"Mistake"

The sky was painted a deep crimson red as the sun began to set on the horizon. The clouds swirled and blended into the fiery hues, creating a breathtakingly beautiful yet eerie atmosphere.

As the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the ocean turned a deep shade of red, like the color of blood. The water was no longer still, it was rising, with the high tide bringing in waves that crashed against the shore.

The water was a deep red, like blood, and the smell was overpowering. The scent of iron mixed with salt and seaweed filled the air, creating an unsettling sensation.

Lucas could hear the rising water and the sound of the waves growing louder with each passing moment. It was like a thousand horses galloping through the water, and the rush of the tide was almost deafening.

Lucas felt his heart pounding in his chest as he sprinted away from the shoreline, the high tide rising rapidly behind him. The scent of iron and salt filled his nostrils, making him feel sick to his stomach. He knew he had to move quickly if he wanted to avoid being swept away by the tide.

"Retreat!" he shouted to his summons, his voice barely audible over the sound of the water. They quickly obeyed, running ahead of him toward higher ground. Lucas scanned the beach frantically, searching for a place to take refuge from the relentless tide.

He spotted a tall hill in the distance and knew that was his only chance. Lucas pushed himself harder, his legs burning with effort as he ran towards the hill. The sound of the water was almost deafening now, and he could feel the spray hitting the back of his neck as he ran.

As he ran, he heard clicking sounds coming from the water behind him.

As Lucas continued running towards the hill, the clicking sounds grew louder and closer. He couldn't ignore them anymore, and his curiosity got the better of him. He turned back to look at the shoreline.

What he saw made him lose all color from his face.

A humanoid-looking angler fish was struggling to come up to the shore. Its body was covered in shimmering scales that reflected the fiery hues of the sky. The scales were a deep shade of red, almost like the color of blood, and they seemed to be pulsating with an eerie glow.

The fish had a long, slender body, and its limbs were thin and wiry, ending in sharp claws. Its head was almost as big as its body, with a gaping mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Two large eyes glowed yellow in the fading light, and a long, slender stalk protruded from the top of its head, ending in a glowing orb.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lucas watched in horror as the angler fish continued to struggle toward the shore, clicking and hissing with each movement. It seemed to be struggling against the tide, trying to make its way to higher ground just like he was.

He turned back towards the hill and started running as fast as he could. The clicking sounds behind him grew louder, and he could feel the fish getting closer.

He risked a glance behind him and saw that the fish had made its way to the shore and was now lurching towards him on its wiry limbs. Its glowing orb was fixed on him, and Lucas could feel its gaze piercing through him...

Lucas couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction as he watched his summons run ahead of him without any hindrance. Everything had been going his way ever since he had gained his powers, and he had let his guard down a little. His arrogance was to blame for his current predicament.

As the humanoid anglerfish continued lurching after him, Lucas felt a flicker of fear in his chest. But he quickly pushed it aside, telling himself that he was a powerful summoner and that nothing could touch him.

But that was his mistake. He was so focused on the anglerfish that he failed to notice the strange rock next to him start to move. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

The rock revealed itself to be a massive crab-hybrid monster, swinging its massive pincer at Lucas with deadly force. "Shit!" Lucas cursed under his breath as he tried to dodge, but it was too late. The jagged spikes on the crab's pincer cut him across the chest, sending him stumbling forward at full speed.

The pain was intense, but Lucas was still alive. He didn't have time to think or do anything before the monster attacked again, its massive pincer coming at him with crushing force. Just as he thought he was done for, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The pincer smashed down onto the coral ground, sending bits of coral flying everywhere.

Lucas knew he had to act fast. He couldn't take on both monsters alone, especially not when he was injured. He scanned the area frantically, searching for a way out.

And that's when an idea struck him.

"Come back!" he shouted to his summons, his voice filled with urgency. "3 of you, go back and fight the anglerfish. The remaining two will assist me in taking down the crab."

He knew he couldn't take it head-on, not with his injury. So he decided to stall for time. As the monster charged at him again, its pincer ready to strike, Lucas quickly conjured up a wall of ice in front of him.

The crab's pincer smashed into the ice wall with a deafening thud, and Lucas took the opportunity to strike. He summoned a barrage of icicles, each one hitting the monster with deadly accuracy.

Despite the icicle hitting the crab hybrid monster with deadly accuracy, it didn't seem to do much damage. The crab had a thick carapace protecting its body, and the icicle merely bounced off it, leaving a small dent on the shell.

Lucas cursed under his breath, realizing that this fight was not going to be easy.

Lucas continued to form ice walls to stall for time and occasionally shot icicles at the crab hybrid monster. He was trying his best to conserve his mana, knowing that he might need it for something more crucial later on. As he continued to battle with the monster, he noticed his two summons making their way toward him.

When they arrived, Lucas felt a sense of relief, but he was not entirely happy. His summons was weaker than him and would not be able to defeat the crab on their own. However, they could still be useful in distracting the monster and attacking its weak points.

Lucas quickly thought of a plan and ordered his summons to attack the crab from behind, while he kept it busy from the front. With this tactic, Lucas managed to land some critical hits on the monster, but it still wasn't enough to take it down.

...

Lucas was panting heavily as he formed another ice wall to block the crab's attack. As Lucas continued to battle the crab hybrid monster, he could feel his mana reserves depleting rapidly. He cursed himself for not being better prepared and berated himself to think of a new strategy.

"Think, Lucas, think!" he muttered to himself. "What else can I do?"

He reminded himself that his powers were mainly focused on ice and what is ice good at. Freezing. But the problem was that his ice powers were not enough to freeze the monster itself. That's when he had a brilliant idea - freeze the ground.

"Yes, that's it!" he exclaimed, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

He quickly formed a layer of ice on the ground, making it as thick and slippery as he could manage. The crab's movements became sluggish as it tried to keep its footing.

But just as he thought he had the upper hand, his mana gauge hit almost rock bottom, he had no mana for spells left. He cursed under his breath, feeling the panic rising in his chest.

"I can't keep this up," he muttered, his mind racing. "What do I do now?"

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He reached for his candy cane soul item and quickly transformed his candy cane soul item into a fishing rod.

Lucas grinned widely as he cast the line towards the humanoid anglerfish.

The fishing line shot through the air like a bullet and quickly wrapped itself around the anglerfish's right leg. Lucas knew he had to act fast and with all his might, he began to reel in the line.

The anglerfish resisted at first, but as Lucas persisted with all his strength, the monster's grip on the ground began to loosen. Suddenly, the anglerfish was lifted off the ground and came flying toward Lucas and his two summons, who were now fully engaged in the battle. The expression on Lucas' face was one of pure ecstasy as he watched the anglerfish crash to the ground in front of him.