Chapter 942 - 461: Lord of the Red Earth

After observing numerous possibilities, Gauss captured the simplest path with absolute precision. He had accurately pinpointed the exact spot the Leshen instinctively feared for and protected.

With a slight shift in his gaze, a brilliant orb of Magic Power condensed at his fingertips.

Then, SWISH.

The improved, advanced Magic Missile struck the Leshen’s weakness that Gauss had perceived with flawless accuracy.

BOOM!

The beam formed by the Magic Missile instantly achieved maximum effect with minimal effort. Because the speed was too fast and the attack too concealed, the Leshen didn’t even have time to react before the beam struck its weak point. It pierced its tough hide in an instant, plunging deep into its body like a long needle slipping through the grain of its muscles.

The very next moment, its massive, mountainous body began to disintegrate at an utterly unreasonable speed. Its entire frame deflated like a punctured balloon. The tremendous momentum carried its collapsing form forward for more than twenty meters, gouging a deep trench in the ground before it finally slumped to a halt just a few meters away from Nira.

Gauss looked at his masterpiece without much expression. He had already seen this exact scene play out beforehand using his Future Sight. The process unfolded exactly as he had predicted, without the slightest deviation. This was the simplest, most effortless way to kill a Leshen.

"Killed Commander-level Demon: Leshen x1"

The attack he used wasn’t actually that powerful, but due to its precise execution, he still effortlessly killed this Level 8 or 9 demon. It was like a seemingly solid rock that actually harbored tiny, imperceptible cracks within. Gauss applied precisely the right amount of leverage, triggering an irreversible chain reaction from the outside in. Normally, it would be absolutely impossible for a human to perceive such a hidden weakness in a short amount of time. However, Gauss’s Future Sight was simply too powerful. In near-frozen time, he had ample opportunity to observe his enemy.

Nira knelt on the ground, propping herself up as she stared blankly at everything that had just happened, as if she were hallucinating. She blinked, but the scene before her remained unchanged. The once-arrogant behemoth lay motionless in a heap just a few meters away. Only the thick, pungent stench in the air quietly reminded her that this was no illusion; it had truly happened.

"Is it... dead?" she wondered.

Realizing something, she immediately shifted her gaze toward the pure white silhouette she had caught a glimpse of earlier. But just as she looked over, the figure happened to vanish once again.

A powerful Fireball Technique erupted in the center of the monstrous horde further away, followed by hundreds of radiant beams crashing to the ground like a final curtain call. In just a single encounter, the battle was over.

Nira stood up. The battle had ended even faster than it took her to get back on her feet.

THUMP! THUMP!

Even though she had long suspected that the human protected by the Red Dragon might possess overwhelming strength, his actual display still exceeded all her expectations. Her heart beat helplessly faster. As a self-taught Mage, she was filled with longing and admiration for that effortless, masterful combat posture.

"So this is what a true Mage is supposed to look like?" she thought.

While she gulped nervously, Gauss, having swiftly concluded the battle, flashed to their side in the blink of an eye.

"Gather outside the mining valley first. I’ve already cleared out the demons along the way," Gauss said.

He offered no pleasantries or questions. Although he had been unconscious earlier, ever since he regained his senses over the past day, he had been able to vaguely use his Perception to sense the events happening outside. This included them taking shelter in the human settlement and the crisis brought about by his arrival.

The reason he hurried over here first was to protect these people. Although it was never his intention, some had indeed died because of him. The only thing he could do now was protect the remaining survivors of the tribe and lead them out of this perilous demon territory back to the Human Kingdom.

After his Intelligence surpassed 21 points and he awakened his Future Sight ability, Gauss’s confidence had grown substantially. However, his top priority right now was to reunite with Hephaestus and leave this Red Earth Land as soon as possible. While he didn’t fear Extraordinary Demons, he also saw no need to be besieged here. The danger of slaughtering Extraordinary Demons here was potentially even greater than on a frontal battlefield.

Hephaestus had actually sensed Gauss’s presence through Detection the moment he used the Fireball Technique. Soon, the dragon flew back to his side, letting out a low growl.

Gauss skillfully leaped onto Hephaestus’s back and patted its scales.

"Thanks for taking care of me all this time," he said gratefully.

If he hadn’t brought Hephaestus along, he might have died a hundred times over. The demonic aura it exuded had confounded their pursuers’ attention. Had it been any other human companion, they couldn’t have executed the retreat more flawlessly than Hephaestus did.

"And me! I helped give Hephaestus the idea," a voice echoed in Gauss’s mind. That voice belonged to the King of Slime, Eden.

It was Eden who had advised Hephaestus to venture deeper into the Jade Forest, cross the territorial border, and arrive in this Red Earth Land.

"Yes, thank you too, Eden."

On the surface, Gauss appeared to be all alone, but in reality, he still had companions by his side.

Hearing Gauss’s sincere gratitude, Hephaestus—who had just been about to grumble a bit—was left speechless. It merely whined, shaking its head to put on a "don’t mention it" attitude.