...

Before the enemy could react, Lynch immediately commanded Bone Valor to charge the goblin Shaman, Bone Knife in hand.

At the same time, the Bone Mage lightly raised its Magic Staff. Its Soul Fire flickered a few times, and it unleashed the Skeleton Resurrection Skill. A pale, deathly energy instantly enveloped the scattered remains of the Fishman Skeletons.

With a series of CRACKLING sounds, about eighteen or nineteen Fishman Skeletons staggered back to their feet from the pile of remains. They picked up the broken weapons from the ground and swarmed menacingly toward the goblin Shaman.

"Gurgle gurgle~~~"

This scene made the goblin Shaman so angry it stomped its feet, letting out a stream of curses in the goblin tongue.

Lynch couldn’t understand it, but he guessed the curses were quite foul.

Without its instant-cast Magic to rely on, the goblin Shaman was immediately put on the back foot, looking battered and overwhelmed by the combined assault of Bone Valor and the newly risen Fishman Skeletons.

It tried to cast a spell several times, but each time it got halfway through the incantation, it was interrupted—either by a fearless chop from Bone Valor’s Bone Knife or by a weapon thrusting from its side or back. It couldn’t complete a single cast and could only use its Magic Staff to block.

Soon, it was forced back to the wall of the shack, its back against the rough wood as it struggled to defend itself.

This was the tragedy of a Low Tier Caster. Once surrounded in close quarters with no instant-cast Magic, they weren’t much better than a dog.

Meanwhile, Lynch and the Bone Mage’s next spells had already formed. Judging by their colors, they were the signature Weakness Curse and Pain Curse.

But this time, they weren’t aimed at the goblin Shaman, which was already on the verge of defeat.

Two flashes of light shot out, both landing on the goblin warrior.

There was no other choice. The creature’s constitution was simply too robust and its resistance quite high; the effects of the Curses would weaken rapidly over time.

If they didn’t reapply them, it wouldn’t be long before it shook off the Curses’ effects. When that happened, the one to suffer would be Ophelia, who was currently enjoying the thrill of punching above her weight.

After reapplying the Curses to the goblin warrior, Lynch and the Bone Mage cast again.

Like maggots burrowing into bone, the two Curses sank into the Shaman’s body one after another, its face a mask of shock and fury.

The Shaman was already struggling to hold on; after being hit by the Curses, it was thrown into a truly desperate situation.

Lynch sent a mental reminder to Bone Valor via his Spiritual Power—’Don’t chop it into too many pieces’—before averting his gaze. He then began casting again, targeting the elite goblins on the field who were still putting up a final, desperate struggle.

With that, the most idle people on the battlefield were now the Priest maiden, Avril, and the Magical Maiden, Lilith.

There was no need to mention Lilith.

As for Avril, her Mana consumption was low since all she had to do was occasionally cast Healing Glow on Ophelia or reapply a Blessing of Strength, just enough to ensure her friend could hold her ground.

After all, Holy Light Healing and blessings couldn’t be used on Skeletons. Otherwise, it would be Lynch’s turn to beat her up.

Lynch glanced at the bored-looking Avril. "You didn’t learn any offensive spells? Like Mental Whip or something? Just being a healer isn’t enough, little schoolmate~"

Hearing this, Avril’s face flushed slightly red. She retorted, a little embarrassed and annoyed, "That’s a move for Shadow Priests! As a Holy Priest, why would I learn that kind of... dirty Magic?"

Wait!

’If you didn’t learn it, you didn’t learn it. Why are you blushing? What’s there to be annoyed about?’

’Besides, Mental Whip is a pretty powerful basic spell. What’s so dirty about it?’

’Not only can Priests learn it, but Necromancers can too. It’s a move that directly attacks the soul.’

Realizing she’d misspoken, Avril’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. She quickly changed the subject, "I know the Purification Skill. Does that count as an offensive spell?"

Lynch replied irritably, "The Purification Skill? Isn’t that thing specifically for use against Necromancers? Go on, try using it on a goblin. I’d love to see that."

Avril was choked speechless and could only glare at Lynch, her cheeks puffed out in anger. Although she couldn’t see his face, she was sure the nasty upperclassman had a detestable expression on his face right now.

As the two were chatting idly, a sudden change occurred on the other side of the battlefield.

"Gulu-wala~ goo-goo-goo~~"

The goblin Shaman, now covered in several new wounds and driven half-mad by the two Curses, had a look of desperate insanity in its eyes.

It once again shrieked a string of curses in the goblin tongue that Lynch couldn’t understand at all.

At the same time, it quickly pulled a dark red leather Scroll from the inner lining of its feathered cloak. Then, ignoring the blades and spears striking its body, it tore the Scroll open with a RIP.

"VMMMM~~"

A scorching, chaotic energy from another world instantly erupted.

Immediately after, an unstable spatial vortex appeared out of thin air.

A ferocious Hellhound leaped out from the vortex. It had an extremely hideous head, its body was covered in rough, dark red scales, and it reeked of sulfur.

"ROAR~"

It let out a furious roar, and a scorching, tyrannical aura spread out in all directions.

Seeing that it had successfully summoned a Hellhound, the goblin Shaman let out another string of crazed laughter and curses. Then, its head lolled to the side, and it died.

It died with quite a bit of resentment, having never managed to successfully cast a single spell apart from its two instant-cast ones.

Meanwhile, the Hellhound opened its mouth and spewed a breath of scorching fire.

Wherever the fiery breath passed, the Fishman Skeletons collapsed with a CLATTER, turning into piles of burning bones.

’Holy shit... the old bastard really did have an ace up its sleeve, pulling a big move on me right before it died.’ Lynch was slightly startled, but his face showed little panic. ’Good thing I was prepared and kept some forces in reserve. This is exactly why you save something for a boss’s second phase.’

But this sudden turn of events made the three girls’ faces change.

Lilith, the Magical Maiden who had just recovered a bit of her spirit, instinctively tightened her grip on her short Magic Staff and moved to stand in front of Lynch.

"Don’t panic~" Lynch’s calm voice emerged from under his hood, carrying an air of unhurried confidence. "It’s just a single-headed Hellhound. Judging by its aura and size, at best it’s about as strong as a Tier One professional. And it’s just a mindless monster, at that."

He began to personally direct the battle through his mental link.

’Bone Jade, stop dawdling. Clear the field, quickly.’

Bone Jade’s Soul Fire leaped. The attacks from the Bone Knife in its hand suddenly grew fiercer as it raced to lead its subordinates in wiping out the remaining goblins in the camp.

’Bone Valor, take your remaining forces and hold that Hellhound back as long as you can. Don’t let it charge wildly.’

Bone Valor immediately led the seven or eight Fishman Skeletons it had left and charged the Hellhound, surrounding and attacking it.

As he gave the orders, Lynch raised his Magic Staff and began chanting an incantation. The Bone Mage next to him moved in near-perfect sync.

In the next moment, two orbs of cursed light—one white, one red—flew out one after another, striking the Hellhound from a distance as it was breathing fire and wreaking havoc.

The Hellhound let out a furious roar. Its dark red scales seemed to dim slightly, and its movements became noticeably sluggish.

Seeing their upperclassman so calm and composed, his commands steady and certain, the girls’ panic mostly dissipated.

Lilith let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, she gritted her teeth, pulled a bottle of Awakening Potion from her delicate pouch, pinched her nose, and chugged it down.

Taking advantage of her restored Mana, she immediately raised her Magic Staff and began chanting rapidly. Soon, a small Fireball shot out, smashing into the Hellhound’s head.

"BOOM!"

The Fireball exploded, sending sparks flying.

However, the Hellhound was only dazed by the explosion. It shook its head, flicking away the scorch marks, and appeared to have taken little damage.

"Good dog."

When Lynch saw that its defense was still so astonishing even after being Cursed, his heart burned with excitement.

’This Hellhound is huge. Recruiting it to be my mount would be incredibly cool.’

...