Scorching Orb

Take had just revived inside the tent she had set up, and the moment she stepped out, she spotted the other players.

"Why are you still here?" Take was stunned. The boss wasn't finished yet, and on top of that, all their equipment was still left in that godforsaken place.

The female hunter shook her head, pointing at the bizarre magic circle on the ground. "That building is already gone."

Take looked over and was instantly dumbfounded. The space was empty—nothing but the magic circle remained. So this was a one-time instance?

*

Amber City, on the Spire Bridge.

Li Wen kept up her bluff with words even she didn't believe, all while strategizing her next move.

To be honest, Li Wen had already pinpointed the enemy's location. Aside from his very first move, he hadn't shifted position at all. This meant either he was somewhat wary of her words, or he was utterly confident in himself.

There was another possibility: this was a trap, and he was waiting for her to step right into it.

Li Wen wasn't about to fall for that. Her Prayer Incantation was a targeted Divine Art—it could only be used on targets within her line of sight or perception. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been stuck in this stalemate.

The advantage of a targeted spell was that it was hard to dodge, but if she couldn't even see the enemy's shadow, there was no chance of hitting them.

The Fire Mage was different. Most of the spells he had cast—aside from his Elemental Shield—were non-targeted area-of-effect or projectile spells. The advantage was enormous. No wonder he had learned White Mist, a spell that obscured vision over a wide area. It was indeed useful.

But it wasn't much help against Li Wen. She possessed the extraordinary trait "Retrograde in Shadow," which reduced her presence by 50% when she was in the shadows. Within that White Mist, the Fire Mage wouldn't be able to pinpoint her exact location either.

So it was hard to say who had the greater advantage in this fog. But one thing was certain: to break the deadlock, the Fire Mage would have to dispel the White Mist himself. Otherwise, she could only wait for it to dissipate on its own.

Li Wen believed it wouldn't take long. That mage had been hit by a Poison Arrow; he couldn't hold out much longer.

After a quiet wait, the Fire Mage finally responded: "You're right. We don't have any major grudges, after all. But... how can you prove that you'll really let this slide like nothing happened? Fine, I know you're a curse specialist—a warlock. Naturally, you wouldn't care about a few lives."

The moment his words fell, Li Wen heard the crackling sound of flames.

The next instant, the White Mist dissipated, revealing both the Fire Mage and Li Wen's figures at the same time.

Li Wen instantly hurled the Dark Word Curse she had prepared, while the Fire Mage, having confirmed her position, launched a Fireball in sync.

Both of their skills struck their targets. The difference was that the Fire Mage took the curse head-on, while Li Wen, the moment she threw the curse, dropped to the ground to dodge the Fireball's direct hit.

Scorching, chaotic air exploded around her. Li Wen could already smell the burnt stench of death. Fortunately, a shield flickered to life on her body, blocking part of the damage and restoring some of her health.

Health remaining: 44%.

This was even after using the Prayer Incantation in advance. Otherwise, even if she hadn't died, she would have lost the ability to move under the searing heat.

The Fire Mage wasn't faring well either. The Dark Word Curse hit him directly, and he couldn't dispel it again—his ring could only be used once every three days.

The curse, combined with the poison, worsened his already dire state. Though blinded by the curse, he could still sense that his magic hadn't killed his enemy.

Was this really where he stopped? No way!

Pale black, tainted blood oozed from the mage's nose, mouth, and pores, but he simply flashed a slightly manic grin.

Moonlight Potion was a high-priority banned substance on the Kingdom Investigation Bureau's list of prohibited drugs. Its effect was this: after consuming it, for a certain period, the user's mana would rapidly recover, and their spellcasting ability would be elevated by one tier.

The price was that a mage could only use Moonlight Potion once in their lifetime, and after the effect wore off, they would lose their ability to cast spells for ten full days.

The rapid mana recovery was trivial. What truly mattered was the elevation in spellcasting tier. This meant a Stage One mage could cast Tier 2 spells without cost, or even use Tier 3 spells through rituals or scrolls. Such an enhancement was terrifying.

The Fire Mage felt an unprecedented surge of power within him, its sensation overwhelming even the curse and poison. He felt that with just a flick of his finger, he could kill any enemy—even those old fossils from the Arcane Academy.

Moonlight Potion was highly addictive, but a second dose would cause a mage to explode instantly. So the Fire Mage forcibly suppressed his craving for that power.

Just then, the blindness effect wore off. The Fire Mage looked at Li Wen and coldly produced a scroll.

"To be pushed to this point... how humiliating!"

Flames took shape behind him. The Fire Mage felt his mana draining away like a receding tide.

A Tier 3 spell—Scorching Orb!

Restless, frenzied Fire Elements surged into it, coalescing into a blazing crimson sun that hung behind the mage, as if it would burn everything to ash.

Li Wen watched calmly. That last Dark Word Curse had drained her remaining mana. Faced with the mage's move, it seemed she had no countermeasures left.

Was that really the case?

Li Wen focused on her trait. "Blood of Candlelight" allowed her, when her mana was insufficient, to forcibly substitute life force for mana and cast Radiance Spectrum skills.

But that wouldn't change the situation. The spell the enemy was unleashing was Tier 3—enough to blow up the entire stone bridge. He clearly intended to leave no survivors. And Li Wen only knew one skill: Prayer Incantation.

Earlier, interrupting his casting had caught him off guard. Now he was surely prepared; a curse wouldn't stop him from casting. Moreover, since he was using a large-scale lethal spell, relying on blinding him to lose his target was no longer feasible. He must have considered that, or why else would he resort to such a high-tier spell?

From this perspective, Li Wen might have no choice but to lower her defenses and accept death.

After all, she was still a player. Dying would just mean starting over.

But if she was going to give in like this, Li Wen certainly wouldn't accept it. As a reincarnator who had prepared so much, failing to take down even a Stage One mage was simply inexcusable.