Chapter 1
"What! So, Raphael the priest won't come?" The mayor stepped back, even falling down with the chair.
Virgil quickly pulled him back, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"Yes, he's still in prison. The church is really filthy, not a place for someone like Raphael to deal with."
"What to do! What to do!" The mayor held Virgil's hand in excitement. "If that monster destroys the town, what should we do? The priest said his spell can only last for three years, three years! It's almost up!"
Finally willing to speak, Virgil felt a sense of relief. He sat back in his seat and comforted, "I am a Demon Hunter, maybe I can help. Tell me what's going on?"
The mayor took off his hat, touched his bald head, and sighed. "You're a Demon Hunter, maybe you've heard before, there was an incident where many Demon Hunters came to chase after a demon beast that caused trouble. The demon beast ended up in our town!"
Virgil was drawn to this news. The mysterious demon beast vanished inexplicably in Doloru Town, leaving no trace. There was a legend that Priest Raphael came here and subdued the demon beast, but Raphael himself remained secretive and refused to reveal any information.
"Ah, I might have heard something, but it wasn't Priest Raphael who subdued the demon beast…"
The mayor looked very discouraged. "No… the priest led it to an abandoned underground temple and expelled all the elements…"
"Ah…" The banishment spell was a special spell only used by priests. It harnessed the power of Holy Light to send all the elements in the entire area back to the Elemental Realm. Most demon beasts used elemental spells, so if they didn't have the ability to borrow elemental power, they became nothing more than slightly powerful wild beasts.
"You just mentioned how long his expulsion spell can last?"
"Three years, it's almost over! When will he, the priest, come out?"
"Maybe never, perhaps he has already forgotten."
"You're a Demon Hunter, right? Think of a solution quickly! I can… I can give you all the deposit that Priest Raphael gave me! It's… it's as much as fifty gold coins!"
"Oh, even if I have so much money, I still have to go and see. I've heard, I've heard that it can explode a whole block of stone into pieces."
"Yes, yes!" The mayor blushed, "Your bow doesn't look cheap, you must be very skilled!"
"Since that's the case, I'll go with you to see what fifty gold coins look like…"
Virgil stood up, adjusted the suspenders of his bow, and when the mayor paid the money, they walked out together.
"The moonlight is so beautiful…" Virgil exclaimed, but the mayor said, "The place we're going is underground."
"Oh… it's not werewolves, is it?"
"No, but it's similar."
They left the town, and the mayor took out a windproof lantern, holding it in his hand, walking in front, until they reached a desolate ruin.
"These stones are…"
"The stones of the temple, the temple belongs to the Sun God."
Of course, Virgil recognized the servant statue of the Sun God that had fallen by the roadside earlier, but there were some very precious stones here, probably why Raphael chose this place.
There was a big hole in the middle of the temple. Virgil took a look and asked, "Won't it come out?"
The mayor said, "No, there is a barrier left by the priest at the entrance of the hole, and besides, it is still inside."
Virgil reached out and touched the barrier. These impure Sunstones maintained the sacred spell's short duration. Virgil reached into the barrier and threw a torch down the hole. The torch fell into the hole, illuminating the deep darkness, without any movement at the end.
Virgil squinted and asked, "What's inside… and why are there bowls?"
"…I put them there."
Virgil turned to look at the mayor and asked, "You still feed it?"
"I- I- I took a deposit from Priest Raphael! I have to take care of it properly, right?"
"There are bones…"
"Later on, I felt it was too dangerous, so I fed it raw, and ran away if I lost it."
Virgil had sharp eyes like an eagle, able to see things far away. He tried hard to discern it with the torch in his hand, "Hmm… There are quite a few, sheep bones, cow legs, oh my, it seems there's even a green mouse…"
"Green mouse? I can't defeat this thing, it must have gone in by itself…"
"If it's a demon beast that caused the 'Keatler Elemental Chaos', it would be very easy for it to eat up the green mouse…" Virgil pulled out his bow, placed an arrow on it, and shot it inside. The feathers at the end of the arrow spread out in all directions. He recited a simple spell and, in front of him, a mirror appeared, revealing the inside of the cave.
Nobody was there.
"It's very deep inside," the mayor said, "and very big. No one knows where it leads to."
Virgil walked in, looking around. "This is definitely a dead end, isn't it? This demon beast has been here all along. By the way, how do you know it hasn't left?"
"Occasionally," the mayor lowered his voice, already holding a sword, "when I come to deliver food, I can hear explosions from underground."
"But… didn't the elements get exiled?"
The mayor said, "Come on, Demon Hunter, you guys use more spells than us warriors. The elements flow from places with high concentration to places with low concentration, even underground."
"Ha, you're right." Virgil raised an arrow, and the tail feathers emitted a soft glow. Most of the arrows carried by the Demon Hunter had spells attached to them. Elemental spells needed elements to trigger, but light spells became very bright in this place filled with Holy Light. The Light Mirror Technique attached to the feathers also emitted a serious overflow of light when it wasn't activated, which was perfect for replacing a torch.
Suddenly, Virgil waved his hand, halted his steps, and nocked an arrow on the bowstring. In an instant, he completed the shooting action, and the feather arrow flew out. They heard a series of chirping sounds. Under the renewed illumination of Holy Light, he saw that his arrow had hit and killed a mouse.
The mayor also breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't be nervous, young one."
"Aren't you nervous? Shh… I feel like there's something nearby-"
Before he finished speaking, he felt the ground shake beneath his feet. He pushed the mayor away and rolled to the side. Immediately after, the place they had been standing in exploded. Though it wasn't a large explosion, the source was unknown. They didn't hear any chanting or roaring. It was only then that Virgil realized he had completely forgotten to ask what type of demon beast it was.
The explosions continued one after another. The Sunstone above them kept peeling off, and stalagmites fell and hit the ground. Virgil had to pull down his mask and roll and dodge all the way. He glanced back at the mayor and discovered that this bald-headed old warrior was also very agile. Despite being chased by falling rocks, he miraculously remained unharmed.
"Hey! Old man! What type of demon beast is this?"
"Humanoid！"
"Human-like creature?" Virgil paused for a moment. Human-like creature, also known as a demon beast, was a broad category that included various creatures such as half-human, dark gnome, fallen demon, dog-headed person, fish person, ogre, and many others. They were all quite different from each other.
"More specifically?"
"I don't know!"
Another explosion sounded, and Virgil quickly leaped and rolled on the ground to avoid a falling stone slab. He grabbed his bow and shot three feather arrows, which penetrated deep into the rock. Thanks to the Sunstone, the high concentration of Holy Light made the three feather arrows shine brightly, instantly illuminating the hall.
His eagle eyes swiftly scanned the surroundings, and it seemed that there were no other creatures besides him and the mayor in the empty hall. But wait, there was something reflecting in the corner just now. He shot another arrow, and four feather arrows finally illuminated the hall fully. In a corner of the crumbling underground temple, stood a little girl.
She had long black hair flowing down her back and green eyes that sparkled with alertness.
"Dark elf? Dark gnome?" Virgil lowered his arrow as he tried to determine the species of this demon beast.
"Humanoid, it's a humanoid creature," the mayor finally reached him.
The little girl's skin looked very pale because she lived underground for a long time, while the black hobbit and dark gnome were both black.
"Could it be an elf? But she doesn't have pointed ears. Could she be human—" He saw the little girl raise her hand and let out a strange cry. Suddenly, there was a peculiar movement in the air between the two of them. He quickly jumped aside and then heard the roaring wind and heavy impact.
"It's a humanoid!" emphasized the mayor.
Humans had to chant spells to cast magic, while demon beasts only need to howl or roar. No wonder the mayor emphasized that this was a humanoid demon beast.
The two rolled behind a big rock. Virgil said, "I'll distract her, you knock her out. I'll go left."
"It, it is."
"Is there any difference?"
The mayor covered his face, "If you admit it's a human, can you really bring yourself to attack?"
"Alright, it's true. I'll go first."
The mayor grabbed him tightly and said, "No, I'll distract her, and you go knock it out."
"Why--" Suddenly, there was a loud noise above their heads, and Virgil didn't hesitate. He grabbed the mayor and ran forward.
"My daughter is the same age! I can't do it!"
Virgil looked at him strangely and said, "Okay, I'll go. How can you distract her… its attention?"
The mayor picked up a rock and threw it towards where the little girl was hiding. The rock flew in a high arc and was about to hit her. Virgil saw the little girl cover her head in fear and shouted. The rock exploded in mid-air and shattered into tiny pieces.
It seemed like she knew it was dangerous here too. She got up and ran towards another opening. Virgil shot an arrow with a shining tail feather, barely missing her. She turned and ran in the other direction while looking back at them.
The mayor's throws were extremely accurate. The little girl ran around, getting hit by rocks that exploded or caused explosions above her head. The empty hall was filled with her terrified screams, and even someone like Virgil, who lacked sympathy, couldn't bear to hear it.
But he had to complete the mission no matter what.
While the mayor continued to dodge and throw rocks, he quietly approached the little girl. He was only two steps away from grabbing her delicate arm. A child this small surely wouldn't have any attacking power, right? Even mages fear close combat, don't they?
He reached out his hand, but the little girl suddenly turned her head, her big green eyes widened with fear. Virgil stopped in his tracks, feeling like he was bullying a child.
The little girl screamed with her eyes closed in fear, and Virgil felt like a fly being swatted. He was suddenly slapped by an invisible hand and flew into the stone wall before finally stopping.
His bones felt like they were falling apart, and the temple shook. The four glowing feather arrows suddenly dimmed.
The mayor ran over to help him up, "Young man, are you alright?"
Virgil coughed twice, "I won't die, but…"
"What's wrong?"
"It seems Raphael's spell isn't that good. The barrier failed, and the elements rushed in…"
He pointed to the arrows in his quiver.
A Demon Hunter's feather arrows were usually enchanted with various spells. The difference in magical power would cause the enchantment to emit different colors. When the elements entered just now, the enchantment on them completely faded, only the light arrow remained exceptionally bright. Now the light arrow had dulled, and the enchantment on the elements emitted a faint glow again.
"Come up with a clever idea! Oh my goodness, I'm afraid of hurting her." Virgil set up his bow and arrow, and shot the arrow with a colored feather towards the little girl's shoulder. She shouted as she watched the arrow, and to their surprise, the arrow with a red tail feather burned into a ball of intense fire in the air.
As she cried out, explosions kept happening in the entire hall. Unseen air cannons struck the Sunstone, causing vibrations and falling debris. They continuously dodged the falling debris and air cannons from unknown sources. The sky now added fireworks as the wind, fire, and earth elements alternated. The mayor took the opportunity to introduce, "This is just like the 'Keatler Elemental Chaos' from years ago. But back then, it was by the river, and there were intermittent floods."
"Did you participate at that time?"
"I heard about it!" The mayor pushed him aside, and both of them fell in different directions, narrowly escaping the falling Sunstone slab. The slab shattered upon hitting the ground, leaving everywhere covered in small and large pieces of rubble, making their evasive maneuvers increasingly difficult.
"I feel like she's about to collapse this place, let's give it a try!" Virgil took out a scroll from his bag, attached it to a red feather arrow, and shot it away. He followed suit by running out himself. Seeing the approaching arrow, the girl set it on fire, turning the arrow into a vivid yellow flame. The scroll was immediately incinerated, and a pale-colored flame suddenly grew larger, soaring into the sky, wrapping around the fireball. The center emitted a dazzling crimson glow. Taking advantage of the bright light, Virgil ran up to the little girl, pushed her away, and she started crying. Everything around her instantly distorted abnormally. Virgil knew it was the bursting air cannon, and the fluctuation of the air cannon directly hit the pale-colored flame, yet the flame was not blown away. The crimson center suddenly expanded, forming a cone shape. Virgil was caught within it, drew his bow and shot an arrow, but this arrow missed its mark.
"Damn it!"
The cave ceiling shook dangerously, and the little girl's crying grew more desperate. The elements around her seemed like older brothers spoiling their younger sister, responding to her call, and eagerly gathering around her. Virgil felt the fierce winds and dust, shaking continuously, with slabs of stone falling one after another.
Suddenly, the mayor pointed loudly at the entrance and shouted, "Quick, let's go! Otherwise, we won't be able to leave!"
Virgil saw that the doorway was partially blocked by slabs of stone, then glanced at the little girl, and shouted back, "One more time! We can definitely catch her!"
