Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Courage
After roughly predicting when the Giant Beast Dogman would charge out of the passage, Zelir raised his White Wax Wood staff again, and the familiar blue light began to coalesce.
A roar of absolute fury erupted!
The Giant Beast Dogman burst out, its eyes blood-red. It even snorted two jets of scorching air from its massive nostrils.
’Damn humans! How dare you invade my home!’
Seeing its kin being killed one by one, its rage became even more terrifying!
The Giant Beast Dogman’s body seemed to be swelling, its Power growing rapidly.
However, before it could fully enter its frenzied state, a dazzling blue light shot toward it.
It was Zelir’s second, pre-charged Arcane Missile!
The Rhombus Missile struck the Giant Beast Dogman directly in the head.
With a "BANG," its entire upper body was blasted to smithereens by the violent Magic Energy, killing it instantly!
"Nice!" Zelir pumped his fist in excitement.
Both of the [Difficulty]-rated Demons had been killed by his hand before they could even pose a threat to the team.
However, at the same time, on the main cavern battlefield, Marcus and Gray were completely surrounded.
After all, there were more than twenty Kobolds, far outnumbering them. Even with Valles sniping from the rear, they were inevitably getting bogged down by the sheer numbers.
Just as Marcus raised his shield to ram a path open, he suddenly felt the air grow damp. A thick white mist rapidly spread, obscuring his vision.
’Mist??’
’Where did mist in a cave come from??’
Gray was completely baffled as well. He couldn’t help but yell, "What is this stuff?!"
"What are you doing?" Zelir asked, staring dumbfounded at Lante beside him.
The thick mist that had suddenly appeared was the Cloud Mist Skill cast by Lante.
"I-I-I saw the others were in trouble, so I thought I’d provide some cover..." Lante, seeming to realize he’d messed up, explained in a panic.
"You’ll just make it so they can’t see where they’re going. The battle will only get more chaotic," Zelir sighed.
Sure enough, as soon as the Kobolds saw the thick mist, they all rushed into it without a second thought.
The number of enemies inside the mist grew. Since no one could see anyone else anyway, they just started swinging their Stone Knives and Stone Axes wildly, hacking at everything around them.
Valles, from a distance, was also in a tough spot. He didn’t dare shoot arrows into the mist, afraid he might hit Marcus and Gray.
"Marcus! Gray! Charge toward the sound of my voice!" Zelir shouted at the top of his lungs.
Marcus and Gray heard the direction of Zelir’s voice, immediately got their bearings, and smashed through a few Kobolds to break out of the encirclement.
Just then, Zelir’s third spell finished charging.
Flame Breath Skill!
"BOOM!!!"
A massive torrent of Flame erupted from the White Wax Wood Staff End, pouring directly into the churning mist!
"SKREEEEE!!!"
A series of shrill, agonizing screams immediately echoed from within the mist!
The mist evaporated from the intense heat, revealing the scene beneath. A huge Fireball, mixed with a blast of Magic Power, had dealt a devastating blow to the Kobolds.
More than ten Kobolds thrashed and rolled wildly in the Flame. Their fur was ignited and their bodies sizzled as they were roasted, and they soon stopped moving.
A peculiar... smell of barbecue began to drift through the main cavern.
"Next time... next time you want to coordinate, give your teammates a heads-up," Gray said, gasping for breath with his hands on his knees.
"I understand," Lante replied, filled with guilt.
The Fireball slowly dissipated. Zelir’s one Flame Breath Skill had incinerated over a dozen Kobolds.
Although Lante’s Cloud Mist Skill had nearly put Marcus and Gray in mortal danger, it ended up being a happy accident, serving the unexpected purpose of grouping the enemies together.
After the baptism of the Flame Breath Skill, the remaining Kobolds were completely routed. Only a scattered few were left putting up a desperate resistance, but Valles picked them off one by one.
A cunning Kobold took advantage of the chaos to rush toward an inconspicuous, narrow cavern, trying to escape with its life.
Yet, a cold glint of light shot out, reaching it in an instant.
A Chain Blade shot out from Hill’s side, its metal blade piercing straight through the Kobold’s abdomen. The barbs on the blade bit deep into its flesh.
"Gah?!"
The Kobold let out a short, mournful cry, its body instantly going rigid.
With a flick of her wrist, Hill rapidly retracted the Chain Blade, dragging the Kobold’s body along with it.
It struggled frantically, but to no avail. It could only watch helplessly as it was pulled onto the dagger Hill held in a reverse grip.
"PSHHHT..."
It was decapitated.
And with that, only one Kobold remained in the entire main cavern.
Valles drew his bowstring, aimed for its head, and prepared to end its life cleanly, bringing the battle to a close.
However, a hand landed on his shoulder.
It was Zelir.
He shook his head slightly at Valles, then shifted his gaze to Lante at the very back of the group.
"Lante, it’s your turn. Take out that Kobold with the Ice Cone Skill."
Hearing Zelir’s words, Lante was clearly at a loss.
"M... me?"
"Of course, you. This is your first adventure, but if you don’t even have the courage to act, it will also be your last."
Zelir’s tone grew heavy as he spoke, emphasizing each word. "Use the Ice Cone Skill. Kill it!"
The last remaining Kobold also realized its situation.
’If I try to run, that elusive woman will kill me in an instant.’
’If I try to attack, I can’t handle a single one of these four terrifying warriors.’
’But there is one... just one person that I can defeat.’
The Kobold could smell it. That person was filled with fear!
It grabbed its Stone Axe, let out a ferocious roar from its throat, and launched a final Charge at Lante!
"AHHH!!!"
Seeing the Kobold charging straight for him, Lante let out a terrified scream and stumbled back two or three steps, his face a mask of fear.
"Don’t be a coward! Kill it!" Zelir commanded sharply.
Startled by the sharp command, Lante watched the approaching Kobold. His survival instinct made him raise his Magic Wand and aim with a trembling hand.
’Kill... kill it...’
’With what?’
’Right, the Ice Cone Skill!’
’The Ice Cone Skill... how do I cast the Ice Cone Skill again?’
’Draw Magic Power from the Spring Seed, then along... along the first circuit...’
Lante’s mind was a chaotic mess. The Spell Structure he knew so well was now like a tangled knot of string; he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
’Calm... calm down!’
’Just trace the original Spell Structure, Lante!’
’Everyone’s watching me. Zelir gave me this chance. I absolutely can’t let him down!’
