Return of the Runebound Professor Chapter 883: Too Easy

Screams and yells pierced the air, swallowed by the thunderous cracks of lightning and the roar of crackling flames. The sound of magic thundered throughout the arena surrounding Lee. A projectile of rock, imbued with some peculiar black magic, zipped past her head, only to be obliterated by a hammer forged from radiant golden light.

The very ground trembled beneath Lee’s feet, shaken by the colossal impact of magic clashing above. Or perhaps it was the mages themselves, tearing massive chunks of earth free to hurl at one another. It could have been either. In truth, it didn’t matter much. Lee was rather occupied with matters of her own.

Her brow was deeply furrowed, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Lee sat squarely in the arena's center, lost in thought. This act, however, seemed to irk a few mages. Her pondering, that was. Lee strongly suspected there was no rule stipulating one couldn't sit during a tournament.

Lee paused for a breath. Then, her gaze drifted to a severed limb scattered on the ground nearby. Some mages had left pieces of themselves behind while attempting an assault on her. Sadly, none of them had left a mouth behind. Lee doubted an arm would be forthcoming with answers to her questions.

Exhaling a sigh, Lee grasped a hand. She took a bite, chewing thoughtfully for several seconds. This was something she had been practicing. Chewing. Not out of necessity, but because it made for more refined company. It wasn't her preferred method. Chewing often gave others too much of an opportunity to consume food before she had a chance to.

Something stirred within the depths of Lee’s chest.

A tremor, deep in her stomach. A flicker of smoldering emotion, ancient and fiercely hungry.

Goosebumps erupted across her skin. Her hair stood on end. Lee’s back stiffened as she clenched her jaw tight.

There it was, once again.

The power.

This was not an unfamiliar sensation. This magic—this profound hunger—had resided within her for as long as she could remember. Not a single day had passed where she wasn't aware of its presence. Yet, never had its presence been so potent as it was now. Ever since she had absorbed Decras’ rune and integrated it into herself, the hunger had grown more insistent.

It had become more voracious.

However, her thoughts remained her own. Her runes no longer compelled her towards a state of mindless starvation. In certain aspects, this was even more terrifying. The hunger wasn't originating from an external source. There was no adversary. No problem requiring a solution. Nothing to single out and rectify.

There was simply Lee.

The hunger was hers, and she acknowledged it.

But that did not imply she was obligated to succumb to it. She maintained her control. The absence of an external enemy was a double-edged sword. No one was dictating her thoughts. Lee’s legs moved solely according to her own volition. She was an independent entity. The hunger was merely an intrinsic part of her being.

This was precisely what she had been testing.

She surveyed the scattered remains of mage parts encircling her once more. Then, a nod of satisfaction was conveyed. She had demonstrated considerable restraint. Lee had only consumed a fraction of them. True restraint. Had a ravenous beast truly been unleashed within her, it would have devoured them all.

Lee rose to her feet. She examined the hand still in her grasp. It was only half-consumed. It seemed a pity to discard a perfectly good limb. Its former owner was certainly not going to utilize it. He had fled. And leaving a limb behind clearly indicated a lack of need for it.

She slid the remainder of the appendage into her gullet. Then, she swallowed.

The hairs on the back of Lee’s neck tingled. Her head snapped to the side as a sliver of metal shrieked past, narrowly missing her and eliciting a sensation against her nose from the displaced air. The metal retracted across the arena, coiling around the fingers of a young man partially obscured by a torrent of liquid silver-gray, his expression set in a frigid scowl.

“You actually dodged,” he stated, his accent a melody Lee couldn’t quite identify. “That was unexpected. It appeared your attention was entirely elsewhere.”

Lee tilted her head. “You chose to attack me while I wasn’t paying attention?”

“It’s a tournament,” the man retorted with a smirk. “That’s precisely the objective. And if you’re going to sit idly by, you’re practically inviting someone to end you.”

With a flick of his fingers, the river of metal flowing along his arm lashed out like a striking serpent. It weaved through the air towards Lee, its movement a dizzying, hypnotic blur.

She sidestepped swiftly. The metallic stream grazed past her once more, finding only empty air before recoiling to entwine around the man’s wrist.

“I wasn’t doing nothing,” Lee replied. “I was eating.”

A look of profound disgust washed over the man’s features. “A severed limb. Yes, I observed. Utterly repulsive. While I might comprehend tolerating demons… an entity such as yourself has no place amongst civilized individuals.”

“You are likely correct,” Lee conceded. “But I doubt such refinement exists within this arena. You don’t seem particularly worthy of my time or effort in combat. I suggest you depart. I would much prefer to continue my contemplation.”

A smile graced the man’s lips as he flicked his hand forward once more, unleashing his slithering metal magic. Yet, the strike again missed Lee, failing to connect. Stress began to etch itself onto his features. Undoubtedly, he was fast, and it was clear he wasn’t accustomed to such a streak of missed attacks.

“Your taunts are ineffective against me,” he snarled. “You hide behind mere words and a pretense of strength. I have yet to witness you employ any magic whatsoever. You are merely a body-enhancer. Against a metal-mage like myself, victory is impossible for you. You’ve already grasped this truth, haven’t you?”

A shimmering silver sheen enveloped the man’s entire being, flowing beneath his clothes to coat every inch of his skin. Even his eyes took on a glossy, cold appearance.

“Shiny,” Lee remarked. “Looks quite dense.”

The man’s lips contorted into a sneer. “Simply surrender. I have no particular desire to end your life. Death offers me no satisfaction. My sole objective is to advance further in this tournament by eliminating the weakest opponents with the least effort. That is the essence of a strategic life. You, sir, are an easy target.”

Lee observed the man for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“Do you realize all you need is one?” Lee inquired.

“What?” The man’s eyes narrowed, sensing Lee’s lack of concern about his transformation. “One? One what?”

“Indeed,” Lee affirmed. “Just one. However, it must be the correct one. They only disqualify you from the tournament when you are rendered incapable of fighting.”

“Stop toying with me!” The man erupted in motion, charging toward Lee. He screamed as he slashed his hands through the air before him, unleashing a rippling wave of silvery metal that carved its path toward Lee.

She became a blur.

The man staggered, suddenly finding Lee positioned a foot to his side. He spun around, then tripped, falling face-first with a resounding crash. A sharp clang echoed from behind him as one of his legs, severed at the knee, landed in the opposite direction. No blood flowed from the detached limb; after all, it was composed entirely of solid metal.

“Wow,” Lee commented, picking up the severed limb. “That wasn’t just skin-deep? You can turn your entire body into metal? That’s quite an impressive technique.”

Disbelief contorted the man’s features. He shoved himself sideways, lashing out at Lee with a whip-like strand of metal—

A piercing shriek sliced through the air.

Lee reappeared on the mage’s other side, now grasping his left arm.

“Two,” Lee stated. She tilted her head. “See? If I had taken both your arms, they likely would have already teleported you out. But one leg and one arm—that is still sufficient. You can still crawl. You can also still punch. That is enough, is it not?”

The confidence had vanished from the mage’s expression, replaced by sheer horror. His lips moved, but he appeared to be in a state of partial shock. It seemed he hadn't yet comprehended that his formidable defenses were utterly meaningless against Lee.

Then, a surge of anger washed over his fear. Metal began to bubble at the sites of his severed limbs, erupting from his body in thick strands. These strands intertwined, rapidly reforming muscle and metallic flesh. His limbs regenerated in mere instants. The man thrust himself back to his feet, his teeth bared.

“You were holding back. Your speed wasn't like this before.”

“Isn’t that the point of a tournament? I hadn’t encountered anyone potent enough to necessitate trying harder until now,” Lee responded. She glanced at the limbs still in her hand before tossing them aside. Metal, she mused, was not particularly palatable.

“So this is your true capability?” The man ran his tongue along his lips, then smirked. “I underestimated you. I will withdraw. Our strengths are too evenly matched. There are easier targets available.”

Lee regarded him for a moment.

“You stated your only objective was an easy path through the tournament,” Lee said. “Is that correct?”

“Indeed, I did,” the man replied with a cold smile. “And I surmise we could inflict significant damage upon each other at some juncture, but it won’t be at this moment. It’s not worth the expenditure of effort, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I also intend to advance further in this tournament,” Lee declared with a nod. “However, you are mistaken.”

“About what?” the man inquired.

“You claimed it wasn’t worth the effort,” Lee stated.

She blurred into motion, colliding with the man in a swift, indistinct movement. Lee planted her foot firmly on his chest while her hands clamped down on his arms. Metal shrieked in protest. Cracks snaked down the man’s arms as he struggled futilely beneath her grip. Then, with a final, earsplitting screech, Lee ripped both of his arms clean off.

“Are you an imbecile?” the man snarled. “You cannot harm me! This is merely—”

Lee’s hand seized the man’s head, contorting the metal under her powerful grip. Then, she clamped her jaw down on the side of his neck.

Metal yielded beneath her teeth.

And then, they encountered something entirely different.

Magic.

Lee’s jaw snapped shut. Blood surged into her mouth, mingling with a torrent of stolen Qi.

The man emitted a scream of pure agony. He staggered back, his eyes widening to the size of saucers as he looked at the gushing fountain of blood erupting from his neck. There was no trace of metal remaining around the area where Lee had bitten him. Only bare flesh persisted.

“It’s a worthwhile endeavor,” stated Lee, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. “Precisely because it requires minimal exertion.”

The man recoiled, a step backward. Tremors seized his lips, and sheer terror contorted his features. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back, the overwhelming torrent of blood loss silencing any words he might have intended to utter. He tumbled backward. A searing beam of light descended, engulfing him entirely before he could meet the ground.

Lee gazed intently at the space he had occupied for a fleeting moment. Subsequently, her attention shifted to the two metallic hands firmly clutched in her grasp, which had yet to revert to their original fleshly form.

A gnawing hunger stirred deep within her abdomen.

Her appetite remained unsated.

“Blast it all,” muttered Lee.

With that, she turned, commencing her search for another intended victim.

These meager portions were utterly unsatisfying. For a truly fulfilling repast, it was imperative that she secure victory in her wager with Brayden.