Archibald prepared the roasted serpents on a stick and handed one to Rumia.
In the desert, anything could be considered food besides rocks and sand.
He sat on a rock next to the bonfire and across Rumia, though he did not particularly enjoy the taste, he managed to eat it.
("Seriously, this fantasy world is lacking in the burger department. It's like they don't even know what real food is. I mean, sure, the local cuisine is interesting and all, but sometimes you just need a good old-fashioned burger.")
Every bite he took disgusted him. He felt like centipedes crawled inside his stomach.
("Maybe I should start a burger joint myself and show these people what they're missing out on. Until then, I'll just have to settle for whatever passes for food around here. Sigh.")
Rumia, on the other hand, seemed to relish it.
"This is good."
It was a common practice in this world to consume serpents as a source of sustenance.
"Oh yeah! I have a question," he nibbled the roasted serpent.
"Which is?"
"One second you're with your stave and the next you aren't... How do you do that?"
"Oh, it's an inventory box... That reminds me.."
She summoned a small translucent cube by clapping her hands.
"I got this for you."
Tossing the cube toward Archibald he quickly caught it.
It didn't take a genius to know that was what an inventory box was.
"Awww... Thank you."
His perverted grin escaped again. Once more, he believed he'd scored some affection points.
"Why do you always wear that look when I do something nice for you?"
"I...." he sighed, bereft of words.
"Besides, it's not free." she outstretched her hand waiting for him to pay up.
"Seriously?!"
"Yes, thirty silver pieces."
With reluctance, he brought out thirty silver pieces and placed them in her palm.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
Rumia smiled as she enclasped the coins with her palm.
"So, how is it used?"
Archibald asked while he observed the palm-sized translucent box.
"You store your items in them and seal it into your palm by saying 'Seal' while you gather your mana."
There were several gestures she made anent her words.
Successfully, he did as she said.
"Woah! This is pretty cool.."
"It's only natural something so common would amaze you," Rumia said while wearing a smug face.
[ Archibaldʼs Inventory
• <
-------
"Hey, I see it!"
Upon catching sight of Falmuth city, Archibald exclaimed with great enthusiasm.
Fortunately, the sandstorm they had previously encountered had subsided, allowing for clear visibility of the city.
Despite experiencing discomfort from the red serpent he had consumed, which he had roasted himself, Archibald's companion, Rumia, assured him that such a reaction was common for first-time consumers of the delicacy.
"I'm not blind you know," Rumia replied.
Falmuth itself was still situated within the Red Desert.
Upon experiencing a sudden surge of energy, both Rumia and Archibald were able to sense the release of mana belonging to a group of people.
("It's the same one!")
It was revealed that this was what Archibald had sensed the night before.
However, the situation quickly became dire as the mana was directed towards them.
"Oh no!"
Rumia observed three fire balls approaching them at an immense speed, prompting her to exclaim in alarm.
Archibald and Rumia were in a dire situation as they tried to escape the crashing radius of three fire balls.
"Come on let's go!"
Despite the danger, Archibald remained composed and took quick action by grabbing Rumia's wrist and leading her away from harm.
As they ran, the fire balls exploded loudly and dramatically, causing a momentary disruption.
Although they were nearing the city, their escape was not yet guaranteed as another large fire ball came down on them.
"I got this!"
Archibald acted swiftly and decisively in the face of danger.
He took a powerful leap towards the fire ball and quickly drew his weapon, <
With a precise and calculated strike, he sliced through the sphere of fire, effectively destroying it.
Archibald landed on the ground with his feet, displaying no signs of injury.
"Are you okay?" Rumia inquired about his well-being.
"Yeah I am, don't worry about me," he assured her that he was unharmed.
Rumia was impressed with Archibald's swift destruction of the fire ball using his strength and <
"I'm guessing we're gonna have to fight."
Archibald anticipated the need for combat and prepared himself by holding out his magic sword and taking his stance.
"Unfortunately, but these are high-level magic spells, they surely have a powerful Magus on their side."
Impressively, Rumia deduced with caution.
A group of ten Magi arrived, with three positioned at the front wearing black cloaks.
These three Magi held small magic wands in their hands and maintained a distance of six meters from their targets, Archibald and Rumia.
"Archibald, you're a melee combatant, so you're going to have to attack them head-on... I'll stay behind and support you with revamp spells and shield you if need be."
"Gotcha! I'm counting on you... Rumia."
Archibald wielded the one-handed longsword, <
He utilized [Burst of Sound], charging towards the Magi with incredible speed. The sudden movement caused a rapid expansion of the air around him.
Archibald intended to strike all three Magi with a single swing of his sword, but they deployed a defensive spell known as [Guiding Shield].
This spell created a shield formation that effectively blocked Archibald's attack.
Rumia made an observation.
¬ There was the primary formation.
Three Magi at the frontlines that had the job of defending the group.
¬ The secondary formation.
Three Magi behind the primary formation and before the tertiary. Their job was attacking.
¬ The tertiary formation.
A group of three Magi with the leader in back. Their job was using revamp spells to strengthen either the primary and secondary formation for attacks or defense, respectively.
"Oh no, I know what they're doing.." said Rumia.
The secondary formation of magic users readied themselves for a counterattack by chanting a spell with their magic wands pointed forward.
"I call forth a burning surge of flame, that ones might shall told in the presence of insurmountable heat, [Orbs of Conflagration]."
It was a standard Cerulean-ranked spell.
"Crap!"
Archibald, aware of the impending danger, jumped back a safe distance of three meters.
"The sprites of wind and light, I beseech thee. Bestow upon your humble servant thy strength of wind, and guide thy convictions, [Protecting Dome of Solitude]..."
Meanwhile, Rumia chanted a defensive spell with the intention of protecting Archibald.
She used <
That aside, it was already a Jade-ranked protection spell.
The secondary formation summoned three fire balls that traveled like a projectile towards Archibald, but fortunately, Rumia's defensive spell shielded him from the attack.
The resulting explosion was repelled by a green dome of wind, ensuring Archibald's safety.
"That was close.."
Archibald said with relief as the dome disintegrated.
He decided to launch another attack, but this time he needed to use more force.
Unfortunately, his preferred method of attack, elemental sword skills, wasn't an option due to the limitations of his Jade-ranked artifact, <
The artifact's core was only capable of harnessing basic mana enhancements, which was typical of items made in the Berkyl Region.
Despite this setback, Archibald was confident that he could still cause significant damage with his current arsenal.
"Guidance of wind, speed of everlasting motion... I bless you [Greater Full Potential]."
Rumia employed the use of a revamp spell.
It was used to boost all Archibaldʼs stats by a good 40%.
As she only knew one enhancement spell, Archibald was lucky it was a good one ----Cerulean-ranked.
Archibald radiated for a moment; proof the spell was in effect. Now, he felt much stronger.
Again, with [Burst of Sound] he charged for them, his speed dispersing all the smoke from the explosion earlier.
On arrival, he performed a powerful swing of <
"His strength.."
Even Rumia couldn't believe an enhancement like that would make him this much of a problem.
"Archibald!"
Rumia shouted after seeing another set of fire balls converging for Archibald. This time there were six.
The main concern was that the secondary formation had their attack strengthened by the tertiary formation.