Return of The 8th Class Mage

8th Class Mage Season 2 Chapter 20

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‘I should make sure I get things right from the start.’

Ian had headed to the Olympus Temple instead of the Titan’s land after receiving Ares’s secretive request. He did not want to get in trouble for playing a trick.

Aphrodite was all for it when he told her everything Ares had said and suggested a plan. She even said she would be his guardian goddess if he could manage it.

‘This was the result.’

Aphrodite was strong even for a ruler of her class. While Aeos seemed unsurmountable to Ian, Aphrodite overshadowed her by a long shot. They were monsters who had reached divinity through sheer power.

Aphrodite had taken on human form, and she looked livid as she faced Aeos.

[I will kill you today, and you will know the price of wanting something that is not yours.]

Her eyes were red, her face was twisted, and Aphrodite swung her spear with anger. One swing changed the terrain.

While Aeos had stepped back at first in surprise, she was now fighting and even smiling provocatively.

[You are mistaken, Aphrodite. Your poor husband said to me that you suffocate him, and he would do anything if he could turn back time.]

[……]

[I did not know whether you were truly that bad, but seeing you like this makes me realize…]

[……]

[If you make me feel this suffocated, what would he think?]

Aeos prepared for battle as she spoke. She now wore armor with a swipe of her hand.

[This may be best. I would be able to give Ares his freedom.]

[What? A mere exile like you? Killing me?]

[You only got that power from taking sides here and there like a bat.]

They spoke no more as the two women began to fight. Ian quickly distanced himself, as they would destroy the entire area just by the sounds they were making. However, he would try to seek an opportunity. Even if Ian was nearly helpless, he might be able to help out one of them and decide who won. That may give him a profit even better than the reward from the tasks.

Aphrodite seemed the type that would act on her emotions like she had done up to now. Since her goal was to kill Aeos and not a fair fight, Ian would try to create a small window of opportunity for her. That moment would be crucial in a fight like this.

Ian looked around to see that there were giant plant roots, earth, rock, and wind. He could use them all to create a chance.

‘Yggdrasil’s Restraint’

This was similar to the spell Ian had used on the analyst. Still, the scale was different due to Ian’s increased powers, better mana, and giant roots.

Ian felt the roots gather around the two rulers, and he waited for the right moment to maximize the effect.

‘Now!’

Ian felt the ground rumble and the roots wrap around Aeos’s wrists and ankles. Aphrodite took that chance.

[Wait…!]

Aeos paled in surprise as Aphrodite firmly grasped ‘Minerva’s Spear,’ which she had borrowed from Athena, the ruler of the battlefield.

[We’re not in the Titan’s land, and you know what this means.]

[Wait! This was only a mere trick for old time’s sake. We used to play who could attract a man first when we were friends…]

[You seem to be mistaken. We were never friends, as you were always more powerful than me.]

[Aphrodite?]

[Also, we did not go after married men.]

[Wait! If you kill me!]

[Goodbye, Aeos. Let’s not meet again.]

Since Aphrodite had no mercy, things ended quickly. Her spear pierced Aeos’s throat, and as they were not in the Titan’s land, she would not be able to revive.

[You…will regret…]

[Why should I? I would receive a reward for this from the Clock Tower.]

Aeos fell down, and her corpse disintegrated like the dust in the wind. It was something Ian had not seen before.

[Come here.]

However, Aphrodite called Ian, and he went up to her.

“Yes.”

[First, thank you for bringing Aeos here and that impeccable timing.]

“It was nothing.”

[I want to give you your reward now, but I’m not in the mood now. I need to take care of something first.]

She would mean Ares, and Ian nodded.

“That is quite all right. My task had become much easier since you had stepped to intervene yourself.”

[That is good to hear.]

Aphrodite smiled before looking at what remained of Aeos’s corpse.

[However, I can give you a gift now. It is a personal one, so don’t worry.]

Ian’s anticipation grew as he realized that it was an extra gift.

[Do you see that black orb where Aeos died?]

Ian saw that a black orb the size of Ian’s head had appeared.

“Yes, I see.”

[That orb holds Aeos’s entire prowess as an old ruler. I will allow you to absorb Aeos’s power, as you have the right. Since you will not be able to absorb all of her power since you cannot hold that much, you may be able to use some.]

Aphrodite flicked her fingers, and Aeos’s orb came in front of Ian’s face.

[Reach out with your hand, and I will keep the power you cannot absorb in the warehouses under your name.]

Ian pushed his hand into the large orb as Aphrodite had said.

“……!”

He was surprised to feel Aeos’s power seep into him, but he did not last long. The power almost overloaded him as he gasped out.

[That is enough for today. Go rest since you can try again.]

Aphrodite spoke to Ian as he lay on the ground.

[Come back to the Olympus Temple after resting, as you should be officially rewarded for your task there.]

Aphrodite opened a large portal that led to the Superior’s Heart, and he followed her. It had been a difficult day.

**

Ian had studied Aeos’s power in a house Aphrodite had prepared for him. Still, he had not been able to discover anything. He did not know what kind of power it was and how it made him stronger. He even did not know how the power changed him. He had wanted to know this before getting his reward and a new task.

‘Do you want me to tell you?’

Ian heard a voice in his head, and it was Fran Page’s voice.