I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…-Chapter 324: Zero Mana Zone

Lisa kept drumming her shield, the rhythm growing sharper and louder—an open challenge to every creature lurking in the crimson dust.

She wasn't just provoking them; she was controlling the battlefield, dictating the terms of their attack. If too many came, she could always fly which she left as her last resort. But for now, she wanted to stand her ground.

The spear in her hand radiated with raw, divine energy. Just holding it gave her clarity and strength, as if the weapon itself was feeding her the light spirit's will.

She could feel one skill pulsing at her fingertips: Holy Light—a focused beam of searing radiance. And beyond that, a steady passive buff to her attack and reflexes, likely gifted by the spirits to withstand the trial. It was a temporary blessing, Lisa felt, one she needed to take full advantage of before it vanished.

There wasn't time for more thought. One of the beasts—with a shadow like body that consisted of warped limbs and a wolf-like head—lunged out from the pack.

Lisa reacted instantly, thrusting the spear forward and activating Holy Light. A blinding beam shot out, incinerating the monster before it even touched the ground again.

She exhaled once, then turned to meet the next.

More creatures poured toward her, drawn by the sound of the shield, the pulse of her mana, or the yell she had done to gather them before her.

Lisa moved like a tempest, the spear's second passive ability increasing her speed with each kill. She felt that each swing of her spear sliced through enemies with near-effortless precision. The tip carved cleanly through the shadowy forms, their bodies vanishing into glowing fragments. There was no blood, only light dissolving darkness, yelps that faded before they fully formed.

She finally felt was a no longer just a healer, she had become a warrior of light.

Within a minute, Lisa had already dealt with more than fifty of the creatures. It was only the beginning. Time after time, she slammed her shield against fanged-filled jaws, blocking those trying to tear through her armor.

Her gear, crafted from dragon hide, was the best the Church could offer—granted only after deeming her worthy after reaching level 40. The scales were nearly impenetrable, tough enough to withstand even enchanted claws. Unfortunately, it only protected the vital parts of her body. Her arms and legs were still exposed beneath thinner, reinforced cloth.

Not that it mattered—at least at this moment. The beasts didn't seem intelligent enough to aim for her extremities. They went straight for the torso, where they thought the most amount of flesh would be.

Fifteen minutes passed, her breathing labored as she continued cutting down waves of the mindless horde. Every slash of her spear burned with holy light, and every block with her buckler sent shockwaves into her arm.

Eventually, her stamina started to dip. Her muscles ached. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she reached her limit.

"I can't keep this up…"

Without hesitation, she unfurled her wings—pure light bursting from her back—and launched herself into the sky. The beasts below still surged forward, clawing at the air as if they could follow.

She rose higher, finally breaking free from the endless swarm.

And below her… there were more than a hundred now.

She smiled—this was exactly what she wanted.

All the creatures, gathered into one massive swarm, pulled toward her like moths to a flame.

Hovering in the air, Lisa began casting Holy Nova. It would take a few minutes for the spell to reach full strength, enough to wipe out everything crawling below her.

She winced, pouring more mana into the spell. It felt like condensing a miniature sun in her hands. Below, the wolf-like beasts trampled each other, forming a growing mound of snarling limbs and gnashing teeth—a mountain of flesh desperate to reach her.

Lisa couldn't help but grin, thinking about how many levels she might gain from this.

But then she paused.

Something was wrong.

She didn't feel any mana returning to her—no experience points. No system ping. Nothing.

"…Why am I not getting anything?" she murmured, heart skipping a beat.

Still, it was too late to stop.

She released the spell.

Holy Nova dropped like a slow-falling star, light swirling around it in sacred spirals. The moment it touched the swarm—

Boom.

The blast erupted like a divine shockwave, healing her body while vaporizing everything in its radius. The ground cracked. The sky briefly flashed white.

The wolf-like creatures didn't even scream. They vanished, consumed by holy light as if it was their very bane.

In seconds, thousands were gone—erased as if by the swipe of a celestial hand.

Lisa descended slowly, wings of light still spread behind her. The area below was empty now. A few stragglers fled into the distance, tails tucked and howls dying in the wind.

She let her Angelic Wings fade, saving what little mana she had left.

But something felt… off.

She landed gently, breathing heavier than usual. Her mana wasn't recovering. It wasn't coming back at all—not like it should.

A wave of exhaustion settled in her bones.

"…Why am I this tired?"

She took out a vial with water mana Logan had given her.

The cool liquid soothed her throat as she drank slowly, her thoughts drifting to the boy. She smiled faintly, remembering how he always thought ahead—even packing recovery drinks for her.

After finishing one bottle, she sighed and reached for another.

Wish I could just make an earth pillar to sit on... she mused, recalling how easy it was for the earth mages to find comfort anywhere. She didn't have that luxury, but she did keep a simple wooden chair in her storage for moments like this.

Lisa unfolded the chair and sat down, trying to rest without letting her guard down. She felt it—that odd pressure of being watched. So she resisted the temptation to open her terminal or check her gear, choosing instead to stay alert.

Her mind turned to the oddest part of the fight.

No experience. No mana return. Nothing.

Why?

It had to be the zone. Maybe she was in a part of the spirit realm cut off from the system. Or perhaps this was a void—a place the spirits themselves had to contain, like an infection kept away from the rest of the world.

She finished the last of the water mana and opened her pouch of crystals. One by one, she began draining them, letting her mana pool recover. But even as it refilled, she knew the situation was grim.

I'll need to start rationing… she thought.

Only enough crystals left for three full recoveries.

Back in the world they were summoned, her mana would regenerate quickly. But here? It seemed to be impossible.

Lisa stared into the distance.

"So this is why it's a trial…"