Caught off guard by Isaac's sudden embrace, Yun Wei froze.
The familiar scent of wood filled his breath. The other person's physique was so robust and tall that Yun Wei felt as if he were completely enveloped.
The heart inside the chest cavity seemed to start beating uncontrollably at that moment.
“I’m sorry, this thick fog will affect your casting range. We need to get closer.” A deep voice came from above his head. “Don’t be afraid, Cloud, I will protect you. Cast your magic on me.”
Isaac turned his back to the unknown in the mist, ready to shield Yun Wei even in the event of an accident. Even though his cultivation level was limited by the contract, his physical strength remained at the level of a seventh-tier warrior.
Previously outside Red Moon City, Yun Wei had used a poisonous miasma spell on the dormant Thunderclap Throat, successfully protecting two people. Now, however, he was to switch the target of the spell to his own side.
However, if it doesn't work, Isaac will be the first to be hurt.
Yun Wei knew this wasn't the time to let his mind wander. He reached out his right hand, wrapped it around the other man's strong, narrow waist, and gently embraced Isaac, placing his palm lightly on the other man's lower back while he began to chant softly.
"The law commands the souls, the night is deep, and the spirits who sleep in dreams, transform into a hazy mist that shrouds my ruined city."
It wasn't a level 2 Poisonous Miasma spell, but a level 4 necromancy spell, "Hidden Mist".
According to the records in "The Dead Man's Tale", there are three level four necromancy spells: Resurrection of the Dead (a group summoning spell), Intimidate (a group mental attack spell), and this shaping spell that unfolds centered on the caster.
The Book of the Dead records this spell as follows:
"The necromancer creates a hazy mist to conceal himself, making himself untargetable by any single-target, lock-on spells."
Undead creatures within the concealment fog will slowly heal their wounds and become more agile; hostile creatures within the concealment fog will be unable to detect the necromancer.
Yun Wei had never used this spell before, and he didn't know if it would work, but in any case, it should be more reliable than the Poisonous Miasma Technique.
The Branch of Time within their bodies emitted a fluorescent glow, and a vortex formed beneath their feet, blowing magical patterns across the dust on the ground. A hazy, grayish-white mist slowly spread outwards from the two of them until it met the surrounding thick fog, forming two clearly defined camps.
The fog covered an area with a radius of about five meters, which was comparable to the range of Yun Wei's spiritual power.
Yun Wei nervously sensed the approaching movements within the thick fog, observing the situation through Isaac's arm.
In the pale, surging fog, the oppressive feeling of the approaching monster grew stronger.
Almost subconsciously, he slowly raised his right hand, preparing a level 3 undead instant-cast spell, 'Shield of Bone'.
This is the necromancer's only life-saving skill, which can instantly form a huge bone shield, enough to withstand any attack below level five except for light magic.
As a mid-level fourth-rank mage, after casting a fourth-rank spell, he still has one branch of the Branch of Time remaining in his body, which can be used to cast one more fourth-rank spell or three more third-rank spells.
As the ear-piercing whistling sound of stones rubbing against each other from the ground reached his ears, a dark shadow more than three meters tall emerged from the thick fog, its head revealing two scarlet eyes that gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.
This is a stone monster that looks like a monkey. Its pale limestone body is made up of its emaciated body. It has sharp claws, a hunched back and huge stone wings, but its lower body is embedded in a whole rectangular block of stone, like a hideous statue.
“Oh, it’s that.” Isaac clearly recognized it. He lowered his voice and whispered in Yun Wei’s ear, “This is a gargoyle, an executioner invented by the First Dynasty. It’s alright, your spell worked, it didn’t see us.”
The gargoyle slowly approached, flapping its stone wings on its back without any rhythm, and occasionally exhaling a puff of mist from its throat.
Its red eyes flickered, as if it were thinking.
Yun Wei nestled quietly in Isaac's arms, even trying to breathe softly. The two stood motionless, as if blending into the surrounding silence.
The stiff gargoyle seemed to have lost its target. It stopped outside the mist created by Yun Wei, mechanically looked around, and stopped moving forward.
After a few breaths, as if it had received a new instruction, it slowly moved in another direction.
The crisis is over.
Yun Wei's left hand was bent and rested on Isaac's strong and broad chest. His frame was not large, so his slender hand appeared particularly "small" against the other's figure, giving the illusion of being "petite and dependent".
Only then did he realize how ambiguous their posture was, as if the music was about to start and the two of them were about to dance gracefully on the dance floor.
My cheeks felt faintly hot again.
So Yun Wei quickly pushed Isaac away, breaking free from the other's tight embrace. His eyes were panicked, but his tone was calm as he said, "Be careful, don't stray too far from me."
The range of the Concealing Mist is much larger than that of the Poisonous Miasma. Even though the range is reduced by the mist that permeates the space, there is absolutely no need for the two of them to be so close together.
“Let’s follow them.” Yun Wei made the decision, staring at the direction the gargoyle had left.
After a chaotic battle, the two of them had long since lost their way.
But since the 'Hidden Fog' can conceal their figures and reverse the tide of battle, they can completely turn the tables on each other.
Isaac had no objection, and the two of them quietly followed the whitish scratches on the ground.
...
After walking for an unknown distance on the ground that was sometimes white and sometimes black, the two finally stopped.
The fog outside grew even thicker, like creamy milk. And from within the thick fog ahead, the faint sounds of fighting could be heard.
The two exchanged a glance, and Isaac took out a greatsword from his spatial storage and stood in front of Yun Wei. Yun Wei, meanwhile, lowered his arms, flexed his fingers, and opened his palms, preparing 'Shield of Wounded Bones' and 'Water Arrow Technique'.
The two cautiously began to move forward.
The once empty ground now appears to have many broken stones.
“Someone must have smashed the gargoyle,” Isaac concluded. He cautioned Yun Wei, “Be careful, don’t get too close to those stones, or they might re-coagulate.”
Summoned creatures have this characteristic: as long as the caster hasn't lost their fighting ability, they can be "resurrected" and put back into battle at any time. As a necromancer, Yun Wei naturally understood this.
He nodded and said, "This fog ahead is a bit unusual; we need to be careful."
The fog in front of him was so thick it was almost liquefied, but Yun Wei's mental power sensed that there was a large unknown space behind it, from which the sounds of fighting were coming.
Under the cover of the "concealing fog," the two crossed the barrier and found that the fog behind it suddenly thinned out, revealing a bright and clear view.
This was an open space the size of a plaza. Unlike the dark, foggy world outside, a bright lamp seemed to hang from the extremely high dome, illuminating the surroundings in a stark white light. Two men and a woman were fighting within it, each battling more than two gargoyles, with large and small gargoyle fragments lying beneath their feet.
That's right. Although they were all masked, the intense fighting had left their attire somewhat disheveled.
The woman on the left held aloft an ice-blue staff, water elementals transforming into whips that lashed fiercely at any monsters that tried to approach. Yun Wei found this scene strangely familiar, for he had seen it not long ago in Golden Oak Alley.
Yun Wei's eyelids twitched, and he turned his head to the center.
The man in the middle moved like a ghost, leaping and tumbling, striking with elbows and knees, using the grenades' force against them, weaving effortlessly through the gargoyles surrounding him. This agility had already left a deep impression on him during the day.
Yun Wei's lips twitched, and he chose to look at the far right.
But the man on the right was very calm. Under his continuous guidance, the powerful wind element formed a huge tornado. Gargoyles and their fragments were all sucked into the raging whirlwind.
The howling wind seemed a bit too strong, even sucking away his headscarf, revealing a head of unruly silver hair.
Yun Wei sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Very well," he thought.
Vivian, Xie Mulang, Richard.
They truly are young and in sync; even their extra training sessions at night are so in sync.
“Let’s go, Isaac, let’s go help them,” Yun Wei said. “We don’t have any better ideas.”
The three fighters had clearly reached some kind of tacit understanding, and the addition of Yun Wei and the others at this moment was the key to breaking the deadlock.
Yun Wei then terminated the "Hidden Mist." As he revealed himself, a water arrow struck the gargoyle that had just revived behind Xie Mulang, shattering its head before it could even open its eyes.
Isaac raised his greatsword, dove towards the monster that was launching a sneak attack on Vivian, and smashed it into pieces with two horizontal and vertical slashes of his greatsword.
Of the three on the field, only Richard handled the situation with ease, while Vivian seemed to be struggling the most. So Isaac, who was stronger, went to support the water mage, whose output was extremely poor, while Yun Wei was responsible for supporting Xie Mulang, who was evenly matched with the others.
The three people on the field were startled by the two who suddenly joined the battle. Thick fog surrounded them, and no one noticed the faint undead power.
With just one glance, the three of them understood Isaac and Yun Wei's identities, and then threw themselves into the battle with even greater effort.
There was no way around it; Isaac's physique was simply too conspicuous, making him instantly recognizable. The same applied to Yun Wei, and given that the two were always seen as inseparable, their joint appearance was perfectly natural.
"Hey, hey, I'm asking you, why isn't anyone coming to my aid?" Richard leisurely manipulated the whirlwind in front of him, giving Yun Wei a particularly mournful look.
While aiming with his water arrow technique, Yun Wei calmly replied, "Because of your formidable strength."
Richard: "..." I'm so tired.
Soon, with the arrival of the two, the tide of battle was completely turned...
It then entered a new dynamic equilibrium.
The gargoyles keep coming back to life from the broken stones on the ground.
"No! We have to get out of here as soon as possible, my magic is almost gone!" Vivian shouted anxiously to the others.
She was only a high-level level 3 mage, and the magic power stored in the Branch of Time was not much to begin with.
Was she going to brandish her staff and engage in close combat with the three-meter-tall monster?
The thought of such a possibility caused a tremor to run through the girl's deep blue eyes.
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