember correctly your last patrol was just a few hours ago, Miss Quarta you should sleep and take better care of yourself. What would we do if our most powerful exorcist were to get ill?"

"You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Sellzen." Griselda looks at him with narrowed eyes. "My health is none of your business. What interests me is what you were doing with Mr. Artois?"

Ice blue eyes turn to Luka and look at him from head to toe.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just showing this young lad where the restaurant is." Sellzen looks at Luka almost fondly. "Young Artois got lost and asked me for directions."

"Is that so?" Griselda's eyes grow even colder and her gaze could practically freezes anyone under its icy glow.

`Those eyes are colder than my ice, what a scary woman.`

"How curious, after living a month in this hotel, Mr. Artois still does not know where the restaurant is. The same restaurant in which one can find him at almost every lunch and dinner."

Luka didn't think Griselda's facial expression could get even colder but it did, and Sellzen realized his mistake immediately.

`You screwed up`

"But you couldn't know that, right Mr. Sellzen?" Griselda takes a few steps forward and Sellzen takes one step back for each step she advances. "You just arrived in Stuttgart two days ago, you still don't know all the staff and our guests. If that weren't the case you would know that Mr. Artois is under the protection of one of the most powerful exorcists in the world. I don't think even the gentle and magnanimous Dulio Gesualdo would forgive someone who intimidates his protégé."

"I-I didn't-"

"Didn't what? Know who Mr. Artois is? Or maybe you didn't know intimidating someone is wrong?" Griselda mocks him and the exorcist mutters some weak excuses before running off in the other direction, she doesn't stop him but she does look at him with great intensity.

"When did the standards of our organization drop so low as to allow such scum to join our ranks?" She mutters under her breath. "I'll have to speak with the Cardinal Deacon."

Luka rubs his sore shoulder and doesn't know if he should say something or sneak away while Griselda's attention is elsewhere, in the end he decides on the latter and begins to walk away. Before he can move too far the exorcist's eyes lock on him and Luka feels as if he is under Medusa's gaze.

`Crap. Am I in trouble?`

***

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