-1643- The prepared ambush
"Rumble..."
A mass of flames barreled forward, evaporating the air around it and lighting up the surroundings as it hurtled toward them.
Under the barrage of fireballs, Rozen and Leafa, positioned within the cave, found themselves with nowhere to escape.
In front of them was a dense rain of fireballs, covering the entire cave passage and leaving only rocky walls on both sides, making dodging impossible for Rozen and Leafa.
The two could only retreat, but the fireballs had an extensive range. If it were just Rozen alone, he might have managed to escape, but Leafa couldn't match the fireballs' speed. It was only a matter of time before she got hit.
Moreover, there wasn't enough time now to chant any defensive magic.
Given that, there was only one way to survive in this situation.
"Get back!"
Rozen pulled Leafa behind him, shielding her with his own body, and raised one hand in front of himself to block the oncoming fireballs.
Thus, countless fireballs landed directly on Rozen.
"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"
Explosions erupted, unleashing waves of flames and sudden hot gusts, bathing one corner of the cave in a fiery red glow and dispelling the darkness.
Rozen was swallowed by the enemy's sudden magical attack, enveloped in flames.
Rozen's HP bar appeared and began to drop.
However, despite the intensity of the attack, Rozen's HP only decreased by less than a tenth—a very minor loss.
This was naturally thanks to the magic immunity effect granted by Feathered Wing ring.
"Rozen...!"
Leafa, shielded behind Rozen, hadn't lost any HP but could only shout in concern.
"I'm fine."
Rozen, still in his blocking stance, responded to Leafa while looking ahead.
There...
"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."
The metallic clash of armor echoed from afar, growing louder.
A group of players clad in heavy armor, wielding swords in one hand and large metal shields in the other, charged forward from the cave's depths, followed by a group of players dressed in wizard-like robes.
These players had rugged appearances, with gear leaning toward a fiery red theme and wings distinctively colored differently from wind sprites, indicating that they belonged to a different race.
Their race was none other than Salamanders the currently largest and most infamous faction in ALO.
"Salamanders...!"
Leafa's face showed a hint of displeasure.
Understandably so, as ALO encourages inter-racial combat, where different races can engage in PK anytime, anywhere, outside safe zones.
Recently, the Salamanders had been ambushing other races outside safe zones to gather funds and resources for their World Tree campaign.
With ongoing conflicts between Salamanders and Sylphs due to neighboring territories, meeting in the wild generally had only one outcome.
That outcome was...
"Is it time to start killing right away?"
Rozen, already holding his fairy sword at his side, looked at the Salamander group ahead with a smirk.
Leafa, however, wasn't as composed as Rozen.
The enemy outnumbered them significantly, with five shield-sword wielders at the front and fifteen mages as support.
Rozen and Leafa had encountered a group of twenty Salamanders, making the situation look bleak.
The Salamanders clearly had no intention of letting Rozen and Leafa go.
"'≮·￡·∈·∝·∮·⊥·∨·∫·々·√————'"
Five of the mages immediately began chanting upon seeing Rozen and Leafa, sending five flaming beams past them, which landed behind Rozen and Leafa.
"Boom—!"
With an explosion, the ground behind them erupted like a volcano, creating five walls of fire that blocked Rozen and Leafa's retreat.
In addition, ten other mages started chanting a different spell.
"'∥·∨·≠·∪·∷·±·∽·⌒·∠·∫·∏·≥————'"
Another lengthy chant produced clusters of light in the hands of the ten Salamander mages. These floating lights spread through the space in front of Rozen and Leafa, filling the air.
Recognizing the orbs, Rozen frowned, and Leafa's face paled.
"These are trap spells!"
Indeed.
The floating lights were magic traps typically used in major boss battles; the moment anyone touched these orbs, they would explode.
Now, Rozen and Leafa were trapped: bombs in front, fire behind, with no way to advance or retreat.
The Salamanders' thorough preparation surprised even Rozen, let alone Leafa.
The reason was simple...
"The enemy outnumbers us, so a straightforward assault would seem easier. Why go to such lengths with these precautions?"
A fire wall to prevent escape made sense, trapping them like fish in a barrel.
However, the trap spell seemed odd, as a direct attack spell would have been more effective.
Unless...
"The enemy knew from the start that, although our numbers are few, our strength is formidable, and they might risk failure."
Only then would they have gone to the trouble of setting up trap spells to guard against a powerful foe.
In other words...
"This isn't a chance encounter in the wild. They came here specifically for us, knowing about mine and Leafa's capabilities."
That was the only way to explain the situation.
Moreover...
"The trap spells were laid to counter my speed."
If Rozen charged at the enemy with his speed, it would be hard for them to react in time, right?
Knowing this, they set up the trap spells, planting mines across the space to prevent Rozen from closing in.
This Salamander group was clearly here specifically to ambush Rozen.
"'∧·∪·〈·≡·÷·×·∵————'"
As Rozen processed these thoughts, the Salamander mages resumed chanting.
"Boom boom boom boom boom...!"
One by one, orange fireballs erupted, hurtling toward Rozen.
These fireballs passed through the light clusters without triggering any explosions.
It was clear that the orbs only affected living beings, not magic.
"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"
Explosions echoed again as flames engulfed Rozen's figure once more.
"Tch..."
Rozen raised his hand, blocking the enemy's spell. His HP only dropped by another tenth, still minimal, but the side effects of the explosions were another matter.
As mentioned before, explosion-type magic attacks not only inflict ear-ringing, dizziness, and other sensations but may also affect the brain in real life, making it hard to recover quickly.
Though the magic attacks didn't deal significant damage, the heat, suffocating feel, and dizziness from the flames were intense.
Fortunately, Rozen was no ordinary person; he was well-adjusted to the bombardments and explosions in battle. His brain, fortified by High-Grade Mana, remained steady.
Still...
"An eye for an eye."
Rozen extended his hand and chanted a spell of his own.
"'±·∧·∏·∈·⊥————'"
Magical symbols glimmered and shattered, transforming into countless wind blades that cut forward.
To this...
"Ha!"
The five shield-bearing Salamanders shouted and raised their shields, blocking the spell in front of their mages.
"Clang clang clang clang clang...!"
The wind blades ricocheted off the shields, each blow producing a crisp clang.
Seeing this, Rozen narrowed his eyes.