They said the unknown was the most frightening thing, but sometimes seeing it clearly was even more terrifying and disgusting. A twisted, translucent humanoid appeared beneath the light!
Looking at the figure ahead, William and the others couldn't help drawing in sharp breaths. Its appearance was truly revolting. It looked like a severely swollen human whose features were almost impossible to make out (or perhaps an Elf). Its entire body seemed to be made of translucent jelly. Its head was bald, without hair or ears, and its nose had become a black hole. Only its sickly green eyes seemed solid. Its chest was half-frozen, the result of being struck by the reflected Ray of Frost just now. Oh! There was also a smoking arrow stuck in its forehead. It seemed the little girl had been lucky with her second shot and hit the "bull's-eye."
The mutant let out a silent roar, and a large group of Kobolds immediately charged out of the darkness, howling. Everyone's expression changed at once. (Imagine nearly a hundred rats swarming toward you.) William grabbed the impulsive Singers and shouted urgently, "Phinia! Take Mishaer and Aelf back!" But the female half-giant was already beyond hearing his orders. With her scalp tingling, Phinia roared at the sky and charged wildly into the Kobolds, starting a game of "whack-a-mole." It was a terribly awkward activity for someone of her height; the size difference severely hampered her fighting. Phinia could only bend over and smack them one by one with her giant axe. When she smashed the Kobold in front of her into a pulp with the flat of her axe, more than a dozen monsters around her had already attacked several times. Most of their blows failed to penetrate her boar-hide boots, but a few sharper javelins still cut her exposed skin. Even in her berserk state, she could only shield her face with the axe and retreat again and again.
Seeing Phinia in trouble, William put the little Mishaer, whose face had gone pale with fright, into the wagon bed, then shoved the equally excited old Dwarf and said, "Singers! Aelf! Protect Mishaer! I'm going to help Phinia!" But the Dwarf had slipped his leash too. The moment William let go, the hot-tempered old man charged forward like a little tank. The bastard didn't go to help the half-giant woman, though; he rushed toward the densest mass of Kobolds, making William's mouth twist with anger.
When angry William looked at Aelf, the Elf girl, equally pale, hurriedly waved her hands and said, "Don't worry! I won't rush in!" As she spoke, she climbed into the four-foot-high wagon bed, then asked pitifully, "William! You'll protect me, right? I promise I'll never steal the little one's things again!" William's expression softened a little as he reassured her, "Don't be afraid! Nothing can hurt you while I'm here! Keep an eye on Mishaer for me!" As he spoke, he suddenly ducked and lunged forward. His curved saber flashed, beheading the four Kobolds rushing at him and cleaving the bone spears and short javelins in their hands in two. Then, pivoting on his forward right leg, he swung his trailing left leg around in a sweeping kick. Several more Kobolds were sent flying, their bones broken and tendons torn, before they crashed into the stone wall.
William charged forward like a high-speed lawnmower. The Kobolds spilling through the gap between Phinia and Singers fell like tangled weeds, dead or gravely injured. By the time he reached Phinia, more than twenty Kobolds had fallen beneath him. The two little ones in the wagon bed gaped in astonishment. The little girl squealed excitedly, while Aelf pulled out a rapier and a small wicker shield, then stood on the wagon's edge, brandishing them triumphantly.
William's saber flashed again and again, cutting down every Kobold that tried to sneak up behind Phinia. He reached out and pulled the half-giant, who was caught between advancing and retreating. Most of the Kobolds preparing to surround Phinia stabbed at empty air. William's legs lashed out like the blades of a windmill, sending the surrounding Kobolds flying one after another. He ordered Phinia, whom he had pulled behind him, "Go watch Mishaer! I'll handle things here!" Furious after being surrounded by the Kobolds, Phinia angrily smacked away two monsters that came close, then returned to the wagon bed, deeply unwilling to leave.
Though she had fought Goblins alongside William and watched him battle Trolls, Phinia had never imagined he would be so terrifying when he brought his full strength to bear in close combat. Not a single Kobold could get within three feet of him. Every monster William struck was either killed or gravely wounded, and those he got close to couldn't even escape. His swift, unusual footwork gave them no chance to attack. In the few seconds it took Phinia to return to the wagon bed, William had already killed another seven or eight Kobolds.
Cold, swift, and efficient, this killing machine from a distant plane showed everyone the full extent of his terrifying lethality. When nearly half the Kobolds had fallen behind William, the translucent mutant holding the rear could no longer sit still. After a stretch of strange, hoarse sounds, the mutant pointed its jelly-like hand at William. A chill ran through him, and his body suddenly stiffened, but the fiery power of his bloodline let William regain control of himself. He then killed the two monsters in front of him with a single stroke.
Seeing that its spell had failed, the translucent mutant paused, then raised its hand and shot out a small ball of pale green liquid (Acid Splash). William didn't know what the thing flying toward him was, but he wasn't foolish enough to let it hit him. He shifted his footing and slapped it with his curved saber. The liquid ball burst apart, splashing pale green fluid over the Kobolds around him and releasing a pungent vapor. The Kobolds struck by it kept rubbing at the affected areas, while William immediately retreated, covering his nose. He was worried the gas might be poisonous. Behind him, Aelf shouted a warning: "Careful! That's corrosive acid!"
Seeing its spell fail again, the translucent mutant roared in fury. After a longer stretch of hoarse sounds, it fired a much larger glob of deep green liquid. But William had already grabbed a nearby Kobold and held it in front of himself. The poor Kobold shield met the glob in terror, then screamed as it was corroded full of holes. William's hair stood on end, and cold sweat broke out all over him. Damn it! That's concentrated acid! Is this bastard trying to melt my face off?
The translucent mutant grew even angrier when its spell failed once more. It began chanting, preparing to attack with an even stronger spell, but it was too late. William grabbed Kobolds nearby and hurled them one after another at the mutant. His immense strength made them more terrifying in flight than cannonballs. The mutant, its spell interrupted, was knocked to the ground like soft rubber. But the Kobold used as a projectile fared even worse. The poor creature struggled as if it had plunged into glue, then was corroded and digested.
Good grief! This thing was basically a walking vat of sulfuric acid! William and the others stared at the translucent mutant in shock. Only then did William notice that the arrow in its forehead was gone. The half that had been stuck inside had been completely corroded, and the rest had fallen away.
Kobolds weren't brave warriors. These cowards were no better than Goblins. Apart from a few who slipped past the Dwarf and were smashed into pulp by Phinia, the remaining monsters began to falter after suffering more than fifty percent casualties. Especially after William knocked down the translucent mutant, the surviving Kobolds scattered in panic, fleeing into the darkness and away from the fallen creature. Covered in blood, Singers cursed loudly and smashed the last Kobold into the ground. This hot-tempered warrior, still eager for more, wanted to continue the pursuit, but the writhing translucent monster made him abandon the idea.
The Acid Mutant stood up with the corpse of a dead Kobold hanging from it. It let out a silent roar and tried to pounce on William. Singers had already thrown his warhammer, and William also kicked up a Kobold corpse from the ground and hurled it at the creature. But these attacks could only delay it; they couldn't injure it, let alone kill it.
If physical attacks wouldn't work, then they could try energy damage! William's first thought was of his earlier battle with a Troll. The Troll's special ability had left a deep impression on him. Phinia and the two little ones came closer as well, curiously watching the horrific monster.
William told Phinia and the others, "Everyone, get back! I'll try a fire attack!" The Acid Mutant, which had just crawled to its feet, clearly understood him. The monster visibly trembled, but it wasn't too afraid. Ordinary fire would have a hard time hurting it, and this group didn't look like they had a spellcaster—though it still didn't know why its Ray of Frost had been reflected earlier.
Phinia and the two little ones quickly retreated, but old Singers, who didn't know what William could do, stayed put. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, a searing flame burst from William's palm. Empowered Palm Flame! William's self-created Spell-like Ability! The surging heat nearly singed half the Dwarf's beard. Startled, he scrambled away from the flames, shouting, "Damn you, William! Oh, my beard! How? How is this possible?" The Dwarf's single eye stared in disbelief at the blazing fire.
The translucent monster screamed and turned into a blazing torch. Its cries sounded like a snake's raspy hiss. The heavy stench of blood and foul odor in the air made everyone feel sick. William and the others covered their noses and moved away from the battlefield. The smell of blood nearby would attract countless underground monsters, so they could only take another route.
Before you continue