"Ugh... Even with an 80% discount, it's still so expensive..."
"Don't worry, host, this is what they call 'you can't catch a tiger without entering its lair'~"
"Sigh... Hurry up and clear out the last Hilichurl so I can get some of my money back (๑-﹏-๑)"
"Let me see... Hmm, the last location is near Windrise. I hope I'll run into that guy Venti then..."
Running away—
"Phew~ Finally here."
"Host, why didn't you teleport?"
"I can only use it twice a day, and it drains a lot of energy. How could I use it so casually! Sigh... Let me observe first..." Ying took out her telescope and began to observe.
"Huh? I don't remember the intel mentioning Abyss Mages... That's strange... Two Hilichurls, one Hilichurl Brute, and one Hydro Abyss Mage... The other three are manageable, but this Hydro Mage is a bit tricky. I can't break its shield quickly, and if I get controlled while breaking it, it'll be bad..."
"I suggest the host take care of the other three monsters first."
"That's true, but the Hydro Abyss Mage definitely won't let me get away with it easily... I thought there would be at most one or two Hilichurl Brutes. No wonder there are so many rewards, yet no one accepts the quest. Only Lumine and those knights can handle this mission easily..."
"Host, you have to believe in yourself~"
"You mean believe in myself getting beaten up! Damn it, I'll never accept quests randomly again... Maybe I should wait for Lumine to come back and ask for her help... But that would be a bit embarrassing, though getting beaten up is also embarrassing..."
"Then, does the host want to give up the quest?"
"How could I?! Giving up the quest is both embarrassing and a waste of money! Sigh~ Pyro element is easy to handle, but Cryo element is not. It's not realistic to just smash it with a block of ice."
"The host can also use Pyro to break the shield."
"The efficiency is too slow. If it were the only one, I could slowly chip away at it with Anemo. The main concern now is how to take down those Hilichurls and the Hilichurl Brute under its nose... Why do I suddenly feel danger behind me..." Ying turned her head stiffly.
"Dee... Deep... Abyss Mage?! Brother, when did you get here?!"
The Hydro Abyss Mage did not reply to Ying's question and directly fired a water projectile at Ying, repelling her several meters.
"Hiss... Huh? It doesn't seem to hurt much... But are Abyss Mages' eyes this good, System..." Ying touched the spot where she was hit, finding that there wasn't much damage.
"Don't ask me, this system doesn't know~"
"I knew I couldn't count on you..." Ying quickly drew her black sword to block the attacks of the two Hilichurls rushing from behind. But just as Ying was about to use Gale Blade to knock them away, the nearby Hilichurl Brute suddenly accelerated and charged, sending Ying and the two Hilichurls flying together.
"Waaah?! ≥﹏≤ Cough... Cough... It's that familiar pain again... Aren't you going to deal with those two Hilichurls in front of you?!"
The Hilichurl Brute raised its shield and charged with a powerful upward strike, sending Ying flying into the air again. At the same time, the Abyss Mage, which had just teleported back, immediately followed up with a water bubble, trapping Ying in mid-air.
"Hmm?!" (Trapped?!)
Ying quickly held her breath to prevent herself from drowning, then used her sword to stab at the bubble with all her might, trying to pop it. But she found that even with all her strength, it had no effect.
(It won't pop?! What kind of bubble is this?! Oh no... I can't hold my breath much longer (＞﹏＜))
A few seconds later, the bubble finally burst on its own. Ying fell to the ground and quickly rolled to the side to dodge the attack of the Hilichurl Brute waiting underground, while taking large breaths of fresh air.
"Hah... Hah... I finally know how painful it is to be unable to breathe..."
After catching her breath, Ying immediately got up and rushed towards the Abyss Mage. Upon reaching it, she unleashed a Gale Blade at its shield, intending to break it.
Seeing this, the Abyss Mage quickly summoned another bubble, trying to trap Ying again. However, Ying was already prepared and took a step back, successfully popping the bubble with her sword.
"Oh? It broke so easily from the outside. Then you're finished!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ying approached again, infusing her black sword with Anemo to accelerate the destruction of the Hydro shield.
At the same time, the Hilichurl Brute also raised its shield and charged at Ying again. However, Ying was well-prepared and dodged with a roll just before it could reach her, causing it to collide with the Abyss Mage's shield, successfully shaving off a large chunk of the Hydro shield.
"Hmph hmph~ No matter how strong you are, it's useless without a brain. How does it feel to hit your own allies and betray your boss~"
The Abyss Mage sensed danger and immediately activated its Water Bubble Field to block Ying's attack.
"Whoa~ This field is much larger than in the game, and there are several times more bubbles (๑ŐдŐ) But it's a shame I'm outside now!"
Ying raised her black sword and unleashed a charged attack, instantly sending an Anemo slash flying, which severed a bubble.
"Hmph hmph~ How is it? This is intelligence (*˘︶˘*) Huh? You're still dancing there, are you looking down on me? Wait... Isn't this a skill to restore shields?! No, it still has a shield on it?!"
"Host, haven't you forgotten this isn't a game..."
"Huh?! Then if it restores its shield, I'm finished?!" Hearing the system's reminder, Ying rushed into the water bubble field, heading straight for the Abyss Mage.
"Break it!" Reaching its side, Ying desperately unleashed skills, trying to interrupt its casting before it finished dancing.
"Last... Waaah?!"
Just as Ying was about to break the Hydro shield, the Hilichurl Brute suddenly charged from the side, knocking Ying away. She collided with a bubble and was trapped again.
"Hmm?!" (Aaaargh, this damn Hilichurl Brute!! It's over, this situation is dire ≥﹏≤)
After finally breaking free from the bubble's restraint, Ying looked at the two nearly unscathed enemies with a headache.
"What to do, what to do... My stamina has been depleted quite a bit by them. If this continues, I'm definitely going to fail..."
The Hilichurl Brute gave Ying no chance to strategize and charged again with its shield raised. At the same time, the Abyss Mage fired several water projectiles at Ying, attempting to disrupt her rhythm.
The speed of their attacks made it impossible for Ying to dodge them all. She could only roll to the side to evade the most threatening attack from the Hilichurl Brute.
"Ptooey! My clothes are all wet. Fortunately, the damage from its water balls isn't too high... But why do I feel heavier and heavier? (＞﹏＜)"
"That's a gravity debuff applied to the host."
"What?! I don't remember Hydro Abyss Mages increasing gravity?"
"This isn't a game, the monsters are definitely not as dumb as in the game, only knowing a few skills. They don't even know to reapply their shields when they're about to break."
"You... Ugh, more water balls! Oh no... My body is too heavy to dodge..." The water balls cast by the Abyss Mage continued to hit Ying's body, and the gravity she endured increased. Soon, she was forced to kneel on the ground.
"Brother, please stop spitting water balls, my body can't take it anymore... ≥﹏≤"
"Someone save me!!"