At that moment, Mia's attention was wholly concentrated on the battlefield, unaware of the impending danger behind her.
"Watch your back!"
Sebastian instantly shouted, trying to alert Mia.
Heeding his call, Mia swiftly turned.
The deep purple orb, brimming with potent magic, raced toward her at an incredible speed.
In the mere instant she took to look, the orb had already crossed hundreds of meters, heading straight for her.
Upon recognizing the orb, Mia's face instantly drained of color, a surge of despair welling up within her.
She had read about this orb on the official forum, and knew of the monster that could unleash this particular skill.
It was from the dreaded Demon race creature, the [Demon Eater], a terrifying entity reaching up to level 70, specifically designed to target magic classes.
This demon race was extremely rare and highly intelligent.
The orb was its signature skill called [Mana Burn].
Those hit by the orb would have their MP instantly depleted and would suffer damage equivalent to their maximum MP.
Especially for the Magus class, as they leveled up, their MP would definitely surpass their HP by a considerable margin.
The terror of [Mana Burn] lay in its ability to instantaneously eliminate magic classes.
What's even more lethal was that after being slain by this skill, players would be cursed by the [Demon Eater] for a week.
Their maximum MP would decrease by 50%, wisdom and spirit attributes related to magic damage would drop by 20%, and there would be a 25% chance that any spell they attempted would fail instantly.
The only way to remove this curse was through the purification skill of a high priest, a class that can only be attained after three class advancements in the Divine Class tree.
Since the game was newly launched, there weren't even players who had advanced once, let alone thrice.
If Mia were to be hit by [Mana Burn], she'd have to endure the week-long curse.
With such a debilitating penalty, not only would fighting be challenging, but even leveling up would become an ordeal.
Given that this was the golden period for leveling up after the game's launch, carrying this curse and missing out on optimal leveling time would inevitably cause Mia's abilities to lag behind others.
All her initial hard work and effort would be in vain.
For Mia, a woman of pride and independence, this was unbearable.
She had invested immense time and energy into the game, single-handedly establishing the North Wind Team and WindSong Guild, all to prove she was second to none.
Yet now, all her efforts seemed on the brink of being reduced to mere shadows.
The speed of the dark orb was simply too swift for Mia to evade, leaving her to close her eyes in despair.
Yet, as she braced for the impending impact, it never came.
Startled, she flung her eyes open, only to see a broad figure shielding her, standing steadfastly in her defense.
In that split second, Mia felt an unprecedented sense of security, with that silhouette looming as solid as a mountain, seemingly able to shield her from all adversities.
"Sebastian?"
Indeed, it was Sebastian who had rushed forward to stand in her stead.
He had recognized the nature of the orb and, without a moment's hesitation, positioned himself between it and Mia.
The orb collided with Sebastian, and a powerful surge of magical energy raged through his body. He staggered slightly, and damage numbers floated above his head.
-7628!
Yet, in the face of such a colossal onslaught, Sebastian astonishingly remained standing, narrowly avoiding instant annihilation.
His health points (HP) dangled precariously, a mere sliver left.
"That was close. Thank goodness for the substantial HP boost from the Ashen Set, or I'd be a goner!" Sebastian thought, his heart racing in the aftermath.
The skill from the [Demon Eater] was brutally overpowering, truly living up to its reputation as the "Magus Slayer."
Equipped with the entire Ashen Set, Sebastian's mana points (MP) stood at 7628, but his HP was 7740, surpassing his MP by a mere 112 points!
Any other magus would have inevitably met their end under the impact of [Mana Burn].
Yet Sebastian, by the skin of his teeth, escaped a grim fate.
The thrill of dancing on the edge of life and death sent adrenaline coursing through his veins, accelerating his heartbeat.
"Sebastian, are you alright?" Mia's eyes widened, her face a mask of shock as she gazed at Sebastian.
The damage numbers floating above his head had sent a shiver through her.
As a level 17 magus, her mana points (MP) totaled a mere 1980, and her health points (HP) were even more pitiable at 1620.
Yet Sebastian's MP astonishingly reached a staggering 7628!
And even after sustaining damage equal to his maximum MP, he hadn't been instantly annihilated?
This meant, as a magus, his HP surpassed 7628!
Such a health reserve was something even tank warriors couldn't claim!
"Snap out of it! We need to get out of its skill range, now!" Without hesitation, Sebastian grabbed Mia's hand, pulling her swiftly behind the battle lines.
His HP was now dangerously low, and another hit from [Mana Burn] would surely spell his doom.
Only once they'd sprinted safely behind the lines did they allow themselves a moment to breathe.
Mia gently extricated her hand from Sebastian's tight grasp.
Watching him hastily guzzle a health potion, memories of him valiantly shielding her from that lethal strike welled up.
An unfamiliar emotion surged within her.
Normally confident and composed, she now felt her cheeks warm and her words slightly stammered, "Th...Thank you."
Sebastian waved it off nonchalantly, "It's fine. I could withstand its skill. Had it killed you, it would've been a disaster."
Just then, Sebastian felt a piercing gaze emanating from the battlefront.
That gaze traversed a distance of over a kilometer, landing squarely on him.
Simultaneously, a cold voice tinged with a hint of mockery resonated in their ears, "Impressive, you managed to block my attack. Merely a human insect, and yet, so intriguing!"
Mia's face paled, her eyes darting anxiously in every direction, while Sebastian's expression turned solemn, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Legion of Cataclysm.
However, his vision was limited, unable to discern details at such a vast distance, revealing only a blurry shadow.
"You carry the scent of my kin. It seems the Tenth Squadron's scouting party was annihilated by your hand," the voice intoned. "You also prevented me from claiming that woman's soul shard. Human, you have incurred my wrath. Prepare to face the fury of the Abyssal Dark Lord, Balzac!"
A twinge of alarm stirred in Sebastian's heart.
He had believed his mission to vanquish the Legion of Cataclysm's scouts and save the villagers had been executed covertly.
Yet, this monster, named Balzac, saw right through it. Balzac's mention of seizing Mia's soul shard probably referred to his intent to kill her with [Mana Burn] and then siphon her strength through the curse.
It became evident that this demon named Balzac was undoubtedly an elite or even a lord within the [Demon Eater] ranks.
Being targeted by such a monster was typically cause for alarm.
Yet, Sebastian remained undeterred, responding with a carefree tone, "If you've got the guts, come at me directly! Hiding behind your legion, what kind of act are you putting on?"
A sinister chuckle emanated from Balzac, "Heh heh heh... As you wish. I will personally capture you, letting you experience the agony of your soul slowly drained alongside your mana..."