In the infirmary, a team of four, accompanied by a dog, stood huddled around a figure resting on a patient bed.
"How did Farad end up like this? Wasn't he supposed to be one of the protectors on this team?" Collin shifted his gaze from the unconscious Farad to the rest of his teammates.
After Collin successfully defeated the Wyvern, he chose not to proceed with his exploration.
This decision was influenced by the fact that the whereabouts of the ape that had previously attacked his team remained unknown.
He was concerned about the possibility of encountering it unintentionally if he continued further.
Ultimately, Collin decided to return to his team and provide a report on his findings.
However, he did not expect that the moment he arrived at his team's location, all he saw was chaos.
Although Magnus managed to defeat the Ice Golem, he paid a small price. Following that, he and Medelien had to join forces to protect Gilgamel and Farad from abyssal creatures that broke out from Gilgamel's Earth Walls.
These abyssal creatures were initially struck and immobilized by lightning from the Thunder Domain that Farad cast but their condition recovered shortly after Magnus managed to kill the Ice Golem.
Furthermore, despite having strength lower than level 9, they were still able to muster enough power to break through the Earth Walls, which confined them with a considerable amount of effort.
Medelien did manage to reduce their numbers before they regained their strength, but they still had enough remaining to pose a significant threat to both her and Magnus.
Thankfully, Collin and Dodo arrived in time before the two of them suffered further.
Collin once again utilized his Picture Magic to fight these abyssal creatures until Gilgamel finished treating Farad and cancelled the Earth Wall that protected them.
Ultimately, Gilgamel commanded his team to withdraw and erect an Earth Wall to halt the pursuit of the abyssal creatures.
After some twists and turns, Gilgamel and his team successfully reached the infirmary under Collin's guidance.
Gilgamel let out a sigh before replying, "It was just a moment of carelessness."
"He managed to defeat a formidable foe like the Wyvern, but he came close to death when facing a seemingly lesser opponent, the Green Chameleon. His confidence swelled after conquering a series of level 9 abyssal creatures alongside Magnus. This led to complacency, making him overestimate his own abilities and underestimate his opponent. Despite ultimately vanquishing the Green Chameleon, his disregard for its magical abilities nearly cost him his life."
Collin couldn't help but express his dissatisfaction with a touch of disapproval in his tone, shaking his head as he shared his thoughts: "Gilgamel, he should know, if it weren't for you being by his side, he would have died three days later without even having time to cut his device points."
Collin's words made his teammates fall into heavy silence. Even Magnus, who typically shared the same perspective as Farad, found himself unable to utter a single word in response.
After all, like Farad, he also underestimated the Ice Golem after he managed to defeat the Orc Warrior easily. As a result, he suffered a little because of this thought.
In the midst of a hushed moment, the soft, golden sunlight filtering into the room slowly began to wane, signalling the transition into the afternoon.
Gilgamel, keenly observant of this subtle shift, attempted to diffuse the growing tension with a casual remark. "Well, no need to make a fuss about it. This incident can also be a lesson for us not to underestimate the abyssal creatures in the future. Even though their minds have been corrupted by abyssal energy, they still retain their fighting instincts and magical abilities."
Medelien nodded in agreement and added, "I thought those lower-level abyssal creatures were easy to deal with, but who would have thought they would be so annoying when they kept throwing out various magical abilities? Luckily, I'm really good at protecting myself and my teammates."
With a hint of sarcasm, Medelien glanced at Gilgamel as she uttered her final sentence, implying her proficiency in defence was particularly needed.
The exchange elicited a hearty chuckle from Gilgamel, prompting him to ponder whether Medelien harboured lingering resentment over his action of not trusting her earlier.
However, he quickly ignored this thought. Instead, he turned to Magnus and asked in concern: "How about your hand? Need treatment?"
Magnus' right hand was covered with black ice, and it seemed as though it wouldn't thaw anytime soon. This was very concerning considering his attribute, which should easily counter the ice element.
Unperturbed, Magnus unabashedly displayed his frozen hand. He flashed a carefree smile and responded, "I'll be alright. I just need some time to thaw it out."
Gilgamel acknowledged Magnus' response with a nod and chose not to pursue the matter further.
The discussion concluded, and Gilgamel proceeded to carefully survey the entire room, a task he had neglected earlier due to time constraints. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the room was shrouded in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs.
He declared, "Today's battle is over. For now, our priority is to clean and tidy up this place. Even if it's only a temporary refuge, we can create a living space worth inhabiting."
Medelien's gaze also swept across the room as she added, "Absolutely. I certainly don't want any eight-legged guests finding their way into my cooking pot."
Gilgamel laughed as he took out his magic staff. With seamless grace, he recited the magic spell: "Telekinesis!"
In an exhilarating display of power, Gilgamel's radiant mana surged, permeating every nook and cranny of the room. The seemingly inert dust, scattered debris, and wispy cobwebs responded as if compelled by an unseen force, swirling and converging toward the room's focal point with uncanny precision.
Gradually, the amassed particles coalesced into a swirling vortex, forming a sizable, compact mass of dirt.
With a flick of his wrist, Gilgamel propelled the dirt through the window, where it hit the head of a low-level abyssal creature that was casually walking outside, rendering it unconscious in an instant.
Gilgamel's performance didn't end with banishing the dirt from the room. After meticulously cleansing the room, he chanted a second magic spell: "Purify!"
In an instant, a pristine puddle of water materialized on the floor where Gilgamel's magical staff had made contact, rapidly spreading to envelop the entire expanse of the room. Subsequently, water bubbles of varying sizes emerged from the puddle and gracefully ascended into the air. After hovering for a brief moment, they dispersed in different directions, bestowing moisture upon the walls and ceiling of the room.
"Woah, even though I've previously seen Gilgamel perform this feat when he first established his shop, I'm still astounded by his exceptional cleaning abilities. I'll definitely ask him a favour to clean my future restaurant building!" Medelien, who witnessed this captivating display, couldn't resist expressing her sincere admiration for Gilgamel's performance.
"Now that I think about it. Gilgamel is pretty good using his magic spells."
Recalling a recent display of Gilgamel's abilities, Magnus crossed his arms and continued saying: "Like when he used Earth Wall earlier. I've seen some fellow members perform this magic spell, but none of them can perform it as well as Gilgamel. The finesse with which he utilized Levitate and Telekinesis is also vastly different from others. How should I say this?... It was like he used magic spells, as he had already mastered them since birth."
Collin let out a soft chuckle before responding, "Although Gilgamel's magic talent is the worst, his knack for learning magic spells is one of the strongest among all the members on the first floor. Underestimating him based on his magic talent or level would be a grave mistake."
He paused for a moment, then turned to Magnus with a gentle smile, offering an explanation, "I'm sharing this with you because both you and Farad seem to continuously challenge Gilgamel to battles without truly understanding his abilities."
Magnus nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I only challenged Gilgamel because of Farad. I can't say the same for him, and I never underestimated Gilgamel. The fact that he managed to capture Farad's attention indicates that he's far from ordinary."
A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Collin's mouth as he thought, 'The fact that you are interested in Gilgamel based on Farad's interest is quite peculiar to me.'
In the end, he could only sigh and shake his head.
He really didn't understand how the brains of these two battle maniacs worked.
What's the fun of fighting?
They should spend more time improving their artistic concepts!
After confirming that his purifying water had thoroughly permeated the entire room, Gilgamel delicately gestured towards the open window. In response to his movement, the purifying water particles adhering to the walls instantly retracted and flowed swiftly in the direction indicated by Gilgamel's hand.
The once pristine water, which was crystal clear, had morphed into a murky black hue. Its darkness was not the result of typical pollutants like dirt or dust but rather a manifestation of the accumulation of abyssal energy particles saturating the room.
Despite Gilgamel's efforts, he was unable to cleanse the room of its abyssal energy entirely. Still, he did manage to neutralize it enough to ensure that he and his team would not be negatively affected during their upcoming stay.
Gilgamel tossed the contaminated water out the window, inadvertently dousing the unconscious abyssal creature earlier in the process. Startled and disoriented, the abyssal creature jolted awake, scanning its surroundings frantically and mistakenly attributing its unconscious and awakening to an attack by another abyssal creature.