Gilgamel's hand went to the black bag fastened to his waist, fingers rubbing the smooth material.
The bag, known as a Pet Bag, was a wondrous magical item crafted specifically for the containment of pets, particularly magical creatures. Any creature placed inside would be put into a deep slumber.
In a sudden flash, the Pet Bag shimmered with a brilliant golden light, merging into the form of a sleek black dog.
"Dodo?" Medelien exclaimed with wide eyes, her voice filled with surprise. She turned to Gilgamel, her eyebrows raised in disbelief, and asked, "You brought a pet with you?"
Gilgamel crouched down, running his hand through Dodo's soft fur as he replied: "The rules do not speculate participants cannot bring pets to the trial. I brought Dodo for situations just like this."
He then turned to Collin and said, "Since you're not willing to participate in the fight, I'll assign you to another important task."
Collin tilted his face, and confusion was evident on his face.
"Since we can't escape from this place, that means we'll be staying here for the time being. However, this place is filled with abyssal creatures, and continuously fighting them isn't the solution. We need a safe place to rest and strategize..."
Gilgamel outlined the plan and added, "That's why I need you and Dodo to locate a suitable room in this place that we can use as our base. Dodo excels at tracking and possesses the same attributes as the abyssal creatures, making it adept at helping you avoid encountering them as much as possible."
Colin hesitated briefly, then nodded with a sense of gravity.
It was clear that this task played to his strengths more than engaging in skirmishes with the abyssal creatures.
His magic was quite unique and not suitable for frontal combat. However, he didn't want to appear useless in this team. Thankfully, Gilgamel was quite considerate toward him.
"Let's go, Dodo!"
After that, Collin and Dodo set off to complete their mission.
Shortly after Collin and Dodo vanished from view, a multitude of eerie abyssal creatures of varying shapes and races emerged from the shadows, filling the corridor with their imposing presence.
The horde was substantial in number, resulting in a cramped and bustling passageway. Within the crowd of abyssal creatures, two stood out, possessing an imposing strength at level 9, while the majority appeared to range from level 5 to 8, adding to the unsettling spectacle.
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Name: Ice Golem
Race: Golem (Abyssal Creature)
Level: 9
Bloodline: 5
Attribute: Ice, Dark Element
Magical Ability: 1. Ice Strike [The ability allows it to generate sharp ice thorns by forcefully slamming its hands on the ground, creating a dangerous and icy terrain.] 2. Ice Breath [The ability to spray ice energy from its mouth and encase its target in ice.] 3. Rain of Ice [The ability to summon a barrage of stalactite-shaped hail from the sky.] 4. Abyss Ice [This potent attack combines ice elements with abyssal energy, producing ice that cannot be easily melted by ordinary fire.]
Tips: Light-attribute attacks deal great damage to abyssal creatures.
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The Ice Golem stands tall, its massive form composed of rugged stone with frosty ice crystals adorning various parts of its body.
Additionally, a perpetual chill emanates from the Ice Golem, causing nearby abyssal creatures to tremble from the cold, although none of them appear to be affected by it.
In contrast, the second level 9 abyssal creature is a sizable, emerald-colored chameleon.
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Name: Green Chameleon
Race: Magical Beast (Abyssal Creature)
Level: 9
Bloodline: 4
Attribute: Poison, Dark Element
Magical Ability: 1. Camouflage [The ability allows it to seamlessly blend its skin colour with the environment, making it difficult to detect it. Additionally, it can suppress its breath and mana fluctuations, making it even harder for enemies to sense their presence.] 2. Tongue Rope [The ability allows it to restrain a target by using its tongue, rendering the target unable to mobilize their mana.] 3. Poison Strike: [The ability allows it to imbue every attack with a potent poison, increasing the lethality of its strikes and causing additional damage over time.]
Tips: Light-attribute attacks deal great damage to abyssal creatures.
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After undergoing a transformation into abyssal creatures, their eyes always emanated a haunting, deep red glow, and their forms were enveloped in an intense, swirling aura of abyssal energy.
"Farad and Magnus, the two of you will confront the level 9 abyssal creatures," Gilgamel announced as he took out his magic staff.
The staff was far less ostentatious compared to those wielded by Farad and Magnus. Crafted from resilient Black Ember Wood, the shoulder-length staff was adorned with a shimmering blue crystal at its tip, emanating an otherworldly azure flame.
"Meanwhile, Medelien and I will focus on containing the remaining threats."
Magnus looked at Gilgamel in surprise before hesitantly asking, "Can you handle these all? I mean, look at their sheer numbers..."
Medelien's face also became wonderful as she chimed in, "That's right, Gil. I didn't know you were that strong. But it wouldn't be wise to confront them single-handedly, you know..."
Farad glanced at her and coldly said, "Woman, you are also going to fight with him!"
"Me?!" Medelien was taken aback, her hand shooting up to point at her own face as her eyes widened in disbelief. She then turned her attention to the swarm of abyssal creatures, their numbers easily exceeding twenty, and cried out: "Gilgamel, are you out of your mind? I want to cook them, but there's no way I can fight them!"
Gilgamel let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes in frustration. He explained, "I never said I'm going to fight them. I just said I'm going to contain them! Therefore, you two better defeat these two level 9 abyssal creatures quickly before the other abyssal creatures break free from my containment."
"Well, since you said so~."
Magnus's surprised expression lingered on his face, but he had no choice but to trust his team leader's words.
Following the conclusion of their conversation, Magnus and Farad wasted no time in dashing toward their targets, preparing to engage in immediate combat.
Meanwhile, Medelien, who was still feeling doubtful, could not help but nudge Gilgamel and ask: "Hey, how are you going to contain them?"
"Hmph, just watch!"
Without saying much, Gilgamel's face turned serious. Then he tapped his magic staff on the ground and uttered, "Earth Wall!"
The moment he called out this magic spell, the entire corridor trembled in response. Suddenly, massive stone walls surged from the ground in rapid succession.
Amid the bewildered expressions of the abyssal creatures, the walls soared toward the ceiling, seamlessly melding with one another to create narrow, interconnected square chambers. Each enclosed space confined two abyssal creatures within its narrow confines.
The walls appeared seamless and impenetrable, presenting a formidable barrier to the trapped abyssal creatures.
This unexpected turn of events immediately distracted Magnus and Farad, who were already in mode fighting against the two level 9 abyssal creatures.
However, despite their amazement, they knew they couldn't afford to be distracted for too long, as the foes they were up against proved to be even more troublesome than anticipated.
Magnus was filled with confidence as he faced the Ice Golem, believing that his superior attributes would make the battle an easy one.
To his surprise, the Ice Golem unleashed black ice, a formidable substance that proved resistant to Magnus's magma magic. However, the Golem seemed to struggle with mastering this magical ability, providing Magnus with a glimmer of hope in the intense battle.
Meanwhile, Farad found himself in a challenging situation as he grappled with the difficulty of locating his elusive opponent's position.
The Green Chameleon possessed exceptional hiding abilities. Its magical ability is pretty similar to the Wyvern's "Magic Armor", which could only be nullified by activating another magical ability.
Drawing from his past encounter with the Wyvern, Farad maintained his composure and meticulously extended his mana in an effort to uncover the hiding Green Chameleon.
In actuality, Farad still had an alternative to counter Green Chameleon's stealth ability: using a Tier-2 magic spell called "Thunder Domain.
This powerful spell creates a vast lightning field that not only doubles Farad's speed within the area but also electrocutes any creatures caught inside.
However, the spell comes with a significant drawback - it consumes an excessive amount of mana.
Farad estimated that casting Thunder Domain would leave him unable to perform any other magic spells afterwards.
Farad cast a quick glance at Gilgamel before he made up his mind.
Gripping his magic staff tightly with both hands, he plunged it into the ground, commanding: "Thunder Domain!"
Instantly, brilliant sparks of lightning burst forth from the point of impact, crackling and sizzling as they raced through the corridor, eliciting gasps of surprise from everyone present.
"Farad, how come you made such a big move so quickly?" Magnus shouted from afar.
Farad paid no attention to Magnus' words and swiftly launched an attack on Green Chameleon, who had suddenly materialized after being struck by lightning from the Thunder Domain.
Utilizing his lightning speed, Farad used a Flash to instantly position himself in front of Green Chameleon and launch his attack.
With a single wave of his sharp magic wand, Green Chameleon's head was immediately cut off. However, its blood that splashed managed to land on Farad's clothes.
Farad initially paid no heed to the blackish-green blood staining his clothes, yet suddenly, he found himself collapsing to the ground.
Sensing an unusual sensation creeping through his body, he hastily removed his upper garments only to discover green veins rapidly snaking across his skin.
It was poison!
A realization came into his mind as he recalled the Green Chameleon's blackish-green blood splashed into his clothes earlier.