Chapter 402: Acid Fog Arrow

Anastina's assessment might have seemed crude, but fortunately, the Spore People were hardly a civilized race themselves. This allowed her to accurately predict their intentions.

Following an unintelligible, high-pitched war cry from one of the Spore People, a horde of them, each only as tall as Delaford, poured out of the village, howling as they charged Ron's squad.

Most of these Spore People fought without weapons, but when their hardened, dagger-like claws raked across the blade of Anastina's greatsword, they still sent sparks flying!

"They really are baby Spore People!" Delaford was thrilled to see the little guys. Faced with opponents his own size, the Goblin Hunter abandoned his shortbow, drew the short blade at his waist, and dove into the fray. His weapon was enchanted by a Strong Acid Gemstone; each cut left sizzling wounds on the Spore People's bodies that refused to heal.

"Looks like these guys are no different from mold on the ground!" the Ranger laughed, pressing his attack. His deep green cloak whipped about as he moved through the encirclement of Spore People, drawing dying wails from the plant-like creatures!

"Wither—" A black fog spewed from Silvia's staff. The Caster enveloped a large number of Spore People, concealing them within the magical mist. Though the Spore People possessed Dark Vision, they couldn't penetrate this magical gloom and dared not enter the cloud of Dark Magic. They could only watch as their kin, dragged into the fog, were drained of all moisture one by one, their bodies tossed out like dried branches and withered vines!

Compared to Silvia, the Grand Mage Jilannis was far more efficient. Eight rays of different colors shot from her hands, each one imbued with a unique power and effect. Aside from the yellow Lightning Bolt, which proved ineffective, the other rays instantly disintegrated any Spore Person they struck!

Ron fired off a volley of Strong Acid Arrows with his shortbow. He witnessed one unlucky Spore Person get hit by four rays at once from Jilannis's Rainbow Spray. By the time the spell ended, the creature had been utterly obliterated from the face of the earth.

Under the Mages' covering fire, the pressure on their companions in the melee up front was greatly reduced. However, the one-sided slaughter didn't last long. Sera crushed swathes of Spore People with her Grip of the Vast Wave, but as they launched desperate counterattacks in their death throes, the unarmored barbarian was quickly infected by Red Mould.

Once it had a foothold, the ferocious fungus grew rampant, multiplying rapidly across Sera's body. Some of it even seemed to have a mind of its own, actively spreading toward the barbarian's arms and legs in an attempt to stop her from fighting.

"Victoria! Where's your little sun!" Sera bellowed, feeling like she was being bitten by ten thousand leeches at once as she fought her way toward the Priest. "Dammit, the sun hasn't even set! What's the deal with it being overcast today?!"

'Wasn't Red Mould supposed to die in the light?!'

"Something's wrong with these Spore People and the spores they carry! Everyone, stay on your guard!"

Anastina kicked away a Spore Person in front of her. Gripping her greatsword in both hands, she let the blade swing in a graceful arc. Carried by its momentum, the unstoppable sword decapitated several surrounding Spore People. However, this only made room for more to surge forward; it was impossible to clear a lasting open space.

Worse still, as they watched in horror, the dismembered Spore People didn't die. Instead, each severed piece began to squirm. The Fungal Mat on the ground purposefully converged on the fragments. In the few seconds it took them to blink, each piece had reformed into an independent Spore Person and was charging them again!

"Now I get why they're so small!" Delaford exclaimed, startled by the bizarre sight. He hastily sheathed his dagger, using his small size to dart out of the Spore People's encirclement. He drew his bow and began firing arrows in rapid succession, refusing to play at close-quarters combat any longer.

"These creatures can regenerate, but it shouldn't be this fast! And they shouldn't be this strong!"

Jilannis watched helplessly as the Spore People she had burned, electrocuted, poisoned, and frozen got back up again and again. Aside from the few that had taken Strong Acid damage or been petrified by her spell, her massive area-of-effect Magic had been almost completely ineffective.

'This can't go on.' Ron watched their advantage slip away, eroded bit by bit by the Spore People's terrifying regeneration. Under this slow, grinding assault, they would eventually be worn down and killed. "Everyone, get clear! Aive, you especially—find an opening and get out now!"

Ron drew an arrow from his quiver, similar in make to his homemade explosive bolts. He nocked the fletching to the bowstring. This was a new design with a different payload, one he had only finished that autumn. He currently carried just twelve of them.

To distinguish it from the previous model, this arrow's fletching was dyed green, while the original's was red.

"I'm trying! You think I have a choice in the matter?!" Aive yelled in frustration. She threw her shield, its thin edge cleaving through the surrounding enemies like a great axe. Under her strained control, she, Anastina, and Victoria finally found a sliver of an opening and used it to distance themselves from the suicidal Spore People.

Sera had intended to withdraw from the battle as well, but a single sentence from Ron made her dismiss the thought:

"Don't move! Hold them down!"

Indeed, Sera didn't bother asking for a reason. Since the brains of the team had given an order, her only job was to obey.

'Would Ron ever do anything to harm her?'

"The perfect chance!"

Thanks to Sera, who single-handedly tied down the vast majority of the Spore People, Ron found his opening. The bowstring sang. The special arrow shot toward the barbarian, exploding precisely above her head.

The sickening stench of acid filled the air. A mist of aerosolized Strong Acid instantly enveloped the battlefield around Sera. Wherever the fog spread, no plant life—be it Fungal Mat, Spore People, or Thorny Beast—could escape. Within the acidic mist, they all shrieked as they met their end!

That included the stubborn Red Mould that had refused to leave Sera's body!

Of course, this was hardly an ideal tactic, and Sera took considerable damage as well. From within the ominous, yellow-green acid fog, the barbarian's earth-shaking roar echoed:

"Itchy, itchy, ITCHY! Dammit, I'm gonna claw my own skin off!"