Chapter 137: Request
However, up in his villa, Nolan felt a surprising wave of relief roll through him.
Despite the hideous appearance of that monster and its terrifying strength, he could sense something off about the fight — the creature was monstrous, yes, but it was still mortal.
No trace of mana shimmered around its body, no spell shielding its flesh.
That could only mean one thing: this was part of some elaborate trap set to wear down Varros and his knights, forcing them to face horrors without their usual magical strength.
Nolan could almost feel the careful engineering of that encounter from here. But if this was the worst they had to face, then all Varros needed was the resolve to fight like a true veteran. And Nolan had no doubt about that.
He trusted Varros completely — especially with his students.
Even drained of mana, Varros was a chief for a reason.
Skilled enough to recognize an opponent’s vulnerabilities, bold enough to test every theory with his own hands. Nolan’s hands loosened where they had clenched at his sides, and he exhaled slowly.
Still, his gaze stayed fixed on the glowing projection of the tower, where the chief had already moved.
"Stand back," Varros ordered calmly, his voice echoing across the tense stone corridor as Calien and Erik pulled the attendants further behind him. "I’ll deal with this. It doesn’t have mana. That’s a deliberate trap to slow us down."
The creature answered with a bellowing roar that rattled dust from the ceiling. Its monstrous arms unfurled, thick cords of muscle flexing with impossible power, tentacles whipping the air as it advanced.