Chapter 21 – Quest Finished!

The EXP was amazing. Atlas obtained a ton of it and increased his level to 16. Adding his title's buff, his level increased faster than a normal player.

But he couldn't enjoy it right now. He put the free attributes all to MAG and immediately turned to support Ferin. She engaged in a 3 vs 1 battle. The Lizardmen's AI seemed to be better than he initially thought.

The Wizard Lizard had a higher level than its minions. Thus, he could understand its decision to retreat when its guard arrived, although its HP had decreased slightly from Ferin's attack.

But the same can't be said for its minions.

'They know that they should keep the Wizard alive. Maybe their AI is different because they moved together with the guard? That's why they prioritize its safety.'

With a quick observation, Atlas understood why the two Lizardmen chose to retreat instead of rushing toward him like the other three even after he gained their aggro from dealing a lot of burst damage at once.

The Wizard didn't attack yet. It was wary of Atlas' magic and only observed the battle like him.

"Fer, can you manage?" Atlas asked her while casting a [Mana Bolt] at the Wizard Lizard to disrupt its attack just in case it tried to interfere in their fight.

"Hehe~" Ferin giggled mischievously and jumped away from their reach, "I can! Please just keep the Wizard busy for a while!"

"Roger."

Ferin was dancing. A graceful dance that couldn't be understood by normal people because it was too fast for their eyes to follow. Her sword left a blurry afterimage while she fought against two Elite Lizardmen at once.

To Atlas, her fighting style was a dangerous one. She was fit using her fists instead of a sword, but alas, she didn't get the class yet. However, the footwork she mastered could be used with any weapon or without it.

Ferin's dodging technique was a martial art that was created by a real master. She learned it to play VR Games in a more efficient way, even creating her own style.

With a spin, Ferin turned and stabbed her sword into a Lizardman's neck before it could land a counterattack at her exposed back. She pulled her blade out quickly before jumping back to avoid their attack again.

Their health had already dropped below 20%, while Ferin was still at 68%. She was only grazed a bit.

"I want to have fun with them for a bit longer!" She spoke to Atlas with a joyful smile on her face, "This is the first time monsters can fight me equally, At!"

Atlas smiled bitterly at her declaration and sighed tiredly, "As long as you don't lose your focus, I guess."

"Relax! This is not my first time fighting multiple enemies at once. You know that better than anyone."

"That's true."

"See!" Ferin giggled in amusement and blocked the Elite Lizardmen's double attack before she spun away again to dodge them. She chuckled playfully and teased him, "You should support me properly! Or else I might die here and leave you all alone~"

"I am on it. [Mana Bolt]"

Since earlier, he kept disturbing Wizard Lizard, playing the monster's attention between Ferin and himself while. The battle dragged on and started to become tedious. Atlas' MP wouldn't be able to handle it any longer.

"Fer, finish it fast."

"Hehe, my bad. I will do it now."

Luckily, Ferin had enough fun and decided to end it. She dashed toward one of the lizardmen and blocked its sword with her own before pivoting her body and delivered a powerful kick to its gut.

One elite Lizardman was sent flying and crashed against the other. She used that chance to end their life quickly.

[2x Level 18 Elite Lizardman has been defeated!]

[3x Elite Lizardman Hide obtained.]

Two attacks and one slash each were enough to kill them. Her HP was left 51%, enough to survive the Wizard's spell.

And then...

"Hisss!" The Wizard Lizard shot a green blob of magic at her again, knowing that its guard was defeated. It was desperate.

However, Atlas wasn't a person that let his girlfriend be harmed in front of him. The green blob met with a fireball, exploding right in front of Wizard Lizard and blew the lizard back against the tree. Its HP dropped down to 50%.

"Let's kill this ugly thing!" Ferin activated [Dash] again and jumped high in the air with her sword raised above her head.

The lizard had no way to dodge or escape from her. It raised its staff, which was immediately knocked away by Atlas' timely [Mana Bolt].

Swoosh!

Ferin descended from the sky like a shooting star as she swung her sword down. Red hexagons spurted from the wound, but it didn't die yet. With a hiss, it reached its hand out in desperation.

But Ferin had no intention to give it another chance. She kicked its chest and pushed it against the tree again before stabbing her sword into its face.

"You can't touch a model, bad lizard. Only At can~" She wiggled her finger at it and stuck her tongue out teasingly. "Die~"

Hissing for the last time, the Wizard Lizard's red name turned gray as it lost its life.

[1x Level 20 Wizard Lizard has been defeated.]

[1x [Uncommon] Lizard Staff obtained.]

[1x [Uncommon] Lizard Robe obtained.]

[6/5 Elite Lizardmen defeated. Quest completed!]

[Return to Hub to receive your reward.]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

"Victory~" Ferin made a V sign and jumped at Atlas to hug him.

Level 17 now, Atlas hugged her back while patting her head. She purred happily like a cat at his touch.

"That was a good fight, Fer." He praised her skill with a gentle smile on his face before he grabbed her hand and started walking to the Hub. "Let's collect our rewards and do another quest."

"Yeah!" Ferin smiled brightly at him and held his hand tightly in hers while following him. "This is gonna be a great day~"

The couple left the swamp behind while chatting happily and returned to the Hub.