Chapter 395 - 333: Medusa (2)

Chapter 395: Chapter 333: Medusa (2)

The long corridors, which had been everywhere before, were now far less frequent. The party felt as if they were strolling across a plaza, their view wide and open.

This was clearly a brand-new area untouched by other Adventurers, as they could still see a few Decayed roaming nearby.

Before taking action, Zelir cautiously scanned the vicinity for any Witch Demons.

’Good... None.’

’That means I can mess with them however I want.’

Using Magic on creatures like these seemed a bit wasteful, so Zelir simply borrowed Gray’s Cloud Steel Sword.

Upon spotting Zelir, the wandering Decayed immediately charged him like mindless zombies.

The Cloud Steel Sword clashed with the Decayed’s weapon!

"CLANG!"

Zelir had the absolute advantage in Power!

He parried the Decayed’s Longsword and, following through with the motion, lopped off its head with a single strike.

Another Decayed swung its sword at him, but the attack was easily blocked by his Magic Barrier.

Zelir countered with a backhand thrust, plunging the sword into its chest before viciously twisting the hilt.

The blade churned within its body, utterly destroying its heart!

The entire sequence was clean and fluid.

"Hmm... Not bad. As expected of the apprentice I taught," Gray said, nodding with satisfaction.

Valles shot Gray a sidelong glance, his expression screaming, ’How can this guy be so shameless?’

Zelir hefted the Cloud Steel Sword, pleased with the weapon’s power.

’You really get what you pay for. My own Five Gold Coin Fine Steel Longsword is no match for this at all.’

Level 41 (149/975) -> Level 41 (251/975). His Experience Points had increased a little more.

The party had set out at dawn, defeated the squad of Witch Demons, taken a short rest, and had now traveled a bit further.

The sun had already passed its zenith and was now descending toward the western mountains.

"We shouldn’t camp out here, right?"

Valles surveyed their surroundings. "It would be better to head back to the Adventurer’s Association camp."

Marcus glanced at the sky and nodded in agreement.

"Hmm... Let’s explore a little longer. If we don’t find anything else, we’ll head back."

The party continued onward. Suddenly, a small stone on the ground caught Gray’s attention.

He bent down, picked it up, and studied it for a moment.

"What is this?"

The stone was only half the size of a fist and had an irregular, angular shape.

But strangely, its surface was perfectly smooth and, just like a mirror, reflected its surroundings.

Zelir leaned in curiously, and his face was reflected on the stone’s surface.

"Could it be some kind of rare mineral?"

"It’s a Mirror Stone."

Marcus identified it with a single glance. "They’re not valuable. People just cut them up to use as mirrors."

"Look over there!" Valles exclaimed, pointing ahead.

Ahead of them lay a vast plain with sparse patches of grass.

Several tall, ruined stone pillars stood on the plain, and many Mirror Stones were scattered across the area.

They varied in size and shape; the large ones were one or two meters long and wide, while the smaller ones were only tens of centimeters.

These Mirror Stones were either scattered haphazardly on the ground or embedded in the stone pillars.

The reflections on the surfaces of the Mirror Stones created a mystical sight.

"I can’t believe a place like this exists..."

The party stepped into the open-air hall of Mirror Stones.

Being inside it gave them a dizzying, disorienting feeling.

Each Mirror Stone had numerous facets, each one reflecting a piece of the surrounding environment.

Sometimes, several Mirror Stones would create a strange link across the distance, allowing one’s gaze to bypass obstacles and see scenes from other locations.

For example, when Zelir stood before a stone pillar and looked at Mirror Stone A in front of him,

Mirror Stone A would reflect the surface of Mirror Stone B, which in turn would reflect the scene on Mirror Stone C’s surface.

This allowed Zelir, while standing in front of the pillar, to see the scene behind it by looking at the surface of Mirror Stone A.

’It’s actually pretty interesting, kind of like a periscope.’

Hill’s nostrils twitched, and she suddenly frowned.

"Something seems... off here..."

"What is it?" Zelir asked.

"There’s a foul smell... like... a snake?" Hill guessed uncertainly.

Valles was still curiously observing the scattered Mirror Stones.

Suddenly, through the chain of reflections in the Mirror Stones, he saw another figure.

’Is that... a woman?’

Her upper body was graceful and alluring, her skin as white as snow and just as delicate. She had a full head of fiery red hair.

But as his gaze traveled down, he saw that her lower body... was a thick, muscular snake’s tail several meters long!

The tail was covered in fine scales that had a dark green sheen.

Just then, the human-torsoed, snake-tailed Demon slowly turned its head.

In the reflection, Valles’s eyes met hers.

Horror seized his heart.

’This Demon is...!’

"On guard! It’s Medusa!" Valles roared.

Medusa, a Tier Eighty-One Demon with a [Challenge] rating!

A terrifying half-human, half-snake creature, renowned for its bizarre ability to petrify living beings.

Anyone who meets Medusa’s gaze will begin to turn to stone, starting from the feet up.

Furthermore, she could summon swarms of venomous snakes to surround cornered Adventurers, making her an exceptionally tricky and powerful Demon!

The instant Valles’s eyes met Medusa’s in the reflection, a stiffening sensation shot through him.

Starting from the soles of his feet, the color instantly drained from Valles’s skin, replaced by an eerie, grayish-white.

"CRACKLE... CRACKLE..."

A heart-stopping cracking sound emanated from the petrifying parts of his body as the effect spread rapidly upward!

’Damn it...!’

Valles was both shocked and enraged.

Even though he hadn’t looked directly at Medusa—only made eye contact through the Mirror Stone’s reflection—he had still fallen victim to her power.

The sudden turn of events set off alarm bells in the minds of the party members.

Gray instinctively scanned their surroundings, trying to locate the enemy.

But Marcus immediately hissed,

"Don’t look at those Mirror Stones! If you meet Medusa’s gaze, you’ll be petrified!"

Including Hill, all the party members immediately lowered their heads, daring not to let their gazes fall upon any of the nearby Mirror Stones.

But there were so many Mirror Stones here, their various facets reflecting in all directions. There was no telling when one of them might accidentally meet Medusa’s gaze.

There were even numerous Mirror Stones scattered across the ground.

’This place is clearly a hunting ground she’s meticulously prepared!’

Forcing themselves not to look around, despite knowing an enemy was circling them, went against their every instinct.

As for Valles, the stiffening sensation continued to spread.

Soon, the grayish-white petrification had crept up his calves and was still advancing.

He tried to circulate his Fighting Qi to resist it, but the effect was minimal.

Valles only managed to slow the petrification slightly; he couldn’t reverse the process.

He could feel control of his legs slowly slipping away.

Keeping his head down, Zelir rushed to Valles’s side and activated his Dispel Skill!

A white light infused Valles’s body, attempting to remove the petrification.

However, Medusa’s encroaching power was clearly much stronger than the Witch Demon’s.

The petrification was like a vortex, constantly draining Zelir’s Magic Power as he fought against it!

Zelir decided to go all out, pouring in his Magic Power without a second thought for the cost.

In the end, even the gentle white light began to look strained.

Only after paying a heavy price was the petrification finally dispelled!

The grayish-white on Valles’s calves gradually faded away. The stiffness slowly subsided, and he finally regained control of his body.

However, his skin was still covered in cracked, dry lines.

"HUFF... HUFF... HUFF..."

Valles kept his head down, gasping for breath.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and slid down his cheeks.

’That one fleeting glimpse had almost cost him his life.’

Normally, to hunt a Medusa, you had to be fully prepared and bring Magic Potions capable of removing status effects.

A sudden encounter like this one could very easily end in a party wipe.

’Thank god for Zelir!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zelir took a Source Energy Crystal Stone from his Storage Pouch and began to replenish his Magic Power.