Chapter 92

The hunting party had been traveling and stopping intermittently over the past two days, enjoying the scenery and hunting a good amount of game along the way. Xiona displayed archery skills that were no less impressive than those of a ranger, while Gaodun, using his bow, managed to harvest several fat snow hares and a wild deer.

Of course, his archery was very poor. The reason he could hit his targets with such accuracy was that he had learned a first-level divination school spell, "Guided Shot."

Although the main purpose of the trip was to enter the Danze Ruins, they should still enjoy the pleasure of hunting when the opportunity arose.

Gaodun and Xiona rode their warhorses through the forest. Having been educated by their knightly father from a young age, their horsemanship was excellent. Moreover, Faria, riding her massive frost bear, plowed through the forest like a bulldozer, clearing the way for the Freeman siblings.

Soon, Gaodun heard cries for help and the roars of beasts coming from ahead.

Roar!!

A thunderous roar rolled through the forest, stirring the air. Gaodun's heart sank as he realized the beast was not an easy opponent.

Suddenly, a metallic shadow flew backward from ahead, passing over Faria's head and directly toward Gaodun.

Upon closer inspection, it was a human wearing a silver breastplate.

Gaodun quickly cast three "Tenser's Floating Disk" spells in rapid succession.

Transparent disc-shaped force fields appeared one after another behind the flying human, dissipating the force. The warrior, who had expected to be severely injured, landed softly on the ground covered with decaying vegetation and let out a sigh of relief.

He quickly regained his composure and said to Gaodun, who was on horseback, "By Bahamut, powerful mage sir, you saved my life!"

Gaodun glanced at the dark-faced, bearded warrior and noticed that his breastplate had been dented by a massive paw, with several claw marks tearing through the thick steel armor, even damaging the inner lining and exposing white cotton.

The ability to concentrate and cast three first-level spells in rapid succession while on a galloping horse indicated a high level of spellcasting proficiency and focus. Gaoden was satisfied with his recent progress in spellcasting.

However, he first needed to deal with the current problem.

"What kind of monster did you encounter?" Gaodun asked.

A beast that could send a fully armored warrior flying so far was clearly not an easy opponent.

The dark-faced warrior smiled bitterly. "A strange giant winter wolf. You'll understand how strange it is when you see it. Even though you are a powerful mage, you should still be careful."

Gaodun nodded. "Understood. Go back and inform Lady Bishop."

He and Xiona spurred their horses forward, passing a massive eucalyptus tree, and immediately saw Faria, riding Flameclaw and wielding the massive mace called "Glacial Nova," battling a giant wolf.

The snow-white canine, as large as an elephant, had fur like withered hay, exuding a decaying aura. Its eyes were murky and black, indistinguishable between pupil and sclera.

Gaodun noticed that the giant wolf's left front paw was abnormally large, resembling a fiddler crab's claw, looking extremely disproportionate. On that massive paw, several ugly growths covered with hard scabs made it look even more repulsive.

"Brother, this is a corrupted creature!" Xiona's expression was serious, her back straight as she drew the two long swords, Dragon's Voice and Purple Lightning, from her back.

From the various stories Gaodun had heard from adventurers about the Danze Ruins, the term "corrupted creature" was frequently mentioned.

The creatures living in the Cold Fog Mountains, after mistakenly entering the dangerous fog area of the Danze Ruins, were infected by chaotic and violent magical energy, causing them to not only change in temperament but also undergo physical mutations.

The ugly front paw of the giant wolf before them was a vivid example.

Although corrupted creatures had undergone physical mutations and lost their intelligence, their combat and destructive power had increased exponentially, making them a significant challenge for adventurers. It was rare for a corrupted creature to wander so far from the Danze Ruins, like this giant wolf.

At that moment, Faria's "Glacial Nova" swung in the air, gathering momentum before smashing down on the giant wolf. Gaodun was amazed at the immense strength her not-so-muscular arms could generate.

Clang!

The mace struck the giant wolf's back. Gaodun estimated that even a fully grown earth drake would suffer severe spinal damage from such a blow, unable to rise. However, the corrupted giant wolf, hit by the ice-crystal-laden mace, emitted a metallic sound.

The giant wolf's body shook slightly, and it exhaled a breath before extending its massive paw to strike Faria.

Faria's mace was heavy and had a wide range, making it powerful but slow to retract. After her initial attack failed, she was slow to defend against the giant wolf's counterattack.

Faria's thin lips tightened, and she let out a shout. Her unique power, "Ice Burst," exploded around her body, creating a bone-chilling frost storm that halted the giant wolf's attack. The creature, having lost its intelligence due to the chaotic energy, instinctively sensed the danger and leaped backward, avoiding most of the attack.

The giant bear Faria rode also seemed to sense the danger, stepping back to maintain a safe distance.

A standoff ensued.

The daughter of Duke Robert did not show any fear after her failed attack. Her eyes burned with excitement, and she lightly licked her lips.

"Brother, let's help Miss Faria," Xiona could no longer wait. She lightly leaped onto the saddle, then crossed her swords in front of her chest, assuming the starting stance of the Freeman family's ancestral sword technique, the Dragonbone Island Battlefield Sword Technique.

Whoosh!

Gaodun saw a blur, and Xiona disappeared from the saddle.

This was Xiona's recently awakened power, "Blink."

This power was similar to the fourth-level transmutation spell "Blink" used by mages. Those who mastered this power could use the Ethereal Plane as a conduit for short-range teleportation, even switching between the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane to dodge enemy spells and physical attacks.

In less than half a second, Xiona reappeared behind the giant wolf, her swords slicing through the dark forest, leaving trails of silver light.

Clang! Clang!

The swords struck the giant wolf's back, emitting a metallic sound. Although the swords themselves did not cause substantial damage, the magical energy attached to them had an effect.

First, the sound wave released by Dragon's Voice made the giant wolf's fur stand on end, and Gaodun even heard the sound of something breaking inside its body. Then, a writhing energy snake emerged from the tip of Purple Lightning, crackling as it burrowed into the corrupted creature's body.

This attack caused irreparable damage to the giant wolf's internal organs. The deformed beast roared in pain and turned to attack the human who had ambushed it from behind.

Xiona, however, disappeared again, using her Blink to dodge the attack.

When she reappeared, she was standing beside Faria.

Gaodun immediately released the Blade Golem and directed it to charge at the increasingly enraged giant wolf. Then, he took out his spell components from his robe, chanted incantations, and cast a series of buff spells on Faria and Xiona.

He had to give his all in this battle. If anything happened to Faria, he would have a headache explaining it to the lord. If Xiona got hurt, he would be heartbroken.

Interestingly, after a few days of interaction, Xiona and Faria had become good friends. Birds of a feather flock together. Xiona was a well-known young swordswoman in the Bluewater City Adventurer's Guild, and Faria was also a formidable warrior with a deep respect for strength, typical of the Orlandos people. It was natural for them to become friends.

With buffs like Cat's Grace, Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, Haste, and Combat Reflexes, the two girls' combat abilities were greatly enhanced. They worked together, with the Blade Golem engaging the giant wolf head-on, quickly gaining the upper hand.

Gaodun also stood nearby, occasionally casting spells to attack the giant wolf.

He took a handful of fine sand from his pocket, chanted an incantation, and gestured, sending a series of deep green light points toward the giant wolf.

After being hit by the spell, the giant wolf only shook its head, showing no change.

"The Sleep spell failed. It seems corrupted creatures have strong resistance to mind-affecting spells," Gaodun muttered to himself.

Although many creatures in the Telos world were similar to those in "The Ancient Era," this was the first time Gaodun had encountered a creature corrupted by magical energy.

The adventurers in the Adventurer's Guild were vague about the specific abilities of corrupted creatures. Therefore, Gaodun had to learn about their characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses on his own.

After all, he would definitely encounter many corrupted creatures when he ventured into the Danze Ruins. In the game, he could find detailed information about monsters on the official forum, but now, he had to rely on himself.

Next, Gaodun continuously cast Melf's Acid Arrow, Magic Missile, Fire Arrow, Mercury's Light, and Hailstorm at the corrupted giant wolf. He used all the energy-based evocation spells he knew, carefully observing the effects of each spell.