As Rohan saw the hooded cultist quickly dash toward him, he immediately snapped his right hand.
BOOM!
A lightning strike descended, accurately striking the cultist.
However, as if his whole body were made of shadow, the lightning seemed to pass through him.
Rohan's eyelids twitched as he hadn't expected his attack to fail to deal any meaningful damage.
Still, if he failed once, he just had to try again!
He immediately used a special technique called "Keep Spamming Your Move Until You Make It!"
Not giving the opponent any chance to close the gap any further, he snapped his fingers ten times in an instant.
BOOM! 10X
Even the building started to shake, and the walls and floor began to crack from the wrath of ten consecutive lightning strikes.
As he was using the armor's essence as a fuel, the Lightning strikes were several times more destructive compared to the one he had used at the cliff.
But still, even after such destructive attacks, Rohan wasn't sure if he had truly succeeded or not.
He felt no regret about using up all his remaining lightning strikes for the day. There was no point in saving another if he couldn't defeat the opponent before him.
For a few seconds, the chamber went still as dust filled the air.
Then suddenly, a figure lunged at Rohan, and with a swift motion, he delivered two diagonal cuts.
Unable to react, Rohan immediately felt a stinging pain in his chest as the slashes cut through his armor.
His face filled with horror when he realized the cultist had survived his spammed technique!
Just when Rohan was about to use another technique called "Tactical Retreat," his brow furrowed when he saw the cultist stagger and then slowly falling to the floor with a thud.
'Is it dead?'
Rohan turned around and saw the girl also looking at the fallen cultist.
'Thank God I didn't have to ask her for help. That would have made me, the supposed oracle of the Storm God, look weak.'
He then turned his attention back to the cultist, making sure it was truly dead.
Once he confirmed his victory, he quickly urged the girl to follow him as they left the building.
After nearly a minute, the two finally left the building and found themselves facing a dense forest.
As they moved further from the building, Rohan slowly glanced over his shoulder.
At that moment, a surge of mixed emotions started to emerge within him.
It was the place that had taken his life and also the place that had destroyed his hope. Yet it was also the place that had given him a new one.
A hope that made him believe he could achieve great things and finally fulfill his dream of becoming the strongest mage in history.
Of course, he knew such a dream was foolish and far too distant for someone as mediocre as him. But with the system, it was no longer impossible, it was no longer out of reach.
Once the building had completely disappeared from his sight, he immediately began planning an excuse to part ways with the girl.
It would be awkward if he revealed his true identity to the girl once his armor disappeared. How could the Oracle of the Storm God actually be a mediocre mage who ranked last in Rivia Academy? He could not afford to reveal such a thing, not to her, a fellow academy student.
It only took him ten seconds to come up with a decent excuse. "The Lord has given me a new mission. He has also given one to you."
As she slowed her steps, she asked, "What is my mission?"
"It's simple. Spread the name of the Lord. It would be best if you could make others swear an oath to serve Him!"
After giving his instructions, Rohan stopped and urged to girl to continue onward.
The girl nodded and started to move, leaving Rohan behind.
Since he could monitor his followers, Rohan wasn't worried whether the girl, Rin, would follow his instructions or not. If he noticed her slacking, he would simply smite her with lightning. It might sound cruel, but she had also benefited from the system, and therefore had to pay a certain price, just like him.
After nearly a minute, his armor began to fade, then disappeared completely, revealing a wound on his chest.
He looked at his right hand and saw that the Lightbringer had also vanished back into his inventory.
He then staggered before he fell to the ground.
Rohan immediately realized just how powerful the armor had been. Without it, he felt completely exhausted, unable to move his body any further.
He knew he had to keep moving as far as possible to leave the cult's territory. However, he seemed to have reached his limit. Slowly, he closed his eyes, trying to rest in the dark forest.
For a few minutes, despite the pain in his chest, he finally had a peaceful sleep.
But even then, it lasted only a few moments before he stirred awake at the sound of footsteps approaching him.
'Another cultist? I have nothing on me right now!'
For a seventeen-year-old mage like him, an average and talentless mage with a Violet soul, there was little hope in combat. He hadn't learned any combat spells at the academy. More precisely, he wasn't able to. The best he could manage was a simple spell called "Lightbulb," useful only for lighting up dark places.
Rohan tried his absolute best to move, but to no avail as his body wouldn't respond.
He wondered if he could get any help from the system, but the only quest he could complete right now was the one that rewarded him with the Ring of Storm, which he couldn't even use himself.
'Hold on…'
Even without any followers nearby and unable to use the ring himself, he could still find another use for it.
In less than five seconds, he came up with an honorific name.
Then he began to whisper, "The Lord of Thunder, King of the Sea, God of Storms."
His approach was simple. He only had to imitate the honorific names of orthodox deities, then change a few details to match his identity as a storm god.
A moment later, a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Quest Complete]
[10x Ring of Storms has been added to your inventory]
[New Quest: Build 10 shrines inside a city]
[Time Limit: 30 days]
[Reward: Divine Steel of Storm]
[Failure: Paralyzed for 30 days]
Rohan's eyelids twitched as he read the new quest. However, he had no time to think about it, as he saw two men with a Lighbulb each above their shoulder, slowly walking toward him.
He immediately felt relief when he saw them. A mage. 'At least they don't look like cult members.'
The two men looked at Rohan and exchanged a brief glance.
Then the red haired man stepped forward, stopping just a pace in front of him. "You look like hell."
Still on the ground, Rohan lifted his head. "Help me. Take me somewhere far from this forest to a nearby city."
The man studied him with a firm look. "Why would I?"
From nearby, the other man spoke up. "People don't end up like that for no reason."
The red haired man glanced over his shoulder. "No shit. What's your point?"
The green haired man hesitated for a moment before answering, "It means we shouldn't assume he needs saving."
"Yeah, I know. So what?"
"We should leave him and continue the job."
"Not yet." The red haired man looked back at Rohan. "I leave after I'm done here."
He then took another step closer, still staring at Rohan.
"Give me one reason to help you."