Challenge

The greatest difference between monsters and ordinary beasts lay in whether they possessed magical power within their bodies.

Influenced by unnatural factors, monsters came in all manner of bizarre forms and developed strange special abilities that were difficult to predict.

Some of those special abilities could even achieve a "first encounter kill" effect, making them extremely hard to deal with.

If adventurers encountered a monster with insufficient intelligence, the death rate of an adventurer party was astonishingly high.

For that very reason, the Adventurers' Association had spent vast sums compiling the <Adventurers' Association General Monster Compendium>.

It recorded every monster encountered by parties, listing their physical traits, habits, special abilities, and core weaknesses one by one.

The compendium also used the most advanced rune transcription technology. Whenever one Adventurers' Association branch updated an entry, the compendiums at every other branch would automatically synchronize the new information.

In addition, the Adventurers' Association had introduced a reward system.

When someone provided information on a new monster, the Association would reward them according to its threat level, with the minimum starting at three gold coins.

However, this reward system had also spawned all sorts of bizarre schemes to swindle prize money.

For example, some parties had solemnly claimed to have discovered new monsters like the "Harpoon Goblin," "Straw Hat Goblin," and "Necklace-Wearing Goblin," giving the Association staff tremendous headaches.

Based on a monster's threat level, the Adventurers' Association had specially established seven tactical classifications: [Easy], [Difficult], [Challenge], [Danger], [Brutal], [Boss], and [Supreme].

Above Supreme were [Legendary]-rank monsters, which stood at the pinnacle of power on the Candia Continent.

There was no need to record those things anyway. Encountering one was no different from dying.

The Mist Demon was rated [Challenge].

That meant it possessed the ability to kill adventurers with ease. Mishandling it could easily result in casualties, so a thorough plan had to be made around its weaknesses.

The low growling had yet to cease, while the surrounding fog grew thicker and thicker.

None of them had expected such a dangerous situation. They had only wanted to pick up a few easy jobs for extra money, yet they had suddenly encountered a [Challenge]-rank monster.

Their packs fell to the ground one after another.

"Should we run..." Gray asked quietly.

Hearing that, Zeliel could not help growing nervous as well. He instinctively surveyed the surroundings.

Dense fog was everywhere, making it impossible to discern any direction.

And he was completely unfamiliar with the terrain. If he ran, his chances of survival would be abysmally low.

"Run from what? Prepare for battle!"

Marcus raised his shield in his left hand and gripped his sword in his right. With a deep frown, he quickly came up with a plan.

"I'll hold the front. Gray, support me. Vales, act as the situation demands. Zeliel, you're the only one in the party who can break the Mist Demon's energy barrier. While we keep it occupied, find the right opportunity to cast your magic!"

"Understood..." Zeliel slowly nodded.

Dense fog and an unknown monster—his palms began to sweat uncontrollably. The pressure was far greater than last night's.

With such a heavy burden on his shoulders, it was hard for Zeliel not to be nervous.

If he failed to handle this properly, the whole party could only face annihilation.

Just how strong was that energy barrier that blocked physical attacks... What if he could not break it?

Zeliel suddenly felt fortunate that he had chosen to increase his Spirit attribute.

At least it should make Fireball a little more powerful, right?

The party formation began to shift.

Marcus stood at the front on guard. Gray was behind and to his right, Vales behind and to his left, while Zeliel occupied the center.

Visibility had now fallen to around five or six meters, and the smell of blood lingered in the air.

In the early morning Graywood Forest, a desperate battle was about to begin!

Marcus moved forward slowly, and the three behind him maintained a tight formation without panicking.

It was like a game of hawk catching chicks.

According to the information in the monster compendium, the Mist Demon possessed terrifying strength. Only Marcus, with his shield, had any chance of standing against it.

If the Mist Demon broke into their formation from any other direction, it would undoubtedly become a bloody slaughter.

The fog at their front right suddenly churned, and Marcus keenly noticed it.

"Stay alert!!!"

The Mist Demon finally appeared.

The thick fog was torn apart, exposing the enormous twisted monster clearly before them. The bloody stench abruptly intensified severalfold, making them want to vomit.

The instant Zeliel saw the Mist Demon's true form, he felt as though his breathing had stopped.

It was something that only appeared in the works of horror novelists.

The Mist Demon's main body stood at least two and a half meters tall, like a gigantic beast that had been skinned alive. And the expression on its face... was it smiling?

Blood continuously seeped out and dripped down. Grayish-black muscle fibers knotted together chaotically, bulging with veins that resembled a nest of snakes.

Numerous wolf heads had been haphazardly embedded in the Mist Demon's back. Their eye sockets were hollow, yet they still retained the savage expressions of agony from their final howls.

Of course, the strangest part was the blurred halo covering the Mist Demon's body. Its energy barrier rippled like water, making its entire outline appear distorted.

The horrifying sight struck Zeliel's mind with tremendous force, and for a moment, he could barely control his own movements.

"Zeliel! Don't space out!"

Marcus roared, pulling him out of his stupor as he charged forward first.

Awakened from his daze by Marcus's furious shout, Zeliel shook his head hard.

I can't let them down at a time like this!

As he took a deep breath to steady his emotions, he began gathering magic.

The magic power within his consciousness was mobilized and circulated according to Zeliel's will!

Marcus's round shield slammed fiercely into the foul wind rushing toward him.

Clang!

Marcus staggered several steps backward from the Mist Demon's immense strength, and the arm holding his shield began trembling uncontrollably.

The Mist Demon let out a roar and charged forward again.

Its left hand had already mutated into three massive claws, its pale carapace covered in dried bloodstains.

Another head-on clash!

Marcus ducked awkwardly and raised his round shield at the same time.

Riiip!

The claw strike nearly tore through the outermost layer of the round shield completely!

Wood chips flew everywhere, and even part of the iron plating wrapped around its edge was peeled up.

Fortunately, the blacksmith's workmanship was solid and he had not cut corners. Otherwise, Marcus would have had to take the next attack with his own body.

"Die!"

Another figure flashed past from the side. Gray seized the recovery after the Mist Demon's attack, stepped forward, and thrust at its waist!

But something bizarre happened.

When the blade touched the energy barrier on the Mist Demon's surface, it was like stabbing into cotton. He could not exert any force at all, and the blade stalled in place.

Gray's eyelids twitched violently as he realized danger was approaching.

The Mist Demon did not even turn its head. It merely swung its arm.

Its thick, carapace-covered arm smashed viciously into Gray's chest!

Crack!

Gray's expression froze, and his hardened leather breastplate caved in with a sound.

He spat out a mist of blood and was sent flying backward, only stopping after rolling across the ground several times.