"Why are you two always so late?!" Erina stood in her pristine white robe, a small green pair of green gloves and a green scarf wrapped around her neck for this mission.
"Well..."
Asuka's face beca red as she gazed at Leonhardt, who had just strolled towards the gate. She looked back with a confident smirk.
"Asuka needed my help with sothing, and because I am such an excellent leader, I decided to aid her."
Sylvie's eyes narrowed into a cold, disgusted expression. She watched Leonhardt and stepped back, almost trembling her shoulders as if terrified of him. "What did you do?"
Leonhardt only smirked, making Sylvie more suspicious and confused at what Asuka and he had done together.
"Anyways... I'm glad you rembered to buy nature and poison resistance items, did you buy so antivenom?"
Erina placed both hands on her hips while biting her lower lip, chewing it in annoyance. Her green eyes pierced Asuka's face, and she turned away with her face blushing.
"Yes! We have it!" She answered with confidence.
Erina then showed the antidotes and antivenoms, with a confident look of her own. Sylvie had also brought extra potions and rations for the mission.
The biggest dangers of the death weavers were the webbing and the venom that their attacks could inject in a flash. Leonhardt didn't want to lose these young won because he would eventually have them running around and hunting monsters for him to build his reputation.
'Hmmm...'
"What about the bottles of liquid fire?"
These were common items—sotis, traders might have one or two. The small bauble of orange fluid sloshed with a slimy texture and sound. Normally, people would use it to scare away wolves when they lacked a guard or to protect themselves from insects and nature-type monsters.
'Ironically, this is made with the sap of a tree... I should see if the transford ember trees can produce it.'
"Understood, but listen to . Asuka, Sylvie, Erina. Put your lives first. Never jump in to save , prioritise yourselves. Do you understand?"
Leonhardt spoke in a stern, low voice, almost growling at the trio. His eyes narrowed into a sharp gaze, alternating between the three. "This is an order, as your leader."
At first Erina seed to hesitate, her lips pressing together as she clenched her fists.
'A person ant to save others being told to abandon them... does it make you angry, Erina?'
However, Leonhardt's stern gaze caused her body to tremble.
Her shaking arms gradually ca to a stop as she flicked her head away.
"I will," Erina finally added confidently.
"Mm." Sylvie nodded, still unsure why Leonhardt was so worried about the mission.
"I'll try..." Asuka answered, looking away and feeling embarrassed about answering honestly.
Leon could sense Asuka's reluctance—that's why he added the word order.
He couldn't afford for these young won to sacrifice themselves for him.
It would be too damaging to his ego, not to ntion a waste of ti since Leonhardt didn't need to worry.
'I'm immune to poison and venom after all...'
"Then let's set off."
"The spider cave is eastwards, through the forest," Sylvie said, holding a map and guidebook as they walked towards the village exit.
Their movents garnered countless strange and worried looks. So villagers struggled to hold back, watching them disappear into the green forest and ascend the mountains.
The Munat mountains are a beautiful place that Leonhardt scouted alone the night before. Small wolves and monsters lived in the lower forests.
However, the only creatures above and deeper in the mountains were the death weavers... lingering traces of webbing and dried corpses remained across the dry mountain path covered in vines and overgrown flora.
"This place... when did they last clear it out?"
Sylvie gulped and stepped behind Erina and Asuka, who both looked around the area with curious glances. They had never been here before, so everything was new to them.
"My skin keeps tingling, it's itchy as if sothing rubbed against ." Erina rubbed her cheek, a slight red patch of irritation appearing after she removed her hand."
"Be careful, the spiders line their webbing, no matter how old with venom, Erina, use the antivenom blessing on your cheek."
Leon's stern voice caused the priestess to gasp. Then she noticed slight bumps on her fingertips and a tingling yet numb sensation spreading through her face.
"!!!"
Erina quickly cast her blessing, a green light covering her face as she sighed with relief. Sylvie and Asuka stepped back from the surrounding area, observing for any sign of danger.
"This place is so hard to walk in..." Asuka comnted, climbing over the thick roots and cutting through the vines which spread like tentacles. The mountain terrain was treacherous, filled with rocks, cliffs and narrow spaces where people could slip.
Or rather... other creatures could linger for a sneak attack.
Woosh!
A black and silver spider lunged from the cracks, smaller than the death weavers Leonhardt recognised. It was rely the size of soone's foot, but still capable of injecting venom.
The small creature flung through the air, sharp, malevolent fangs oozing venom as it spewed sizzling webbing at Sylvie that glued her arms, stopping her spell while aiming to bite her.
"Ah?!"
"Sylvie?"
"Foolish."
Bang!
A dark bolt of fla shot through the air, bursting into smaller bolts like a shotgun, penetrating and tearing the monster apart. Leonhardt's Fire Bolt scorched the spider with a brutal pop, leaving only ash and the scent of burning flesh in the air.
He frowned as he watched the narrow space and snapped his fingers, casting Fire Wall, filling the small gap with an imnse black fla.
'Since I evolved, I can change the colour of my fla... Black, Purple, Blood Red and Blue.'
He wondered if the colour ant anything, before turning to face the pale-faced Sylvie. "Do not stand near the walls, let Asuka and I take the flanks, Erina, do you have sothing sweet, to help snap her out of shock?"
"I...I... should have known better." Sylvie muttered to herself, trying to calm down as she struggled to breathe.
"As a mage, you must keep a safe distance away from the enemy. You cannot be surrounded, nor can you let them co close, I know you wish to prove yourself, and show you do not need as a leader, Sylive..."
Leonhardt advised with a soft expression, offering his advice for Sylvie to grow stronger. He then stroked her hat, "...But if you get injured, that's sothing I wish to avoid."
[◊ Battle Complete ◊]
You have slain 1 False Weaver
• Gained 200 XP
• Gained 100 EP
• Gained 100 DP
The event stirred the entire group—they normally fought humanoid enemies or bandits... this was their first encounter with spiders with high levels of intellect and instinct.
"U-Understood..."
Sylvie's cheeks beca pink.
Although she acted harshly toward Leonhardt, it didn't seem to be hatred, at least not.
"Let's continue slowly. Ensure you look out for small webs, large webs, and anything else that a spider could use to hide and attack."
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
The group hiked up the mountain paths until they reached a cave—a large hole in the mountain surrounded by trees and shrubbery.
'Why didn't any death weavers appear?'
Leonhardt's eyes narrowed—even when he used his enhanced arachne eyes, nothing appeared... only the faint vibrations from this cave.
'It's not the brood mother's but still... my instincts warn of danger.'
He took a deep breath and prepared himself to enter.
anwhile, in a small bar nad "The Last Call" in the city of Astrea...
"So what exactly is this?" The middle-aged man sat behind the counter of a bar, staring at the bundle of cloth tied with rope.
"A mission, boss," a dirty hooded male with a mask covering his expression and face. Yet you could identify the man with his dull grey eyes, with a dull cloudy surface, if you paid attention.
The middle-aged man, who had a slim figure, was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. His beard was untrimd, and his hair was ssy, giving him a wild appearance.
"A mission for us? Strange... we retired, didn't we, Joker?"
"Haha, there is no retirent for assassin's Ace."
"Tsk..."
The bartender brushed his ssy golden hair back, revealing a pair of sharp but vibrant erald eyes. The face was quite beautiful and carried the aura of a holy mana.
"Who are the targets?"
"Hohoho~ to think such a handso man like you, working in this dingy bar used to be an arch priest..."
"Shut it Joker!" Ace slamd the bar, his lips deford in an angry snarl showing his fangs, his body flickering with a golden aura.
"Oh~ scary scary~ it was a joke, Ace. Can't you trust your old friend?"
"Heh... old friend."
'You dirty bastard.' Ace's eyes flicked to the wrapped item, and while pretending to pull a pint for the plump Joker in his mask and robe, he checked the code.
'Four targets... three won, one man... a dragonoid, a witch... a male warrior and a saintess candidate?! With golden hair and...'
Ace's eyes narrowed, snapping back at Joker, only to find the fat man already gone, with a sack of coins left on the counter.
"That clown bastard."
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