"Ahhh, I'm so full! Auntie's cooking is truly the best," Ariel exclaimed after finishing his meal.
"I'm glad the young master enjoys my cooking," Melisa replied with a gentle smile as she began tidying up the cooking utensils. She carefully placed them into the storage box before reattaching it to Ariel's armor.
Meanwhile, Sri was waving enthusiastically, bidding farewell to her monster friends as they returned to their respective lairs. "Goodbye, everyone! Take care!" she called out cheerfully.
Just as they were about to rest after their meal, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from the direction of the waterfall's peak.
BOOOOOOM!
The deafening sound instantly put Ariel, Sri, and Melisa on high alert.
"What was that sound?" Sri asked, her eyes wide with concern.
"It seems like an explosion coming from the waterfall," Melisa answered as she quickly extinguished the remnants of the cooking fire.
"Auntie, Sri, let's check it out. But we need to prepare ourselves first," Ariel said urgently, worry evident in his voice.
Just as he finished speaking, another explosion rang through the air.
BOOOOOOM!
"I'm ready, young master," Melisa stated firmly.
"Me too, Brother! I'm all set!" Sri added, determination in her voice.
The three of them quickly prepared to head toward the source of the explosion.
"Sri, don't use your magic to fly. Your light is too conspicuous; it will attract attention. Use my bubbles instead," Ariel reminded her, his tone serious.
"Got it, Brother Ariel! Let's fly now!" Sri nodded eagerly.
"Bubble Magic," Ariel chanted, and three large bubbles materialized, encasing each of them. Slowly, they floated up into the sky, heading toward the waterfall's peak.
Once they had ascended about ten meters, Sri turned to Ariel with a curious expression.
"Brother, why aren't you using your armor?" she asked.
"I'm conserving energy. My armor is for emergencies. Besides, we can still use magic to defend ourselves," Ariel replied.
When they finally reached the summit, they were met with a shocking sight. The explosion had originated from the mushroom-like dwellings of the Rak Sasa—a community of mushroom-shaped creatures. The village was under attack, caught in the middle of a brutal battle between adventurers and the mushroom people.
A female mage was hurling fireballs at the mushroom-shaped houses, setting them ablaze. The mushroom villagers screamed in terror, running in every direction, their cries of anguish piercing through the chaos.
Meanwhile, the warriors of the mushroom tribe fought back against the adventurers, but the difference in power was overwhelming. One by one, the mushroom fighters fell, unable to withstand the superior might of their attackers.
Ariel, Sri, and Melisa took in the scene with grim expressions. Without hesitation, they shot toward the embattled village.
It appeared that around 1,000 Class-A adventurers and several Class-S ones had been deployed to massacre the mushroom kingdom and capture some of its inhabitants alive.
As soon as they arrived, Ariel, Sri, and Melisa split up, each targeting one of the three main groups of adventurers.
"Bubble Explosion Magic!" Ariel stretched out his hands and chanted his spell. Countless bubbles formed around him, spreading through the battlefield before detonating among the adventurers.
"I need to save the villagers too—Bubble Shield Magic!" Ariel cast another spell, summoning hundreds of giant bubbles. They floated through the air, shielding the terrified mushroom villagers from harm and carrying them away to safety deep within the forest.
BLUB! One by one, the mushroom people were enveloped in protective bubbles, while explosions continued to erupt across the battlefield.
BOOM! "AARGHH!" A warrior's scream rang out as one of the adventurers was caught in an explosion.
"What the hell is this?! Look up! Someone is attacking us! Don't touch those bubbles!" another adventurer shouted in alarm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"AAAHHHH!" The adventurers screamed as they were caught in the blasts.
Among them, a high-ranking adventurer quickly took charge. "Protective Magic! Everyone who's injured, get inside my circle! I'll heal you!" he commanded.
The adventurers who were still unharmed turned toward Ariel with murderous intent. "Anyone still standing, take him down!"
One of the Class-S adventurers, a dark mage, floated in the air and locked eyes with Ariel. "Interesting… Who the hell are you, stranger?"
The man smirked and raised his hands.
"Enhancement Magic… Black Hole!"
Seven dark circles materialized, swirling ominously as they sucked in everything around them.
"Hahahaha! Let's see how you handle this!"
With the wind howling violently around him, the dark mage unleashed his magic toward Ariel. The black holes shot forward like hunting beasts.
"Bubble Explosion Magic!" Ariel countered, sending his explosive bubbles toward the approaching black holes.
BLUB! BLUB! BLUB! WOOOSH!
But the black holes devoured his attack effortlessly.
"Hmph. Looks like that wasn't enough," Ariel muttered before swiftly dodging the incoming vortexes.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The black holes pursued him relentlessly as he darted through the sky, avoiding them with agile movements.
"How long do you plan to keep running? Instant Paralysis Magic!" the dark mage growled, frustrated.
Suddenly, Ariel's body froze mid-air. Unable to move, he plummeted to the ground.
"Hahahaha! That's what you get for daring to challenge us!" the dark mage sneered. "If only he had joined us… His skills were impressive. Oh well, he's dead now."
"Who said I was dead?" a voice whispered behind him.
The dark mage's eyes widened in horror. His body stiffened as he slowly turned to look over his shoulder.
"This… This has to be a joke…! How are you still alive?! You fell! You were sucked into my magic!" he stammered in disbelief.
Ariel smirked coldly. "Oh, you mean this magic?" He raised his hand, effortlessly controlling the black holes that once belonged to his opponent.
"No—don't bring them near me! You'll get sucked in too, you idiot!"
"Are you afraid of your own magic?" Ariel asked mockingly. "A real mage should never fear his own power. Here, I'll return it to you."
"Wait, no! Please! I beg you! Someone, help—!"
But Ariel ignored the man's desperate pleas. Without hesitation, he directed the black holes toward the dark mage's body.
"May you regret your sins in the afterlife," Ariel murmured as the man was devoured into oblivion.
Meanwhile, in another part of the village, Sri was rescuing mushroom villagers who had been rounded up for execution.
A female adventurer raised her sword over the trembling villagers and sneered. "Hahaha! Stop crying. You'll all be dead soon anyway. Consider it a mercy!"
A mother clutched her child tightly and sobbed. "Please… Spare us! Why are you doing this to our people?"
A male adventurer scoffed. "Because you monsters are filthy. You taint this world. That's why you must be cleansed."
"Kill them all," the squad captain ordered.
But just then, Ariel's bubbles arrived, enveloping the villagers and whisking them away.
BLUB! BLUB! BLUB!
Sri descended, smiling playfully. "Hello! My name is Sri. You guys are unbelievably cruel. Would you mind if I beat you all to death?"
The adventurers glared at her. "Who the hell are you? A forest spirit? A flower fairy?"
Sri giggled. "Oh? Have you ever fought a goddess before?"