Ren looked at the power of this new spell, his heart brimming with excitement. *So that's how it is.* By combining his flashes of inspiration with the knowledge he currently possessed, he could modify the spells he had already mastered into whatever direction he desired. *Is this what my talent looks like after growing? I love it!*
In that moment, Ren transformed into a one-man artillery battery. As long as the Magic Circle existed, he could keep firing indefinitely—though it wouldn't matter even if it didn't.
After all, it was an instant cast. Gripping the staff, Ren began to systematically snipe the magical beasts one by one. The single-target lethality of this spell was truly exceptional.
Both its range and armor-piercing capabilities were absolutely perfect. It could easily be classified as Advanced Magic, even though it was fundamentally just Intermediate Magic.
Ren single-handedly suppressed the charging Werewolves, while his classmates on the left and right flanks continuously clashed with the beasts.
Led by Asuna and Yukino Yukinoshita, the group of students engaged in a fierce battle with the Werewolves. Ren would occasionally provide covering fire to assist any classmates who found themselves surrounded.
Aside from Ren's covering fire, Megumi Kato was also secretly supporting one of the flanks. Whenever she saw a classmate struggling in a bitter fight, she would directly intervene.
Relying on her presence concealment, Megumi turned into a battlefield reaper. Several Werewolves currently engaged in combat would inexplicably find their kidneys stabbed.
It couldn't be helped; Megumi was only so tall, making the kidneys the fastest and most accessible target. While there were certainly other weak points available... Megumi simply couldn't bring herself to strike them.
"Are we sure that's [Magic Bullet]? Is that what I taught him?" Jin-sensei, who had been secretly observing Ren's performance from the shadows, was completely dumbfounded as he watched the boy turn into a human turret.
Wasn't this [Magic Bullet] a bit too absurd? He didn't remember any spell like this. Its power and overall performance were terrifyingly strong, yet its Magic Power consumption seemed incredibly low.
Seeing Ren continuously attacking as if it took no effort at all, he was horrified to the extreme. *Did he learn this spell from somewhere else?*
"It definitely isn't what you taught him, because you don't know how to do that either. The [Magic Bullet] Ren used at the very beginning was probably yours, but it changed later on. I saw the patterns of the Magic Circle shift," Shin-sensei spoke up.
His perception abilities allowed him to see it much more clearly. This was obviously a direct modification made by Ren, or perhaps an upgraded version of [Magic Bullet] he had learned from somewhere.
Hearing Shin-sensei's words, Jin-sensei frowned. "An upgraded version of [Magic Bullet]? As far as I know, no such spell currently exists. Could it be something someone researched on their own, and Ren somehow learned it?"
An upgraded version... He had no memory of such a thing. [Magic Bullet] was nothing more than the most basic of spells. After so many years, it had never undergone any changes.
"Is it possible that the kid tinkered with it and created it himself? After all, his talent is absolutely heaven-defying." Compared to the idea that Ren learned it from someone else, Shizuka Hiratsuka firmly believed it was Ren's own creation.
Hearing Shizuka's words, the teachers immediately fell into deep thought. Was such a thing possible? Was Ren some sort of magical genius? But on second thought, it wasn't entirely impossible.
After all, that guy's talent was genuinely absurd. He could learn anything at a single glance, and he was incredibly hardworking—he was either studying or on his way to study.
If Ren really had created this himself, then it was a massive deal. Such talent was simply heaven-defying; if word got out, probably no one would even believe it.
Shin-sensei focused his perception in Ren's direction. After pondering for a moment, he said with a solemn expression, "Do not speak of this to anyone outside. This child's talent is far too outrageous. He can already modify potions and spells now; who knows what else he might be able to improve in the future!"
Shizuka and Jin-sensei nodded in agreement. They naturally understood the implications. The aptitude Ren was displaying right now was simply too valuable.
Once he fully matured, he might even drive the advancement of certain fields. This would be highly beneficial for them as his teachers; in the future, they might even find themselves looking up to him.
Under the watchful eyes of the teachers, Ren single-handedly kept the Werewolves pinned down. This left the classmates who had been casting spells alongside him completely stunned.
Was this some kind of joke? They had all run out of Magic Power by now, yet Ren was still firing off [Magic Bullets] endlessly like it was nothing.
Just how massive were Ren's Magic Power reserves? Even though he was stronger than them, the gap shouldn't have been this huge. Ren was Tier 4, and they were Tier 3—did a single tier really create such a colossal difference in Magic Power capacity?
Setting aside the fact that Ren could rapid-fire spells at such a frequency, how could his Magic Power reserves even sustain it? *Is this guy hacking? Can I borrow your cheats for a bit?*
Feeling completely drained, the students watched Ren fight like a god of war, burning with envy. They hurriedly pulled out their Blue Potions and began to replenish their energy.
They first chugged down the foul-tasting potions Ren had sold them earlier. Gulping them down, the crowd perked back up and resumed their magical bombardment. Even though their attacks were a bit slow and lacked firepower, it was still better than nothing.
At the very least, they could provide some assistance, right? Just like that, the students under Ren's lead continuously used magic to support those fighting on the front lines, slowly pushing the battlefront outward.
From beginning to end, the monsters had never actually managed to breach the perimeter warning Array Ren had set up. As everyone continued their slaughter, the number of beasts on the battlefield steadily dwindled.
Ren checked his remaining Magic Power and finally stopped firing. Pulling out a Blue Potion and swiftly downing it, he called out, "I'll leave the rest of the covering fire to you guys. I'm going in to help!"
With that, Ren jammed the magic staff into the ground. Casting [Lightness Technique] on himself, he dashed forward as a Magic Circle materialized in his hand.
His Tang Dao emerged from the circle. Ren grabbed the hilt and drew the blade, instantly channeling his True Qi into the steel. With a forceful swing, a crescent of white sword aura slashed outward.
Several Werewolves in front of him were instantly bisected at the waist, dissolving into ash and scattering across the ground. Without losing any momentum, Ren charged into the pack of Werewolves at a terrifying speed.
Chopping, slashing, sweeping, piercing—Ren used whatever move was fastest and most efficient. Every strike landed with pinpoint precision, reaping the lives of the Werewolves.
Seeing Ren join the melee, the other students experienced a massive surge in morale. They immediately quickened their pace, continuing to cull the remaining Werewolves.
Facing these Werewolves that were far weaker than him, Ren charging in was basically going full Musou. The mages providing support from the rear were green with envy.
"Tch, what's the point of holding this staff? I'm going in too!" Even though his Magic Power was depleted, he still had physical stamina. Tossing the staff aside, the student drew his weapon and charged forward to join the fray.
The others watched helplessly, but soon followed suit. After all, many of the students in the Special Class weren't just mages—they were warriors as well!
Ren fought at the vanguard, slaughtering to his heart's content. This feeling of absolute dominance was incredibly addictive. His solo kill count was equal to that of several people combined.
As a result, many students found their targets stolen by Ren. A blur of motion would flash before their eyes, and the monster would simply cease to exist. His Tier 4 combat prowess was on full display.
After about half an hour, the final Werewolf was slain. Many students immediately collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Frankly speaking, they were all still just rookies.
After such a high-intensity battle, everyone was dead tired—except for Ren, who looked completely unfazed. Sitting on the ground, the students began pulling out Red Potions to drink.
Asuna, Yukino, and Megumi walked over to Ren. The three girls were panting slightly, but they were in much better shape than the rest of their classmates.
"There weren't many Magic Stones dropped this time. The whole situation is just too strange," Asuna said between breaths, pulling out a Red Potion and downing it.
"It feels like they were artificially spawned just to make up the numbers. I killed quite a few, but barely any Magic Stones dropped," Yukino shared her observations.
Hearing their words, Ren nodded. Within his perception range, there truly weren't many Magic Stones, and even monster materials were scarce.
"Let's go back and rest. We'll leave the battlefield alone; whoever wants to pick up the loot can have it." Seeing the meager amount of Magic Stones, Ren couldn't be bothered to join the scavenging.
He'd just let the other classmates handle it. They wouldn't participate in cleaning up the battlefield; after all, whatever they gathered probably wouldn't even be enough to split evenly.
No one had any objections to Ren's arrangement. Dragging their exhausted bodies, the group followed Ren back to their camp.
Many of the students from wealthy backgrounds had also noticed the poor drop rate, so they opted out of collecting Magic Stones and chose to return to camp to rest and recover.
Seeing this, the remaining students were slightly taken aback. Leo hurriedly called out to Ren, "You're not cleaning up the battlefield? You don't want the Magic Stones?"
Ren waved his hand, replying without looking back, "We're sitting this one out. We're heading back to rest. If you guys want to gather them, hurry up before more monsters spawn."
Hearing Ren's warning, the crowd immediately sprang into action. After hastily scooping up whatever Magic Stones they could see, everyone rushed back to the camp to rest.
Upon returning to their camp, Asuna and the other two girls didn't enter their own tents. Instead, they followed Ren and sat down beside him.
"Was the spell you just used Intermediate Magic?" Unable to contain her curiosity, Yukino couldn't help but ask about it.
Megumi and Asuna also turned their gazes toward Ren. They had definitely noticed the spell he was casting, especially since he had provided them with plenty of long-range support.
Seeing Ren standing there going *pew-pew* like a human turret had left Asuna completely dumbfounded. It had almost caused her to get hit by a Werewolf, but thankfully, her sword draw was faster.
"I suppose it counts as Intermediate Magic. I amplified it based on Jin-sensei's teachings, tweaked it a bit, and that's how it ended up. Actually, shouldn't that be considered a mage's basic attack?" Ren explained with a completely straight face.
*Fern uses this exact thing as a basic attack, so why can't I? This spell was practically made to be a basic attack!*
"A basic attack? What kind of basic attack is an instant-cast Gatling gun?!" Asuna was utterly speechless at Ren's response. Who in their right mind had a basic attack like that?
"Exactly!" Ren nodded, openly admitting it. *Isn't my basic attack a Gatling gun? Didn't you guys just see it?*
"Exactly my foot! Do you have any idea how absurd that spell is?" Asuna was truly exasperated. This guy was actually agreeing with her with a straight face.
"I don't really feel like it is. It's just a basic attack, and it consumes quite a bit of energy. If anyone else used it, four or five shots at most would completely drain their Magic Power." *Absurd?* Ren certainly didn't think so.
Didn't he know best since he was the one using it? If others tried to cast it, there was no way they could sustain it like he did. Through the recent battle, Ren had finally realized the massive gap in Magic Power between himself and his ordinary classmates.
It wasn't something that could be explained by a mere one or two times difference. He had calculated it earlier while watching his classmates cast [Magic Bullet]. A few of them had larger reserves, allowing them to last a bit longer.
But some students had truly pitiful amounts of Magic Power. The reason he could rapid-fire wasn't because the spell required very little Magic Power, but rather... because Ren simply had an ocean of it.
His words instantly stunned the three girls. *If anyone else used it, four or five shots would drain their Magic Power? Seriously?*
They recalled the scene of Ren casting the spell just moments ago.
"Ren, do you have a lot of Magic Power?" Megumi looked at him with curious eyes. If what Ren said was true, just how terrifying were his Magic Power reserves?
"Yeah, quite a lot. I thought everyone was like this, but I guess not. I did some calculations during the battle just now, and my Magic Power..." *Is probably dozens of times greater than everyone else's.*
His reserves were massive, and his recovery rate was equally fast. If he calculated it based on the consumption of [Magic Bullet], he regenerated enough Magic Power for one shot in the time it took to fire two?
Although Ren didn't finish his sentence, the three girls understood perfectly. Ren was a monster—an absolute monster in every sense of the word!
"Ren, why did you just throw the magic staff away? Here, you can use it!" Just as everyone fell silent, Sora ran over, holding the magic staff Ren had used earlier.
When Sora returned and saw the staff jammed into the dirt, she was truly speechless. *He just tossed it after using it? That's way too much!* So, she grabbed it and hurried over to find him.
"I almost forgot! Sorry, I'm returning this to you!" Seeing Sora, Ren quickly apologized. He had completely forgotten about it. The staff didn't belong to him, so it was only right to return it to its original owner.
"I don't need it. I was just using it as a hiking stick before... so you should keep it." Saying that, Sora shoved the magic staff into Ren's hands, turned around, and walked away.
The staff wasn't anything expensive; it was just a Basic Magic Staff worth a few hundred bucks. Since Ren hadn't even brought one with him, it was better off in his hands.
After all, it was a waste for her to hold onto it. She had seen Ren's performance just now—he was practically a god of war. With a magic staff, Ren would be able to unleash even more of his true strength in the Dungeon.
Looking at the staff in his hands, Ren didn't say anything more. *I'll just treat her to a few Red Potions later.* Having worked at Maya's shop, he naturally knew exactly how much this staff cost.
Sora had probably just bought it for fun. It was quite fitting for him to use it temporarily. After all, casting spells with a magic staff versus without one were two completely different things—even if this particular staff only provided a tiny boost!