ALL NOVEL Arrogance
"I told you this guy is really behind the times, so get ready to be even more surprised," Ritta added.
I started to understand that Appa's statement was the harsh truth. The thin, transparent wall that was supposed to protect us easily cracked with just a few attacks from some of the remaining monsters.
I thought it would last at least three to four seconds... damn, everything has changed too much.
In order to make up for my mistakes and catch up with the rest, I had finished casting my next skill. My whole body was like electrically shocked, as in, there were literally sparks coming from the arrow that was ready on my bow.
"[Chain Lightning]," I murmured as I released my skill.
A monster struck by the lightning-elemental arrow instantly exploded and quickly spread its charge to all the enemies surrounding us. They were annihilated in an instant, right as the Magic Wall crumbled.
In this brief moment of silence, I couldn't escape the suspicious gaze of Appa next to me. Even though I didn't look back at him, it was clear he was curious about the bow I was using. But he restrained himself from probing further, and I truly appreciated his decision.
Being the first to move, I ran towards the wall and jumped high into the corner. The mini boss was already showing part of its head again from behind the spiral, and I wouldn't let this giant Alaskan worm have its way.
In the perfect moment, I released [Magic Javelin] that hit the side of mini boss’ face, causing it to fall. "Now's our chance!" I shouted.
Nomad and Subtle, who had arrived, immediately cast their support skills from behind. Apparently, I was their main target, as my MP regeneration increased while my body glowed.
"I really have so many questions."
"So do I."
Those who noticed that I was casting a magic skill while making certain movements would surely end up curious, just like the three of them. Instead of explaining it in detail, maybe it would be better to let them see it firsthand, just like what Ritta experienced yesterday.
"Here comes the minions," alerted Nomad.
Several small spirals formed and spewed out monsters of different sizes. It would be difficult to take down the mini boss while leaving these shrimps unattended. And if we took too long dealing with them, that cowardly catfish would retreat back into the spiral to hide. Thus, our time would be wasted.
"Your command, senior?"
Ritta's shout snapped me back from my reverie to reality. They had chosen me to be the leader, the decision-maker and party organizer. This is where my role must begin.
"Let's do some kiting and create a pincer movement with enemies on both our front and back sides," I began.
"Huh?"
“Say again?”
"Let the minions be behind us. Ritta will keep the aggro while Appa eliminates them. Nomad will alternate between two roles, and you know your role best," I said.
"Hey, hey, don't give me such hard tasks right from the beginning." Although Nomad said that, his expression had a completely different meaning. His enthusiasm alone was evident.
We did it immediately. After taking a few steps back and letting the enemies chase us, we broke through the crowd of monsters and returned to our previous position. In the end, there was a mini boss in front of us and the minions behind us.
"And why are you facing that way, Blue?"
"Hm, what do you think?"
While my comrades faced the minions, I was the only one with my back turned to them, facing the big worm that had started to become active.
My comrades were a little hesitant and confused. I was a mage, and it was clear where my weaknesses lay. It probably didn't cross their minds that I could face a boss-level enemy alone.
"Only two skills senior were used on the mini boss, as we can see its HP decreased not just in a small amount. That indicates magic attacks are highly effective against the worm," commented Ritta. "If we only focus all on these minions alone, we'll waste a lot of time."
"And remember, we haven't even entered the final boss room yet and we need to save as much time as we can," I added.
From the beginning, the goal of this conquest was to obtain the drop items from the final boss. If we failed to defeat it, our reason for attempting it would never be achieved. Even if we succeeded in defeating the final boss, there was no guarantee we would get the item on our first try. In fact, we were quite sure we would end up without it.
"Come on, senior can even fight ten unique monsters alone," added Ritta.
That... is a little different from what's happening now.
But continuing to be in this state of uncertainty won't bring any progress. I started and let them see how it would turn out later. It should be noted that the majority of my magic is area-of-effect, which has a fairly long cast time, but that doesn't mean I don't have a single-target playstyle.
I ran towards the side of the mini boss, and as soon as both of its eyes locked on me and part of its body wriggled, trying to swallow me, I released the bowstring and cast [Magic: Impact], pushing the big worm's body back.
"[Mana Recharge]," I muttered. Mana flowed around my body like a gentle breeze.
"Using a super long skill right in front of the mini boss?" Nomad seemed quite surprised, but his tone changed instantly. "Hey, hey, hey...how big is your INT?"
I was done casting Mana Recharge, and my MP was restored to a not insignificant amount. "Don't be shocked just yet," I replied. "[Maximizer]," I shouted. An instant green aura suffused my entire avatar and quickly disappeared, leaving me with a full MP bar of 100%.
Somehow, I feel quite arrogant and I couldn't help but smile at the moment. I know my teammates must be surprised; after all, I have never used this combo before due to its high requirements. But with the help of the new equipment set, albeit temporary, I was able to reach this level.