53: Phase Spider

Fiona and Lilian's eyes sparkled with excitement when they heard my invitation, and they both expressed that they would definitely come to visit.

I guessed that in their long lives, due to their different ways of living, it might be rare for someone to invite them.

I told them that I was currently heading east and expected to return to my territory in about a month.

After bidding farewell to the two sprites, we returned to the temporary camp.

We hadn't been gone for long, and some small animals had already quietly returned to the area around the camp.

Fortunately, we hadn't left much in terms of supplies; most of them were stored in the system space, so there was no loss whatsoever.

I re-covered the area with mist and released the small animals that had wandered in again.

The entire rescue operation only delayed us for a little over an hour; after returning to the tent, I continued with my studies.

Early the next morning, I woke up early.

Today was the third day since we set off.

After breakfast, everyone expertly packed up the tents and other supplies, while I dismantled the warning traps one by one.

Soon after we set off, I noticed Fiona and Lilian silently escorting us from a distance.

When they saw us poke our heads out of the mist and greet them, they enthusiastically waved back.

With their escort, that day's journey was exceptionally smooth; we didn't even encounter a single beast.

At dusk, I dispelled the mist and invited them to our temporary camp for dinner.

In the dense forest, a clear stream meandered.

By the riverside, the temporary camp was gently caressed by the lingering glow of the setting sun.

Around the bonfire, the aroma of dinner intertwined with laughter, creating a warm scene.

Before roasting the meat, I re-established a circle of mist around the camp's perimeter; as soon as I returned to the bonfire, Randall suddenly sounded an alarm.

However, this time, Randall couldn't pinpoint the enemy's exact location.

Randall also sensed something abnormal and likewise couldn't lock onto a target.

I immediately had everyone go on alert and informed everyone of the anomaly Randall had discovered.

At the same time, I granted Fiona and Lilian access to the mist and spread the mist throughout the entire camp.

"Over there!" Fiona suddenly pointed towards the depths of the forest.

I followed her gaze and saw a giant spider, more than half a person's height, leap out of the shadows.

Its appearance was no different from an ordinary spider, with eight slender legs and eight pairs of eerie green eyes, like an enlarged version of a common small spider.

But its head was abnormally large, sharp fangs protruded from its mouthparts, and its body and legs were covered in thick black fur.

This giant spider suddenly vanished while running, then reappeared several meters away.

This is a magical beast, very similar to Black Little Leopard's "Infiltrate Shadow Plane" skill.

"It's a Phase Spider!" Randall whispered, "This type of beast is very difficult to deal with."

"Evil creatures!" Fiona frowned, "These are not native species to this forest. I wonder when they snuck in. There are more over there!"

More Phase Spiders leaped out from the shadows of the forest.

Their eight slender and powerful legs moved swiftly across the ground, making almost no sound.

Their eyes flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, sending chills down one's spine.

Most unsettlingly, they could vanish instantly and reappear several meters away, as if they had mastered the secrets of space.

One, two, three... four, five, a total of five Phase Spiders, rapidly approaching the mist.

I manipulated the mist, continuously expanding its coverage.

Soon, five Phase Spiders successively crashed into the mist.

Seeing the five spiders trapped and circling at the edge of the mist, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as I was about to do something, the five Phase Spiders vanished simultaneously, and moments later, they reappeared one after another in the direction closer to us.

I secretly thought this was bad.

"Everyone, don't get too far from the Lord later!" Randall shouted loudly, "Prepare for battle!"

I stopped driving the mist and quickly took out a wolf-tooth arrow from my quiver, lighting the dry grass at the base of the arrowhead on the bonfire.

Nocking the arrow, aiming, and firing—with a "whoosh!" the Flame Arrow, carrying burning flames, cut through the air, and I launched the first long-range attack.

At the same time, Forest Nymph Fiona and Water Sprite Lilian also began chanting lengthy incantations.

My Flame Arrow passed through the illusory figures of the Phase Spiders, reflecting a ghostly blue metallic sheen on the spiders on either side.

I quickly drew a second arrow, lit it, aimed it at the direction another spider was moving, and fired.

"Thud... sizzle..., ouch... hiss..." It hit! This Flame Arrow struck a Phase Spider that had just shifted and reappeared.

The arrowhead pierced its side, and green bodily fluid splattered out.

The flames on the Flame Arrow ignited the bristles on its body before being extinguished.

This spider stumbled a few steps in pain, but quickly continued to teleport towards us, only slightly slower.

Fiona finished her incantation, and suddenly a patch of Mana Vines surged from the ground ahead.

Two Phase Spiders, one after another, happened to teleport into the area covered by the Mana Vines.

Several Mana Vines quickly wrapped upwards along the spiders' legs, tightly binding these two Phase Spiders.

However, the Mana Vines only slowed them down for a short while; when they teleported again, they easily broke free from the Mana Vines' restraints.

"Splash..."

On the other side, a Water Elemental suddenly surged from the ground, like an unstoppable torrent, instantly filling the entire hollow.

The Water Elemental summoned by Water Sprite Lilian was about 3 meters tall, with a robust build, composed entirely of continuously flowing clear water; in certain key areas, such as the convergence points of the water flow, it glowed with an eerie blue light, like gems from the deep sea.

The Water Elemental's face was blurry and profound, its eyes two constantly swirling vortices, revealing a cold and intelligent light.

Tiny water droplets encircled its body, gently swaying with its movements, emitting a faint mist that draped everything around it in a hazy veil.

"Woooo... hummm..."

It was the Water Elemental roaring; its voice was like the roar of a distant waterfall intertwined with the song of a deep-sea whale, low and profound, carrying an ineffable majesty and sorrow.

It swung its arm, condensed from water flow, forming a giant water ball that crashed down with a booming sound and irresistible force towards the two Phase Spiders.

Its appearance caught the two Phase Spiders, who had originally bypassed the Mana Vines, off guard; the bodies of the two eight-legged beasts flickered between different dimensions, attempting to evade this sudden threat.