Luck

"Gray!" Marcus looked over in alarm.

Faster... just a little faster!

Zeliel was beside himself with anxiety.

Although casting Fireball only took five seconds, in such a perilous situation, the battlefield changed by the instant. Every moment could determine whether someone lived or died.

Only three or four seconds had passed from the moment the Mist Demon appeared to when it knocked back Marcus and Gray.

Moreover, the Mist Demon was no brainless fool. Once it noticed Zeliel gathering magic, it chose to end this round of attacks and wait for another opportunity.

Thick mist surged and churned, concealing the Mist Demon's form once more.

At that moment, Zeliel's Fireball had only just taken shape.

"Zeliel, where the hell did your magic go?!" Vales turned toward Zeliel, glaring furiously.

"There was too little time. I couldn't make it in time!" Zeliel's thoughts were in turmoil.

"Can't you charge it up in advance?"

"I'm not good enough for that yet!"

Spell Preparation was an advanced spellcasting technique.

It allowed one to complete the outline of a spell structure beforehand and keep it on standby for a long time, ready to be triggered at any moment in response to sudden situations.

But Zeliel clearly did not possess that ability yet.

"Tsk...!" Vales looked deeply dissatisfied.

Marcus bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. The damaged surface of his round shield left him shaken.

"Could you tell anything from that exchange?" Marcus asked quietly.

"We're lucky... It should be a juvenile Mist Demon. The creatures fused into it are all low-level beasts, and its physical strength hasn't developed to its peak yet."

Vales looked at Gray, who was lying nearby. "If it were an adult, that shield of yours wouldn't have been able to stop it at all. Gray would already be dead."

A juvenile Mist Demon was much less threatening. At the very least, it did not reach a [Challenge] rating, only a troublesome [Difficult] rating.

But because of the energy barrier covering its surface, it was still extremely difficult to deal with.

"This is a juvenile?"

Gray struggled to climb to his feet. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he grimaced. "It felt like I just got hit head-on by a battering ram."

Low growls continued to echo around them, sometimes near and sometimes far, laced with savage killing intent that sent a chill through their hearts.

"Looks like this Mist Demon doesn't intend to let us go," Marcus said grimly.

"The next time it appears, no matter how fierce its attack is, we have to hold it back! If we let it slip away again, after a few more rounds, we'll really be doomed."

Zeliel said in a deep voice, "I'll find a way to cast my magic as quickly as possible!"

Marcus and Gray exchanged a look, then both nodded hard.

The Mist Demon's first attack had already wounded Gray.

With such destructive power, there was no telling when it might cause casualties in their party. They absolutely could not afford a prolonged battle. They had to end this quickly!

Suddenly, another progress bar appeared beneath Spell Structure Evolution.

Mist Veil's Embrace, analysis progress—1%.

Zeliel froze.

Mist Veil's Embrace... Was that the magic it used to block physical attacks?

But the analysis progress was far too slow... It would be completely useless in this battle.

Zeliel rapidly considered his options.

Since he could not use Spell Preparation... then he could only sense the Mist Demon's presence as early as possible and outline the spell structure before it launched its attack.

But the timing had to be precise.

If the Mist Demon still did not appear after the spell finished charging, the Fireball would only remain in his palm for so long before dissipating. He would also enter a brief gap where he could not cast again immediately.

Zeliel steadied himself.

His perception attribute was only 30, exactly average. In such dense fog, the chances of detecting the enemy were truly low.

Where...

Where the hell are you...

Suddenly, Zeliel's heart stirred, and he felt something strange.

Astonishingly, he had very fortunately caught a faint, threadlike connection within the dense fog.

It was the magical fluctuation of Mist Veil's Embrace!

Through the connection between identical spells, Zeliel could vaguely sense the Mist Demon's current state.

Bloodthirsty cruelty, the excitement of hunting... and surging battle lust!

It was moving!

Zeliel did not dare waste even an instant. He immediately began using magic power to outline the spell structure.

Sure enough, only two seconds later, the foul stench of the Mist Demon swept in once more!

This time, it had chosen Gray as its target.

That mage was well protected. There was no way to kill him immediately...

Then it would kill this wounded human first!

Then it would disappear into the mist before the mage finished charging his spell.

As long as it could reduce their numbers, it would surely cause panic. This hunt would basically be won!

Already wounded, Gray was completely unable to face the Mist Demon head-on. The pain in his chest made his movements even slower.

"Gray!"

Marcus shouted.

The shadow of death descended as the Mist Demon reached him in an instant!

Gray jerked his head around, his pupils suddenly widening.

Caught between life and death, he had nowhere to dodge. Driven only by a powerful survival instinct, he barely raised his longsword across his chest.

The hideous bone claw slammed down without mercy. With a crisp crack, the blade shattered!

Metal fragments scattered everywhere, many of them plunging straight into Gray's body. A spray of blood burst before him.

But at that very moment, Zeliel's prepared Fireball finished charging!

This was something the Mist Demon had never expected. It had been less than three seconds since it appeared.

During its first attack, that mage had not shown such rapid charging speed.

The scorching heat drove away the mist as a brilliant fireball swept forward and struck the Mist Demon head-on!

"Bang!"

Zeliel's eyes widened, his expression taut with tension.

Just as recorded in the Adventurers' Association General Monster Compendium, the weakness of the Mist Demon's energy barrier was magic and battle aura!

The magic power contained in Fireball clashed with the energy barrier, producing a sizzling sound. That layer of radiance visibly dimmed, though it had not completely vanished.

It worked!

"Get away from him!!!"

Marcus's support arrived in time as well. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared and charged forward with his shield using all his strength!

The weakened energy barrier could no longer completely block physical attacks. Even the Mist Demon's massive body staggered from Marcus's charge.

"Don't think about running...!"

Vales's eyes were sharp as lightning. He had waited a long time for this moment.

Having held his shot all this time, he released the bowstring, and the arrow shot forth.

Vales had elven blood flowing through his veins. Every arrow he fired was blessed by the gentle wind!

Relying on muscle memory, Vales rapidly fired four arrows in succession.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Of the four feathered arrows, two pierced through the Mist Demon's kneecaps.

This was exactly the result Vales wanted. He could not let this thing escape back into the mist again!