Sunny immediately cast a Mana Shield, a milky white light shield forming around him, giving him a bit of relief.
The Corrosive Arrow left a black wound on Sunny's waist, with corrosive energy burrowing into his flesh, causing blood mixed with a foul-smelling black fluid to seep out.
"Ah!" Sunny couldn't help but cry out in pain as the searing energy burned his flesh like a branding iron.
His hands trembled as he pulled out a bottle of white healing potion, pouring it over the wound. A cloud of white smoke rose, accompanied by a sizzling sound.
Gritting his teeth in pain, Sunny saw two more Corrosive Arrows hit his Mana Shield.
The corrosive energy began to eat away at the shield, forcing Sunny to channel more magic to maintain and repair it.
He glanced in the direction the arrows came from but couldn't see Helag.
Sunny's face twisted with uncertainty. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to retreat and find Macken.
Boom!
As he turned, a fireball struck his Mana Shield from behind, exploding and pushing him several meters forward. The shield visibly thinned.
"No, I need to find Macken!" Sunny shot an Ice Arrow into the forest behind him, the leaves it brushed instantly frosting over.
Helag watched the Ice Arrow pass a few meters away, knowing Sunny had no idea of his exact location.
He kept his distance, following Sunny and occasionally firing a Corrosive Arrow.
Sunny's Mana Shield soon couldn't hold up. He had used too much magic to maintain it.
"Blessing of the Wind Spirit." With his Mana Shield failing, Sunny's heart raced as he used an enchanted item. A gust of wind surrounded him, significantly boosting his speed, and allowing him to quickly distance himself from Helag.
Helag didn't rush to catch up. Through Deep Blue's perception, he knew Macken was approaching and would soon meet Sunny.
"If I can't handle them, I can always retreat."
Helag remained hidden in the forest, keeping his distance.
"Macken, I found him, but I was ambushed," Sunny shouted upon seeing Macken, looking disheveled.
Macken looked at him oddly. "Ambushed?"
Sunny, sensing something off, instinctively stepped back, pointing to the nearby forest. "He's over there."
Macken nodded. "I'll deal with him, but first…"
A massive ice spike formed in front of Macken and shot towards Sunny.
"You!" Sunny's eyes widened. He was too close to Macken and hastily cast a weak Mana Shield.
With his magic nearly depleted, the shield's defense was minimal.
The ice spike easily shattered the shield and pierced Sunny's chest, blood spraying and staining the spike red.
Sunny was thrown against a tree, his mouth agape, spewing blood and fragments of his organs. He glared at Macken one last time before slumping lifelessly.
After killing Sunny, Macken cautiously hid behind a large tree, scanning the surroundings.
He saw the wounds on Sunny's body, recognizing the marks of Corrosive Arrows.
Those arrows were troublesome, and he didn't want to get hit.
"Hmm?" He heard a noise to his right and quickly raised a Mana Shield similar to Sunny's.
A Corrosive Arrow struck the shield, causing ripples.
Macken ducked behind the tree, only to have another Corrosive Arrow hit the other side shortly after.
"Damn it! How does he know my position?" Macken's Mana Shield held up, but he couldn't see Helag through the dense forest.
He only knew one offensive spell, Ice Spike, which consumed a lot of magic and couldn't be used for probing.
He had to wait for the right moment to strike, just like he did with Sunny.
The dense forest severely limited his abilities. What he didn't expect was Helag's precision with Corrosive Arrows from beyond his sight.
"I need to close the distance." Macken began moving towards Helag, using the trees as cover.
Helag continued to wear down Macken's magic with Corrosive Arrows, knowing he had to consume a lot of magic to maintain and repair his Mana Shield.
As Macken approached, Helag slowly retreated, keeping a manageable distance to prevent Macken from escaping like Sunny.
"This isn't working. I'll be done for if this continues." After chasing for a while, Macken realized his magic was depleting rapidly, while Helag remained just out of reach, making him anxious and frustrated.
Leaning against a tree, Macken thought, "This kid is too slippery. If I keep chasing, I'll be worn out. I need to retreat. He can't harm me fatally with those arrows."
Deciding to retreat, Macken began slowly backing away, using the dense trees to avoid Helag's Corrosive Arrows.
Helag followed, occasionally firing a Corrosive Arrow to keep Macken on edge.
Sweat poured down Macken's forehead as his magic dwindled, the pressure mounting.
Helag, like a persistent shadow, stayed on his tail, not getting too close but continually wearing him down with Corrosive Arrows.
As Macken neared the Moonlight Forest entrance, his Mana Shield was barely holding.
Helag pulled out a vial of Spirit Stabilizing Potion, fully restoring his magic.
He had obtained it on credit from Larry, worth ten magic stones, something most first-class apprentices couldn't afford.
After drinking the potion, Helag quickened his pace, catching up to Macken in a few strides, appearing in his line of sight.
"Ice Shield!"
"Mana Shield!"
"Dark Energy Shield!"
Helag cast three shields on himself, each a different color, enveloping him in layers of protection.
"Ice Spike!"
Macken didn't hesitate. He had reserved enough magic for one Ice Spike, waiting for Helag to get close for a fatal strike.
The massive ice spike formed quickly and shot toward Helag, who was covered in shields.
"Damn it! How can he know so many spells?"
Macken released the Ice Spike and prepared to flee, seeing Helag's multiple shields.
He doubted the Ice Spike could kill Helag with all those shields, and with his magic nearly depleted, he had to escape quickly.