Advices

In just a few leaps, Anubis entered BokuNoPic's range of attack. Both meet each one's eyes, but the piercing gaze of Anubis seems to have no effect on BokuNoPic. The human smiled cynically as if watching a cat walk into his preserve trap.

"Owh, that's a trick you could use, na? He can be quite useful after all," commented Momonga, his enthusiasm seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "If he's having a hard time approaching the enemy, then let the enemy come to him, and then—"

"Slice him in half," Kiritwo shouted, joining in the grin.

As compensation for the extremely limited maneuverability, the greatsword wielded above-average attack power. Just from its size alone, that made-metal blade was almost as large as BokuNoPic's own body.

What would happen if something was struck by such a massive sword?

Thud! The heavy strike was halted, the tip of the sword embedded in the grassy ground, while Anubis barely evaded it but now stood on the blade. As a matter of fact, he could have dodged with even more precision, but that would have created distance between him and BokuNoPic.

Even within the range of his assault, BokuNoPic was still incredibly slow lifting the greatsword. It was so evident, Anubis already read it after watching the adventurers' fight from a distance. "Do you really lack intelligence on how to fight?" Anubis' thoughts barely voiced through his lips.

Taken aback and trembling, BokuNoPic tried to pull back his sword, but it felt heavier than ever before. Even if he could, swinging it again would be another issue.

"No good, he failed," Kiritwo murmured before he ran after and shouted, "Mage, cover us from behind!"

"Even if you say so…" Momonga prepared himself, restraining from using long-range magic as it risked friendly fire. He had been instructed to stay in the backline as support, although in reality, Momonga was a mage and didn't possess many skills to be truly considered a support.

But that didn't mean he had none at all.

"「Energy Coat!」" Raising his staff high, the BokuNoPic's body began to glow with a white light that disappeared shortly after. "Uh, why did it turn out like this?" Momonga was momentarily confused, not understanding what he had just done. At least he had intended to use the skill on Kiritwo and not the one with an inappropriate nickname.

Meanwhile, Anubis still held the enemy's greatsword beneath his foot, even as the enemy cast a supportive spell. There were only a few possibilities for what that skill could be in this situation. But he had to make a quick decision if Anubis didn't want to be completely overtaken by the adversary.

BokuNoPic's hands were stubbornly unwilling to release the sword's grip, which posed no problem for Anubis, if not the opposite. The burden he imposed grew even heavier while closing the distance between them, in a matter of moments, Anubis successfully landed a kick right on BokuNoPic's face, completely startling him.

As the melodious clang of the greatsword bouncing the ground heard, Anubis activated his 「Vampire Aspect: Claws!」 A slashing motion from bottom to top dealt immediate damage that slightly pushed BokuNoPic back.

Bleed+ Inflicted*

There was still another one running from behind, but Anubis never planned to face the adventurers in turn. This time, with an even stronger kick, BokuNoPic was sent backward just as Kiritwo was about to swing his swords.

Both bodies collided, thrown to the ground, deleting their precious momentum in an instant.

Realizing the level gap, Anubis indeed tried to be cautious not make reckless moves to allow the enemy to learn teamwork effectively. From what could be seen, there was a high possibility that these three adventurers hadn't been together for long, so their combination could be considered quite flawed.

However, for some reason, that became a disappointment for Anubis itself. It's like he had never once thought of engaging in such trivial fights. He should, or he was certain, that his purpose was not to handle insignificant matters like this. But what? The answer to this never crossed his mind.

"Damn, did we underestimate him?" Momonga prepared with a Fireball already lit on his staff. After ensuring his opportunity, he threw it towards Anubis, who stood still after taking down both his companions. "Take this! 「Firebolt!」"

—And apparently, it was not just a 「Fireball!」, but an advanced spell of the same element, 「Firebolt!」.

In essence, it might be the same in terms of shape, but the quantity was the only thing that increased. There were two fireballs speeding straight towards the vampire. Momonga was quite confident that his magic would hit the enemy, at least there were no signs that the vampire would dodge it.

If only Anubis was that dumb.

Casually, Anubis evaded the Fireballs alternately, but not just that.

The reason why he remained still for a moment earlier was to conceal his true intention. The Fireball he just dodged was still lit, and what he meant was—

"What the fuck?!" Momonga's surprise coincided with two explosions happening. "He deliberately stayed still to make me cast long-range magic, and... his aim was to make me hit my own comrade? Son of a bitch! Why didn't I think that way?!"

<Ping! >

[!] System Alert: First Warning for Friendly Fire!

_

"Damn it... is this what a real battle feels like?!" Momonga grumbled with a sour expression, his body penalized and unable to move. It's as if he was forced to watch Anubis approaching casually.

"You seem quite excited, human," Anubis spoke while his hands turned black with sharp, pointed claws, ready to tear apart anything in his path.

Momonga grimaced, a mixture of adrenaline and fear. "Impressive... this game is truly incredible. Never in our beta test did we encounter something like you. The developers must have done a lot behind the scenes to develop their AI algorithms."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Uh? Ahem, nothing. I'm just impressed how you were able to evade my Firebolt even though I was sure it would hit you."

Rather than continuing to spill something from the real world, Momonga wouldn't think twice about stepping into his role as 'the adventurer' in this world. After all, this is the fantasy world that everyone dreams of, and bringing real-world issues into it is unforgivable.

"It seems you really don't understand anything," Anubis remarked, standing right in front of him. Now, the once skinny and powerless vampire became a threat to Momonga. Seeing him up close, he could sense a mysterious aura of power, and those gleamy eyes... they emitted authority and wisdom of a young age.

"It doesn't mean having many skills at your disposal will benefit you. The chance of hitting me earlier would have been greater if you knew the true power of even basic spells like Fireball!" Anubis tried to offer advice, which only made Momonga feel awkward.

Indeed, Momonga chose 「Firebolt!」 from his skill tree because he saw it as a variation of magic rather than having just one. But he also expected something different because 「Firebolt!」 dealt more damage than a regular 「Fireball!」

"W-wait... before you finish me off. Can I ask for advice?" Resigned, Momonga didn't want to die empty-handed and bring nothing back to the real world.

Still with a cold gaze and expressionless face, Anubis agreed. "Very well."