Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 180: 180-Project Hail Mary

Read chapter 180 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Hakyun’s face twisted gently as he stared at Olivia, and it was very much evident what was going through his mind as he did. Olivia was a B-Class Mage. On paper, she should have no problems defeating a C-Class Mage. However, that was not the real reason why Merlin had his fingers knotted together. Hakyun was smart; the fact that he had matched with Olivia meant that he was certain he had quite the chance of winning. But the similarities she shared with Nikolai could pose a problem in that regard. Merlin couldn’t help but worry. What if Hakyun froze up or something? What would happen then? He shook those thoughts away quickly as Instructor Park gestured for both contestants to take their stance. No matter how it all played out fifteen minutes from now, he had to trust Hakyun. He knew the boy’s strengths, and he knew he could do it. Merlin tightened his fists and licked his lips, and the match began. Hakyun went for Olivia’s Grimoire first. The floor around him cracked and broke into small chunks that rose up into the air. Then his mana spilled out of him and connected to them, pushing them forward as they zoomed towards Olivia’s Grimoire and herself. Olivia reacted quickly. Her lower half squirmed and underwent a rather visually excruciating transformation. It was like her bones were being shattered into pieces and put together in real-time. Her battle wear expanded, and in less than a second, where what everyone was certain human legs once were now housed something larger and more animal-like. Her heels were propped up, and when one looked closely, claws poked out of holes in her foot wear. Complementing her transformation was tawny-colored tail with black spots that jutted out of her lower waist for all to see. Instantly, she shifted effortlessly from the path of Hakyun’s rocks, and so did her Grimoire. That outcome, however, was to be expected. So Hakyun wasn’t surprised. He simply moved his fingers like a puppeteer would their strings, and the rocks responded. They swerved in the air and rushed towards Olivia once again. But just like before, she swiftly evaded. In the next instant, her hands went through the same evolution process as her legs, and they shifted grotesquely into the forelimbs of a cheetah, bearing claws and black spots. That transformation froze Hakyun for half a second. But he immediately snapped himself back. Olivia snarled at him, revealing fangs as her eyes shifted into golden slits, and then she rushed through the arena, heading for Hakyun at a breakneck speed. His rocks met her halfway, but she ducked and jumped over them like they were nothing but useless hurdles for her to pass on her way to victory. Hakyun shifted a few steps backward as his brows furrowed and sweat trickled down his forehead. Olivia didn’t give him a moment of respite. She blurred before him, and Hakyun was forced to give up on attack for defense. His rocks fell to the floor, lifeless. Hakyun motioned his hands upwards, and the earth before him split open as though preparing to swallow Olivia whole. But instead a large wall jutted out of it, keeping Hakyun safe from whatever attack Olivia had in store for him. And it was one heck of an attack. She curled her mutated fist and threw a jab, aiming for Hakyun’s chest, but was blocked by the earth wall before him. Cracks spread all over the construct, and all Olivia did was add a little more force behind her punch, and the structure immediately crumbled. “Shit!” Hakyun swore and danced a few steps backward as his glasses slipped off his nose, wet from his sweat. Splitting his attention between blocking Olivia’s attack and placing his glasses back in place opened up an opportunity for the mutant. Olivia flashed behind Hakyun, her tail serving as some sort of rudder, helping her make swift movements. And this time Hakyun was not quick enough to defend her attack. Her complexion shifted from pale into tawny in half a second, and her face was covered in black spots. Her eyes glowed even