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2.81% Witcher: The Half Elf / Chapter 9: Powerful Quen Shield

Chapter 9: Powerful Quen Shield

The first round of competition came to an end with Wayne's victory. Vesemir did not show a happy expression on his face but sighed. He looked at the two members of the Wolf School who were frustrated because they lost money and said:

"Geralt, Eskel, which of you will compete with Wayne next?"

After losing the fifty Orens he managed to save, Eskel felt a little distressed. He turned to Geralt and said:

"I'll go for the second round, but do you want to bet again, who will win this time, me or Wayne?"

Thinking of the 250 Orens he lost to Vesemir, Geralt gritted his teeth and said:

"Lambert should have underestimated the enemy just now. Although the little guy's sword is fast, if it was you, I think you would be able to handle him."

"Let's continue with gamble, bet on Wayne's win, one for one, and bet for you to win, one for two."

"Eskel, how much do you bet?"

The scar-faced witcher thought for a moment, took out a ruby pendant from his pocket, handed it to Geralt, and said:

"This is a ruby necklace I found in a ruin, it should be worth two hundred Orens. I bet on myself to win."

Geralt whistled, "Good thing, it seems that your harvest last year was not bad."

He reached for the necklace, swung it around, then turned to Vesemir:

"How about it, old man, do you still want to make a gamble?"

Vesemir folded his hands on his chest, turned his head, and glanced at Geralt, snorted, and said:

"Put all the three hundred Orens I won just now on Wayne."

"However, if I win later, you don't need to give me six hundred Orens. I guess you don't have that many coins with you. This winter, I'm going to teach him how to make witcher potions. When the time comes, you will take him into the forest and teach him how to collect herbs and monster body parts."

Geralt breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that he wouldn't have to pay the gambling debts. He nodded at the old witcher and said:

"No problem, old man, even if you lose, I will take care of it."

After Wayne rested for about ten minutes, Eskel ignored Lambert, who had been complaining beside him and stood opposite Wayne with a training steel sword.

Due to a battle in the early years that left Eskel with a terrifying scar on his face, coupled with the status of a witcher who was discriminated against by many unscrupulous people, compared to other witchers, Eskel seemed more silent. He picked up the steel sword, assumed a defensive posture of the Wolf School swordsmanship, and said to Wayne in a deep voice, "Go ahead little one."

"I will use all my strength to deal with you."

However, Wayne, who was standing opposite him, did not immediately assume a combat stance. Instead, he made a pause gesture to Eskel, turned his head, and shouted to Vesemir:

"Teacher, I hope that in the next two rounds, I can use seals."

"Signs are also part of our witcher's strength."

Vesemir didn't agree immediately but turned to look at Eskel. After the scar-faced witcher nodded, he said to Wayne:

"Yes Wayne, you can use seals. But we are all companions, you have to be careful."

Wayne nodded respectfully to his teacher, then turned to look at Eskel and exchanged glances with the silent senior witcher.

He stretched out his left hand, twisted his fingers, and made the spell-casting gesture of Quen's seal. A few seconds later, under the blessing of his lvl 8 sign skill, a shield made of mana covered his body.

Although this shield did not look much different from the normal Quen shield, only Wayne knew that under the effect of his special professional skill, this layer of Quen shield had already consumed almost half of the chaotic magic power in his body. Eskel on the opposite side didn't know this. After he added a layer of Quen shield to himself, he assumed the defensive posture of the Wolf School swordsmanship again.

The second round officially started. This time, Wayne did not rely on his high speed to attack. In the previous battle training, he had already figured out Eskel's style. Eskel was probably the most conservative swordsman in the Wolf School.

Unlike the fiery Lambert and the talented Geralt, Eskel is very calm in character and fighting style. He would not be caught off guard by Wayne's speed like Lambert in the previous competition. So in this round, Wayne decided to use a strong attack. He held the training steel sword tightly in both hands and with steady steps, he approached the defensive Eskel.

After both sides entered their opponent's attack range, Wayne decisively swung the steel sword in a powerful overhead slash, aiming for Eskel with all his strength.

Bang! The two swords collided, and sparks flew everywhere.

Eskel's sword-wielding hand was slightly numb, and he retreated, showing surprise in his eyes.

Wayne's striking power was much greater than Eskel had imagined, it was not as weak as he had described. However, this level of strength was still within the acceptable range for Eskel. He relied on his powerful parrying skills to engage Wayne for two moves, then took the opportunity to knock Wayne's steel sword away, creating a weakness in his defense.

Taking advantage of this opening, Eskel spun around and delivered a powerful kick to Wayne's shield. However, to Eskel's surprise, Wayne's Quen shield did not yield or break under his kick. It resisted the attack, not affecting Wayne's attacking posture.

Eskel's eyes widened, and without thinking, he performed a somersault, rolling to the other side of Wayne, narrowly avoiding several quick and powerful slashes. However, before Eskel could regain his footing, Wayne made a sign-casting gesture with one hand, and the powerful Quen shield enveloping him expanded rapidly and then exploded.

The explosion sent Eskel crashing into a wooden dummy, catching him off guard. Wayne's blade was already at Eskel's throat.

The two locked eyes and Wayne smiled as he lowered his sword. He extended his hand to help Eskel up.

The scar-faced witcher rubbed his chest, still feeling the impact of the explosion, and said with a hint of envy in his voice, "What's the deal with that trick? Your Quen shield seems much stronger than ours. And it can explode?"

Wayne turned to Vesemir and Geralt, scratched his head, and explained, "It seems I have a talent for signs, and I can enhance my signs using more magic power."

Upon hearing this, Eskel gazed at Wayne's handsome face, not much different from an ordinary boy's, except for the amber cat pupils. He sighed and said with a touch of envy, "It looks like you, like Geralt, are one of the gifted ones. I lost Wayne, your strength is on par with experienced witchers."

Expert-level task: [Leadership] 2/3 completed.


Chapter 10: Drowner

Wayne had emerged victorious in the first two rounds of the competition, securing his place as an official witcher at Kaer Morhen. Despite the battles not being overly intense, they had taken a toll on Wayne, leaving him fatigued.

Now, he faced his most challenging opponent among the witchers, Geralt. Wayne knew that he needed a solid strategy to face Geralt in the third round of the competition, and he was determined to prove himself as a capable witcher.

Vesemir, the experienced witcher who had been overseeing the competition, made a decision. He believed Wayne had demonstrated his prowess and was satisfied with his performance. Therefore, Vesemir chose to end the competition after just two rounds. This decision meant Wayne had passed the test and was now qualified to become a witcher at Kaer Morhen, no longer requiring a third round. It was a significant achievement for the young witcher.

He scanned the faces of Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel.

"However, you have no experience dealing with monsters yet."

"In the next few years, you and Geralt will form a team and carry out missions together. He will teach you how to become a real witcher."

As the old witcher's voice fell, the system prompt sounded in Wayne's mind.

Expert-level task: [Witcher] has been completed.

Rewards: 30 exp, expert-level treasure chest.

Wayne initially considered continuing the third round, but upon receiving a system prompt confirming that he had completed the expert-level task, he decided against it. Passing the challenging test not only granted him the right to be a witcher officially but also fulfilled his first expert-level task. The rewards were quite substantial, he received 30 experience points, equivalent to the rewards from ten regular tasks, and an expert-level treasure chest that could potentially contain valuable items, including rare ones. This marked a significant step in his journey as a witcher.

Wayne had collected over 500 ordinary treasure chests over the past year and a half, one per day. Each of these chests contained a small amount of currency or some common-level random items. He stored them in his system column but refrained from opening them while at Kaer Morhen, as he didn't want the items he obtained from these chests to raise any suspicions among the witchers, especially Vesemir. He likely intended to open them at a more opportune moment or location.

Wayne (16 years old)

Occupation: Witcher

Level: Level 5 (263/500)

Ability value: 2 points

Attributes: Strength 17, Dexterity 22, Constitution 19, Spirit 22.

Skills: Swordsmanship LV5, Seal LV8, Gene Mutation LV1.

Special bloodline: Ancient blood (weak, unawakened) requires ten ability points to activate.

Subsidiary skills: Archery LV1, Cooking LV5, Planting LV3.

......

Half a month later, heavy snow once again blocked the passage between Kaer Morhen and

the outside world.

Wayne's training at Kaer Morhen involved various tasks, such as gathering herbs, hunting monsters, and collecting materials for crafting witcher potions. This hands-on experience allowed him to apply the knowledge he had gained from books to real-life situations. However, the winter season limited their options as the forests and valleys around Kaer Morhen were cold and covered in snow. The monsters they could find during this time were mainly drowners and evil spirits, and there weren't many materials available for collection.

During one of their expeditions near a small lake, Wayne was surrounded by five drowners. Geralt, the White Wolf, observed Wayne's performance with great interest. Wayne displayed incredible talent, swiftly and skillfully dealing with the water ghosts. His combat abilities and swordsmanship were impressive, and he appeared fearless in the face of these monsters. Geralt couldn't help but marvel at Wayne's potential and considered the possibility of him becoming one of the strongest witchers in the history of the wolf school, just as Vesemir had predicted.

Despite the initial fear Wayne felt when facing these monsters, he managed to overcome it and prove his abilities in combat. This practical experience was essential for his growth as a witcher.

 

Wayne's impressive swordsmanship and combat skills allowed him to defeat the group of water ghosts quickly and efficiently. In less than two minutes, he had successfully slayed all five water ghosts, reducing them to lifeless corpses lying on the ground. His swift and precise movements demonstrated his growing expertise as a witcher.

After Wayne had killed the water ghosts and the adrenaline of combat subsided, he found himself standing amidst the lifeless bodies, lost in thought. The sight of the dismembered water ghosts, which bore a close resemblance to humans, had left him feeling somewhat disturbed. It was not fear but rather the gruesome nature of the task that had momentarily unsettled him. It was a reminder that the life of a witcher often involved dealing with gruesome and morbid aspects of the world.

"What are you doing in a daze, quickly take out the drowner's brain?"

"Today's lesson is to refine the swallow potion."

Seeing Wayne holding the silver sword in a daze after killing the drowners, Geralt took the potion-brewing tool, stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you scared when you see these monster corpses?"

 

Wayne, still slightly unsettled, looked at Geralt and replied, "I'm not scared, Geralt. It's just that the appearance of these drowners, so similar to humans, and the aftermath of the battle made me feel a bit queasy. I'll get used to it with time, though." He forced a small smile to reassure Geralt that he was not afraid but needed some time to adapt to the life of a witcher fully.

Geralt nodded understandingly. "I get what you mean, Wayne. The first time is always the toughest, especially when the monsters resemble humans. But you'll learn to compartmentalize and focus on the task at hand. Dealing with various types of corpses is a significant part of our work as witchers. It's not pleasant, but it's necessary. You're doing well so far. Let's continue with our task. From now on, you have to get used to living with rotting corpses, mud, and shit." Geralt encouraged Wayne to help him with the grim but essential work of dissecting the water ghosts and preparing the materials for the swallow potions.

As he spoke, he put the drowner brain that he had taken out into a basin-like container,

then waved at Wayne, and said"I heard from Vesemir that you really like being assigned tasks for you. Come on, our task today is to dissect the corpses of twenty drowners and refine ten swallow potions." As soon as Geralt finished speaking, a system prompt sounded in Wayne's mind.

Task: [Dispose of drowner corpses, brew swallow potion] Normal level.

Accept/Decline.

Wayne has accepted the task

Despite his initial discomfort, he focused on the task at hand, as he began dissecting the drowner, he mirrored Geralt's method, getting accustomed to dealing with these gruesome tasks. Over time, he knew he would adapt to this aspect of the witcher's life. After all, it was a path he had willingly chosen, and he was determined to become a skilled and fearless witcher, just like Geralt.


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