The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 45: The Ambush

"AI chip, analyze the spell models for Ice Shield, Mana Shield, and Blink. Calculate the time and mana required for their construction."

The moment Hutson returned home, he wasted no time. He spread out the tomes before him, carefully scanning the spell models. Once he had thoroughly examined them, he commanded AI chip to record and analyze the data.

"Task archived. Initiating data processing..."

A minute later, AI chip provided its calculations:

Zero-tier Spell: Ice Shield – Estimated construction time: 15 minutes. Mana consumption: 13%.Zero-tier Spell: Mana Shield – Estimated construction time: 20 minutes. Mana consumption: 15%.Zero-tier Spell: Blink – Estimated construction time: 30 minutes. Mana consumption: 21%.Total execution time for all three spells (in sequence): 66 minutes. Total mana consumption: 40%.

Hutson studied the results, murmuring to himself, "AI chip still can’t run parallel processes... Only sequential. The mana cost isn’t too steep. I’ll master all three tonight."

Without hesitation, he issued the command: "AI chip, begin constructing the spell models for Ice Shield, Mana Shield, and Blink."

"Task archived. Initiating spell model construction..."

Inside his mind, AI chip began its meticulous work, shaping the arcane structures one by one, starting with Ice Shield.

To an ordinary sorcerer’s apprentice, such an endeavor would seem sheer madness. No one would attempt to construct three spell models in succession—it was an undertaking that could take months, even years.

But for Hutson, it was a matter of an hour.

66 Minutes Later...

"Spell models successfully constructed."

What would take most apprentices an entire year, he had achieved in a single sitting.

Hutson took stock of his abilities:

Six zero-tier spells.Four defensive spells.One offensive spell.One mobility spell.

"As long as I don’t go up against a full-fledged sorcerer or a powerful third-tier apprentice, I should be more than capable of defending myself."

Still, one problem remained—money. He had only one mana stone left. Enrolling in the potion-making course would require payment, and potion crafting itself was an expensive endeavor.

For now, the best course of action was clear.

"Back to mushroom gathering."

Slumbering Mushrooms remained the most efficient and safest way to earn mana stones, and Hutson intended to milk this opportunity for all it was worth.

Draped in his cloak, Hutson stepped out of his residence, his destination set—Moonlight Forest.

Yet, as he left, a shadow stirred in the alley behind him. A figure emerged from the darkness—Sonny, Maiken’s associate.

With a smirk, Sonny withdrew a communication stone and sent a message to Maiken.

[Sonny]: "He’s on the move. Heading towards Moonlight Forest."

[Maiken]: "Finally! He’s out!"

Ever since learning of Hutson’s absurd mushroom-gathering success, Maiken had been plotting. For three days, he and Sonny had taken turns staking out Hutson’s home, waiting for their moment.

Now, at last, the prey had stepped into the open.

Maiken was convinced that Hutson possessed a unique method for finding Slumbering Mushrooms—and the boy was just a first-tier apprentice. If he and Sonny worked together, capturing Hutson would be easy.

"Once we extract his secret, we’ll be swimming in mana stones."

Yet even as Maiken schemed, another thought crept into his mind—Sonny.

Hutson was easy prey, but Sonny... Sonny would need to be handled carefully.

"I can’t have a second person knowing the secret, can I?"

Hutson arrived at the station, waiting for the arrival of the Hellhoof Caravan. He glanced back, eyes calm, almost amused. Sonny and Maiken had yet to appear.

"They could’ve just walked with me, you know."

But it didn’t matter.

With a thought, AI chip’s sensory field expanded—a 250-meter detection radius blanketing the surroundings. Instantly, it revealed the hidden figures of Maiken and Sonny.

Their stats materialized before his eyes:

Sonny

Strength: 2.0Agility: 1.8Endurance: 2.8Spirit: 6.7Maiken

Strength: 2.1Agility: 2.2Endurance: 3.1Spirit: 7.3

Hutson smirked. He knew their every weakness. He just had to wait.

Moonlight Grove and the Northern Forest Region strictly forbade combat. However, outside their borders, no such laws existed.

Among sorcerers, conflict was expected—even encouraged.

If you had a problem, you settled it beyond the town walls.

"Survival of the fittest. Only the strong are worth keeping alive."

Unless one was an important figure within Moonlight Grove, life and death were mere transactions.

This was why Maiken and Sonny had been waiting. They dared not act within the safe zones.

But once Hutson ventured into the Moonlight Forest, they would be free to strike.

The carriage Hutson had taken carried no other passengers. Upon reaching the forest’s edge, he stepped out and vanished into the dense undergrowth.

Moments later, the next carriage arrived.

Maiken and Sonny disembarked. Their eyes darted around, scanning for threats.

Maiken’s gaze lingered on the treeline. "That bastard’s already inside."

Sonny nodded. "Shall we split up? I’ll take the left, you take the right?"

The trap was set.

But what they didn’t know—what they couldn’t know—was that the hunter was not Hutson.

The real hunter... was them.

Maiken nodded, his voice low and measured. "Alright. If you spot him, don’t act recklessly. Signal me, and we’ll take him down together."

"Got it," Sonny replied with a sly grin.

The two men slipped into the Moonlight Forest, their paths soon diverging—one heading left, the other right.

As Maiken moved deeper into the shadows, a smirk crept across his face. Once I’m done with that brat, you’re next, Sonny.

But unbeknownst to him, Sonny had exactly the same thought.

We get Hutson’s secret first... then Maiken dies.

Maiken pressed forward, scanning the undergrowth. His sharp eyes quickly picked up the signs—crushed bushes, footprints pressed into the damp earth.

His pulse quickened.

"Hutson came this way."

At nearly the same time, Sonny, treading his own path, caught sight of similar clues. A grin spread across his face.

"Found you."

Far ahead, concealed within the deep foliage, Hutson watched them both through the enhanced vision of AI chip.

Every movement, every whisper—he observed it all.

The moment they had spoken, their betrayal-laced voices had reached him as clearly as if they stood beside him.

So he waited.

Maintaining the perfect distance—far enough to remain undetected, close enough to control the battlefield.

He had already chosen his first target.

Sonny.

The weaker of the two.

Hutson moved in absolute silence, shadowing his prey with meticulous precision. Every step Sonny took, Hutson mirrored with a calculated retreat, luring him ever deeper.

The disturbed foliage, the broken twigs, the signs of passage—each was left deliberately, breadcrumbs leading Sonny straight into the snare.

The moment Sonny entered a clearing—a perfectly open space surrounded by only low shrubbery—Hutson struck.

His fingers moved in a blur, forming a Corrosion Arrow in the span of a heartbeat.

A whisper of energy. A flicker of dark green light.

Then—release.

The arrow cut through the air like a viper’s strike, flying with deadly silence toward its mark—Sonny’s abdomen.

Sonny had spent enough time in the wilderness to sense when something was wrong.

The faintest rustle. The shift in the air.

An unnatural whistle.

His instincts screamed.

Without hesitation, he pivoted to the side, just as a blur of dark magic slashed past him.

The Corrosion Arrow missed his stomach by mere inches, instead raking across his side before embedding itself into the ground beyond.

Pain flared. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

A deep, searing wound was carved into his waist—not fatal, but enough.

And Hutson knew it.

This was just the beginning.