Chapter 137 - 136: What Are You Spacing Out For?
Chapter 137: Chapter 136: What Are You Spacing Out For?
"I see..." Instructor Lena nodded with understanding.
She had indeed heard of many similar cases.
Besides the Magic Scrolls publicly available on the market, there were many long-lost Magic Scrolls in the world created by ancient Grand Mages.
That Magic was often quite peculiar and, for various reasons, had not been passed down.
"What Level is it?" Lena asked.
"A Level Four Single-layered Spell Structure Magic," Zelir said.
"Oh... its effect is quite impressive, yet it’s only Level Four."
"If you have the time and energy, you might want to try engraving this Magic’s Spell Structure to sell. I’m sure it would fetch a very good price."
Instructor Lena said with a smile, "However, your current strength probably isn’t enough. You should take your time and try it on your own."
"That’s a good idea," Zelir nodded sincerely.
He’d had the same thought when he and Bev were creating the Magic.
Engraving Spell Structures to sell Magic Scrolls was a source of income for many Mages.
However, engraving common, commercially available Magic usually didn’t sell for much and was also time-consuming and laborious.
A spell like Fog Flowing Gauze, which was almost immune to physical kinetic energy, would certainly be very popular if he could engrave and sell it.
’I’ll give it a try after this Monster Hunting trip is over.’
As the squad advanced, the surrounding environment gradually began to change.
The air grew noticeably damp, carrying the stench of decaying aquatic plants.
The scenery shifted from a bright forest to a gloomy, oppressive swamp.
All signs indicated they were not far from the Cystic Poison Frog’s territory.
This type of Demon preferred to live in dark, damp environments.
The squad’s pace slowed.
Just then, Rivaya, who had been gone for a long time, appeared beside Leiden like a ghost, startling him.
"The Demon Creature Community is just ahead. Besides the leading Cystic Poison Frog, there are over a dozen ordinary Long-tongued Frogs."
"Oh..."
Leiden swallowed nervously.
He forced a calm response, then spoke with some hesitation.
"What... are the characteristics of these two types of Demons?"
After all, unlike Zelir, he had never been an Adventurer, spending most of his time in the Adventurer’s Association performing Meditation and studying.
Leiden was not familiar with the *Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Atlas*, so the traits of many Demons were unknown to him.
"The main one is the Cystic Poison Frog. It’s a Difficult Level Demon,"
Marcus explained patiently from the side.
"The Cystic Poison Frog spits acid, causing corrosive damage."
"But the most critical part is the two pus-like cysts on its back, which are filled with a highly toxic substance."
"During battle, the Cystic Poison Frog can take a sharp breath, combine it with the toxins from the cysts, and exhale a wide-area poison mist. If inhaled, your movements will be impaired."
"So we must prioritize destroying the cysts on its back with ranged attacks."
"As for the other Long-tongued Frogs, they aren’t as troublesome."
Marcus continued, "What’s noteworthy is that their tongues are long and powerful. When they shoot out of their mouths, it’s like a heavy blow."
"But their attack range is limited, so just be careful to dodge."
"Understood." Leiden nodded slightly.
He thought for a moment before speaking.
"Then, Marcus, you’ll draw the Cystic Poison Frog’s attention from the front."
"Rivaya, you’ll look for an opportunity to ambush the Cystic Poison Frog."
"Valles, you and I will focus fire on the cysts on the Cystic Poison Frog’s back first."
"And Gray..."
Leiden thought for a moment. "You’ll handle the Long-tongued Frogs. Just hold them off by yourself."
"Just me?" Gray blinked, a bit bewildered.
"Just you."
Leiden’s tone was firm. "It’s fine. We’ll come help you after we’ve taken care of the Cystic Poison Frog."
"Alright..."
Gray could only nod reluctantly.
"Understood," the others replied.
’Isn’t this asking a bit much of Gray?’ Zelir couldn’t help but think after hearing Leiden’s plan.
’Whatever, it should be fine.’
’In the Third Squad’s lineup, besides Captain Leiden, the other three Magic Apprentices are Riley, Isaac, and Mili. At least on paper, these three are stronger than the Magic Apprentices of the Fourth Squad, since Riley is not far from becoming a Junior Mage.’
’I became a Junior Mage with ninety-four Intelligence. By my standards, Riley should probably have close to ninety Intelligence.’
’If they provide some ranged Magic support for Gray, he should be able to barely hold on.’
A chorus of loud, dense "CROAK CROAK" calls from frogs echoed through the wetlands.
Through the hazy mist, they could vaguely see numerous dark figures ahead, hopping about ceaselessly in the muddy water.
The squad advanced cautiously, and finally, the entire Demon Creature Community came into view.
In the center of a wide mud pit, a toad the size of a small carriage lay in the murky water.
Its skin was a sickly deep purple, its body abnormally huge, and the gnarled muscles beneath its thick hide looked full of explosive power.
The most disgusting part was the two enormous, pus-like cysts growing on its back.
The viscous fluid inside sloshed slightly, and at its throat was a Sound Bag that could inflate like a balloon.
[Tier 47]: Cystic Poison Frog.
Surrounding it were over a dozen smaller Long-tongued Frogs.
But "smaller" was only relative to the Cystic Poison Frog; each Long-tongued Frog, taken individually, was about the size of a hunting dog.
[Tier 5]: Long-tongued Frog.
The moment he saw the targets, Leiden’s heart leaped into his throat.
’Why are all these Demons so disgusting...’
He composed himself, then, mimicking how Zelir had looked when facing the Goblin Community, prepared to land a beautiful preemptive strike.
"Valles!"
Leiden lowered his voice. "Aim for the cysts on its back! We attack together!"
"Right," Valles nodded.
An Arrow was nocked to the bowstring, and Thunder Fighting Qi began to gather around it.
On the other side, Leiden also raised his Magic Wand, a blue light glowing at its tip.
The Arcane Missile and the Thunder Arrow finished charging and were unleashed simultaneously.
Two beams of immense energy tore through the mist, surging forward!
"BANG! BANG!!"
Two huge explosions rang out at almost the same time!
Valles’s Thunder Arrow successfully struck one of the cysts on the Cystic Poison Frog’s back.
A large amount of venom splattered out, causing the giant frog to let out a pained screech.
But Leiden’s Arcane Missile, due to his excessive nervousness, had a slight deviation in its Magic Power control.
He missed.
The Arcane Missile grazed past the Cystic Poison Frog’s cyst, merely blasting a small wound in its thick flesh.
"CROAK! CROAK!!!"
The sudden attack instantly startled the entire frog swarm.
They came leaping toward the squad like a tidal wave!
’Sigh...’
Marcus sighed internally, knowing the best opportunity to destroy the cysts had passed.
’How could he miss a shot like that?’
Marcus raised his Shield and shouted.
"Engage!"
The battle instantly descended into chaos.
Valles and Leiden kept trying to attack again, wanting to destroy the remaining cyst on the Cystic Poison Frog’s back.
But after being hit once, the frog’s massive body was constantly twisting and jumping, making it difficult for them to aim.
"Marcus! Hold the line!" Leiden shouted anxiously.
"I’m trying!" Marcus roared in response.
He was currently standing alone at the front of the squad, desperately holding all of the Cystic Poison Frog’s attention.
The giant frog repeatedly spat viscous acid, but Marcus, with his rich experience, sidestepped to avoid it each time.
When he couldn’t dodge, he had no choice but to concentrate his Fighting Qi into his Shield, forming a barrier to barely block the attack.
The continuous SZZZZZ of sizzling could be heard as the surface of his Shield corroded, emitting puffs of white smoke.
Rivaya, off to the side, couldn’t even find an angle for a surprise attack, because he had to be careful not to get hit by friendly fire from Leiden’s or Valles’s ranged attacks.
Meanwhile, Gray was in an even more pathetic situation.
Leiden had told him to hold off the smaller monsters by himself, and as a result, he was now entangled with over a dozen Long-tongued Frogs alone.
These things weren’t like the clumsy Earth Monster Servants or goblins; their jumping ability was strong, and they moved freely in the mud.
Powerful tongues would suddenly shoot out from tricky angles, striking like heavy whips.
Gray was forced to dodge frantically within a tiny area, without even room to swing his sword to counterattack. The situation was perilous.
The three Magic Apprentices acting as backup weren’t being much help either.
Among them, only Riley could cast a decent Fireball or Wind Blade, barely helping Gray draw some fire and maneuver.
Isaac and Mili’s Casting was extremely slow. Their Magic either missed the target or simply failed to charge due to their panic.
The Cystic Poison Frog used a wide-area acid attack to force back the relentless Marcus.
Then it took a deep breath, and its throat and belly swelled rapidly!
Seeing this, Marcus’s pupils shrank.
"It’s about to release its wide-area poison gas!"
Watching from the rear, Zelir frowned.
’If Leiden’s Arcane Missile hadn’t missed earlier and had destroyed both cysts, this terrible situation wouldn’t be happening at all...’
"What do we do? What do we do?! Should we retreat first?!"
Seeing the poison mist about to be released, Leiden, the squad captain, felt his mind go blank.
He was in a complete panic, even forgetting he could cast Magic.
But there was no time left for him to hesitate.
The Cystic Poison Frog opened its huge mouth, and a deep purple gas, as thick as ink, spewed out.
The poison mist surged toward the squad like a rolling tide.
"What are you spacing out for?!"
Zelir, watching from behind, finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted.
"Leiden, use the Vortex Skill to blow away the poison mist!"
"Oh...!" Startled awake by the sharp shout, Leiden finally reacted.
’The Vortex Skill... I know that one too.’
Facing the overwhelming poison mist, Leiden hastily raised his Magic Wand and poured all his Magic Power into it.
Vortex Skill!
Currents of air streamed from the tip of the wand, and the wind suddenly intensified.
But...
He blew it in the wrong direction.