Chapter 58: The Feeling of Double Happiness

Needless to say, magic requires extreme concentration and precise incantation to be cast.

Generally speaking, the higher the output power of the magic, the longer the incantation, and the more precise control the caster must exert to prevent the gradually transforming magical power from going out of control, leading to a failed spell or a magical misfire, harming oneself before harming others.

Therefore, whether it's a mage or anyone else, when using magic, they invariably stand still, focusing on the incantation to prepare for the spell.

However, there are experts who can cast spells while taking other actions.

They can multitask, handling both incantation and combat, transforming into mobile artillery platforms that calmly and steadily burn their enemies to ashes.

This skill of multitasking, casting spells while fighting, is called parallel incantation.

Those who can skillfully use this technique are extremely rare even among high-level adventurers.

This dangerous skill, akin to defusing a bomb with both hands while fighting, is known to be incredibly difficult to master.

But once this incantation technique is mastered, even a rear guard mage who usually needs many people to protect them can become a mobile artillery platform that roams the battlefield, becoming a nightmare for the enemy.

Now, in front of the members of Loki's Family, there was such a formidable existence demonstrating this skill.

"【Arc Ray】!"

When Rigel once again dodged a stream of dissolving liquid with astonishing speed and cast the completed spell, blasting a worm, the high-ranking members of Loki's Family were already numb.

Rigel handled four actions simultaneously—attacking, dodging, moving, and incanting—without any sign of disorder, calmly firing the spells one after another, hitting one worm after another.

This scene, not to mention others, even Riefa, who had been in a team with Rigel, was stunned.

Such proficient, calm, steady, and versatile parallel incantation, even Riefa had only seen in Rivelia.

Thanks to this, Rigel alone overwhelmed the worm monsters rushing forward like tanks, causing explosions to continuously appear at the entrance, turning the ceiling and walls into debris that piled up.

"Ah—!"

The worm monsters, enraged and screaming, were not only forced back by the grand explosions but also hindered by the piled-up debris.

"Debris?"

Seeing this, Finn's eyes lit up.

"I've got it!" Finn shouted to Rigel: "Rigel! Aim above!"

Hearing this, Rigel paused for a moment, then immediately understood Finn's meaning.

"【Arc Ray】!"

Rigel ran like the wind, dodging streams of dissolving liquid, and cast the short incantation spell he had used countless times.

"Boom—!"

The light arrow with tracking properties did not hit the monsters but hit the ceiling, shattering it into pieces.

Thus, countless pieces of debris fell, crashing to the ground.

They gradually piled up into a massive stone heap, blocking the entrance.

"Ah—!"

The worm monsters screamed, trying to rush forward, but failed.

The falling stones eventually completely blocked the entire entrance, trapping the worm monsters on the other side.

The rumbling gradually diminished and soon disappeared completely.

"Yay!"

Tiona cheered.

"Leader!"

Tione ran towards Finn.

"Did it work?"

Gryse sighed in relief.

"Finally got rid of those disgusting things."

Bert spat.

Only Ais ran towards Rigel.

"Are you okay?"

Ais stared at Rigel, asking.

"I'm fine."

Rigel shook his head, putting Riefa down with a normal expression.

"Mr. Rigel, here."

Riefa quickly rummaged through her backpack, took out a spirit recovery potion, and handed it to Rigel.

This was an instinctive action.

In Riefa's view, Rigel had just cast so many spells, and his spirit energy must be nearly depleted.

"Ah"

Only after handing the potion did Riefa remember that Rigel might not need a spirit recovery potion.

With the highest-level "Healing" ability, even such reckless spell casting would not deplete his spirit energy.

This made Riefa a bit embarrassed, unsure whether to continue handing the potion or take it back.

"Thank you."

Rigel smiled, took the spirit recovery potion from Riefa without refusing.

"Mr. Rigel"

Riefa looked at Rigel with admiration and gratitude.

Indeed, Mr. Rigel, like Miss Ais, appears cold on the surface but is actually very gentle and considerate!

The elf girl glanced at Rigel and then at Ais, feeling a sense of double happiness.

At this moment, Finn and the others arrived.

"Is everyone okay?"

Finn looked around at everyone.

Everyone shook their heads, except for Bert, who grinned.

"We had a close call, but this guy is probably about to give up."

Bert was referring to Raul, whom he was carrying on his back.

"Ugh"

Raul groaned unconsciously, still smoking and smelling terrible, looking very pitiful.

"Why didn't you help him?"

Tiona was anxious.

"Riefa, the universal potion."

Tione urged Riefa.

"Here!"

Riefa immediately took out the universal potion from her backpack.

"Give it to me."

Gryse took it, uncorked the bottle, and poured the potion over Raul.

"We've lost all our equipment." Finn shook his head. "Raul is our support member. He was drenched in the dissolving liquid, and everything he was carrying was instantly dissolved."

"Everything?" Tione was stunned.

"Exactly." Bert gritted his teeth. "Not just equipment, even weapons were dissolved. That disgusting monster is a nightmare for close combat."

Upon closer inspection, neither Finn, Gryse, nor Bert had any weapons left.

Especially Bert, whose feet were still smoking, clearly indicating that his iron boots had been completely dissolved.

"Thank goodness I didn't rush in to attack them."

Tiona was sweating coldly.

Even Rigel's eyes twitched.

There was no way around it.

After all, the weapons used by Finn and the others were not ordinary. Each was almost top-tier, with a market price of at least a hundred million faris.

Now, they were all dissolved, and the cost was enormous.

If they hadn't lost their weapons, getting splashed with the dissolving liquid while cutting the monsters would have left them half-dead on the spot, and Finn and the others wouldn't have fled so desperately.

"This time, I was careless." Finn reflected. "If we had a mage in the team, the situation would have been much better."

To deal with those worm monsters, one had to use long-range attacks like Rigel.

Otherwise, once they got close, the weapons would be dissolved, and injuring the enemy would also injure oneself, making it impossible to fight.

Finn's mistake was not having a mage in the team, leaving them helpless against the monsters.

"Thanks to you, Rigel." Finn changed his mood, looking at Rigel. "You really have mastered parallel incantation to perfection."

Rigel smiled slightly, remaining calm at Finn's praise.

Indeed, parallel incantation is a high-level technique, but the core secret of this technique is only one thing.

That is, maintaining a calm mind.

As long as one's mind is calm enough to remain composed in danger, parallel incantation is not particularly difficult and can be mastered with practice.

Rigel had a natural advantage in this regard.

He never panicked or became nervous in the face of imminent danger; instead, he became more excited and energized.

Therefore, what others saw as a high-level technique, Rigel almost naturally understood on his own.

This made Rigel not feel particularly proud of completing parallel incantation, even when praised by Finn and looked at with admiration by others.

Compared to that—

"Let's head back to the camp quickly."

Rigel was more concerned about the situation there.

Finn understood Rigel's meaning.

"Is there danger there?"

Finn's expression became serious.

"Is the camp in danger?"

The others were all shocked.

In this situation, Rigel simply said,

"I have a bad feeling, like something will happen there."

This was, of course, a way to deflect.

In fact, Rigel was certain that something had happened at the camp.

Loki's Family's expedition encountering a new species of monster, being attacked by these enhanced variants that could even devour strong dragons, was a situation that had occurred in the original story.

After confirming that this expedition was the one mentioned in the original story, Rigel was almost certain that the camp had also been attacked by the new species of monsters.

"Really?"

Bert was skeptical.

"Will these monsters go to the safe floors, climbing from the 51st to the 50th floor?"

Tiona couldn't even imagine it.

"Enhanced variants have a pathological desire for magic stones, so they often cross floors to devour monsters and strengthen themselves or attack adventurers carrying magic stones. We've collected many magic stones on our way, and they are all piled up at the camp."

Tione's words, biting her nails, made everyone's hearts sink.

"Stop talking." Finn said sternly. "My thumb is already aching. Let's head back immediately."

Everyone nodded in unison.

Without a word, they all started running.

"Hisss!"

At the same time, the stone heap blocking the entrance was emitting black smoke, gradually dissolving, revealing the bodies of yellow-green worms.

A race against time, a matter of life and death, was about to begin.

New book, seeking support! Seeking recommendations! Seeking collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)