Volume 9, Chapter 35 – Fierce Battle in the Forest

“Red, I’m going to use [Eye of Exploration]. Don’t stray too far from me during this time.”

“Yeah, I know. Same as always: you attack, I protect you.”

Gripping the staff inlaid with ‘Demon-Breaking Agate,’ Purple closed her eyes. As a faint blue light gathered at the tip of the staff, a giant eyeball formed entirely of magic power appeared above the forest.

[Eye of Exploration] was a Tier 2 detection spell, similar to [Eye of Protection], both creating a floating eye above the head to survey the surroundings. However, unlike [Eye of Protection], the white eyeball created by [Eye of Exploration] could be noticed by enemies. Furthermore, [Eye of Exploration] could only look down from above and couldn’t perceive the surroundings omnidirectionally like [Eye of Protection]. This meant if enemies hid under the tree canopy or moved higher than the Eye, they couldn’t be observed.

Of course, [Eye of Exploration] wasn’t without its advantages. Firstly, its search range was much larger than [Eye of Protection]. A level 30 magic caster could search a one-kilometer radius with it, whereas [Eye of Protection] at the same level only had a ten-meter range. Secondly, the mental strain of [Eye of Exploration] was negligible. Like Yisi’s [Omniscient Map], it projected the image seen by the eyeball in front of the caster. The caster only saw the image when they looked down. In contrast, [Eye of Protection] forcibly fed all information within ten meters into the caster’s mind, compelling them to process it. This difference allowed a caster using [Eye of Exploration] to simultaneously use various other spells without worrying about being unable to disengage in time.

After observing for a minute, Red, who had been standing beside Purple guarding the surroundings, asked, “See them?”

“No, they must be hiding. Just as I thought, they’ve adopted the same escape strategy. If they can just drag it out until the fifteen minutes are up, they win.”

“But aren’t they supposed to be testing magic items?”

“Ah, this is why people always call you an idiot, Red. Magic items can be tested anytime, but a lost victory is lost forever. Even if you win in a later match, it can’t erase the shame of a past defeat.”

“So that’s their plan? How despicable. What should we do now? This forest is huge. If we don’t find them quickly, we’ll be the ones shamed.”

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“Don’t worry.” Standing up and patting down her sturdy, practical magic robe, Purple picked up her less ornate staff. A confident expression, as if everything was under control, appeared on her mature, girlish face. “Since the [Eye of Exploration] didn’t see them, it means they’ve stayed in one place without moving. Otherwise, the Eye would definitely have caught their figures moving between the trees. In that case, we just need to search for sufficiently large tree canopies. I initially thought they’d at least understand to split up and run, making us waste time chasing them. I didn’t expect only that Yisi to be clever; the others’ heads don’t seem to work very well.”

“As expected of Purple.”

“Hmph.”

Red’s praise was clearly well-received. Purple closed her eyes, proudly puffing out her ample chest. Normally, because Lin was around, Purple seemed less impressive, but in reality, for two people to reach level 39 at only 20 years old was an achievement that would mark them as geniuses among geniuses in any country in the outside world.

However.

Purple didn’t notice something trailing a long fiery tail, glowing red, hurtling towards her diagonally from the sky.

“Purple, watch out!”

“What?”

“Damn it.”

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Instantly judging that Purple couldn’t dodge, Red violently shoved her away from behind. Then, crossing her arms, she met the object coming from the sky.

[Degraded Demonic Blade]!

With Red’s crossed arms as the center, an iridescent barrier, thicker than a finger, appeared before her. Immediately after, the red-glowing attack collided heavily with her.

Boom!

Mud splattered everywhere. The strong wind kicked up by the explosion even made the surrounding trees sway violently.

Just one collision, yet the immense force contained in the attack made Red grunt. Although [Degraded Demonic Blade] could block the attack, the transmitted force couldn’t be completely nullified. Her ankles sank into the mud as a result.

“Tsk.”

Clicking her tongue, Red, having successfully neutralized the crisis, shook her slightly numb hands and looked towards the sky where the red glow had originated.

It must be that white-haired vampire’s attack.

Red remembered it. Generally, when facing ranged attacks, one first considered archers, then magic casters. A magic caster’s attack usually wouldn’t contain such immense power. By process of elimination, only that vampire’s spear throw possessed such force—that red weapon called Gungnir looked perfectly suited for throwing.

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“A desperate attack…? Without that weapon, let’s see how you fight us—What?”

As Red lowered her head, preparing to pick up Gungnir, her pupils suddenly shrank to pinpricks.

The thrown weapon wasn’t Gungnir, but an ordinary iron spear encased in solid ice. The reason it glowed red earlier must have been because the thrower had overlaid some kind of magic on it.

“Damn it! Using an iron spear like a disposable item!”

Red gritted her teeth resentfully. The iron on it was enough to forge dozens of spear tips. In her eyes, having grown up poor, this was an incomprehensible waste.

Purple, who had been knocked aside, hurried back to Red’s side. Worried about another attack, they moved under the canopy of a tree.

“Red! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine, just my hands are a bit numb. Didn’t you say you didn’t see them, Purple? The attack just now must have come from that vampire. She should have been an obvious target.”

“I don’t know… They might have used some method to evade the [Eye of Exploration].” At this point, Purple’s eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. “Vampire… Vampire… Damn it, I know!”

Suddenly remembering something, Purple raised her staff, pulling the [Eye of Exploration] floating above the forest higher. Soon, she saw the reason she had been attacked.

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—It was a vampire floating in the air.

Her [Eye of Exploration] hadn’t spotted her because the vampire had deliberately flown to a position higher than the Eye.

Red, seeing the same thing, widened her eyes.

“Isn’t that pure-blood not even level thirty yet? How can she possibly ‘Fly’!?”

“No, if a magic caster used a weight-reducing [Levitation] spell on her, and something then threw her into the sky, she could rely on her wings to stay afloat without falling. Although she can’t fly freely like a real bird, just standing there and throwing things is completely possible.”

“I’ll deal with her.”

“We’ll go together. Since they chose to fly, we won’t hold back either. The fifteen-minute limit was already disadvantageous for us.”

The annoyance of being toyed with ignited anger in Purple’s chest. She began chanting magic again.

“□□□——[Fly]! It’s time you lot got a taste of a magical carpet bombing!”