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The Mist Vol 1 Chapter 12
🕑 Added 2024-07-22 07:54:49 +0000 UTCVol 1 Chapter 12
However, because there was a high possibility of users going into shock or becoming afraid of the game if they felt too much pain, they were made to feel only about 20 percent of the pain they should actually feel. Even at that level, having one's head cut off would feel like a throbbing ache, but the visual effect of pain couldn't be ignored.
The orc, seemingly judging itself to be at an advantage, growled and showed signs of striking at the slightest movement.
The situation was tense. He tried to move his right hand slightly to draw the circle of promise, but stopped when he saw the orc's eyes turn fierce. He knew he couldn't move as well as before due to lack of proper exercise since the accident, but this was really...
"Grrrr."
But he couldn't just stay like this forever. He kept an eye on the orc while slowly looking around. There was a spot to the right where trees grew particularly densely.
'That's it!'
He tensed every muscle in his body. If he could just run away through those trees that had grown like obstacles, buying time, the large-bodied orc would have difficulty following. If he could manage that, he could somehow find a chance to cast magic, even while running. But that was only if he managed to escape well...
And when the tension reached its limit—
'Now!'
While the orc was looking at him like prey already caught, he quickly threw himself to the right.
"Kraaah!"
The orc, momentarily dumbfounded, soon started chasing after him with a roar.
Thinking he had never run this fast in his life, he dashed between the trees, quickly drawing a circle in front of his body, pushing his arm through it, and shouted:
"Burn redder than blood, now! Pierce faster than time! Fire Bolt!"
Having managed to put some distance between them, he heard the thumping and roaring behind him as he ran zigzagging between the trees. As he completed the incantation, he imagined an arrow of fire that would burn like a crimson flame, quickly piercing and incinerating the orc. And when that image instantly solidified, he turned around and, looking at just one spot in the formula world before his eyes—the orc's heart—he thrust out his hand forcefully.
"Go!"
In that critical moment, the formula world immediately burned white-hot, and a large fire arrow flew towards the orc at tremendous speed. While watching the orc charging towards him, he struggled to focus his mind on sending the arrow straight to the heart, even while moving, to ensure it would pierce properly. It was extremely difficult to concentrate due to the orc's violent movements.
"Kugh...!"
Fortunately, however, the heightened concentration in the face of crisis began to gradually erase everything around him.
Just like in those old days.
'One shot.'
He had to hit it in one shot!
With his mind going blank, he sent the Fire Bolt towards the heart, pushing beyond his limits. But then—
"Skaga!"
Bang!
With a sudden shout from behind, the orc stopped for a moment. At the same time, the Fire Bolt he had sent exploded, hitting its target precisely. As the orc, with a hole in its heart, collapsed with a thud, charred by flames, the person who had helped him, previously hidden behind the orc, came into view.
"Huh?"
He looked surprised, and so was Kapros. To think that the blonde-haired thug he had met in the back alley earlier was the one who had helped him by stopping the orc's movement at the last moment. However, unlike Kapros, he approached with a purely happy expression.
"We meet again?"
"Ah..."
"What was that magic just now? Fire Bolt? That was some amazing control, wasn't it?"
"Why did you help me?"
Somewhat softened by the compliment about his control, as he was a mage after all, Kapros asked, and the man laughed a bit awkwardly.
"Ah. I didn't know it was you from a distance. It looked dangerous, so I just kicked it to stun it for a moment. But looking at it now, it seems you would have taken care of it well with your magic even if I hadn't kicked it. Sorry if I interfered."
In the past, he would have ignored him and walked away immediately, but he wasn't so cold-blooded as to turn away even from someone who had helped him. It's proper manners to express gratitude when receiving help.
"No... I'll say thanks. I owe you one."
"What debt? No need to exaggerate that much."
Surprised by the blonde's unexpectedly straightforward and easygoing attitude, he felt his first impression of him changing.
"Ah, anyway, you were ambushed too, right? I don't know how these orcs here are so good at hiding their presence. We were lucky it was just one, if there were two, we'd have to run away first thing."
Hearing those words, he recalled once again the chilling killing intent and attack of the orc he had just seen, and imagined what it would be like if there were two such creatures. Then, realizing that he had just come back from the brink of death, he finally began to doubt whether coming in alone so recklessly had been too rash a choice.
Belatedly checking, his health was only about 1/3 left. If he had been unlucky, even a slight graze might have killed him.
"By the way, seeing that you came to this forest alone, your level must be quite high... What is it?"
The blonde was now speaking casually quite naturally, but thanks to his changed impression and cheerful way of talking, it didn't feel as unpleasant as before. He was a bit surprised when he opened the window to check his level. Thanks to defeating the orc earlier, his level had already become 4.
"4."
"...What?"
To the blonde who asked back with wide eyes, he repeated once more.
"It's 4."
"Not 14, not 24... but 4?"
"Yeah."
"Really 4?"
Well, he admitted that coming here at level 1 had been a rash choice, but...
"Hahaha! This is really something. You're telling me you fearlessly entered the forest alone to hunt orcs at level 4? And as a mage with low health at that? I've seen it all now."
When someone speaks like that, it tends to provoke one's pride.
"I still defeated it though."
As Kapros glared at the blonde with an unpleasant feeling, he waved his hand with a grin.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're strong, you are. But hey, what's your name? I just realized I don't know it yet."
This casual attitude seemed to be his natural disposition.
