The greatest difference between monsters and ordinary wild beasts was whether or not their bodies contained magic power.
Monsters were affected by unnatural factors, taking on all manner of bizarre forms, and could also develop many strange special abilities that were difficult to predict.
Moreover, some special abilities could practically result in a “first-encounter kill,” making them extremely hard to deal with.
If an adventurer party encountered a monster without sufficient intelligence, their mortality rate would be astonishingly high.
It was precisely because of this that the Adventurers’ Association had spent a great deal of money to compile a special volume: the Adventurers’ Association General Monster Bestiary.
It recorded every monster encountered by all parties. Their physical characteristics, living habits, special abilities, and core weaknesses were all listed one by one.
The bestiary also employed the most advanced rune transcription technology. Whenever an entry was updated at one branch of the Adventurers’ Association, the bestiaries at all other branches would automatically synchronize and update their contents.
In addition, the Adventurers’ Association had also introduced a reward system.
When someone provided information on a new type of monster, the Association would grant a reward according to its threat level, starting at a minimum of three gold coins.
However, this reward system had also given rise to all sorts of bizarre attempts to scam prize money.
For example, certain parties had solemnly sworn that they had discovered new monsters such as “Harpoon Goblins,” “Straw Hat Goblins,” and “Goblins Wearing Necklaces,” giving the Association staff no end of headaches.
According to the threat level of monsters, the Adventurers’ Association had specially established seven tactical grades: [Simple], [Difficult], [Challenge], [Cruel], [Bloody], and [Disaster].
Above Disaster were the [Nightmare]-class monsters that stood at the pinnacle of power on the continent of Kandia.
However, there was no need to record things like that. After all, running into one was no different from being dead.
The Fog Demon’s rating was [Challenge].
This meant it possessed the ability to easily kill adventurers. If handled improperly, it could very easily cause casualties, and a thorough plan targeting its weaknesses was essential.
The low growls still had not ceased, and the surrounding fog grew ever thicker.
This dangerous situation was something none of them had anticipated. The group had originally only intended to take on a few simple tasks to earn some extra money, yet they had suddenly encountered a [Challenge]-rated monster.
The bundles on their backs fell to the ground one after another.
“Should we run…” Grey said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Zeriel could not help growing somewhat nervous as well. He instinctively began sizing up the surrounding environment.
There was thick fog everywhere, making it impossible to identify any direction.
And he was not familiar with the terrain at all. Once they fled, his chances of survival could be said to be appallingly low.
“Run? Prepare to engage!”
Marcus held his shield in his left hand and a blade in his right, his brows tightly furrowed as he quickly came up with a plan.
“I’ll hold the front. Grey, support me. Valles, act according to the situation. Zeriel, you’re the only one in the party who can break the Fog Demon’s energy barrier. While we’re keeping it occupied, find the right opportunity to cast your magic!”
“Understood…” Zeriel slowly nodded.
The thick fog and the unknown magical beast made sweat begin to form uncontrollably in his palms. This pressure was far greater than last night’s.
With such a heavy burden on his shoulders, it was hard for Zeriel not to feel nervous.
If he failed to handle this properly, the party would only meet the end of total annihilation.
He had no idea just how strong that energy barrier that blocked physical attacks actually was… What if he couldn’t break it?
Zeriel suddenly felt somewhat glad that he had chosen to increase his Spirit attribute.
At the very least, it should make his Fireball spell a little stronger, right?
The party’s formation began to change.
Marcus stood at the front on guard. Grey was behind him to the right, Valles behind him to the left, while Zeriel occupied the center.
Visibility had now dropped to around five or six meters, and the bloody stench lingered in the air.
In the Graywood Forest at dawn, a death battle was about to begin!
Marcus moved slowly, and the three people behind him maintained a tight formation as well, not falling into confusion.
It was like a game of eagle catching chicks.
According to the information provided in the Monster Bestiary, the Fog Demon’s strength was terrifying. Only Marcus, who carried a shield, had any possibility of contending with it.
Once the Fog Demon broke into the formation from any other direction, it would absolutely become a bloody slaughter.
The fog to the front right suddenly churned, and Marcus keenly noticed this phenomenon.
“Be on guard!!!”
The Fog Demon finally appeared.
The dense fog was torn apart, and that enormous, twisted monster was clearly exposed before everyone’s eyes. The bloody aura instantly grew several times thicker, making them want to retch.
At the sight of the Fog Demon’s true form, Zeriel felt as if his breathing was about to stop.
It was something that should only appear under the pen of a horror novelist.
The Fog Demon’s main body was at least two and a half meters tall, like a gigantic beast that had been flayed. And the expression on its face… was it smiling?
Blood continuously seeped out and dripped down. Gray-black muscle fibers were tangled together in chaotic knots, veins bulging like clusters of snakes.
Many wolf heads were haphazardly embedded across the Fog Demon’s back. Their eye sockets were hollow, yet they still retained the ferocious expressions of agonized howling from the moment before their deaths.
Of course, the strangest thing was still the hazy glow covering the Fog Demon’s body. Its energy barrier rippled like water, making its overall outline appear somewhat distorted.
The terrifying sight violently struck Zeriel’s heart, and for a moment, he found it difficult to control his own movements.
“Zeriel! Don’t space out!”
Marcus roared, pulling him out of his stupor, and was the first to charge forward.
Awakened from his stunned state by Marcus’s furious roar, Zeriel shook his head hard.
He absolutely could not drop the ball at a time like this!
As he took a deep breath to calm his emotions, he began gathering magic.
The magic power in his sea of consciousness was mobilized, circulating according to Zeriel’s will!
Marcus’s round shield slammed fiercely into the incoming bloody wind.
“Clang!”
Marcus’s entire body was knocked several staggering steps backward by the Fog Demon’s immense strength, and the arm holding the shield began trembling uncontrollably.
The Fog Demon let out a roar and charged straight at him once more.
Its left hand had already mutated into three giant claws, the pale armor plates covered in dried bloodstains.
Another head-on clash!
Marcus lowered his head in a sorry state while raising his round shield high.
“Shrriiip!”
The claw strike nearly tore apart the entire outer layer of the round shield!
Wood splinters flew everywhere, and even part of the iron sheeting wrapped around the edge was peeled up.
Fortunately, the blacksmith’s craftsmanship was decent and he had not cut corners. Otherwise, Marcus would have had to use his own body to withstand the damage next.
“Die!”
Another figure flashed abruptly at the side. Grey seized the opening after the Fog Demon’s attack, stepped forward, and thrust his blade straight at its waist!
But then, a bizarre scene occurred.
When the blade touched the energy barrier on the Fog Demon’s surface, it was like stabbing into cotton. There was no force to be applied at all, and it simply stalled in place.
The corner of Grey’s eye twitched wildly. He realized danger was coming.
The Fog Demon did not even turn its head. It merely swung its arm.
The thick arm covered in armor-like shell struck Grey viciously in the chest!
“Crack!”
The expression on Grey’s face froze, and his hard leather breastplate caved in with a sound.
He sprayed out a mouthful of bloody mist, and his entire body was instantly sent flying backward. He rolled several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop.