"Scritch!"
Its sharp forelimbs sliced through like a knife through tofu, meeting little resistance, carving out a smooth bowl-sized wound, blood splattering everywhere!
"Thud!"
A head, having yet to realize what had happened, eyes filled with confusion, crashed heavily to the ground.
Gauss widened his eyes, his throat tightened.
Bianca, dead?
He’s no stranger to decapitation.
The monsters he’s beheaded numbered at least dozens.
But this time, it was his teammate who got beheaded.
Even though just the night before they were laughing, sharing food, now her body lay separated, her death so tragic. This absurd contrast kept flickering before his eyes, leaving him unable to calm down for a long time.
He didn’t actually have much attachment to Bianca, a few days weren’t enough to foster friendship.
But the psychological impact of such a life-and-death moment threw him into an inexplicable accelerated heartbeat.
At this moment, he truly realized.
Life is so fragile.
He swallowed hard, slapped his cheeks, forcing himself to wake up.
At the same time, he took jerky out of his pocket.
Now wasn’t the time for grief.
He took a deep breath.
"Everyone, be careful! It’s more aggressive after being injured!"
After loudly warning his teammates, all Gauss could do was seize the time, chew and eat, using Rapid Digestion to recover magic power and stamina.
His premonition was right, the injured Mantis People had become more aggressive.
And the next target it looked at was the Wandering Apprentice Edith.
Edith’s face was pale, though shocked by her companion’s death, she quickly adjusted her state.
Facing the charging Mantis People, she did not wait passively, pulling the trigger, firing a crossbow arrow aimed at the Mantis People’s waist and abdomen.
The Mantis People sensed it and had to change its route, sidestepping like a dragonfly skimming water, then changed direction again, pouncing back at Edith.
But just this bit of time was enough for Edith to react.
She retrieved a "Spore Bomb" from the bundle at her feet.
This item was the first reward they had obtained earlier.
During their exploration, to test its effect, they’ve used one, and two remained.
If it hits the Mantis People successfully, its power would deal significant damage.
As a Wandering Apprentice, Edith’s Perception was also sharp.
Using the crossbow arrow to force the Mantis People to change its track, she then threw the Spore Bomb ahead in its path.
The plan was good.
But she overlooked the most crucial point, which was that the Mantis People’s Perception was also outstanding.
Almost the moment she threw the Spore Bomb onto the ground, its compound eyes locked onto that area, simultaneously feeling a strong threat.
This time it wasn’t like earlier when Gauss launched the Magic Missile in the middle of Sok’s Jump Slash, with Cold Touch steering erosion, and a barrage of Magic Missiles preventing the Mantis People from effectively evading.
Before the explosion of the Spore Bomb, as it hit the ground, the Mantis People immediately used the strong power in its lower limbs to sidestep abruptly, jumping several meters sideways.
"Boom!!!"
The Spore Bomb released a powerful shockwave, exploding with a blue flame, black smoke rising.
"Did it work?"
Edith squinted.
In the next instant, a massive yellow-brown figure emerged from the black smoke.
Not dead!
Edith’s legs weakened, falling to the ground, but her intense survival instinct forced her to crawl away, attempting to flee and grasp any last chance of survival.
But the looming shadow had already covered her back.
Watching as the Mantis People was about to, effortlessly, just like with Bianca, take her life.
"Magic Missile!!"
Gauss ran in, draining his magic power, the tip of his staff glowing brightly!
A condensed and swift blue Missile shot forth, aiming straight for its compound eyes.
The Mantis People had to halt its attack, dodging its head from the Magic Missile.
As the Missile brushed past its head, the intense brightness plunged its compound eyes into brief blindness.
Yes, this was what Gauss had discovered during the fight earlier.
Its eyes couldn’t handle the sudden close-range glare, causing a short moment of stiffness.
Originally he wanted to use the Light Spell, but the Light Spell needed contact to apply strong light to the target.
Plus, given the urgency, there was no time to think.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Blind, the Mantis People stood dazed.
The second Missile had already sliced through the air, approaching!
But this time, the Missile’s target wasn’t the Mantis People.
It was the bundle not far from its feet that Edith had dropped, containing the Spore Bomb.
"Boom!!!"
The Magic Missile shattered the bundle, the Spore Bomb instantly exploded!
A massive roar spread from the center, like a heavy hammer hitting the Mantis People.
Countless tiny spores instantly expanded, releasing the relentlessly compounding fiery shockwave into the air!
The blue flames, like maggots on bone, swiftly engulfed the chitin-covered tall form, already blown backward by the blast.