Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Lucky
"Gray!" Marcus looked over in a panic.
’Faster... I have to be faster!’
Zelir was frantic.
Casting the Fireball Skill only took five seconds, but in a situation this perilous, the battlefield could change in an instant. Every moment could mean the difference between life and death.
Only three or four seconds had passed from the moment the Fog Demon appeared to when it repelled Marcus and Gray.
And the Fog Demon wasn’t some brainless beast. Sensing that Zelir was gathering Magic, it chose to end its assault and wait for another opportunity.
The thick fog churned and surged, concealing the Fog Demon’s form once more.
By then, Zelir’s Fireball Skill had only just begun to form.
"Zelir, where the hell is your Magic?!" Valles twisted his head to glare at Zelir.
"There wasn’t enough time! I couldn’t do it!" Zelir was in a panic.
"Can’t you prepare it in advance?"
"I’m not skilled enough for that yet!"
Spell Preparation was a High Tier Casting technique.
It allowed a Mage to sketch a complete Spell Structure in advance and hold it in a standby state for an extended period, ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice to handle emergencies.
But Zelir clearly didn’t have that ability yet.
"Tch...!" The expression on Valles’s face was one of pure indignation.
Marcus bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. The sight of his damaged Round Shield still made his heart pound with fear.
"Did you learn anything from that exchange?" Marcus asked in a low voice.
"We’re lucky... It must be a juvenile Fog Demon. It’s only incorporated Low Level beasts, and its physical Power hasn’t fully developed."
Valles glanced at Gray, who was lying on the ground. "If it were an adult, your Shield would’ve never stopped it. Gray would be dead."
A juvenile Fog Demon was much less of a threat. It wouldn’t reach a [Challenge] rating; at most, it would be a troublesome [Difficulty] rating.
But its surface Energy Barrier still made it extremely tricky to handle.
"This is a *fucking* juvenile?"
Gray struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his lips with a grimace. "I felt like I just got hit head-on by a piece of Siege Wood."
A low snarl continued to echo around them, sometimes distant, sometimes near. It was laced with a savage, murderous intent that sent a chill to the bone.
"Looks like this Fog Demon isn’t planning on letting us go," Marcus said, his expression grim.
"The next time the Fog Demon appears, no matter how ferocious its attack, we *have* to hold it down! If we let it escape again, we’ll be worn down. A few more rounds of this, and we’re all dead for sure."
Zelir said grimly, "I’ll find a way to cast my Magic as fast as I can!"
Marcus and Gray exchanged a look and nodded firmly.
The Fog Demon had already injured Gray in its first attack.
Its destructive Power was immense; they could lose a team member at any moment. A battle of attrition was out of the question. They had to end this fast!
Suddenly, a new progress bar popped up below Technique Celestial Calculation.
Embrace of the Mist Veil, analysis progress—1%.
Zelir was stunned.
’Embrace of the Mist Veil... Is that the Magic it uses to block physical attacks?’
’But the analysis is too slow... It’ll be completely useless in this fight.’
Zelir’s mind raced as he considered his options.
’Since I can’t use Spell Preparation... the only other way is to sense the Fog Demon’s presence as early as possible. I have to start Sketching the Spell Structure before it attacks.’
’But the timing has to be perfect.’
’If the Magic finishes charging before the Fog Demon appears, the Fireball Skill will dissipate from my palm before I can use it. I’ll also enter a short cooldown period where I can’t immediately cast again.’
Zelir calmed his mind.
His Perception Attribute was only 30, a standard average. In a fog this thick, the chances of detecting the creature were slim.
’Where is it...’
’Where the hell are you...’
Suddenly, Zelir felt a strange stirring inside him, a peculiar sensation.
Through some incredible stroke of luck, he managed to grasp a faint, thread-like connection within the thick fog.
It was the magical fluctuation of Embrace of the Mist Veil!
Through the link between their identical Magic, Zelir could faintly perceive the Fog Demon’s current state.
Bloodthirsty cruelty, the thrill of the hunt... and a soaring desire for battle!
’It’s making its move!’
Not daring to waste a single moment, Zelir immediately began using his Magic Power to sketch the Spell Structure.
Sure enough, just two seconds later, the Fog Demon’s foul stench washed over them once again!
This time it chose Gray as its target.
’That Mage is too well-protected; I can’t kill him right away...’
’I’ll slaughter this injured human first!’
’Then I’ll melt back into the fog before the Mage finishes charging.’
’As long as I can take one of them out, it’s bound to cause panic. This hunt will be as good as over!’
Already injured, Gray was no match for the Fog Demon head-on. The pain in his chest slowed his movements.
"Gray!"
Marcus yelled.
The shadow of death loomed over him. In a flash, the Fog Demon was upon him!
Gray whipped his head around, his pupils suddenly widening.
In the face of death, with no way to dodge, he could only act on raw survival instinct, barely managing to raise his Longsword across his chest.
The vicious bone claw slammed down without mercy. With a sharp CRACK, the sword’s blade shattered!
Shards of metal flew everywhere, many embedding themselves directly into Gray’s body. A spray of blood erupted before him.
But at that very moment, the Fireball Skill Zelir had begun preparing was fully charged!
This was something the Fog Demon hadn’t anticipated at all. It had only been visible for less than three seconds.
During the first attack, the Mage hadn’t demonstrated such a fast casting speed.
The searing heat drove back the fog as a brilliant Fireball shot forward, striking the Fog Demon head-on!
"BANG!"
Zelir’s eyes were wide, his expression a mask of intense concentration.
Just as the *Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Atlas* had described, the weakness of the Fog Demon’s Energy Barrier was indeed Magic and Fighting Qi!
The Magic Power within the Fireball Skill reacted with the Energy Barrier, creating a SIZZLING sound. The barrier’s glow dimmed visibly, but it hadn’t disappeared completely.
’It worked!’
"GET AWAY!!!"
Marcus’s support arrived just in time. His eyes bloodshot, he roared and slammed forward with all his might in a Shielded Impact!
The weakened Energy Barrier could no longer completely block physical attacks. Even the Fog Demon’s massive body staggered from Marcus’s blow.
"You’re not getting away...!"
Valles’s gaze was electric; he had been waiting for this moment.
Having held his shot, he finally loosed the bowstring, and the Arrow flew.
Valles had the blood of the Elf Race in his veins. Every Arrow he loosed was blessed by the caress of the wind!
Relying on muscle memory, Valles rapid-fired four Arrows in succession.
"FWIP FWIP FWIP FWIP!"
Of the four Feathered Arrows, two pierced the Fog Demon’s kneecaps.
This was exactly the result Valles wanted. He couldn’t let this thing escape back into the fog again!
