Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Execution
"ROAR!!!"
The Fog Demon threw its head back and roared. The pain caused it to lose its balance, and it was forced to drop to one knee.
This gave Marcus the perfect opportunity to execute it.
Marcus stepped forward, swinging his Round Shield with powerful momentum. It smashed down with terrifying force onto the Fog Demon’s ugly head!
"BANG!"
Nearly half of the Fog Demon’s head was instantly crushed. A viscous mixture of red and white fluids exploded outward. Dizzy and disoriented, its head lolled to one side, exposing its neck.
A cold glint of light cut through the mist. The Battle Saber followed, hacking down toward its neck!
"SQUELCH...!"
The blade bit into flesh, and blood sprayed out.
But the Fog Demon’s weak Energy Barrier was still in effect. Marcus’s Battle Saber was caught mid-neck, unable to cut any deeper!
The Fog Demon’s savage nature was thoroughly provoked.
"ROAR...!"
It twisted its head with reckless abandon. Powerful bones and muscles clamped down, not only preventing Marcus from pulling out his Battle Saber but also causing the blade to start twisting!
Gritting their teeth, they became locked in a struggle. In this moment, neither could back down!
But the Battle Saber was on the verge of shattering. If this continued, the torque would exceed the metal’s breaking point.
The Fog Demon opened its maw, revealing rows of bone-white, razor-sharp teeth—a terrifying sight.
It leaned toward Marcus, inch by inch, ready to bite the human’s head clean off!
"This damn monster...!"
A grim look crossed Valles’s face. He immediately drew the Curved Saber at his waist, preparing to charge in and help.
Fireball Skill!
At that critical moment, Zelir’s second Fireball Skill finished charging and struck the wound on the Fog Demon’s neck with pinpoint accuracy.
"BANG!"
"Nice one!"
Marcus’s eyes lit up.
The Fireball Skill erupted in a shower of sparks against the Fog Demon. The Magic Power corroded the Energy Barrier, and its last line of defense dissipated into nothing.
All resistance vanished in an instant. Marcus’s Battle Saber was free.
The Fog Demon’s movements froze, the vicious expression on its face locking in place.
"Die!!!"
With a roar, Marcus hacked downward with all his might!
He felt the blade glide smoothly through muscle, then roughly sever the spine, before bursting out the other side!
"SQUELCH!"
The Fog Demon’s head rolled onto the ground as a geyser of foul, black blood shot into the air like a morbid firework.
The massive, headless body swayed for a moment before crashing to the ground.
The Fog Demon was dead!
Zelir’s taut nerves finally loosened. He collapsed to the ground, chest heaving, and let out a long breath.
[Party successfully killed Fog Demon (Juvenile). Gained a large amount of Experience Points.]
Level 2 to Level 3. Level up!
Two levels in a single day. He had gained another four attribute points to distribute.
This time, Zelir didn’t add points to Spirit, allocating them to Intelligence instead.
His Intelligence Attribute rose from 66 to 70.
Zelir suddenly felt his control over Magic Power become smoother, and the Spell Structure for his Fireball Skill seemed much clearer in his mind.
At the same time, due to the strong correlation with Intelligence, his Charm attribute also increased by one point, rising to 46.
After distributing his points, Zelir focused his attention on his Talent Skills.
The panel for that category remained unchanged. Gray text appeared, indicating the condition to unlock the next Talent Skill:
[Reach the rank of Junior Mage.]
In the Mage profession system on the Candia Continent, the ranks from lowest to highest were: Magic Apprentice, Junior Mage, Middle Level Mage, and Upper Level Mage.
After advancing beyond Upper Level Mage, one had to choose a unique path of Reclassification, with each new profession having its own area of expertise.
However, individuals of that caliber were all renowned experts, and Zelir was still a long way from reaching their level.
As for becoming a Junior Mage...
Of course, Zelir had not yet reached the level of a Junior Mage.
’I don’t even know if I can be considered a Magic Apprentice...’ Zelir mused internally.
Mage rankings were independent of those for Warriors, Rangers, and Assassins. The Adventurer’s Association had no jurisdiction; only the Mage’s Guild could conduct evaluations and issue certified Mage Badges.
Gazing at the massive, headless corpse of the Fog Demon, Zelir felt incredibly lucky.
Thankfully, it was only a juvenile. He had also been lucky enough to sense its movements ahead of time, which was the only reason their party had succeeded in taking it down.
Otherwise, the outcome would have been grim.
After the Fog Demon was killed, Marcus and Valles also collapsed onto the ground.
They gasped for breath, trying to calm their racing hearts, their faces etched with the relief of having survived a close call.
Zelir turned to look at Gray, who was lying nearby.
"Gray? How are you doing?"
"Still alive..."
Gray’s voice was faint and weak.
He was quite lucky. The Fog Demon’s second attack hadn’t struck his chest again. It had only shattered his Longsword, and the flying metal shards hadn’t injured any vital areas like his eyes or neck.
However, his face was scratched, and several shards of metal were embedded in his shoulder, blood trickling steadily from the wounds.
Valles pushed himself up and walked over to Gray, placing a hand on him to keep him still.
"Don’t move. Let me see."
Valles tore open Gray’s ruined Hard Leather Armor and Lining, exposing the skin of his chest.
The Fog Demon’s strike had been truly terrifying; Valles could clearly see that Gray’s chest was slightly caved in.
He must have several broken ribs, but the bone fragments hadn’t likely pierced his lungs or other organs, or else Gray would already be dead.
There were no open wounds on his chest, but blood still seeped through the skin, forming a dark, bruise-like patch.
Zelir watched from the side, secretly horrified.
’If I’d taken a hit like that... I’d probably be dead, wouldn’t I?’
They couldn’t do anything about the bruising on his chest right now, so Valles turned his attention to the metal shards in Gray’s shoulder.
Cleaning the wounds and stopping the bleeding was the first priority.
"Zelir, go start a fire and heat up a small knife. And bring over the Firethroat Wine and the medical pack."
Zelir did as Valles commanded, while Marcus silently stood guard, watching for any other threats.
Valles took the small knife from Zelir and blew on it to cool it slightly.
"Brace yourself. No screaming," Valles said.
"Do I look like some kinda girl to you?" Gray managed a weak smirk.
Valles used the tip of the knife to carefully cut away the flesh around the metal shard, then got a grip on its edge.
The corner of Gray’s eye began to twitch, and his body tensed up involuntarily.
Zelir quickly stuffed a piece of cloth into Gray’s mouth for him to bite down on.
With a sharp tug of two fingers, he yanked it out!
"SQUELCH!"
With a sickeningly soft sound, a small, twisted piece of metal was pulled free, followed by a small spurt of blood.
"Urgh-ah-hahahahaha..."
Gray’s body went rigid. His screams were all muffled by the cloth, and by the end, it almost sounded like he was laughing.
Zelir wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he thought he saw a flash of pleasure cross Valles’s face.
