Caught in a grueling battle

Right now, all the anger was futile. Olaf, witnessing the twin knights struggling to defend themselves against the monster's attack after Kris's escape, calmed his furious heart and hurriedly rushed to help.

At this critical moment of life and death, the internal struggle of the twin knights reached its peak. Kris's flight seemed to tell them that, in front of one's own life, all notions of honor, decency, and comradeship are insignificant! Their gazes met for a moment, understanding each other's decision without needing to speak.

Thus, at the moment of decision, they almost synchronously turned around, abandoning Olaf, who was attacking the monster, to flee.

"What the actual fuck... even you guys?" Olaf was dumbfounded, watching the twin knights abandon him to escape, disbelief in his eyes.

The monster saw the cowardice of the twin knights and a sly smile appeared on its face; it knew from that moment on, this team of human mages was fragmented and not to be feared. After swiftly repelling Olaf's charge, the monster rapidly caught up to the fleeing twin knights, positioning itself right behind them!

Seeing the monster so close, the twin knights couldn't comprehend why, despite their escape, the monster chased them relentlessly like a rabid dog. Unbeknownst to them, when fear set in, death had already silently approached.

Their complexions turned pale, with panic and fear quickly flashing in their eyes. In a frantic scramble, they conjured a magical barrier in front of them, attempting to withstand the monster's forthcoming attack.

However, against a monster with strength comparable to a level 34 human mage, their magical barrier lasted only a brief two seconds before shattering like thin paper. The barrier broke into fragments, turning into twinkling lights that gradually dissipated in the air. Immediately after, they felt intense pain in their chests as two bloodied arms pierced through, each hand clutching their still-beating hearts.

They watched, eyes wide with disbelief and regret, as their hearts pulsed bloodily before their eyes, but it was too late. Their eyes gradually lost their vitality in agony, and they slumped down, signaling the end of their lives.

Everything happened so suddenly, and by the time Ryan and Evelyn caught up, it was too late to stop the monster from brutally killing them.

After killing the two mages, the monster quickly drained the blood from their bodies, its evil aura rising once more. Satisfied, it threw the bodies aside like trash and coldly turned its gaze to the remaining three, fixing its stare on Ryan.

Seeing the consecutive deaths of the mages, Ryan's gaze flickered with unease, his worry intensifying. He had never imagined the situation could deteriorate to this extent. He had not anticipated that their group of seven adventure mages could be so fragile. He also realized the terrifying nature of this monster, capable of manipulating minds and easily exploiting human weaknesses to turn the tide of battle.

Ryan's gaze hardened as he silently contemplated his next move, considering the last resort - the precious level 40 experience card. However, with the monster's strength only elevated to level 35 for now, if the three of them worked together, there might still be a chance! It was not yet time to play his last card.

"Damn it! What the hell is this freakin' thing?" Olaf said with a heavy tone, his voice trembling with shock as he observed the increasingly powerful, sinister monster. He knew this could be the most challenging battle of his life. But Olaf understood that fear would only lead him deeper into the abyss of death. Resolute, he tightly gripped his axes, prepared to fight to the death. This did not mean he was unafraid of dying; rather, it was the fear of death that strengthened his resolve.

If Olaf could be as fortunate as Kris to escape the monster's clutches, he would not hesitate to flee. However, the monster let only Kris go, applying cruel methods to Thomas and Ptolemy, proving it intended to spare none of them. Clearly, allowing Kris to escape was part of the monster's vile plan to weaken their team's fighting spirit. Now, their only chance of survival was to kill the monster before them!

United we stand, divided we fall! In an instant, the resolve of Ryan, Olaf, and Evelyn remarkably aligned, all prepared for a desperate battle.

Meanwhile, Chris, who had fled in a panic after abandoning his companions, was desperately running north, cursing his luck for not having been born with an extra pair of legs.

On his way, he stumbled upon a group of knights riding majestic steeds, led by around 25 years old nobleman, all of whom were Advanced mages. This sight instantly sparked a glimmer of hope in him. Wracked with guilt over abandoning his friends, Chris excitedly approached them to plead for their help.

"Excuse me, please, stop for a moment! I beg of you to lend a hand, to save my poor companions!" Chris stood in front of the noble young man, calling out with hope in his voice.

The nobleman, quickly recognizing the knight's crest of the Arnold Kingdom on the armor of the man blocking his path, showed a hint of impatience on his face.

Adolf, the heir to the Genis family pursuing Ryan from the south, was holding a compass-like magical device, trying to trace the traces left by Ryan. However, the tracking device was not performing as hoped, adding to his frustration and heavy heart.

The sudden appearance of this stranger only added to his irritation. Faced with this unexpected interruption, Adolf's face was a picture of displeasure, his mood already soured by the unsuccessful search for Ryan, and this unwelcome disturbance was the last straw.

"Out of my way! Or I'll cut you down!" the young noble warned with a glare of impatience.

Chris shivered at Adolf's harsh words, wondering how he had offended the nobleman before him, his eyes filled with confusion.

At this point, one of Adolf's knights suggested,"My lord! Aimlessly searching like this is futile. Perhaps we should inquire with this fellow for any useful leads."

Adolf nodded, and then the knight dismounted and approached Chris with a scroll in hand.

"Have you seen a young man with black hair and purple eyes, accompanied by a girl about five or six years old?" the knight unfolded the scroll before Chris and asked coldly.

Chris's pupils shrank at the sight of the person in the drawing.

"Is... is his name Ryan?" Chris asked tentatively, with a look of uncertainty.

Adolf, who had been brooding on horseback nearby, perked up at Chris's response, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Yes! That's him! Where is he?" Adolf tossed the tracking device back into his magical space ring and quickly dismounted to approach Chris, asking eagerly.

"Why... why are you looking for him?" Chris, sensing something amiss with the imperious young noble's demeanor, adopted a wary expression and cautiously inquired.

"Are you testing my patience!" Adolf's expression darkened, and with visible impatience, he drew his longsword and held it to Chris's throat.

Faced with the fierce nobleman, Chris felt the cold blade against his neck and saw the fear in his own eyes. He had no doubt that any dissatisfaction with his response would lead the nobleman's sword to mercilessly slash his throat. The immediate threat of death made Chris abandon all his guilt towards his companions and comply.

"I'll tell you! Just don't kill me! They're in a village not far ahead!" Chris, trembling, pointed towards a village ablaze with fire in the south.

Having received the answer he sought, Adolf sheathed his sword, mounted his steed, and coldly ordered,"Take him with us! Let's go!" He then spurred his horse towards the village in the south.

Seeing their lord's command, the knights forcefully grabbed the panic-stricken Chris and followed suit, charging towards the village in a formidable procession.

In the village engulfed in flames, Ryan, Evelyn, and Olaf were still fiercely battling the monsters. Their unwavering faith and seamless teamwork, despite being at a disadvantage, provided them with a glimpse of hope. Thankfully, the monsters seemed unable to use magic as frequently as humans, and aside from their quick reflexes and tough hides, they posed no significant threat to the trio. This realization bolstered their hope of defeating the monsters!

"Evelyn! Do you have any binding spells?" Ryan asked amid the fight.

Binding spells are a special category of magic that requires detailed study and practice to master. Although Ryan had adeptly used binding magic with a level 60 trial card, he now found his mind devoid of any incantations or techniques related to it.

After casting a magic arrow to repel an attacking monster, Evelyn pondered for a moment before responding, "I did learn a mid-tier binding spell, but it can only hold the monster for about five seconds at most! It will consume nearly half of my mana to use it once!"

"Yo, dude! You ain't for real thinkin' we can take down this freakin' monster in just five seconds, right?" Olaf's skeptical voice echoed from a distance. To him, risking half of one's mana for such a seemingly futile act was utterly foolish.

Hearing this, Evelyn also looked at Ryan with doubt in her eyes.

Ryan took a deep breath, feeling no need to prolong the battle further. He was reluctant to reveal his full capabilities, but if he wished to avoid wasting the level 40 trial card in his system inventory, employing the system's devour skill was the only option. With a confident gleam in his eye, he responded, "Trust me, just restrain it for me, and I'll take care of it swiftly!"