The vines, trees, and roots around them seemed to squirm, attempting to entangle the chocobo’s hooves.
"Looks like it’s time for some action." Gauss gripped the White Magic Wand tightly.
Serdur also conjured a magical weapon, while Aaliyah simultaneously took out her Wooden Staff.
Several thorn creatures suddenly emerged from the nearby trunks.
Several elite-level demons appeared together!
The Clay Spiders reacted quickly, pouncing at the first sign of the enemy’s appearance.
Each Clay Spider had the strength equivalent to a level 1 elite demon, especially in terms of short-term explosive destructive power; the destruction in their Blaze Spider form was even stronger, though at the cost of depleting all the magic power stored in them.
"Bang!!!"
A thorn creature was not aware of the Clay Spider’s diverse abilities.
It mistook the Blaze Spider pouncing at it for another entangling type like the Lure Spider, not dodging but extending several thorn spikes, attempting to impale the Blaze Spider.
However, the next moment, the Clay Spider lightly tapped its claws on the extended thorn, using it to propel itself even faster toward the thorn creature.
Finally attaching itself to their trunk.
"Buzz!!!"
The abdomen of the spider instantly glowed red, becoming incredibly bright within a short time, and upon reaching its peak, it exploded with a loud "bang."
The entire spider mercilessly burst apart!
Flames and a massive explosive shockwave spread out from the Blaze Spider as the center.
"Boom!!!"
The red light completely engulfed the target enemy.
The intense heat and brief but powerful impact erupted in a very short time, blasting the thorn creature to pieces, and a kind of silent whisper echoed in the air.
Some images seemed to flash before Gauss’s eyes.
Black vines, Tree Demons, a strange cave somewhere...
This deathly whisper seemed to carry a strong allure, but it had met its match.
Gauss’s 13 intelligence acted like a solid wall, blocking this mental allure from penetrating.
Aaliyah and Serdur paused slightly, then also regained their clarity.
The whispering dissipated into the air.
"Elite Demon Adherent*1 killed."
After the voice faded, a kill notification appeared on the panel.
Gauss successfully unlocked the ninth type of Elite Demon, and with the new entry in the bestiary, received an additional 10 Elite Points.
His current Elite Points reached 40, needing just 10 more to upgrade the white-quality talent [Crawling Kind].
But Gauss noticed a particular detail besides this.
The thorn creature hit directly by the Blaze Spider only completely died after the whisper had dissipated.
The panel’s prompt had its significance.
What would have happened if the allure had not been resisted?
He had a faint speculation.
But now there wasn’t much time for verification.
Because even though they were held off by the Clay Spider creatures, three Adherents were still rapidly wandering over.
Their figures flickered in and out of sight.
"Boom!"
The Magic Missile hit the trunk, wood fibers flying, but it didn’t hit the Adherent that had just hidden in the tree.
However, in this brief time of probing, Gauss already grasped the opponent’s reality and facade.
Their offensive capability wasn’t strong, akin to level 1 demons, but the special feature lay in their mystery.
Particularly noteworthy was their formidable ability to blend into the environment and the capability to seemingly "convert and infect" targets.
If he guessed correctly, failing to resist the whisper previously would mean losing one’s sanity, transforming into one of their ranks.
"Buzz!!"
Suddenly Gauss felt a surge of magical fluctuation emanating from the dense canopy above.
"Boom!!!"
The branches shook violently, magic accelerating the growth of the branches.
The newly instilled life force caused the branches to instantly branch out, rapidly extend, harden, and transform into sharp, magic-glowing wooden spears, raining down like a deadly shower.
These Adherents could actually use magic?
Gauss raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
Most monsters couldn’t use magic, even 1-2 level elite monsters, relying more on their formidable physiques or inherent talents for attacks, but this was different from previously encountered attack methods.
Was it because of higher intelligence?
Magic and Natural Magic were not exclusively human; many races of higher intelligence could also wield this ubiquitous great power.
The coverage of the wooden spears was extensive and hard to evade.
Gauss simply chose not to dodge.
After advancing to level 3, his power had taken another step up.
The biggest change lay in his core skill, [Gauss Force Field], whose abilities and essence progressed as his magic level advanced.
Now the Gauss Force Field exhibited the strength of a 2nd-level Spell.
"Boom boom boom!!!"
The wooden spears descending upon them were stopped firmly by an immense force just before reaching the trio.
To Gauss, the current Gauss Force Field felt incredibly "solid."
If past protection was like a thin layer adhered to the body, now it resembled a thick, invisible armor.
Piercing it became several times more difficult.
[Spell Mastery]and[Magic Resistance]—two Professional Talents stacked together, paired with the essence of a 2nd-level power.
Made attacks from ordinary level 1 and level 2 demons seem very lackluster against it.