Ben practiced some more with transformation magic, and reached the advanced level in a day's time. Having A.I Chip discover his mistakes helped immensely. A.I Chip also finished the new defensive spell formula and Ben practiced with it the next day.
"Wendy, I want to try out a new defensive spell. Can you attack me?" He asked.
"What spell should I use?" She questioned.
"Whatever you want. You can use it to train as well." Ben answered.
"Okay." Wendy nodded.
He then took a few steps back from her and prepared his magic power. His magic power flowed throughout his body and he clapped his hands.
"Sun Dragon Plasma Sphere!" A reddish-yellow magic circle appeared underneath Ben and then a spherical plasma energy barrier surrounded him. The barrier's diameter was 3 meters, and he could increase it to 5 meters with more magic power.
The energy barrier was actually a full sphere, but the rest of it was inside the ground. It actually cut the ground, but it was very thin so the cut wasn't apparent. Even if it's thin, the barrier should be strong enough to defend him from strong magical attacks.
"Now, Wendy!" Ben called out.
"Sky Dragon Roar!" A tornado collided with the barrier and the clash created a boom. Ben used A.I Chip to inspect the barrier and collect data. The barrier shook, but it could withstand the roar. Ben increased the output of his magic power and the shaking stopped.
"Okay, that's enough." He said.
Wendy's attack ceased and Ben dispelled his barrier.
"How is it?" She asked.
"Hmm, the barrier's strength is decent, depending on the amount of magic power. However, it is rather hot inside the barrier. That's something I need to work on. It is very good to cover all sides at once in case of a wide area attack. But it's not good enough for a attack in a small area that usually has more power." Ben noted.
Spreading the defense on all sides made the barrier weaker than just concentrating on a single point. But it's good enough for now. He can always work on it later. The spell was just created after all, so it wasn't going to be perfect. At least it provided some protection from wide area attacks.
"I can control the size, so it should be good for any kind of location. Hmm, but narrow spaces will make the spherical size ineffective on occasion. A.I Chip, let's make the shape flexible!" Ben said.
[Understood.]
The spell still needed some improvement, but it was good enough for now.
"Hmm, Wendy also lacks defensive spells, maybe all Dragon Slayers are like this. Alright, let's come up with a defensive spell for her." He commented.
[We can use your spell as the base and make it more suitable for her wind element.]
"Yeah, I think so too. She has a spell that allows her to rotate the wind around her like a barrier, but that's required for her secret art. The rotating wind seems to be a good defense, let's use it." Ben noted.
[Then, I need to scan the spell.]
"Alright." He said.
"Wendy, can you use your secret art?" Ben asked.
"Eh? Why?" She blinked.
"There's something that I want to see." He answered.
"Alright." Wendy nodded.
She then prepared her magic power and opened her hands. A rotating wind barrier surrounded them. Then a magic circle appeared below Wendy's feet. A.I Chip recorded and scanned the process to obtain the data and Ben evaluated it.
"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" She created a strong horizontal whirlwind to attack him. Ben covered his right hand in plasma and assumed a stance.
"Sun Dragon Shattering Fist!" He punched the whirlwind from below and sent it directly to the sky.
Both spells dispersed in the sky, so there wasn't any damage on the surface.
"Your magic is a lot stronger, Wendy. I can feel it due to the barrier, but when I confronted it directly, I really felt the improvement." Ben had a smile on his face.
"Really? Yay, I did it Carla, Bella." Wendy said happily. Then she fell due to exhaustion.
"But it seems your energy hasn't increased." He noted.
Wendy got upset.
"Don't worry you can increase it slowly. There's no need to rush. Enjoy your life because you won't be a kid forever, so live it to the fullest!" Ben patted Wendy on the head.
"Now, you two also need to train." He looked at Bella and Carla.
"Yes." They agreed with his suggestion.
Ben helped Bella and Carla with their flight magic. He trained them to be maneuver sharply and become more agile while in flight. He didn't teach them new magic, only having them focus on their flight magic. He also taught them basic knowledge of magic to strengthen their magic.
He practiced their flight by having them fly around the tree branches. Then he fired rubber balls at them while they were in the air. They need to avoid the branches and balls while flying. This is still basic training and Ben prepared the next level for when they're ready.
They spent the rest of the day training to prepare for their next job. The next day, they received it from Roubaul. It was to deliver a package from Oshibana to Shirotsume.
"Delivery?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, some people are targeting the package, so the client asked for the help of mages. The client is a merchant in Oshibana, and he wants the package sent to his colleague in Shirotsume." The guild master explained.
"Hmm, so rather than ask us to guard him on his way to Shirotsume, he asked us to send it by ourselves?" He questioned.
"Well, you can ask what their reason is later." Roubaul replied.
"Fine." Ben shrugged his shoulders.
He and his team set out after accepting the job from Roubaul. They headed to Oshibana in their car through the forest like usual. They arrived in Oshibana in a half hour and headed to the merchant's house. They showed the letter to the guards and entered the house to meet the merchant.
They met the merchant in his office. He was a 43 year old man named Joseph Brigold. His son was by his side, a 20 year old man named Arthur Brigold. Joseph is the CEO of a big jewelry company in Fiore and there were stores all over the continent.
"Alright, I've confirmed your identities. So now for the job, it's to send my son to Shirotsume." Joseph explained.
"Hey, you never told us the package was a human. This isn't a delivery job, it's an escort job." Ben argued.
"Yes, I know that, so I apologize. But I listed it as a delivery job to fool those that are targeting my son. They won't care if it's just an item delivery job, because their target is Arthur. I will increase the pay, so please accept the job." Joseph begged.
"Who's the enemy? I'll give you my answer based on that. I'm not about to risk my team's safety if it's too dangerous." Ben stated.
"I understand. The enemy is my brother. He's trying to take over the company by targeting my son. My son will marry his fiance, the daughter of Shirotsume's mayor. My brother views this as a threat, because this marriage will increase my power in the company." The merchant informed them.
"Let me guess. He tried assassinating Arthur before, but failed. So now he might hire some mages to do the job. That's why you hired mages to protect your son." Ben theorized.
"Y-yes, you're right." Joseph was surprised that he figured this out so quickly.
"What a cliche plot." He sighed in disappointment.
"S-so how is it? From your guild's letter, it is said that you're a strong mage, possessing the power of A-Class. That's why I believe you can handle this job." Joseph mumbled.
"A-CLASS?!" Arthur exclaimed, surprised.
The others were also surprised to hear this, because Ben is only 12 years old. They never thought that he was a A-Class mage already.
"The problem isn't me, but my team. I brought them because I was sure this was only a training job, but it turned out to be a lot more serious." He pointed at Wendy and the cats.
"T-then you won't take it? Seems we need to put it on hold again. I'm sorry, Arthur." Joseph apologized to his son.
"It's okay father. We posted a job with a lower risk. That's why mages normally refuse the request." Arthur admitted.
"Again? We're not the first ones?" Ben questioned.
"No, you're the 3rd already now. The previous mages refused to complete the request because it's too risky." Arthur informed the group.
"Well, if the enemy is trying to kill you, they'll hire mages from a Dark Guild. Those guys won't hesitate to kill and they typically have dangerous magic." Ben elaborated.
"U-um, do you love your fiance?" Wendy nervously asked.
"He he, yeah of course. We're childhood friends and have known each other for a long time. So this isn't an arranged marriage, but because we love each other." Arthur answered.
"I understand, then we will take this job." She proclaimed.
"Huh?" Everyone else stated in confusion.
"O-Oi Wendy, I'm team leader you know, so I make the decisions here." Ben protested.
"Ben nii-san, please help them. They're so pitiful." Wendy stared at him with puppy dog eyes.
A dark expression formed on his face and he took a step back.
"I.I...I'll take the job." Ben hung his head. He can't beat the puppy dog eyes.
"YAY!" Wendy cheered.
"REALLY? HA HA HA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH." Joseph was ecstatic.
Wendy, Joseph and Arthur celebrate, but Ben was depressed. He wasn't able to say no to the puppy dog eyes.
"Damn, I'm so weak." He cried dramatically.
"Don't worry, we know the feeling." Carla and Bella pat him on the head.