Gray Dwarf Mind Master

[You were attacked by the Gray Dwarf Mind Master with a Poison Heart Dagger, missed...]

If not for his Shield Spell and Protection Cloak, he might truly have been killed in a single strike!

"You're courting death!"

Brat, having regained his senses, roared and immediately charged, his face twisted into a savage, predatory snarl.

Finn gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with fury, his messy beard and hair standing on end like an enraged beast.

He had been standing not far behind Anse, yet he hadn't noticed a thing until the moment Anse was attacked, and his heart was filled with chagrin.

He raised his hand to cast Hunter's Mark as a quickened spell, and an X-shaped magical mark appeared above the cloaked figure's head to prevent him from turning invisible again.

Anse didn't hesitate for a second, stepping back quickly; this distance was far too dangerous for him.

But just as he moved, he saw the gray dwarf make a hand-raising gesture, accompanied by a faint ripple of magic.

"Damn it!"

He cursed under his breath and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Magic Missile!"

Metamagic—Quicken Spell: Magic Missile!

Three Glimmering Missiles formed in an instant, whistling through the curtain of rain and the night sky.

The gray dwarf stopped his movement and dodged, but the missiles followed him like shadows. He made a split-second decision, crossing his arms to take the hit with his bracers.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three muffled thuds rang out in succession. The gray dwarf stepped back to absorb the force, his bracers deforming and his arms left a bloody mess.

[You cast Magic Missile on the Gray Dwarf Mind Master... The Gray Dwarf Mind Master was hit, taking 8 force damage. Current HP: 31/39...]

Anse didn't even look; the blue magic runes on his Ring of Spell Storing suddenly flared, and another three whistling bolts of magical light shot forth.

"Whoosh—"

"Swish—"

The gray dwarf was quite decisive. He dodged Finn's arrow by leaning to the side, pointed a finger at Anse, and an invisible wave of power surged toward him before he turned his back to tank the Magic Missiles.

Anse felt his scalp tingle and activated his Shield Spell again, but this time, the force shield proved useless.

His mind went dim for a split second, but the scales on his skin and his Protection Cloak flashed with a faint magical glow simultaneously, and the spell's ripple dissipated into nothingness.

[The Gray Dwarf Mind Master cast Dominate Mind on you, forcing a simple Intelligence saving throw (12)... Saving throw successful.]

"Son of a—!" he cursed aloud.

On the other side, the gray dwarf's cloak was in tatters and his leather armor soaked in blood. Before he could even be surprised that his spell had failed, Brat's longsword was already slashing toward his face.

He barely managed to dodge to the side, but the longsword followed up with a terrifyingly fast diagonal cut.

Unable to evade, he hurriedly swung his dagger to block, but the immense force of the longsword knocked it aside. The blade sliced upward, tearing through his leather armor and carving a wound several centimeters long across his chest and abdomen, leaving his flesh hanging open.

The gray dwarf let out a grunt and rolled, attempting to turn invisible and flee, but a sudden gust of wind rose above his head. A massive black shadow swept past, and sharp claws tore half his face away, obliterating his right eye and half his scalp in a spray of blood.

"Ah—" The gray dwarf let out his first scream, his voice shrill and trembling.

Anse felt a surge of satisfaction and activated his Ring of Spell Storing once more.

"Magic Missile!"

Three Magic Missiles left three white arcs in the night, striking the wound on the gray dwarf's chest and abdomen in succession.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The gray dwarf was ripped open, his internal organs splattered across the ground. His arms hung limp, and his gaze grew unfocused.

[You cast Magic Missile on the Gray Dwarf Mind Master... The Gray Dwarf Mind Master was hit, taking 20 (critical) force damage. Target killed. Gained 215 Combat Experience. Level up.]

Brat performed a small hop-slash, decapitating the gray dwarf with a single swing.

The enemy was dead, but no one let their guard down. Brat and Finn stood around Anse, still shaken by the encounter.

"Don't be nervous, there shouldn't be anyone else," Anse comforted them.

No wonder they said mages feared assassins; it had indeed been perilous, but he knew that even if it happened again, he wouldn't die.

The Shield Spell was cast by reflex, which was fast enough, and while Dominate Mind seemed terrifying, the control duration was at most a few seconds, during which the caster couldn't cast other spells. The gray dwarf could at most have forced him to hit someone with a stick.

With his own melee skills, he wouldn't have been able to hurt Brat or Finn at all.

At this moment, the importance of a team was undeniable; going solo left too little room for error.

"This is a gray dwarf, right? How did he get so deep into the city? He's got some nerve," Brat said, lifting his foot to kick the gruesome head away, but stopped when he remembered it could be traded for a bounty.

"A Gray Dwarf Mind Master, usually acting as a spy. They're skilled in stealth; he was likely here to gather intelligence," Anse explained.

The creature's Challenge Rating was only 2, yet it had been this difficult to deal with.

"Stay safe. We'll pack up; the smell of blood might attract more monsters," Brat reminded him.

"I know," Anse replied. He walked to a corner, leaned against the wall, and watched the two of them "harvest" the loot.

He had leveled up, and he was eager to find a safe place to advance.

During this battle, he discovered that his repertoire was far too limited; his only offensive spells were Magic Missile and Prismatic Sphere.

Magic Missile was certainly useful, but its damage output lagged significantly behind Prismatic Sphere. A single Prismatic Sphere could deal 3d8 (3-24) damage, and not only could he customize its elemental property, but it also had the potential to ricochet, triggering a secondary explosion.

However, Prismatic Sphere was prone to missing, and its base range was only half that of Magic Missile, making its drawbacks quite apparent.

He needed stronger and more varied spells to handle different emergencies.

A few minutes passed.

The trio hurried away, Brat and Finn each carrying a blood-stained bundle.

Passing a stone building with its doors wide open, Anse waved his hand, and the group ducked inside, pulling the doors shut behind them.

"I've gained some insight into innate magic; wait for me a moment," Anse explained. He took off his backpack and sat on the floor, pretending to enter a state of meditation.

Brat and the other exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

Anse had already entered his mental world, where the silver D20 floated silently.

The third symbol on the die was more than halfway lit; it wouldn't be long before it was fully illuminated.

He opened his Character Sheet, and the upgrade options popped up:

Increase Sorcerer level or choose a new class.

Anse decisively chose to increase his Sorcerer level, as a level 3 Sorcerer could learn 2nd-level spells, which would significantly boost his strength.

If he chose to multiclass into a level 1 of another profession, such as a Warrior, his total class level would still be three, yet he would be unable to master 2nd-level spells—this was one of the drawbacks of multiclassing.

[Level Up: Level 3 Sorcerer!]

["Magic Control" level increased. You have mastered new Draconic Spells: "Dragon Breath" and "Polymorph." You may learn one new spell.]

Level 3 was an important milestone; most classes could choose a subclass at level 3 to determine their future development path.

Anse was unique in that he had determined his Sorcerous Origin at level 1, but level 3 still granted him a major upgrade.

The biggest surprise was the upgrade to his adventure trait, "Magic Control"!

He had been wondering how to improve it earlier, so he hadn't expected it to scale with his spellcasting level—it fit the characteristics of a Sorcerer perfectly.

Level 2 Magic Control allowed him to handle 2nd-level spells with ease, provided greater spellcasting stability, and increased his maximum mana by another 5 points, leaving him with a more abundant supply of magic.