Chapter 102 - 101: [Frozen Ray+]

Chapter 102: Chapter 101: [Frozen Ray+]

On the other side, Maciej’s battle with the Earth Demon Bat leader was still ongoing, far from being as effortless as Gaode’s side. After all, under the enhancement of the [Blessing Skill], Gaode’s side was equivalent to temporarily having two 0.5th Ring Mages. They could inflict a certain degree of "Same Tier" suppression against these 0th Ring Earth Demon Bats.

However, Maciej’s battle with the Earth Demon Bat leader was a genuine 1st Ring versus 1st Ring fight. As the Earth Demon Bat leader flapped its wings, it whipped up a fierce gale. Simultaneously, it once again opened its massive, fang-filled maw, gathering a surge of intense Energy within. Then, it violently spewed it out.

It was an impenetrable, cone-shaped rain of gravel. Propelled and boosted by the fierce gale, the speed of the gravel surged drastically. Carrying sharp, whistling shrieks, it blanketed the sky, shooting toward Maciej like a barrage of hidden weapons. At this exact moment, a ripple of Magic undulated outward, constructing an invisible shield around Maciej. As all the crushed stones were about to touch his body, they seemed blocked by an intangible barrier, either falling with a RUSTLE or bouncing off, completely unable to cause him the slightest harm. This was a Magic that Gaode recognized.

[Shield Skill]!

The battle continued. Just as the Earth Demon Bat leader slightly relaxed its guard, an Ice Crystal shard silently flew out from the scattered gravel. Like a freezing Ice Blade, it sliced through the air and hurtled straight toward the creature. This was another one of Maciej’s killing moves. He used the opponent’s offense for his own benefit, concealing the traces of his Magic to catch it completely off guard. Whether in strength or adaptability, Maciej was undoubtedly worthy of being a Mage of the Law Enforcement Team.

The Earth Demon Bat leader was clearly unprepared for this sudden counterattack. In that instant, the flapping of its wings became erratic and chaotic. It attempted to dodge this fatal Ice Crystal shard through high-speed movement. However, it was already too late. The Ice Crystal shard drew a perfect arc in the air, slashing precisely onto the Earth Demon Bat leader’s right wing like the grim reaper’s scythe.

The moment the Ice Blade touched its right wing, a piercing chill penetrated its skin, reaching straight to its marrow. Yet, this was not over.

CRACK!

A crisp shattering sound erupted in the air. The Ice Crystal shard violently exploded, turning into dozens or even hundreds of fragments. They swept across the Earth Demon Bat leader, carving numerous tiny wounds and covering it with a thin layer of frost.

With its right wing injured, the Earth Demon Bat leader instantly lost its balance, its wingbeats devolving into chaos. Seeing this, Maciej finally felt slightly relieved; the opportunity for victory had emerged. But he did not let his guard down over a momentary advantage; instead, he seized the chance to intensify his assault. Three more Flashing Darts gathered in the palm of his hand.

[Magic Missile].

The Earth Demon Bat leader was a formidable creature. Even wounded, it hadn’t completely lost its combat prowess. Struggling to stabilize its posture, a glint of ruthlessness flashed in its eyes. It abruptly opened its giant maw, spewing forth an even denser cluster of gravel that once again swallowed the three terrifyingly powerful Magic Missiles whole.

"Vicious beast!" Maciej gnashed his teeth. He knew he had to defeat it in one fell swoop; otherwise, if he missed this chance, they would be locked in a protracted dogfight once more.

Just as he prepared to launch an even fiercer attack, his pupils suddenly dilated. Something unexpected happened. In his line of sight, an extremely dazzling burst of flames seized this opening with uncanny precision and speed. Tearing through the sky, it blasted straight toward the Earth Demon Bat leader’s left wing. It was as if it possessed a Spiritual essence that allowed it to turn, bypassing the creature’s defenses along a highly bizarre trajectory to strike flawlessly against its left wing.

Against such powerful impact and flames, even the Earth Demon Bat leader’s physical body suffered severe damage. With both its right and left wings consecutively wounded, no matter how strong it was, it could no longer maintain its balance. Its massive body plummeted straight down like a kite with a snapped string, completely out of control.

Surprised by this sudden assistance, Maciej swept his peripheral vision toward the caster of the Magic—it was Gaode, one of the two Mage Apprentices upon whom he had cast the [Blessing Skill]. Simultaneously, the next Magic in his hand had finished brewing. It was still [Magic Missile].

This time, the Earth Demon Bat leader finally had no strength left to spew gravel and devour the attack. The Magic Missiles were able to display their mighty power, accurately striking the beast’s vital spots.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Following three successive explosive blasts, the Earth Demon Bat leader let out a miserable wail, its voice filled with despair and reluctance. However, after this wail, it fell completely silent, clearly having died.

Maciej stood in place, and after confirming that it was thoroughly dead, he turned to look at the young Mage Apprentice, Gaode.

"Beautifully done!" he praised.

Gaode gave a bashful smile.

The battle on their side had ended one step ahead of Maciej. Against eleven 0th Ring Earth Demon Bats, as long as he and the other Mage Apprentice—both enhanced by the [Blessing Skill]—ensured their Magic hit, they could achieve one-shot kills with a single Magic attack each. Furthermore, the ability to adjust the Magic’s trajectory once, which came with [Flaming Arrow+], guaranteed Gaode a one-hundred-percent hit rate in this battle. Relying solely on five blasts of [Flaming Arrow+], he alone had precision-killed five 0th Ring Earth Demon Bats.

The remaining six Earth Demon Bats couldn’t hold out for long either, facing the siege of a Third-class Mage Apprentice who was similarly enhanced by the [Blessing Skill], along with the remaining dozen or so Mage Apprentices. Therefore, the battle on their side ended much faster than imagined. This allowed Gaode to notice the combat situation on Maciej’s end and provide the most timely support.

***

With the battle over, Maciej led everyone in tidying up the battlefield. The valuable parts on the Earth Demon Bats were their pairs of eyes and an internal gland, so they simply dissected and harvested them on the spot. However, out of a total of twelve Earth Demon Bats, they ultimately only managed to harvest six pairs of eyes. This was because most Damage Magic was too violent; while killing Earth Vein Creatures, it often caused immense destruction to their corpses. For example, the Earth Demon Bats that were blasted to death by Gaode’s Flaming Arrows had all been burned to a crisp.

"Let’s rest for a moment," Maciej commanded everyone to return to the main road and temporarily regroup, after ensuring that all valuable materials had been collected.

This encounter had taken a significant toll on them. If they didn’t properly restore their Mana and continued exploring the dense forest, encountering another swarm of Earth Vein Creatures would very likely result in casualties. Gaode, in particular, had cast a total of six [Flaming Arrow+] and a [Blade Protection+]. If his Guiding Technique hadn’t recently experienced a minor breakthrough, his Mana would have already dried up.

Of course, the harvest was equally enormous. The Origin collection progress for the Earth Demon Bat instantly jumped from 2/7 to 7/7, reaching full progress one step ahead of the 4/7 [Wolf Rat] Origin.

***

After drinking more than half a bottle of Blue Light Potion and operating his Guiding Technique to fully restore his Mana, Gaode didn’t immediately open his eyes. He skillfully unrolled the "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow" information interface in his consciousness, then aimed at the flashing yellow plus sign behind the [Frozen Ray] entry in his Magic List.

"Add points!" Gaode willed.

The "Big Dipper" representing the [Earth Demon Bat] Origin spun out, and the Magic Model extended and expanded.

A moment later.

The flashing yellow "+" sign behind the [Frozen Ray] entry vanished, transferring into the frame box.

[Frozen Ray+] (Shaping Series, 0th Ring)

Fires a freezing blue-white ray at a target to perform a Ranged Magic Attack. The initial maximum range is 25 feet.

If it hits, the target will suffer Frost Damage, and its speed will be slowed.

Bonus: If the target has already sustained sufficient Frost Damage, Frozen Ray will not merely slow the target’s speed, but can temporarily freeze the target.