BOOM!
The impact of a spell sent a rodent-like creature flying back several meters. A couple of the same creatures lay dead around two female figures standing by the side of a river. Both were breathing heavily as one of them lowered her hand after casting a basic spell, enhanced by her ability (skill).
The one who cast the Fire Ball had dark skin and pointed ears. Her light green eyes sparkled like peerless jewels under the stars, and her short raven-black hair was slightly messy, though it did nothing to diminish her beauty. Even in her exhausted state, she exuded an air of confidence that, combined with her striking appearance, made people involuntarily avert their gaze. She lowered her hand and began walking, ignoring the corpses of the dead creatures around her.
These were basic beasts (Tier 1 monsters), and even their cores were worthless to them. Her companion followed slightly behind. The second woman had long, bright blonde hair tied in a ponytail, skin as white as snow, and sky-blue eyes that glistened like stars. She looked like a goddess walking on Earth. Despite being covered in dirt and minor scratches, her charm only seemed enhanced.
Walking sluggishly along the riverbank, the two women looked visibly exhausted. Over the past two days, they had been attacked by more than a dozen Tier 2-3 monsters and several hundred basic beasts. Although these were low-level monsters, the frequency of the attacks was becoming overwhelming.
They hadn't had a moment's rest. The women were no better off now than when they had jumped off the cliff.
"Hey Liz, how's the leg?" Rain asked, her face etched with concern. Her body was covered in small scratches, claw marks, and bruises from being thrown onto the hard, rocky ground.
"It's fine. You don't have to keep worrying about it. And stop trying to protect me every time. You look worse than I do," Liz responded, her expression serious but unable to mask the concern in her voice as she stared intently at her friend.
Rain was a little flustered by the stare and hurriedly replied, "These scratches are nothing; don't worry about it. Besides, as your bodyguard, it's my job to protect you."
"You're not my bodyguard anymore."
"That doesn't matter. Like they say, once a bodyguard, always a bodyguard."
"No one says that."
"Don't worry about it," Rain said, smiling as she shrugged and continued walking.
"I didn't expect there to be so many monsters patrolling the perimeter of this forest. If this keeps up, we'll run out of mana before we reach our destination. We need another plan."
Liz nodded in agreement, biting her lip. She turned her head to survey their surroundings. "You're not suggesting we should...?"
"Yes. We need to cut through the forest. If we keep following the river, it'll take us a week to get there, and who knows what will happen by then," Rain said, turning to face the forest.
It was the middle of the day, and the sun shone brightly in the sky. Yet, for some reason, the forest looked dark and eerie. The trees were enormous, their roots and vines sprawling everywhere. And this was just the perimeter—yet it was enough to send chills down their spines.
"Going through the forest is dangerous, but if we keep doing what we're doing now, we'll die sooner or later. Our best chance is to go through the forest as quickly as possible. It should only take us a couple of hours," Rain said. She turned back to Liz with a serious expression. "It's a gamble, but we're already pretty close. If we move fast, we have a good chance of avoiding the high-level monsters before we run out of stamina and mana. What do you think?" she asked sincerely.
Looking at Rain's glistening eyes, Liz found it hard to argue. It was a dangerous plan, one that required a fair bit of luck to succeed, but it made sense.
Liz hesitated. For some reason, she didn't feel like going through the forest was the best idea, but she couldn't think of a better alternative. Not to mention, Rain had been doing most of the fighting; Liz had barely been able to provide backup, only landing the finishing blow when the monsters were already incapacitated.
Even though she was a Tier 6 mage, just like her friend, Liz lacked actual battle experience and was always a moment too slow to react. If it weren't for Rain, she would have died several times over on this trip alone.
"Okay, fine. I'll use Magic Sense and lead the way. That way, we'll have a better chance of avoiding the monsters," Liz said, still hesitant but coming up with a basic plan. Before Rain could object, she continued, "I haven't used as much mana as you. It's just my body enhancement spell, which doesn't take much mana to maintain—it only has a time limit. I should be able to use it again in an hour or so," Liz said with a serious expression.
Seeing her friend being so assertive was a surprise to Rain. Liz had always been passive and quiet, so this newfound decisiveness was quite a sight. It made it hard for Rain to insist on her own plan. The two women seemed to know how to convince each other to see their point of view.
"Alright, let's rest for an hour and then head through the forest. We should be there in about 2-3 hours at top speed," Rain said, pointing to a large rock where they could rest.
Liz was glad her friend had agreed. She had been feeling useless, watching Rain protect her while she stayed back, contributing little. With this plan, she could prove her worth and not just be someone who needed constant protection.
Walking to the rock, Liz sat down with her arms around her knees, waiting patiently for her spell to reset.
In the Forest...
The wind rustled through the dried leaves on the ground as something moved through the forest at lightning speed. Rain and Liz had entered the forest about an hour ago and were now moving at breakneck speed toward the Demon King's castle.
Whoosh... swoosh... whoosh...
They moved swiftly and gracefully, maneuvering between and around the trees while avoiding the sprawling roots and vines. So far, they had avoided three high-level monsters thanks to Liz's Magic Sense, and they were only a few miles from their destination. After running for a few more minutes, Liz spoke in a low voice.
"Hey Rain, we should cut to the left. There's a monster up ahead," she said without slowing down, quickly changing her trajectory.
Zing... BOOM!
They hadn't moved far off their path when a projectile flew past them at incredible speed and exploded.
"What was that?" Liz asked, flustered, as she came to an abrupt halt.
"Liz, get behind me!" Rain shouted, rushing forward to protect her friend, but her reaction was a moment too slow.
Zing... BOOM!
Another projectile exploded right in front of Liz, the shockwave sending her flying into a large tree behind her.
Bang!
She slammed into the tree trunk, creating a large dent. "Gasp!" Liz couldn't react in time and gasped in pain as she hit the tree, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Zing...
"Greater Magic - Water Fortress!" Rain shouted the moment she heard the sound of the projectile slicing through the air. She had used Greater Magic to enhance the effectiveness of a Tier 5 spell.
BOOM!
The explosion occurred just as the barrier formed, protecting Liz from instant death. "Cough, cough, cough..." Rain broke into a fit of coughing after using the spell; it was clear she was nearing her limit.
Covering her mouth with her left hand, she tried to stay alert. She scanned the area for the enemy but couldn't spot it, no matter how hard she looked.
With her mana nearly depleted, using Magic Sense would be suicidal, as she wasn't proficient in it. With no way to locate the enemy and running low on mana, she drew the two daggers hidden behind her waist.
The only good news was that the attacker hadn't launched another attack. There were several possibilities, but without knowing what they were dealing with, it was hard to guess.
Holding the blades in front of her face, Rain took a low stance. Even though she was low on mana, she had enough stamina for an intense fight.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
The forest was eerily quiet, but her heart beat steadily. She activated the only skill she had learned that could help in this situation.
"Blessings of the Wind."
It wasn't as impressive as Magic Sense, so most people didn't bother learning it. However, it used far less mana to activate and maintain—less than one-tenth, since Magic Sense was more dynamic. For elves, who had better senses than humans and most demons, the skill was far from useless. Rain could feel the wind's movement within 50 meters around her, sensing every living creature in the area—even the insects.
Zoom...
"There!" The moment she felt the monster's movement, she shot forward. The ground beneath her feet cracked under the force as she appeared before a tree about 10 meters to her right.
Using both blades, she slashed at the tree. Her movements were fluid and nearly flawless. The blades created streaks of energy that split the giant tree in an X shape.
Zoom...
Whatever had been on the tree fled before she even arrived. It appeared to have some kind of camouflage ability and was incredibly fast.
Zing...
Another projectile shot out from a different location, heading straight for Rain. Prepared for this, she pivoted on her left foot, turning to face the attack, and dashed straight toward it.
Now that she could see the attack clearly, she realized what it was: a blade-like horn, engulfed in black flames. Rain didn't panic or hesitate. Rotating her wrists, she brought the daggers in front of her face and swung them at the horn.
She had no intention of taking the attack head-on. Instead, she aimed to redirect its trajectory.
Clang!
Rain used her momentum and speed to alter the horn's path. She already knew what kind of monster this was—and it wasn't a good match for her right now.
After successfully redirecting the attack, she dashed straight at the monster again, this time swinging only one blade.
As the blade approached the beast, it immediately relocated, preparing its next attack.
Stab!
A blade pierced the monster's shoulder, revealing its true form. Rain had thrown the dagger in her left hand the moment she attacked from the right, leaving the monster only one route to escape.
Now that the monster was exposed, she could see its true form: a panther-like creature perched in the tree like a spider. It had two blade-like horns growing vertically from its head. Its reddish-grey scales looked as hard as steel, and its eyes glowed with a reddish hue as it glared down at the person who had wounded it. The beast's aura was terrifying; even as a Tier 6 mage, Rain felt stifled in its presence. She had guessed what it was, but seeing it directly was more than she had bargained for. This was a monster on the verge of being divine. Its scales were marked with strange, indecipherable symbols. Staring at them too long could drive one to madness—or even death.
Tier 6 Magic Beast - Ancient Rykir.