Chapter 196: Eat
The next second, Bochi was instantly swarmed by children of various races.
"That was amazing! Bochi can actually eat magic!"
"That black fireball just now was so cool!"
"Bochi, how did you do that? Teach us! Do you have to eat something specific?"
A gaggle of children chattered away, surrounding Bochi with eyes full of worship. Listening to these praises, Bochi's entire body puffed up, and its two bead-like eyes shimmered with triumph.
"Guchi! Guchi!"
It proudly puffed out its chest—though it didn't actually have one—and used a small tentacle to pat its round, tubby body. Excellent! You pests have finally learned to appreciate talent! Bochi bounced twice in excitement, then extended a tentacle to scrawl crooked characters into the sand on the floor.
"Bring a few more spells; I can still eat!"
Elwyn stared at the characters on the ground, his mouth twitching. This slime... does it really treat magic like a meal?
"Bochi, magic isn't..."
"Guchi Guchi!"
Bochi immediately interrupted, its black-bean eyes blinking up at Elwyn, looking exactly like a puppy waiting for a treat. The surrounding children chimed in, egging him on. "Teacher, let Bochi try again!" "Yeah, yeah, we want to see too!"
Elwyn took a deep breath, feeling his elven blood pressure spiking. In his two hundred years of life, he had never encountered such a situation. A slime learning magic by eating magic? If he wrote a paper on this and published it, the entire magical academic world would explode.
"Fine." Elwyn eventually compromised. This was a once-in-a-lifetime research opportunity; he might even be able to found an entirely new school of magic. "But, Bochi, remember this," Elwyn squatted, looking earnestly into Bochi's eyes. "If you feel even the slightest bit of discomfort, you must tell me immediately, understand?"
"Guchi!" Bochi nodded vigorously, its whole body wobbling.
Elwyn stood up and began casting. "Let's start with a Tier 1 spell." He raised his wand, mana condensing at the tip. "Ice Lance." A crystal-clear ice lance formed in the air, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
Bochi's eyes lit up instantly. That looks delicious too! It leaped into the air, opened its soft body wide, and swallowed the ice lance in one gulp.
Crack. A crisp shattering sound resonated from within it. Bochi landed, its body trembling slightly, and then...
"Guchi!" A black ice lance, one size smaller than the original, condensed above its head.
Elwyn's eyes widened. It's really possible! And it's not just Fireball—it can instantly learn Ice Lance too?
"Teacher, do another one!" The children shouted excitedly.
Elwyn gritted his teeth and kept casting. Wind Blade. Shock. Stone Bullet. One by one, Tier 1 spells were swallowed by Bochi and released in their black-charred forms. Every success triggered a cheer from the surrounding children. Bochi grew more and more arrogant, its body nearly floating off the ground.
Elwyn's forehead was drenched in sweat. His mana was more than half-depleted, yet Bochi looked as energetic as ever.
"Teacher, Tier 2 magic!" Noah shouted, raising his hand. "Yeah, Bochi can definitely learn it!"
Elwyn hesitated but nodded. "Alright, but only one attempt." He took a deep breath, beginning to condense a much stronger surge of mana. "Flame Arrow." An arrow burning with intense fire formed in the air, its temperature at least a grade higher than the previous fireball.
Bochi looked at the Flame Arrow, its body retreating a tiny step. This one... seems a bit spicy? But seeing the expectant eyes of the children and feeling the dignity of its status as a king, it braced itself, jumped up, and swallowed it.
BOOM!
The Flame Arrow exploded inside it. Bochi's body instantly expanded significantly, intense ripples flowing across its surface.
"Bochi!" Elwyn turned deathly pale, ready to throw the Emerald's Respite he'd bought for emergencies.
But the next second, Bochi steadied itself. It landed, trembling, its body shivering non-stop as if digesting something very difficult to chew. After a good while, it finally stabilized.
"Guchi..." Bochi called out weakly, then struggled to condense mana. A black Flame Arrow slowly took shape above its head. But unlike the previous magic, this Flame Arrow was significantly smaller, and as soon as it condensed, it began to shake violently.
Pop!
The Flame Arrow dissipated into a puff of black smoke before it could even fly. Bochi collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of sludge.
"Guchi..." It called out feebly, the gloss on its surface dimming.
Elwyn ran over and carefully scooped Bochi up to inspect it. "Mana exhaustion." He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, just faint; it'll recover after a rest."
Bochi lay in Elwyn's arms, its two black-bean eyes staring listlessly at the sky. Tier 2 magic... tastes terrible... But it soon cheered up, poking Elwyn's arm with a tentacle.
"Guchi?"
Elwyn looked down at it. "You still want to eat?"
"Guchi!" Bochi nodded vigorously.
Elwyn was torn between laughing and crying. "You've nearly exhausted your mana, and you still want to eat?"
"Guchi Guchi!" Bochi struggled to jump out of Elwyn's arms, scrawling crooked words on the ground: "Tier 3! I want to eat Tier 3!"
The training ground fell silent. Every child widened their eyes, looking at Bochi in disbelief. Elwyn went completely stiff.
"You... do you have any concept of what Tier 3 magic is?" His voice trembled. "I only just recently promoted to a Tier 3 mage myself. The power of a Tier 3 spell..."
"Guchi!" Bochi interrupted him, its black-bean eyes filled with stubbornness. It wants to eat! It wants to get stronger! Only by getting stronger can it protect that skeleton who fed it fish!
Elwyn fell silent. Watching Bochi's determined gaze, he suddenly remembered himself when he was young. Back then, he, too, had striven recklessly to become stronger.
"Fine." Elwyn stood, his expression turning serious. "But only one attempt, and I will suppress its power to the absolute minimum."
He raised his wand and began to condense mana. The children nearby backed away several steps; the training ground's protective barrier activated automatically.
"Tier 3 magic: Firestorm."
At the tip of Elwyn's wand, a swirling mass of fire began to condense. The flame grew larger and larger, the temperature rising until the air in the entire training ground began to distort.
Bochi looked at the flames, its body trembling instinctively. This... this isn't the taste of a gourmet meal. It was danger. Fatal danger. Its survival instincts were screaming: Run! Run fast!
Bochi turned sharply, frantically bouncing toward the edge of the training ground. Seeing this, Elwyn immediately stopped the spell.
"Bochi!"
He raised a hand, and a transparent shield instantly enveloped Bochi. This shield was different from the previous one; it was Elwyn's signature mana shield, capable of fully breaking down and absorbing magical attacks. The previous one had been a Reflective Shield, his most commonly used spell. Being a new teacher, he had instinctively reached for his specialty in a moment of panic.
WHOOSH—
The Firestorm smashed into the mana shield. And then... nothing happened. The terrifying ball of flame, the moment it touched the shield, dissolved and dissipated as if meeting a natural predator.
Bochi huddled inside the shield, trembling as it looked outside. After a long while, it realized: I'm... okay?
"Guchi..." Bochi cautiously poked its head out, looking at the now-calm training ground.
Elwyn sat slumped on the ground, pale-faced, covered in cold sweat. He had nearly made a fatal mistake. If he hadn't reacted in time, that Firestorm, no matter how weakened, would have been enough to roast Bochi into a lump of charcoal.
"I... just now..." Elwyn muttered, shaking. "I nearly... nearly killed a student..." He looked up at the children around him. "Are you all okay? Did anyone get hurt?" The children shook their heads, all thoroughly shaken by the scene.
Elwyn exhaled, then held Bochi with trembling hands. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I was too careless..."
Bochi tilted its head and used a small tentacle to pat Elwyn's hand.
"Guchi." It's okay, you're a good pest.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you