Despair

Tyler snapped out of his daze the moment the dark-skinned girl drew a blade from her shoulder. She had been in pain when she did it, and the sight snapped him back to the reality of his situation.

He wanted to take a step back but quickly decided against it; any sudden movement could be seen as an offense. What is this situation? Tyler was growing restless at the standoff. It seemed he had walked into a dangerous predicament.

Looking at the white-haired woman staring coldly at him, he felt a surge of anxiety as he noticed the specks of ice floating around her. This could only mean one thing: she had most likely been the one to kill the Tier 4 Magic Beast.

Observing the two women now, it was clear that the dark-skinned girl was covered in dirt and injuries, her shoulder still bleeding. In contrast, the white-haired lady looked as though she had stepped out of a painting, without a single scratch on her. It was obvious they were not on the same level. The ground beneath the white-haired woman's feet was frozen, the only place still covered in ice, even as the rest of the forest had defrosted.

If she had killed a Tier 4 Magic Beast—even with the help of the dark-skinned girl—there was no way Tyler would survive a confrontation with her.

This left him with only one option: escape. What he needed to do now was flee, but with the way she was staring at him, there was no opportunity to retreat. Turning his back on her would only put him in greater danger. It was quite the conundrum.

With no feasible options available, he had to choose the one most likely to succeed.

What he needed now was a distraction. If he could confuse or distract the two women for even a second, he believed he could escape using the trees as cover. With his newfound physique, he was slightly confident in his ability.

Of course, he had no idea what abilities or spells the two women possessed, so his plan might be pointless if they had a large area-of-effect spell. This was the only plan he could think of, as his Earth-attribute spells would be useless in this situation. Not to mention, all he knew were measly Tier 1 spells.

The problem was, he didn't know how to distract them. Any spell he used would take time to cast, and he might not survive long enough to complete it.

He couldn't just throw stones at them and run away; with their strength and experience, they might not even flinch. Damn it, what do I do? If I stand here too long, they might just attack... Think, damn it, think. Tyler grumbled internally as he racked his brain for a solution.

Just as he was contemplating his escape, the air around the white-haired woman suddenly changed. The wind grew colder, and the ground began to freeze rapidly, expanding outward with her at the epicenter.

The moment Tyler sensed this change, he knew he had no more time to hesitate. It was all or nothing. His life would depend on the success of his next move. As long as she was affected for even a split second, he would have a chance to escape with his life.

Mages were only limited by their intelligence. Unlike sorcerers, they had no limit to the number of spells they could learn within the range of their potential. As long as they could understand a spell, they could learn it, with no restrictions on form or attribute. Although most mages preferred to specialize, similar to magic swordsmen, it was still common for mages to have a variety of spells. Some talented ones could even learn a warrior's secret techniques.

Tyler was left with no choice but to gamble. He had only used one spell, and there were still many unknowns about his abilities. With the number of restrictions he had, being a sorcerer or a magic swordsman wouldn't save him. Right now, he needed to be a mage—and nothing else.

It seemed he would use his life to test whether, as a mage, he could cast a spell instantly, like a skill. Even though there was no need for a magic circle, he still didn't know how long the casting time would be. Without further delay, he tried casting his spell with all his might.

"Wave of Despair!"

Meanwhile...

Rain was growing more anxious by the second. She hadn't even figured out how to handle the situation with Liz, and now another problem had presented itself.

Her shoulder was still bleeding, and she was starting to feel dizzy. But she couldn't take her eyes off the mysterious stranger. Rain wasn't concerned about the stranger; there was no way he could match Liz in her current form.

Her main concern was Liz. She wasn't in a good state right now. The longer she stayed like this, the more dangerous it would be for everyone—including Liz herself.

Thump... Thump... thump...

Hearing her heartbeat quicken, Rain couldn't help but feel anxious. It had been a while since she had felt such panic or nervousness during a fight, but she couldn't stop worrying about Liz.

Just as Rain took a step forward, preparing to make her move, she sensed a sudden change in the air. The atmosphere, which had been slowly warming up, suddenly cooled drastically. The air grew thin, and she could barely breathe, much less move. A stifling feeling ran through her bones.

She had felt this before—when she had been impaled by the Rykir and pinned to the tree. She had thought she would die by its next attack, but just like now, the air had changed drastically. Her body, weakened by the injuries she had sustained during the fight, had been unable to adapt quickly, and she had passed out. When she came to, the area was frozen, and both Liz and the monster were gone, leaving only the white-haired woman. This time, she wanted to brace herself and withstand it. She heightened her guard and mentally prepared herself.

Expecting the world to turn to ice once more, she waited. But suddenly, the air around the young man also changed, though it didn't affect the environment around him.

Rain felt a flicker of relief. It seemed whatever the young man had done was ineffective against the white-haired woman's Ice Domain. Just as she thought this, an eerie feeling crept into her body.

A grayish-black aura exploded from the young man's body, expanding endlessly, as if there were no limits to its range. Rain couldn't react in time. As the aura washed over her, she felt an intense sense of fear unlike anything she had ever experienced.

She couldn't help but stare at the young man in disbelief. What she saw was not the same as before. He was now cloaked in a grayish-black aura that wrapped around his body like a shroud.

His eyes emitted a reddish glow that made her bones quake. Her mind was flooded with emotions, all screaming one thought: Death!

She couldn't think. Tears streamed down her cheeks. There was no hope for survival; this was the end.

Despair. That was the only way to describe what she felt.

An overwhelming sense of horror bombarded her as she could no longer withstand the immense pressure. Her mind went blank, and she collapsed to the ground like a log. Before she hit the ground, she noticed, in the back of her mind, that the white-haired woman had already fallen unconscious.

Back in the Safe Zone...

The men sat around their campfire. The well-built man and the green-haired man with spiky hair chatted about their previous experiences.

The green-haired man, Hach, asked, "Yo, seriously though, which family's noble would make a move like that?" He played with a leaf as he looked at the well-built man with a coy smile.

The well-built man, Evans, glanced at the cloaked man, who sat in silence, then lowered his voice. "Why don't you ask the boss? I'd like to know too." Hach's smile froze as he laughed dryly.

Evans turned back to Hach and spoke seriously. "Listen, Hach, you're not that strong. You should stop being so curious. I heard there's a human saying that goes, 'Curiosity kills a Hach.'" He chuckled softly.

Hach's face changed colors as he hurriedly retorted, "No one says that, dumbass. Besides, I'm not even that curious; I was just making conversation. This is why no one likes you, Evans." As he said this, Evans's smile froze.

Evans turned to look at the fire and muttered, "No one likes me?"

Hach coughed to clear his throat. "Listen, I'm not being nosy. I'm just saying if someone's making a move right now, it might cause the start of—"

He didn't get to finish as the cloaked man's voice cut him off.

"Quiet."

The cloaked man stood abruptly, staring into the forest, his expression unreadable. He took a step forward and stood there, silent. Hach and Evans watched him, wondering what was going on.

Evans raised his hand and pulled the axe from his back, gripping it tightly. Hach raised his right hand, preparing to cast a defensive spell.

The two could sense the seriousness emanating from their boss. He rarely spoke to them unless it was mission-related. Even when they thought he was making small talk or offering advice, they always realized later that he was providing information they needed to handle any situation.

The cloaked man took a few more steps forward, unable to place what he was sensing. He expanded his perception range as far as he could, and suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.

What scared him most was that he had sensed something similar before—something even Lord Aur feared.

He wasn't a soldier but a scout—and, at most, a spy. Without a second thought or further investigation, he turned and planted his feet firmly in the sandy ground. He shot forward like a cannon, the force of his movement causing the sand beneath his feet to crumble as he dashed through the forest.

"Run!" he yelled. The sound was too slow; he had already left the safe zone behind, his figure quickly disappearing. Hach and Evans couldn't react in time, unable to keep up with the cloaked man's speed. They finally heard his final word to them as they stood stunned. "Run? Why did he say run?" Hach muttered.

Evans snapped out of his daze. He turned and prepared to follow the cloaked man, yelling back, "If the boss says run, you run. Are you a fool?"

Hach was surprised but knew now wasn't the time to argue. He turned to run after Evans, who was already a few steps ahead.

However, before they could take another step, they noticed a massive wave of grayish-black aura approaching from behind. Just looking at it sent chills down their spines. Evans gritted his teeth as he continued his futile attempt to escape. Hach knew escape was no longer possible; his best option now was defense.

"Indomitable Will!"

"Protection Against Negative Aura!"

But it was too late for both of them. The massive wave of grayish-black aura washed over them, continuing to expand in a radius too vast to comprehend.

They felt all their fears materialize, devouring them from within. Their skin felt like it was being ripped apart, and their minds were tormented thousands of times within seconds.

Unable to withstand the mental pain and terror, they succumbed to despair and collapsed to the ground like logs.

Tier 1 Control Magic - Wave of Despair.