Translator: CinderTL The greatest difference between demonic beasts and ordinary wild animals lies in whether their bodies contain mana.
Demonic beasts, influenced by unnatural forces, take on bizarre forms and develop a wide array of unpredictable special abilities, making them incredibly difficult to understand.
Moreover, some of these special abilities can be so devastating that they cause “first-sight kills,” making them nearly impossible to counter.
If an adventurer team encounters a demonic beast without sufficient intelligence, their mortality rate skyrockets.
It is precisely for this reason that the Adventurer’s Association has invested heavily in compiling the Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Compendium.
This compendium meticulously records every demonic beast encountered by teams, detailing their physical characteristics, habits, special abilities, and core weaknesses.
The compendium also utilizes the most advanced Rune Transcription Technology.
When an entry is updated at one branch of the Adventurer’s Association, all other branches’ copies automatically sync with the latest information.
Furthermore, the Adventurer’s Association has implemented a reward system.
Anyone who provides information about a new demonic beast receives a reward based on its threat level, starting at a minimum of three gold coins.
However, this reward system has also given rise to various bizarre schemes to defraud the association.
For instance, some teams would solemnly claim to have discovered new demonic beasts like the “Harpoon Goblin,” “Straw Hat Goblin,” and “Necklace Goblin,” causing the Adventurer’s Association staff considerable headaches.
Based on the demonic beasts’ threat level, the Adventurer’s Association had developed seven tactical tiers: Simple, Difficult, Challenging, Dangerous, Brutal, Boss, and Supreme.
Above Supreme were the Legendary tier of demonic beasts, among the most powerful on the Candia Continent.
However, there was no point in documenting such creatures; encountering one was as good as dying anyway.
The mist demon was classified as Challenging.
This meant it could easily kill adventurers and, if handled improperly, would likely result in casualties.
A meticulously planned strategy targeting its weaknesses was essential.
The low growls continued unabated, and the surrounding mist grew thicker.
This dangerous situation was beyond anything they had anticipated.
The group had only intended to take on some simple jobs for extra cash, but they had suddenly encountered a Challenging-tier demonic beast.
The packs on their backs clattered to the ground.
“Should we run?” Gray murmured.
Hearing this, Zellier also felt a surge of tension.
He instinctively scanned their surroundings.
The thick fog made it impossible to discern any direction.
Moreover, he was completely unfamiliar with the terrain.
If they tried to flee, their chances of survival would be practically zero.
“Why run?
Prepare to face the enemy!” Marcus braced himself, shield in his left hand and blade in his right, his brow furrowed as he quickly devised a strategy.
“I’ll take the front line.
Gray, you support me from the rear.
Vales, act as the situation demands.
Zellier, you’re the only one in the squad who can break the mist demon’s energy barrier.
When we’re engaged in combat, find an opportunity to unleash your magic!” “Understood…” Zellier nodded slowly.
The dense fog and the unknown monster made his palms sweat.
The pressure he felt was far greater than the night before.
With such a heavy burden on his shoulders, it was difficult for Zellier not to feel nervous.
If he failed, the entire squad could be wiped out.
He wasn’t sure how strong the energy barrier that blocked physical attacks actually was…
What if he couldn’t break it?
Zellier suddenly felt grateful for choosing to increase his spirit attribute.
At least it would make his fireball spell more powerful, right?
The squad’s formation began to shift.
Marcus took the front position, on guard.
Gray positioned himself behind and to his right, while Vales took up a similar position to his left.
Zellier stood at the center.
Visibility had dropped to about five or six meters, and the stench of blood lingered in the air.
In the Graywood Forest at dawn, a deadly battle was about to unfold!
Marcus moved slowly forward, his three companions maintaining a tight formation behind him, their discipline unwavering.
It was like a game of eagles and chicks.
According to the monster compendium, the mist demon’s power was terrifyingly formidable.
Only Marcus, armed with his shield, stood a chance of resisting it.
If the mist demon breached their formation from any other direction, a bloody massacre would surely follow.
The mist in the front right suddenly churned.
Marcus’s keen senses detected the movement.
“Alert!” The mist demon finally appeared.
The dense fog tore open, revealing the massive, twisted creature in its entirety.
The stench of blood intensified tenfold, making the air nauseating.
Witnessing the mist demon’s true form, Zellier felt his breath catch in his throat.
It was a creature that should only exist in the nightmares of horror authors.
The mist demon stood at least two and a half meters tall, like a giant, flayed beast.
And its face…
was it smiling?
Blood seeped and dripped continuously from its body.
Gray-black muscle fibers knotted into grotesque bundles, and bulging veins coiled like a nest of snakes.
Wild wolf heads were haphazardly embedded across the mist demon’s back, their empty eye sockets still locked in the grotesque grimaces of their final, agonizing howls.
Yet the most unsettling feature was the shimmering, indistinct aura enveloping the creature’s body.
Its energy barrier rippled like water, distorting its overall silhouette.
The terrifying sight struck Zellier with such force that he momentarily struggled to control his actions.
“Zellier!
Snap out of it!” Marcus roared, jolting him from his stupor and charging forward first.
Awakened by Marcus’s shout, Zellier shook his head vigorously.
I can’t falter now!
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he began to gather magic.
Mana from his sea of consciousness surged forth, flowing according to his will!
Marcus met the fetid wind head-on with his round shield.
Clang!
The mist demon’s immense force sent Marcus staggering back several steps, his shield-bearing arm trembling uncontrollably.
The mist demon roared and charged forward again.
Its left hand had already mutated into three massive claws, their pale, chitinous surface stained with dried blood.
Another head-on clash!
Marcus ducked low, simultaneously raising his round shield.
Screech!
The claw strike nearly tore through the outermost layer of the round shield!
Wood chips flew, and even the iron banding around the edge was partially ripped away.
Fortunately, the blacksmith’s craftsmanship was solid; he hadn’t cut corners.
Otherwise, Marcus would have been forced to take the full force of the blow with his body.
“Die!” Another figure suddenly materialized beside him.
Gray seized the mist demon’s slight halt in between attacks, lunging forward with a thrust aimed at its waist.
But a bizarre scene unfolded.
When the blade touched the mist demon’s energy barrier, it sank in as if stabbing cotton, losing all momentum and freezing in place.
Gray’s eye twitched violently as he sensed imminent danger.
Without even turning its head, the mist demon simply swung its arm.
The thick, armored limb slammed into Gray’s chest with brutal force!
Crack!
Gray’s expression froze as the hardened leather chest plate buckled inward.
He spat a cloud of blood and was sent flying backward, rolling several times before coming to a halt.
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