Chapter 50: I Want to Be With You Forever!

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: I Want to Be With You Forever!

The Rainbow Light Ring was a protective amulet given to Erin by her father.

As a Magic Ring engraved with Seven-Color Spray, its price was exorbitant. In the auction houses of major cities, it could fetch a sky-high price of around five hundred Gold Coins, which was nearly equivalent to the average annual income of a Baron.

It was worth every penny. Not only could it achieve instant casting—something regular Magic struggled to match—but it also inflicted Intimidation and blinding effects on its target.

In her desperation, Erin did the only thing she could. However, as a cave-dwelling Demon, the Rock-dwelling Salamander did not rely on vision to navigate. The dazzling colorful light struck the Juvenile Form, yet it merely interrupted its movements, causing it to freeze in place for a brief moment.

The very next second, its body sensed the faint, retreating vibrations on the ground.

At this moment, Erin was running toward the group with long strides. The extreme danger sent her heart racing. Cold sweat continuously seeped from her forehead, completely soaking the hair framing her face. The slippery, round gravel made her stagger. She hadn’t run far before she noticed the sound of something slithering tightly against the ground behind her.

Turning her head to look back, she saw a gaping maw lunging at her, so close she could even make out the visceral grease clinging to its teeth.

"It’s over..." she thought. Now that the moment had truly arrived, her terror vanished, as if she were detached from the unfolding events.

"No!" Anya watched the Demon pounce toward her best friend, her face fraught with despair.

Just then, a figure burst out from Rain’s Shadow. Taking two quick steps forward, tiny sparks of electricity suddenly flared at his fingertips.

Lorin’s Lightning Traction!

He had originally wanted to teleport directly into Anya’s Shadow, but perhaps because the distance was too great, Shadow Step couldn’t target her. He had to settle for the next best option and chose Rain, who was slightly closer.

Chains forged of lightning streaked across the night sky at incredible speed. The electric currents wrapped around Erin’s waist like vines and pulled her toward Lorin almost as fast as the Juvenile Form had lunged.

But this was not enough.

Lightning Traction would inflict overflow electrical damage upon her once they made contact. Given Erin’s frail physique, taking a direct hit would likely be unbearable. Fortunately, Lorin possessed a Magic Accessory—the Oath of Bones, obtained from killing the Dogman Scale Sorcerer earlier—which could project a force field Shield.

The activation phrase for the Necklace flashed through Lorin’s mind, and he shouted it almost subconsciously: "I want to be with you forever!"

The two collided in midair. Frenzy-like electrical currents exploded over Erin’s body, only to be blocked by the invisible Shield, scattering wildly in all directions.

Erin spun a half-turn in the air. In her peripheral vision, she could still see the Juvenile Form’s gaping jaws snapping shut precisely where she had just stood. Then, she heard that phrase ringing right next to her ear. As warm breath brushed against her cold earlobe, her mind went completely blank.

"Is this a Spell? No... how could there be a Spell like this? This must be the activation word for some Magic Equipment. Does this guy not even know how to attune? ...But what kind of damn activation word is this?" she thought.

Lorin held her tight as they rolled across the ground twice. The rocks scraped painfully against her back, but she could no longer feel it. Erin only felt her face burning up, her heart pounding even faster than when she was fleeing for her life.

"You..." she bit her lip.

"Pip, go help them!" Having finished their tumble, Lorin released the Red-haired Mage from his embrace and stood up briskly.

"Here I come!" Pip had already activated his Frenzy state the moment Lorin used Shadow Step. Having chugged a massive keg of ale, he was surging with manic excitement, gripping his Warhammer as he charged forward.

He smashed his hammer into the adult’s lower leg. Blistering flames instantly erupted from the hammer’s head. The heavily battered forelimb finally gave out with a crisp CRACK.

The adult Rock-dwelling Salamander shrieked and collapsed to the ground, unable to climb back up for the moment. But it didn’t go down without a fight; it began thrashing and rolling around wildly, making it difficult for the two besieging it to land a clean blow.

Taking advantage of the opening, Lorin strapped the Dragon Scale Round Shield onto his arm, drew Rusted Throat from his waist, and charged straight at the Juvenile Form. In the distance, the other two were still locked in combat with the adult. Without the Mage’s help, just holding their ground was an achievement in itself. Lorin didn’t dare let this Juvenile Form slip past him.

He knew he was no match for the adult Rock-dwelling Salamander, but when it came to a little tyke, Lorin felt plenty confident.

"Bring it on, you beast!"

He shoved his Shield right into the Juvenile Form’s face, batting it to the side. The Longsword in his hand danced up and down, executing a Continuous Slash with fluid grace. As the sword light flashed, Lorin felt remarkably sharp today. His Continuous Slash was actually nearing the speed of the Skilled tier.

"It seems it won’t be long before I become a Formal Professional..." he thought.

Not far away, Erin lay flat on her back across the gravel, staring up at the hazy night sky, her chest heaving violently. Turning her head, she watched Lorin’s back as he tangled with the Juvenile Form, her fingers unconsciously clutching her Mage Robe.

"...Idiot."

She didn’t stay on the ground for long. Pressing her palms against the dirt, she hoisted herself up, roughly tucked her vision-blocking hair behind her ear, and bent down to pick up her fallen Magic Staff. With the staff back in her hand, she finally regained a sense of security.

"Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?" Anya jogged over. First, she cast a Healing Skill, its warm light driving away the aches all over Erin’s body. Then, her hands patted her friend down to check for injuries.

"I’m fine. Go help them."

Anya followed her gaze and froze in astonishment.

Lorin had just dodged to the flank of the Juvenile Form Rock-dwelling Salamander. His Shield pinned its limb down firmly while the Longsword, Rusted Throat, thrust out from beneath the Shield, plunging deep into its body.

"SKREEE!"

The Juvenile Form let out an agonized scream and snapped its head around to bite, but Lorin had already circled behind it, smoothly delivering another stab to its hind leg joint.

The expression on Erin’s face quickly shifted from anxiety to utter disbelief. Baffled, she asked, "His... his Swordsmanship? Didn’t he say he was a Sorcerer?"

"...Maybe his main class is Warrior?" Anya watched Lorin weave around the Juvenile Form.

Although he looked quite clumsy wielding that Shield, he managed to use it to narrowly block attacks every single time while finding the exact right moments to counterattack. Every counterattack landed with precision on the exact same wound, widening it, deepening it, and causing the Juvenile Form’s movements to grow increasingly sluggish and feeble.

She recalled the words Lorin had spoken at the Government Affairs Hall: "As long as you get close enough, even a Caster goes down in one sword strike."

At the time, she assumed it was just blind luck. But looking at his Swordsmanship now, it was indeed not difficult for him to pull off.