Maydee tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed as she watched Joshua. She had given him permission to test his offensive capabilities, but she hadn't expected him to take it this seriously.
What does he want to do now?
Her instincts screamed that something unusual was about to happen. She reinforced her eyes with energy, enhancing her vision to see even the slightest fluctuation in the air. Joshua stood still, deep in concentration, gathering energy with a level of precision that sent a shiver down her spine.
She had never seen someone control raw magic like this—not without a chant, not without external guidance. It was unnatural. No, it was terrifying.
Joshua lifted a single finger, and in the next instant—
Swoosh!
Maydee's enhanced sight caught the thin projectile, but only just. It was a streak of barely visible energy, moving faster than any attack she had ever seen. A heartbeat later, the tree fifty meters away shuddered as a clean, circular hole appeared at its center.
It was utterly silent.
She almost gaped in shock.
What in the beautiful Mother's Wrath was that?!
There was no visible magic formula, no incantation, nothing but raw precision. If she hadn't reinforced her eyes, she would have missed the attack entirely.
Before she could even process what had happened, Joshua raised his other hand, palm open.
With her enhanced vision, she saw it—a transparent ball forming in his grasp, rapidly condensing into a small, spear-like shape. The sheer density of magic within that form sent a spike of alarm through her.
Maydee took a step forward, mouth opening to shout a warning, when—
SWOOOOSH!
The tiny spear flew from his palm, traveling slightly slower than the first attack but still incredibly fast. It struck another tree with pinpoint accuracy, piercing deep into the bark.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then—
BOOOOM!
The entire back half of the tree exploded outward in a shower of shredded bark and splintered wood. The force of the blast sent debris flying in all directions.
Maydee was speechless.
How?
Even battle-hardened Gifted required time to build up destructive force, and yet Joshua had created this terrifying attack in seconds.
She barely had time to recover from her shock before something even more alarming happened.
Joshua's arms were now outstretched, his entire body radiating an eerie, unstable glow. The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly.
Maydee's breath caught in her throat.
He was gathering massive amounts of energy.
Her eyes widened in sheer terror.
"JOSHUA, STOP!" she screamed.
But he didn't hear her. He was lost in the moment, eyes locked onto the final target—a thick, unbroken tree standing defiantly in the distance.
Between his hands, a swirling mass of energy formed, its shape unlike anything she had ever seen. It was elongated, almost like a spear but bulkier, shimmering with barely contained power.
Maydee felt her body move before she even made a conscious decision. Instinct took over as she conjured a massive wind barrier around herself while sprinting toward him.
"Fior i'ma fe'shal, cera no'mun ar'hal—Ventus Aegis!"
Violent wind formed a shield, enveloping Maydee's whole body.
He fired.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The moment the projectile made contact, the world seemed to explode.
A blinding light filled the clearing, followed by a shockwave that tore through the air like a hurricane. Trees cracked and splintered under the sheer force of the explosion, the ground beneath them shaking violently.
Maydee skidded to a stop, bracing against the gale-like force of the blast.
Then, silence.
She lowered her arms cautiously, her heart pounding.
Joshua lay sprawled on the ground, laughing like a madman.
"Master! I finally did it! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Then, his body went slack. He had fainted.
Maydee stood frozen for a moment, staring at him in disbelief.
Her gaze then shifted to the destruction around them. The tree he had targeted was gone—in its place a massive crater appeared many meters in diameter. The surrounding trees, flattened. Such destructive power! Even she, his master, could not do such damage. It would take a group of 3 to 5 Gifted to cause such a thing.
She let out a long, slow breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
That… was not normal.
She had trained under some of the greatest Gifted in the region, seen devastating spells capable of leveling fortifications, but Joshua's attack was different. There was no wasted energy, no excess magic dispersing into the air. It was precise, controlled, and lethal.
The fact that he had created something like this so soon after learning magic was nothing short of monstrous.
A few moments later, she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Heavy ones.
She turned just as Amador burst into the clearing, his greatsword drawn, followed closely by a group of village warriors. Bran was already at her side, looking bewildered.
"What in the Abyss happened here?!" Amador roared, his eyes darting between the devastation and the unconscious form of Joshua.
Maydee let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing her temples.
"He was testing his offensive power. I am not really sure if he lost control in the process but, he was laughing madly in the end before he fainted."
Amador glanced at her, then at Joshua, and let out a long sigh.
Bran was the first to break the silence. "Is he… dangerous? Is he losing control of his mind?"
Maydee hesitated.
Her mind raced through everything she had just witnessed. The level of destruction. The sheer efficiency of it all. Joshua was powerful, yes—far more than she had anticipated—but was he dangerous?
She looked down at him, at his unconscious form. Even now, his breathing was steady, his body unharmed despite the massive energy expenditure.
Finally, she answered.
"…Not yet."
Amador sheathed his sword, shaking his head. "This boy is going to give me more headaches than the entire village combined but, this is good. This will be beneficial for us."
Maydee sighed. "Tell me about it."
Bran knelt beside Joshua, checking his pulse. "He's fine. Just exhausted."
Maydee exhaled slowly. "Good."
She crouched beside him, placing a hand on his forehead. The warmth of residual energy still lingered, a testament to just how much he had pushed himself.
Amador crossed his arms. "When he wakes up, we need to have a serious talk."
Maydee nodded. "Oh, trust me, we will."