novelraw Chapter 67 : The Shield of Will
Chapter 67 : The Shield of Will
Rooga’s POV
The morning sun was warm on my back as I sat cross-legged in the grass, eyes closed, breathing deep. Mana coiled in my chest like threads, and I guided it outward, weaving the strands around me.
A faint shimmer spread like glass in the air—translucent, thin, fragile. But a HUD flickered at the corner of my vision:
[ Mana Shield – Acquired ]
A barrier formed of pure mana to defend the caster.
———
Evolution Paths Detected:
• Bulwark – Increase durability and size, but drains more mana.
• Aegis – Specialize in redirecting and absorbing magical attacks.
• Veil – Lighter shield that bends light and hides the caster.
I grinned. Finally.
The shield wavered, unstable, and with a small crackling sound, collapsed into sparks. My body sagged with the effort, but I tried again. And again. Each failure brought a little more stability.
Behind me, a tiny voice huffed.
“Rooga!”
I opened one eye. Maori sat perched on a root of her tree, cheeks puffed like an angry squirrel. Her arms crossed as she stomped her tiny feet against the bark.
“What is this nonsense? A mana shield? Really? That won’t feed the land, it won’t bloom flowers, it won’t help me grow at all!”
I chuckled, raising the shield again—it flickered, holding just a little longer this time.
“Not everything is about you, you know.”
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Maori’s face turned red. “Everything is about me! I’m your goddess! You should be pouring mana into me, not wasting it on these useless walls!”
“Useless, huh?” I muttered, adjusting my flow. The barrier stabilized for a heartbeat, faint blue light shimmering around me. “Well, I don’t plan on being roasted by a beast or sliced in half by a blade just because I skipped defense training.”
She threw her tiny hands in the air. “Tch! Boring! You humans and your fear of dying… I thought you were supposed to be special, Rooga!”
I ignored her tantrum, focused on the steady rhythm of my mana. The shield was still crude, but every failure made me stronger.
One day, this wall won’t just protect me… it’ll protect everyone I care about.
And no amount of scolding from a goddess would change that.
Days blurred together in rhythm. Morning, I practiced my shield. Afternoon, I fed mana to Maori’s tree.
The routine was exhausting—but strangely satisfying.
When I sat in the grass, mana spiraling around me into a translucent dome, sweat ran down my face as the HUD pulsed:
[ Mana Shield – Stability: 47% ]
Each time the barrier cracked, I pushed harder, rebuilding it, weaving the strands tighter. My fingers tingled, my vision blurred, but the shield held longer with every attempt.
By noon, my body was aching. That’s when Maori’s shrill little voice would echo from the tree.
“Hey, hey, hey! Enough with your silly wall! My roots are thirsty!”
I would drag myself up, hands still trembling, and lay my palms against the glowing trunk. Mana poured out of me, flowing into the tree.
Leaves shimmered from green into a radiant blue-green, and tiny wisps flitted into the air, scattering like fireflies across the fields. The once-dead soil stirred, grass creeping farther outward each day.
Maori would sigh happily, swinging her little legs from a branch. “See? Much better. You’re finally doing something worthwhile.”
I’d just roll my eyes, leaning back against the bark. “You complain when I don’t train you, and you complain when I do. You’re impossible.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “And yet, you still listen. That makes you mine, caretaker.”
I grumbled, closing my eyes for a moment’s rest. But in truth, I didn’t mind.
The shield made me stronger. The tree made the land stronger. And balancing both made me feel… steady.
For the first time, like I belonged here.