Talent Awakening: I, the Weakest Awakened, Start with Dragonfire Spell

Something was amiss!

Watching the unrest among the crowd, a sense of unease began to form in Howard's heart.

This monster tide was not as straightforward as it seemed.

The commotion, though swiftly suppressed by the vastly superior numbers of the city guard, had already had its ripple effects.

Unity was not a trait shared by those atop the city walls.

A mix of thoughts spread like wild weeds in everyone's hearts.

Howard collected his thoughts and glanced at the other four adventurers at the checkpoint.

They had not participated in the unrest, but Howard could clearly see hesitation in their eyes.

Initially, it might have been simple fear, but now, they were contemplating a real way out.

They had seen the fate of those who retreated rashly—death was the only road left.

Here in Rodel, with the war bells ringing, standing on the battlefield meant your identity was that of a pure soldier.

Howard and Thor exchanged glances, each seeing the caution in the other's eyes.

...

"The beasts are coming up!"

The shout came from somewhere, and Howard, unable to pinpoint the direction, immediately refocused his attention to the front line of the battlefield.

Realizing that the city walls could not be easily breached by mere battering, the horde swiftly changed its tactic from simple ramming to attempting to scale the walls for close combat.

The physically robust ones laid at the bottom, while those with agile movements tried to climb directly to the top.

Despite the walls standing seven to eight meters tall, such a height was hardly a hindrance in the face of the generally strong physical abilities of wild beasts, further enhanced by spellbeasts.

Though this place was considered a military city, it was more of a checkpoint and had not experienced war in a very long time.

The Silverwind Kingdom had long passed the era of merely relying on border defenses to establish its national boundaries.

As the dominant power in the southeastern region of the Avala Continent, the word of Silverwind Kingdom within Reagan was absolute.

The moment the shout was heard, Howard felt a gust of foul air hit his face as a giant spellbeast, over two meters in length, surged up from beneath the city walls.

This was a spellbeast Howard was intimately familiar with.

Silver-gray fur, crimson eyes, and sharp claws and teeth.

Coincidentally, it was the same kind of wolfrat Howard had slain in numbers just yesterday.

However, this wolfrat was clearly different from those of the previous day.

Its body length had more than doubled, signifying not just a change in physical capabilities but also suggesting that the species might have undergone a transformation.

If a regular wolfrat was merely a subspecies of spellbeast, then this particular one before him could very well have reached the level of a low-tier spellbeast.

With its exceptional speed and aggressiveness, it was a formidable opponent even among low-tier spellbeasts.

The moment it ascended the city wall, the wolfrat launched its attack!

Its chosen target was the youngest woman among the four adventurers, excluding Thor and Howard.

The woman, who appeared to be a warrior with a curved blade in her hand, moved with a certain grace, not seeming like a mere novice.

When the wolfrat suddenly attacked, she was caught off guard but managed to react in time.

Her curved blade swiftly swung out, and with a nimble leap, she rolled away to safety.

Though frightened, the skills she possessed were not for show; it was merely the overwhelming mix of emotions in the environment that she was unaccustomed to.

As the woman dodged, leaving the wolfrat's attack to miss its mark, Howard had already closed in for the follow-up.

"This is a spellbeast! I've got this!"

There was no time to warn Thor.

With a loud shout, Howard surged forward, his form blurring into a shadow, the straight blade in his hand reduced to a mere streak of light.

Pierce!

Evolving from the most basic thrust, this move was not a foundational technique for the straight blade.

Yet, Howard employed it in this moment for sheer speed, with no time to consider subsequent variations.

If the wolfrat's movements weren't constrained, allowing a low-tier spellbeast to wreak havoc on the city walls, the defense battle would truly become untenable.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone at the checkpoint, Howard's figure daringly swept under the wolfrat, his straight blade slicing a foot-long gash across the beast, successfully drawing all its attention towards him.

Despite the intelligence spellbeasts are known for, their nature still fundamentally leans towards their animalistic instincts.

With just one move, Howard had firmly captured the wolfrat's focus on himself.

This aggressively offensive spellbeast would not overlook any creature daring to attack it.

Only by tearing them all to shreds would it cease its onslaught.

From the moment the wolfrat scaled the walls, the situation started to spiral unpredictably.

To preserve the current defensive line, Howard could no longer afford to conceal his strength and had to engage the wolfrat's attention.

As Howard stepped forward, the others at the checkpoint began to move towards the edges.

Their basic judgement was sound; the wolfrat, being a subspecies of spellbeast, had obviously undergone a transformation to become a full spellbeast given its size.

Originally, the wolfrat's speed was terrifying, and even after transitioning into a low-tier spellbeast with an increased size, its speed hardly diminished.

Without a certain level of strength, stepping up at such a time would only hinder more than help.

If there was any hesitation among the few when Howard first shouted, it all vanished after his clean, piercing strike.

Everyone realized that this young man was far from as simple as he appeared.

A thrust might sound straightforward—a full-force forward stab—but without speed, there's no damage.

How does one control their velocity? How to accurately target?

These were all challenges.

Some may execute a thrust, but it forever misses its mark, rendering it useless.

To perfectly control a thrust, one would need the strength of a combat-focused preparatory-level magus or several years of battle training—it's not something easily achieved.

"Fall back! Fall back! Block the other beasts! Don't add to Howard's distractions!"

In the brief silence, Thor was the first to speak up.

He clearly understood the situation; someone who could, under such circumstances, land a thrust that firmly captured the wolfrat's attention was not acting recklessly without assessing their strength.

If Howard hadn't been confident, he wouldn't have charged out so decisively, and it's possible that even a combined effort might not have restrained the wolfrat.

Therefore, what they needed to do wasn't to rashly intervene but to establish a new line of defense!contemporary romance

Not just the wolfrat, but other wild beasts began appearing on the city walls.

The checkpoint, as a prominent point on the wall, had always been the focus of attention, and it was no different in the eyes of these frenzied spellbeast creatures.

Blocking them, preventing them from distracting Howard, and buying time for the seasoned adventurers to join the fray was of utmost importance.

Following Thor's shout, the group sprang into action, splitting up or teaming together to intercept the beasts.

In moments, fierce combat erupted across the entire length of the city wall.

…

"Now, it's just the two of us."

Howard locked eyes with the wolfrat's crimson gaze, seeing nothing but endless murderous intent and madness within.

He slightly bowed, switching his straight blade to his left hand, and drew another straight blade from his ring.

This was his first encounter with a low-tier spellbeast.

The difference between a spellbeast subspecies and a low-tier spellbeast might only be a matter of two words, but the gap in strength was vast.

If a spellbeast subspecies still falls within the category of wild beasts, then a low-tier spellbeast could be likened to a magus among humans.

Though still human, magi are fundamentally a different classification from ordinary people.

It was merely a slight elevation in species, but the strength of this wolfrat now far exceeded that of White, who had been the white-furred wolf king.

Howard was certain that if White, before his transformation, faced this wolfrat—even with the help of his wolf pack—the one to perish would surely be White.

It was akin to a human army encountering a level 3 magus; there was simply no chance for resistance!

Taking a deep breath, Howard circulated mana throughout his body, enhancing his physique in its entirety.

He didn't plan on using Hyperawareness.

Should the need arise, he wouldn't hesitate.

But judging from the speed and reactions the wolfrat had just displayed, there seemed to be no gap between them.

With a sharp squeal, the wolfrat launched its attack just as Howard gripped his blade.

Its massive body, propelled by powerful limbs, burst forward with astonishing speed, covering a dozen meters in a flash.

Howard's gaze tracked every move of the wolfrat, the ambush catching him off guard.

Yet, Howard reacted in time, his footsteps shifting as he angled his left-hand blade for a block, his body flipping while his right-

hand blade slashed down at the wolfrat's back!

Blood splattered.

The sharp edge of the straight blade, bolstered by Howard's formidable arm strength, easily tore through the wolfrat's skin, nearly cleaving its bones.

Under the agony, the wolfrat shrieked, its movements abruptly quickening to dodge Howard's subsequent pursuit.

After lunging forward a couple of steps, it spun around to face Howard, who was hot on its trail.

With a piercing scream, the silver-gray fur on its back bristled.

Mana shimmered, and countless mana needles poured out like a torrential downpour!

Howard's pupils contracted as his body abruptly halted.

With both blades crossed in front of him, mana surged out to form a shield, enveloping him in protection.

done.co