Chapter 37: Innate Sparring Partner Constitution
As Arthur charged outward, gray-white dense fog continually lunged from the fog walls on both sides, which stood like solid walls. Before getting close, they solidified into humanoid monsters with sharp claws.
Arthur had already used his Sign to burst through the fog. In this rush, there was no time to marshal more magical energy. All that stood between him and the monsters was his hand-and-a-half sword.
As the danger closed in, Arthur became unprecedentedly calm. His left hand no longer futilely formed a Sign but joined his right, gripping the sword hilt firmly.
The next second, the longsword transformed into a rapidly spinning pinwheel, or like a pair of unfolding butterfly wings, turning the space in front of and behind Arthur into a zone of death.
Chichich!
The gray-white monsters that emerged from the fog had no time to react before being swept into pieces by the sudden flashes of cold light, slowly dissipating amidst sharp screams.
And in that moment of delay, the gap in the fog wall, created by the shockwave, finally closed.
"Come on! Come again!" Arthur leaned on his sword, constantly challenging his surroundings. From these two surprise attacks, he had already figured out a few things.
These gray-white monsters did not appear out of thin air. Instead, they condensed into humanoid shapes from the suddenly thickening fog, accompanied by a wave of magical fluctuation.
Arthur shook his head. This method could only deceive ordinary people. For those who could perceive magic, how was it any different from giving a prior warning?
After the two-handed weapon proficiency reached [Expert] level, Arthur felt as if the sword in his hand had a spirit of its own. Wherever he thought to go, the sword followed.
This feeling was exhilarating beyond measure, making Arthur wish the riders would turn back and attack, just so he could test how sharp his sword truly was.
The Foglet did not make a new move for a long time, suggesting that the recent fierce attack had taken a considerable toll on it.
This won't do! I was counting on these fog monsters to grind for proficiency!
"If you don't attack again, I'm coming out!" Arthur shouted a few more times, pretending to charge forward, while his left hand secretly loosened its grip on the sword hilt, preparing the gesture for the Quen Sign.
The fog in the front-right suddenly thickened. This time, the gray-white monster was clearly condensed in a great hurry, possessing form but lacking strength. The sensation through the longsword was like cutting through a pool of water.
A second pale monster lunged from the left, but its outline was clearer than the first. As the distance rapidly closed, Arthur could even clearly see its malicious, pale blue eyes and backward-curving claws.
It's the Foglet's main body! The first unformed gray-white monster was a trap!
"Quen!" Arthur didn't know if the monster understood feints and traps, but after delaying for so long, the magical energy in his body was fully marshaled.
The Foglet's claws slashed down with a whooshing sound. It was impatient to drink the young human's hot, fresh blood.
But at the last moment, a faint yellow, translucent membrane suddenly appeared on Arthur's neck. As soon as the Foglet's claws touched it, it immediately exploded like gunpowder.
Snap!
The airflow generated by the exploding shield caused the Foglet to stumble. Arthur swung the sword hilt, smashing it hard against the creature's jaw.
Crack...
The Foglet rolled violently backward, retreating back into the fog.
Arthur chased closely, his longsword sweeping back and forth at the location where the Foglet should have been, but he hit nothing. It was as if the monster melted into the fog the moment it left human sight.
Is this thing really made of fog? Arthur thought contemplatively, reapplying a new layer of shield to himself.
Based on what Kolgrim taught in his monster-knowledge crash course, Arthur now had three ways to kill this monster:
-Stand still and wait for the monster to attack, then use the Igni or Aard Sign to counter. The former could set it ablaze like a torch, while the latter was sufficient to make the monster lose balance and fall in combat, falling often means death.
-Unleashing the War Cry was also a good strategy during their brief exchange just now, Arthur clearly saw that the monster's ear flaps were pointed and long, meaning it would definitely take the full force of the damage.
However, Arthur's favorite method was still the last one hacking the opponent to death with his sword.
After all, if he killed the Foglet in one go, where else would he find such a nimble, constantly regenerating opponent to practice with?
Arthur gently tapped his sword tip on the ground. He had now roughly figured out the mechanism required for the Foglet to summon the gray-white creatures at least half a minute of preparation.
If the time was shorter, even if it was forcibly summoned, it would be as flimsy as the previous one and would be useless for increasing his proficiency.
"I'll give you 30 seconds. If a new monster doesn't show up when the time is up, I'm going to start a fire!"
Arthur stood still in a remarkably relaxed posture, watching the surrounding fog pulse like breath.
Suddenly, Arthur frowned, realizing he had somehow moved to the edge of the fog bank.
No, he hadn't moved to the edge of the fog bank; the fog bank was moving away from him!
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
Arthur scoffed. He was generously sparing the Foglet's life, yet it was trying to run without even saying goodbye. Was that not just a bit rude?!
"Igni!"
Arthur struck with genuine anger this time, marshaling an extra amount of magical energy. The flames erupted from the Igni Sign like a long serpent, eliminating one-third of the fog bank in a single lunge.
The Foglet abruptly appeared at the edge of the fog bank. Although its body wasn't directly touched by the fire, its expression was one of extreme pain.
It looked at Arthur with tear-filled eyes, making a sound that didn't belong to a monster, but sounded like a boy in his early teens:
"Help! Help! Spare me!"
This monster can actually speak human language! Why didn't Kolgrim's monster-knowledge crash course mention this?
Arthur raised a finger:
"Summon ten more of those gray-white creatures, and I'll let you live."
"Spare me, spare me!"
The Foglet painfully nodded, and its form vanished back into the fog bank.
A short while later, a gray-white creature opened its claws and lunged straight at Arthur.
Such a stiff attack wouldn't even fool a peasant. Arthur merely swept his sword, reducing the gray-white creature to fragments:
"Too clumsy. That one doesn't count!"
In the mist, the Foglet's howl was full of despair and unwillingness.
Arthur's brow furrowed, and flames appeared in his left palm again:
"Is it your life, or fire?"
The roaring instantly stopped, like a chicken whose neck had been stepped on. Another gray-white creature lunged from the fog bank, its movements noticeably more agile.
...
Half an hour later, the last remaining piece of the fog bank condensed into a gray-white creature and launched its final charge toward Arthur.
Having learned from the painful experiences of its dozens of predecessors, its movements were now extremely slick enough to kill an ordinary soldier instantly.
But against a swordsman wearing a Quen shield, its fate was simply to be cleaved into smoke by a single, exquisite stroke.
The Foglet's form was unrecognizable compared to when it first appeared. Its formerly gaunt and strong limbs were now just thin membranes wrapped around bone. Its already sunken eye sockets now looked like a skull holding two balls of blue necromantic fire.
The Foglet looked utterly burnt out.
But Arthur had no intention of letting it leave. Instead, he placed his sword against its neck.
"Spare me, spare me!"
The small boy's voice repeated itself in the night sky, sounding monotonous, desolate, and strangely eerie.
...............
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