"Guh..."
Choosing to use that spell was a mistake. I shouldn't have tried to show off to Eria-sama. I've been training to master that spell all this time for that purpose, so I was confident I would not fail, but using it now only backfired, and it resulted in this horrible situation! That monster didn't seem hurt at all!
"Fin!" Eria-sama shouted.
"I... I'm sorry, Eria-sama! I messed up my spell..." I can only apologize for my shameful and embarrassing attempt of an attack.
"Be careful! It's coming!"
As Eria-sama warned, the troll was slowly striding towards me with such a menacing look on its disfigured face. In its large hand was its club that was as tall as en entire person. There's no doubt that no ordinary human would survive a hit from it.
"Tch! Focus...!" I hissed at myself. "Ice Magic: Frozen Chains!"
Ice materialized around the troll's feet, trapping and stopping it in its tracks.
"Gruh...?" the troll let out a grunt, confused by the sudden appearance of the ice that immobilized it.
"Fire magic: Fire arrows!"
As the name of the spell suggests, flaming arrows came flying at the enemy, piercing its flesh and burning its skin. However, similar to what happened before, the damage the spell caused was minimal. It was immediately healed by the troll's inherent regeneration.
Again, the troll howled as it was assaulted by pain. Even more enraged, it moved to remove the frozen ice on its feet. It used its club to weaken it first, then with pure strength, it pulled its feet free one after the other.
"Don't think you can get away that easily! Earth magic: Mud pit!"
The spell was casted, and viscous mud formed underneath the troll, which started to slowly swallow it from the feet up.
Mages has a huge assortment of immobilizing spells. Since these spells don't actually cause any kind of damage to the enemies, they were distinctively classified as support magic, along with enhancing and healing spells. Since I yearn to become a strong and competent mage who can carry my own weight in battles, I decided to learn a few of these spells.
"Fire magic: Fire arrows!"
I repeated the same offensive spell over and over. It can sure recover a significant amount of damage in a short amount of time, but it still won't be able to keep up if I constantly fire more than it's able to regenerate. And as expected, it starts to evidently weaken from the barrage of flaming arrows I was throwing at it.
"Keep it up, Fin!" Eria-sama cheers from the side.
As usual, her gestures were adorable, but I cannot afford to get distracted now.
"What!?"
To my surprise, the troll was able to get away from the deep swamp of mud, and so casually, it lifted a boulder from the ground and threw it at me.
"Ice magic: Ice shard!"
The big shard of ice I shot back crashes with the boulder, crushing it into pieces. The mass of ice disappears into particles as well, revealing the sight of the enemy as it now rushes at me with murderous intent.
It's too close!
At the range it was in, it'll be able to get to me at any moment. If that happens, it'll be nullifying the only advantage I have against it.
Not good!
"Earth magic: Stone wall!"
Panicking, I casted the spell that I thought will keep me safe the most. However, all it did was temporary stop the enemy on its tracks, and worse, it completely blocked my view.
With a single charge, the troll managed to destroy the wall separating us, and finally, I was in its range of attack.
Raising its club into the sky, it prepares to unleash its rage on me.
This was the worst possible outcome. A single strike from a monster with such strength will surely kill me.
Think! I need to think!
Time slowed down in my eyes as I watch the club that will strike on me fall down. I started to think of ways that will help me survive. I need to protect myself, or else...
No, I still have the option to launch a counterattack at this moment instead. That's right! It's kill or be killed: I just need to bring it down before it's able to reach me!
Ignoring the banging sound of two solid materials hitting against each other, I casted another one of my strongest spells.
"Water magic: Torrent!"
Torrent is a mid-tier spell, meaning that it may fail as the Fire Javelins did. However, it's also the strongest magic I can cast right now. If I use a weaker spell and I fail to take it down, it'll kill me for sure.
With a loud crashing sound, the spell succeeded. The enemy was thrown away by the massive wave of water.
"Gruooh..." it groaned, trying to stand back on its feet as it was pushed back meters away.
"Tch! Even that wasn't enough...!?" I loudly exclaimed in surprise.
It looks like the spell was able to deal a lot of damage, but it still wasn't able to finish the troll off. It's still awake and alive, although its movements were now more evidently weak. It could barely lift its body up. Even so, it's regenerating still.
I'm getting low in mana... If I don't finish it off now...
"Wind magic: Wind cutter!" I casted my best low-mana-use spell.
Long arcs of visible wind came flying at the enemy, cutting its skin and opening wounds that sent its blood splashing on the ground.
"Haa... Haa..."
My mind starts to fog due to mana exhaustion. It starts to effect me physically as well, turning my arms weak and making my breaths draw heavy.
I spent most of my mana already, but the enemy still hasn't been defeated. I can see it still trying to get to me, persistently standing up when it can barely do so.
Just how can it be so tough!?
"One more..."
I might pass out if I drain my mana any more, but I'm surely not backing out now. Not when Eria-sama is watching, waiting for me to win. I simply cannot dissapoint her...
"I need to cast... Huh...?
Just as I was about to cast another spell, the troll's murderous eyes turn white, and it suddenly fell flat on the ground.
"Was... That it...?" I doubted.
I waited for it to show any sign that it was still alive. I waited for it to stand up, despite knowing that my own body might give up from mana exhaustion soon. I could cast an assurance spell and defeat it now, but I would certainly pass out immediately by doing so.
It's stupid and obnoxiously prideful, but I want to see this to the end. Frankly, I don't want to rely on Eria-sama for confirmation if I become unconscious. She's too kind. She might lie just to not hurt my feelings. I need to stay conscious and see for myself that I had indeed defeated it.
And at last... It didn't get up...
"I did it...!"
I wanted to celebrate, but I was too mana-drained to even try to raise my arms up. All I could do was cling on my staff, trying to keep myself from falling on my feet.
"You did it, Fin!" casually strolling towards me, Eria-sama congratulated.
"Yes... I've really I defeated it..." I replied, my voice evidently weak.
"That was a tough battle..."
The casual demeanor of Eria-sama eased my tension, and I was finally able to relax.
"It's the strongest opponent I faced so far..."
"Umu, and you did well against it."
"T-Thank you, Eria-sama... But if it wasn't for the ring you gave me..."
If it wasn't for that ring she gave me, which shielded that single attack from the troll, I would've failed and lose.
"I... I should've done better..."
In a sense, I still lose that battle. With that realization, the satisfaction I felt just now disappeared, and it was all replaced with frustration and disappointment.
In the end, if it wasn't for Eria-sama's help, I wouldn't have been able to beat the enemy.
"Mm? Stay still, Fin. I'll replenish your mana."
"T-Thank you...!"
I can't let myself be satisfied with this performance. I'm still far from my goal that is Eria-sama. If I want to stand anywhere close to her, I need to get even more stronger.