Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 176: Unable to Damaged

Chapter 176: Unable to Damaged

Following Magnus’s soft utterance, something completely unexpected happened to Nora.

Instead of passing harmlessly behind Magnus as initially anticipated, the lightning sphere suddenly halted in midair before expanding at an astonishing speed.

"Arghhh!"

A sharp cry of pain escaped Nora’s lips as his entire body was engulfed in a blinding golden radiance—a massive, spherical lightning cage that was even larger than himself.

His hair stood on end, scorched and frayed, while his body bore numerous light burn marks.

This was clearly not Magnus’s full strength; he had only utilized the power of a mere F-rank hero. Had he unleashed his true might, Nora would have perished without question.

As the last remnants of lightning dissipated, Nora remained standing firm, his eyes burning with unwavering determination, completely devoid of fear.

With a loud roar, he declared:

"I’m coming!"

Then, disregarding all defense, he propelled himself forward at full speed, charging straight toward Magnus.

Magnus, upon witnessing this, couldn’t help but chuckle in admiration.

"Haha, good lad. Your spirit is commendable."

He then spread his fingers, each fingertip crackling with arcs of electricity. With a low shout, he invoked:

"Lightning Claws!"

Suddenly, the lightning surged, forming into the shape of a ferocious beast’s claws.

With a mere flick of his hand, five razor-sharp slashes—each towering three meters high—shot toward Nora with terrifying speed.

Faced with such a perilous attack, Nora hastily devised a countermeasure.

"Those five lightning slashes... in terms of sheer destructive power, they’re far beyond the previous attack. I absolutely cannot take them head-on, nor can I afford to be struck directly. What should I do? Think, think! Ah, that’s it! As long as my feet remain on the ground, I can adjust my movements instantly."

Having solidified his strategy, he sprang into action.

Whoosh!

Like a bolt of lightning himself, he weaved through the deadly slashes with remarkable agility, swiftly closing the distance toward Magnus.

Observing Nora’s combat instincts, Magnus was visibly impressed:

"His talent... has risen yet another level in my eyes. Though he is not as refined as Alice, this level of potential is more than worthy of focused cultivation."

As Magnus was lost in thought, a powerful kick shot straight toward his face.

Snapping out of his contemplation, he instinctively lowered his stance and, without hesitation, caught the kick effortlessly with his forehead.

At the same time, he countered with a devastating punch aimed directly at Nora’s abdomen.

In truth, there was an unfair advantage in this battle—one that Magnus could not suppress even if he wished to make the fight more even.

That advantage was the sheer difference in their ability to process and react to information.

From Magnus’s perspective, every one of Nora’s movements had been painfully slow due to the vast disparity in their levels.

Boom!

Nora was sent flying, clutching his stomach as his face contorted in agony.

"Ugh... Cough, cough..."

He coughed violently a few times before finally regaining composure. Despite the pain, his gaze remained unwavering, filled with relentless fighting spirit:

"I can still continue."

Magnus observed him with approval before bursting into hearty laughter:

"Haha! Good, boy! Then let’s keep going."

Raising his hand, Magnus conjured five spheres of lightning, each crackling ominously at his fingertips. A smirk played at his lips as he declared:

"Let’s see how you handle all five at once, kid."

Without further warning, he swung his arm, launching the lightning spheres forward.

Despite his words, the spheres didn’t simply shoot in a straight line. Instead, they veered off in five completely different trajectories, each moving in an unpredictable arc, making even an onlooker feel dizzy just watching.

Nora’s forehead beaded with sweat as he took in the chaotic sight before him.

"Damn it... how am I supposed to dodge these? There’s too many..."

Then, suddenly—an idea struck him.

His eyes sharpened as he analyzed the spheres’ paths, quickly making calculations in his mind.

A few seconds later, he reached a conclusion.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward one of the lightning spheres, as if deliberately provoking it—and provoking Magnus.

Seeing this, Magnus’s face flickered with surprise.

"What is this brat trying to pull? I’d better be cautious..."

At this moment, Nora was weaving his body back and forth, constantly evading the relentless pursuit of the lightning spheres.

To an outsider, he looked like a frantic fly darting in all directions. However, Magnus had already noticed something unusual. His eyes gleamed with recognition as he thought to himself:

"I see now... his endurance. This kid possesses an extraordinary level of stamina, far surpassing that of an ordinary F-rank hero. If he continues to develop his strength, he will undoubtedly become a formidable force in the future. Just as Alice said, his talent is remarkable."

While he was silently admiring Nora’s potential, the young fighter had already closed the distance between them. Magnus finally understood his strategy.

With a chuckle, he spoke:

"Haha, impressive. Planning a direct assault, are you? Not a bad idea at all."

Nora pressed forward, realizing that Magnus had already seen through his intent.

But so what?

He had no better choice—closing the distance was the only viable option.

Appearing directly in front of Magnus, he threw a punch aimed at his abdomen.

Relying on his vast combat experience, Magnus instinctively raised his arm to block. However, something unexpected happened.

At the last moment, Nora retracted his fist, using his smaller frame to swiftly slip behind Magnus. Then, without hesitation, he launched a powerful kick at his back.

Under normal circumstances, Magnus could have easily dodged using his superior reflexes. But instead, he chose to take the hit—not because he couldn’t avoid it, but because he knew that if he were truly an F-rank hero, he would have been struck at this moment.

Bang!

Nora’s kick forced Magnus to take a step forward. At the same time, two of the five lightning spheres, unable to change direction in time, slammed directly into his body.

The explosive energy of the lightning created a dazzling spectacle.

Nora’s heart pounded with excitement as he cheered inwardly:

"Yes! I hit him!"

However, his triumph was short-lived.

A few seconds later, his exhilaration turned to shock.

As the bright arcs of electricity faded, Magnus stood completely unharmed—not even his clothing had been singed.

Casually brushing off imaginary dust from his shoulder, he turned back to face Nora with a relaxed smile.

"Haha, not bad, young man. But tell me, have you misunderstood something?"

His grin widened as he explained:

"This lightning energy comes from my own body. If I simply take back what belongs to me... how could it possibly harm me?"