After making sure that his wound had healed, Michael swapped Cleansing for Illumination. Now with much better visibility, he approached the separated parts that composed the corpse of the dark elf. Lith’s leather armor had been overcome and split apart, the claw marks now marred by the Mana Missile’s effects. He looked at the elf’s face.


    Clear white, glowing tears kept flowing out of his eyes, even though he was already dead. They sunk into the black earth. Keeping an eye on his surroundings, Michael lowered his body and touched Lith’s face. There was something he wanted to confirm. He focused on Illumination’s ring of light around him. Slowly, the light concentrated on his hand. The idea was simple; he wanted to know if Illumination could push back the Curse of Darkness even in a creature it had already taken hold of.


    The golden light crawled over the dark elf’s head and shoulders like a living being, then seemingly sunk into them. After a few seconds, there was a change. The corpse’s tears became clearer, their glow intensifying. Michael resisted the urge to step back. Pure darkness started flooding out of Lith’s eyes, mouth, and nose. It recoiled and shifted as if it were running away from something. As Illumination’s light continued to enter its target, more and more darkness flowed out.


    After some time, the process ceased. No more darkness left the severed body. The white tears slowed down their streaming, while the dark elf’s complexion had gotten clearer. At the very least, it proved that there was an effect. Michael stopped focusing. As if it had been waiting for this moment, the darkness attempted to flow back into Lith’s body, but Illumination’s ring of light kept it away. It approached slowly but surely, straining to overcome the golden light.


    Michael nodded to himself. At the very least, this proved that the Blessing of Light could affect even the individuals consumed by the Curse. Did this mean he could dismiss the Forgotten’s Curse instead of outright killing them?


    No, not necessarily.


    He had only tested this on a dead body. There was no way to tell what would be the effects of sharing his light with a living Forgotten. For all he knew, the conflict between the Blessing of Light and the Curse of Darkness could damage or destroy a living body. As his thoughts reached this point, he raised an eyebrow. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be an efficient way of defeating the Forgotten?


    I might not get XP since it’s not exactly my kill, but it’s worth testing.


    The biggest problem was the method. If his battle against Lith was indicative of anything, it was that the Forgotten were stronger than he expected. His current self wasn’t powerful enough to stop and focus on Illumination in the middle of a battle against them. Still, it was something to consider; he could increase his Level by killing the enemies and then try this method out after getting strong enough.


    Having reached a decision, Michael looked around. His eyes could only clearly see what was within his ring of light. Beyond it, only darkness existed.


    How are other people supposed to tackle the Consumed Territory?


    The Consumed Territory hadn’t been created for him alone. Tairy had said that it was a training ground for outstanding contestants. However, it was only obvious that other contestants, either in this Tutorial Zone or in other ones, wouldn’t have his draconic Blessing. He didn’t understand Heritage or Blessings enough, but Clyranth had specifically blessed him because of his Dragon blood. That wouldn’t be the case for others.


    It means that there’s a way for the others to deal with the Curse of Darkness. One that doesn’t rely on my Heritage.


    Tairy’s words flashed through his mind. The old man had told him to return immediately after entering the Consumed Territory. It was likely that it was related to this problem. At the very least, there should be a way to improve visibility. It was the bare minimum required to face the Consumed Territory. As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard more footsteps. They were similar to Lith’s, but the interval between each sound was even shorter, and the sound of consecutive steps superimposed over one another. There was more than one enemy.


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    “Mana Shield.”


    The Shield made of blue mana coalesced above his skin and staff. Enveloped in his barrier, he waited for anything that could tell him where the enemies would be coming from. His domain of light expanded, stretching out to its very limits and forcefully pushing away the darkness.


    At that moment, behind him, his domain shifted. Michael moved without needing to think as Danger Sense screamed at him. He leaped to the side, but it wasn’t enough. Something slammed on the Shield, pushing him forward. He sunk his feet into the consumed earth, upturning it as he ground to a halt. In front of him, another figure shot out from the darkness.


    There was no time to analyze his enemies. His improved vision barely managed to capture what was happening. He saw the edge of a sword headed to his neck, swung by a strange creature with green skin and bulging muscles. His back felt another impact, which pushed him closer to the blade. Without hesitation, he fed an increasingly higher amount of mana into the Skill. No matter what, the Shield couldn’t break. The blade descended upon his neck, hitting its mark. The earth beneath him sunk. He could perceive his Shield’s strain.


    He reached a decision in a split second. The Mana Shield around him expanded, becoming circular and growing in circumference. This created some distance between himself and his attackers. Attacks fell upon the Shield like rain. Every blow shook its entire structure, but it didn’t collapse. His chanting didn’t stop. A heartbeat later, the Shield disappeared as he spun in place.


    “Mana Wave.”


    Twin full-moon Waves cut through the darkness, creating a temporary lull. Finally, Michael managed to properly look at his attackers.


    Orcs.


    Skin in the shades of green, sharp fangs, two large canines, and a powerful build. One held a two-handed axe, while the other wielded a large sword. White, glowing tears flowed out of their eyes. The orc that had attacked his back had a large hole on the left side of its belly, while the other one’s armor was broken right over his heart. Just like Lith, they sustained pre-existing wounds. An idea of why sprouted in Michael’s mind.


    Did they get hit by the Curse’s ‘execute?’


    There was no time to go down this line of thought. The two orcs moved.


    Michael pushed Illumination’s empowerment to its limits. He could feel the light flooding his body, making it stronger, faster, and more flexible. To begin with, his physical stats were already higher than any Warrior he had met due to his Class. However, there was no need to bet on being faster than these orcs. He should fight under the assumption that they were stronger and faster than him. As he watched a purple aura shroud their bodies, he realized that he was probably right.


    Lightspeed!


    The ring of light around him gathered in his body faster than any enemy. The light, which had previously expanded outwards, now coursed through his body and spirit. Without even thinking, he ducked and spun, shooting twin Mana Waves. A bit over a second later, the axe and blade went through the space where his neck had been. He heard the two orcs jump to avoid the Waves. This was the best opportunity he would have. He raised his body, rotating and shooting two other Waves. Without stopping, he cast more Waves as fast as he could before the orcs landed.


    He couldn’t see without Illumination but needed Lightspeed to survive the empowered orcs’ melee attacks. It meant that his only effective choice was to keep hitting everything around him as much as he could.


    “Mana Field!”


    The storm of mana exploded out of his body, raging against the darkness as if it had been waiting for this opportunity. The Curse of Darkness fought back, limiting his domain. Under ordinary conditions, his Mana Field had a radius of thirty meters. However, its current radius was ten meters. Its light shone on his surroundings, but it was a far cry from Illumination. Michael cursed in his mind.


    The Field washed over the vague figures of the orcs, pressing its full weight upon them. Mana gathered above their heads into spikes and orbs, which descended less than a second afterwards. The purple aura around the orcs became stronger as they jumped and ran, dodging all attacks. The Field had slowed them down, but it was unable to finish them off.


    If only I had Dual Casting…!


    Should he try to employ another method of attack using the Mana Field? Or should he decisively go back to firing Mana Waves? Lightspeed’s time limit weighed on his mind. This battle needed to end quickly; if the orcs were still alive by the time he couldn’t use Lightspeed anymore, they would surpass his speed. From there, it was likely that he would end up injured, at least. There was also the possibility of more enemies finding him, as the orcs had, which would make everything worse. To survive, he needed to finish this fight within twenty seconds.


    Think.


    He gritted his teeth. Mana Field disappeared as the maelstrom of mana returned to his body. Without the meager lighting provided by the Skill, he couldn’t see even a meter ahead of him. He would need to rely on Danger Sense and his instincts to dodge the attacks. The Skill screamed at him. Unhesitatingly, he leaped forward, hearing the sound of blades cutting through the air. As he ground to a halt, he spun. This time, however, he aimed his Mana Waves at where the orcs’ lower bodies should be. He heard them jump as the ground shook. It was an opportunity that he wouldn’t get again, even though he didn’t know how high they had jumped.


    Michal shot out as many twin Mana Waves as he could.