Chương 8: Execution

"ROOOAAAR!!" The Mistwraith threw back its head and bellowed. Agony wracked its body. Its legs buckled, forcing the massive creature down onto one knee. It was exactly the opening Marcus had been waiting for. He stepped onto the monster's thigh, swung his round shield in a vicious arc, and smashed it straight into the Mistwraith's grotesque face. BANG! Half its skull caved in. A spray of red and white pulp burst outward. Dazed by the blow, its head lolled sideways, exposing its neck. Steel flashed through the mist.

Marcus's battle blade came crashing down. SLASH! The blade bit deep into flesh, sending black blood spraying. But the Mistwraith's weakened energy barrier was still functioning. The sword lodged halfway through its neck, refusing to cut any deeper. The monster's savage instincts exploded.

"RRRRAAAAGH!" Ignoring everything else, it twisted violently. Muscle and bone clamped down around the embedded blade. Marcus couldn't pull it free. Even worse— The sword itself began to bend under the impossible pressure. Both sides gritted their teeth, locked in a brutal contest of strength. Neither could afford to give an inch. But the blade was reaching its limit. If it warped any further, the steel would snap. The Mistwraith opened its jaws. Rows of pale, needle-like teeth filled its maw. Slowly...

Relentlessly... Its head crept toward Marcus. It intended to bite his head clean off.

"You damned monster!" Vaelis's eyes hardened. He ripped the curved blade from his belt and charged forward. At that exact moment— Zelier's second Fireball finished charging. The blazing sphere shot through the air and struck the wound in the Mistwraith's neck with pinpoint accuracy. BOOM!

"Beautiful!" Marcus's eyes lit up. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Flames erupted across the wound. Mana collided with the fading barrier, rapidly eroding what little remained. The final layer of protection vanished. Instantly. The resistance locking Marcus's blade disappeared. The Mistwraith froze. Even the savage grin on its face became motionless.

"DIE!" Marcus roared with every ounce of strength left in his body. The battle blade carved downward. It sliced cleanly through muscle. Severed the spine. Then burst out the opposite side. SHHK! The Mistwraith's head tumbled onto the forest floor. A fountain of foul black blood erupted skyward like a grotesque firework. Its enormous headless body swayed once... Then crashed to the ground. The Mistwraith... Was dead. The tension draining from his body all at once, Zelier collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

A translucent blue notification appeared before his eyes. [Your party has slain a Mistwraith (Juvenile).] [Large amount of EXP gained.] [Level Up!] [Lv. 2 → Lv. 3] Another level. Two levels in a single day. Four more attribute points. This time, Zelier didn't invest them into Spirit. Instead— [Intelligence +4] Intelligence: 66 → 70 The change was immediate. Mana responded more naturally to his thoughts. The Spell Matrix for Fireball suddenly seemed clearer and easier to comprehend.

At the same time, thanks to Intelligence's linked growth— [Charisma +1] Charisma: 45 → 46 After allocating his points, Zelier turned to his Talent Skills. Nothing new unlocked. Instead, another gray line of text appeared. [Requirement for Next Talent Skill: Become a Novice Mage.] On the Candia Continent, the official mage hierarchy was: Apprentice Mage → Novice Mage → Mid-tier Mage → Upper-tier Mage. Beyond Upper-tier Mage, mages chose specialized advancement paths, each mastering a different field of magic.

Every one of those figures stood among the continent's renowned powerhouses. Zelier... Was nowhere near that level. As for Novice Mage... He obviously wasn't one yet. I wonder if I even qualify as an Apprentice Mage... Mage certification existed independently from warriors, rangers, and rogues. The Adventurer's Association had no authority over it. Only the Mage Guild could evaluate mages and issue officially recognized mage badges.

Zelier looked toward the Mistwraith's enormous headless corpse and quietly let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully... It had only been a juvenile. And somehow, he'd managed to sense its movements ahead of time. Without those two strokes of luck... The outcome could have been very different. Marcus and Vaelis both collapsed onto the ground as well. The two men gasped for breath, their racing hearts slowly settling. The expressions on their faces said it all. They had survived by the narrowest of margins.

Zelier hurried over to Grey.

"Grey? How are you?"

"Still breathing..." His voice was weak. Grey had been lucky too. The Mistwraith's second attack hadn't struck his chest again. Instead, it had shattered his sword. The flying steel fragments had miraculously missed his eyes, throat, and every other vital point. Even so, deep cuts covered his face. Several jagged pieces of metal remained embedded in his shoulder, blood steadily flowing from the wounds. Vaelis pushed himself to his feet and knelt beside him.

"Don't move."

"Let me see." He tore away what remained of Grey's hardened leather armor and undershirt, exposing his chest. The Mistwraith's blow had been terrifying. Even at a glance, Vaelis could see the chest had partially collapsed inward. Several ribs were undoubtedly broken. Fortunately, the fragments hadn't punctured his lungs or other organs. Otherwise... Grey would already be dead. There were no open wounds across his chest. Yet blood continued to seep beneath the skin, forming a dark, spreading bruise.

Watching from the side, Zelier felt a chill run through him. If that thing had hit me... I'd be dead. There was nothing Vaelis could do about the internal bleeding for now. Instead, he focused on the metal fragments lodged in Grey's shoulder. Cleaning the wounds and stopping the bleeding came first.

"Zelier."

"Start a fire and heat the knife."

"Then bring the Firethroat Ale and the medical kit." Zelier hurried to carry out the instructions. Meanwhile, Marcus silently stood guard nearby, keeping watch for any further danger. Vaelis accepted the heated knife and blew gently across the blade.

"Bear with it."

"And don't scream." Grey managed to force out a crooked grin.

"Do I look like a lady to you?" Vaelis ignored him. Using the knife's tip, he carefully cut away the flesh pinning one of the metal shards in place before gripping the exposed edge. Grey's eye twitched violently. His entire body tensed. Seeing that, Zelier quickly stuffed a folded cloth into Grey's mouth. Vaelis tightened his grip. Then yanked. SHLK! With a sickening wet sound, the twisted fragment tore free. A jet of blood immediately followed.

"Mmph—AAAHHHH—!" Grey's whole body jerked violently. His scream was muffled by the cloth. By the end of it, the sound had somehow transformed into something that almost resembled hysterical laughter. For just a split second... Zelier could have sworn he saw the corner of Vaelis's mouth curl upward in satisfaction.