Warlock Ch 176. A-Class Warlock
The pain was real. Damian's body scread in protest as he hit the rubble-strewn floor. For a mont, his ears rang, and his vision blurred. The world around him seed distant, muffled by the overwhelming ache that radiated through his entire being. But he couldn't stop now. This was his chance—his only chance.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to his knees. His hands trembled as he pushed against the cracked floor, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He swept his gaze across the debris-filled hall, searching. Where was Cassius?
His eyes finally landed on his ntor. Cassius was across the hall, slumped against what remained of the wall, trying to stand. His movents were slower now, deliberate but clearly strained. Damian's heart pounded. This was it. He had to act!
"[Hellfire Spear…]" Damian muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. The weapon ford in his hand once more, its dark flas flickering with renewed intensity. He gripped it tightly, the edges of his vision swimming as he concentrated on his next move.
Without a word, Damian activated [Shadow Step], his body vanishing in a swirl of darkness. He reappeared in an instant, re steps behind Cassius, his spear already raised and aid at the back of his ntor's neck.
Cassius froze, his body tensing. The sharp tip of the spear hovered just a hair's breadth away from his skin. Damian's breathing was heavy, his grip firm despite the tremors running through his body.
"It's over, Cas," Damian said, his voice low but resolute. "You know what this ans."
For a mont, there was only silence. The remnants of their battle hung in the air—scorched stone, lingering shadows, and the acrid tang of mana burned to its limits. Cassius exhaled slowly, his head dipping in acknowledgnt.
"You used the loophole," Cassius said, a faint chuckle escaping him. "Smart. Annoying, but smart."
Damian allowed himself a small smirk, though his body felt ready to collapse. "You always said to use every advantage."
The system's voice echoed through the ruined hall.
[Ti Limit Reached!]
[Victory: Damian Blackthorn.]
[New Rank: A-Class Warlock.]
Damian let out a shaky breath, lowering the spear. He'd done it. He'd actually done it. His legs gave out, and he dropped to the ground, leaning heavily on the now-dimd weapon for support.
Cassius turned to face him, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Well, congratulations, A-Class Warlock," he said, his tone dripping with mock ceremony. "Though I'll admit, you've earned it."
Damian laughed weakly, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. "You're not going to say I got lucky?"
"Oh, you definitely got lucky," Cassius teased, though his gaze softened slightly. "But luck only gets you so far. You've proven you're ready."
The acknowledgnt hit Damian harder than he expected. "Thanks, Cas," he said, his voice quieter now.
Cassius extended a hand, helping Damian to his feet. "Don't get too comfortable. Rank A is just the beginning. You're in the big leagues now."
Damian winced as he stood, his entire body screaming in protest. "Right. No pressure."
They both chuckled, the sound light despite the destruction around them. For a mont, ntor and apprentice stood side by side, surveying the aftermath of their battle. The hall was in ruins, but Damian didn't care. He'd done it.
Cassius extended his hand, and the crystal that had shattered earlier shimred faintly in the air before reforming itself. Its jagged edges nded seamlessly, returning to its previous pristine shape. The now-reford crystal floated toward Cassius, settling neatly in his hand as he examined it with a smirk.
"The hall's in a ss," Cassius said casually, his tone far too relaxed given the chaos around them.
Damian gave a weak laugh, still trying to catch his breath. "Yeah. Tell sothing I don't know."
Cassius turned to Damian, his smirk widening in a way that imdiately set off alarms in Damian's head. "You know what you have to do, right?"
Damian's eyes narrowed. "What's that look supposed to an?"
Cassius didn't reply imdiately, instead gesturing broadly to the wreckage. Pieces of shattered stone and mana-scorched rubble littered the floor. "You're still my apprentice," Cassius said smoothly, his tone carrying that trademark smugness. "And as my apprentice…"
"Oh no. No way." Damian's frown deepened, his exhaustion montarily forgotten as realization dawned. "You're not about to tell to clean this up, are you?"
Cassius raised an eyebrow, his smirk unwavering. "I am."
Damian groaned, his head falling back dramatically. "I just got my A rank! You can't make clean up all this—this disaster!"
Cassius crossed his arms, leaning slightly against what remained of a column. "Oh, but I can. Because you're not officially rank A yet. You still need to submit this crystal to validate your exam results."
Damian's eyes widened, indignation flooding his voice. "You're blackmailing ?!"
Cassius shrugged nonchalantly. "You could look at it that way. Or you could call it an incentive."
"That's unfair!" Damian whined, gesturing to the carnage around them. "Do you know how long this will take?"
"Consider it paynt," Cassius replied smoothly, his smirk growing. "For ruining my cloak and cheating the exam."
Damian's jaw dropped as he looked at the singed edges of Cassius' once-pristine cloak. "Seriously? What about mine?" He motioned dramatically to his own tattered cloak, hanging in frayed strips off his shoulders. "You ruined mine too!"
Cassius glanced at Damian's cloak, his expression one of feigned indifference. "Oh, right. I forgot to ask—why are you wearing a cloak, anyway? You weren't wearing one yesterday."
Damian straightened slightly, his indignation morphing into a defensive pout. "This is Kaelan's cloak."
Cassius blinked, his smirk fading montarily as curiosity replaced it. "Kaelan's cloak? You're saying you bought that? Why have I never seen it before?"
"Yeah," Damian replied, his voice softening. "I… left it behind before I had the chance to wear it."
For a brief mont, the air between them shifted, the usual teasing giving way to sothing more reflective. Cassius studied Damian, his gaze lingering on the frayed cloak. "Huh," he said finally, his tone unreadable. "Guess it suits you."
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