I apologise for the delay. Even for me, I think I have already taken way too long on the next chapter already ad it's still not done. It is going to be my longest chapter to date, but that's not a good enough excuse for the time it's taking. I hope to have it done by this weekend, but I won't make any promises.

  I just wanted to let you all know that I'm not dead yet. The story is not being abbandoned.

  And most importantly, I appreciate everyone's patience. I know it can be hard to follow and be engaged with a story when chapters take too long, so I am grateful for everyone who has stuck with me so far.

  If you're interested, here's a couple of excerpts from the chapter to give you a sample:

  What is the maximum amount of force that a shield like this could take?

  “The maximum force? Well, that’s hard to say as there’s a lot of variables that come into play. But I suppose the two biggest factors would be how well the caster can maintain their concentration and how much mana they can put into it.”

  “Multiple people working together can also potentially create a stronger shield, but you may need to be careful when doing that because it can bring in additional variables as well,” William expounds, placing the head of the hammer to the ground and leaning on it like a cane.

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  “Could you stop bullets with a mana shield?” Mark interjects.

  Despite having no magical ability, Mark and Seth have been paying close attention to the lesson so far. It would seem that even if they cannot use magic themselves, it does not preclude them from being keenly interested in it.

  “That’s an excellent question,” William enthuses, pointing at Mark. “The short answer is yes, at least in theory. In practice, it, again, depends on the strength of the shield and what kind of bullets you’re trying to block.”

  He raises one hand pointed in my direction and that immediately catches my attention because so far today he has not used any hand gestures before now. I am not sure what to expect, but I add more mana to my shield to bolster its strength and a moment later feel the crushing impact of his attack against it.

  The blast was so strong that it created a wind that caused everyone’s hair and clothes to flutter a little, except for Williams’ who is protected within his own shield. Because I was focusing on my own actions, I did not get a good sense of his attack before it hit, but it put a lot more pressure on my shield than I was expecting. I still managed to hold it though. Is he going harder against me than he did with Rose because he expects me to be able to handle more? Or does he just not feel the need to hold back so much because this time there is no risk of actual harm even if my shield does fail?

  Either way, he is clearly taking this seriously, so I feel I should do the same.