Chapter 276: Warm-up Match (15)

In the Dragon Soul Continent, there were four jobs that were called 'King of Control': Mage, Thief, Ranger, and Cleric. Mages were famous for their strong field control ability,. In the 1 vs. 1 battle, Clerics and Thieves were also considered ruthless opponents. As for Rangers, they were between the two. Rangers had a certain degree of control skills and could also be quite threatening in 1 vs.1 battles. Because of that, Rangers were somewhat lacking in both. Rangers usually specialized in walking through the forest, so traps were naturally one of the skills that they excelled at. However, a Ranger's trap needed to be modified because although it worked just fine in the forest, it was impossible to set up such a trap in the ring. There was no way that the opponent would let him finish setting up a trap first. That was why a Ranger had to be highly adaptable and have the skill to improvise.

However, what needed wasn't just skill.

Bang!!

Accompanied by the loud noise, the packet that Randolf threw exploded in midair. Soon, a cloud of white smoke erupted from it and enveloped half the ring.

Facing this sudden situation, the mercenaries immediately formed a defensive formation and quickly retreated backward, trying to get away from the smoke.

However, Randolf obviously did not intend to give them such a chance.

"Left... Center... Right..."

As he muttered, he stretched out his hand to take out an arrow. Looking closely, it could be seen that the arrow was not the same as the ones from before.

Swoosh!!

Inside the smoke, a noise broke the silence.

Hearing this sound, the three mercenaries who were retreating quickly lifted their shields. They were not stupid; seeing that Randolf was using the same technique twice, they had already guessed that he apparently intended to win through blind warfare. The smoke had a peculiar pungent smell, but it was not poisonous. However, it obviously blocked their view. Once they took a few steps back, they wouldn't be able to see anything from the front. Although such a situation might affect a Ranger's aim, Rangers who inherited an elf bloodline or were born with superb hearing abilities were able to determine the target's location just by sound. They were even able to see through the obstacles ahead by using their ears. It was really incredible since their eyes were clearly closed. It was as if they were clairvoyant.

Perhaps this Ranger was one of them. Considering this point, the three of them didn't know what to do. They slowed down their pace and began to think whether it was okay for them to continue to dodge. If the other side was really a 'wind follower', even if they walked out of the fog, they would still be beaten up by him. There was only one way: continue to move forward, suppress the Ranger's attack range, get closer to him, and finish him.

They finally realized that this fog wasn't normal smoke. Normal smoke would gradually disperse after a few minutes, but this smoke had been there for the past five minutes with no sign of disappearing. Obviously, it was not normal. Randolf, who was hiding in the smoke, placed his hand against the small bag on his waist and a hint of smile could be seen on his face

To a Ranger, equipment and skill were equally important or perhaps even more important because Rangers had to rely on equipment to control the surroundings. Traps and various "hidden weapons" were essential to them. Randolf's smoke-bombs and arrows that could turn into rope trap were created by Lapis.

After returning from Unicorn Peak, she began to study the knowledge she had gained from the ruins. It was not difficult for her to absorb knowledge since she was an alchemist elf. Moreover, her current alchemy ability had reached MAX level. If not because she was still lacking in material, she would already be able to create magical equipment.

But there was a saying: even if one didn't cook the rice, it didn't mean that one couldn't eat it. Indeed, because there was no precious magic material, Lapis was unable to make powerful weapons of mass destruction. However, something like this was nothing to her. At this moment, the smoke bombs used by Randolph, as well as the traps and arrows, were props and equipment that Lapis had made. Of course, for Lapis, this competition was also a good opportunity to experiment with the equipment that she had created.

Now, it looked like it had worked out well.

Looking at the thick smoke in front of him, Randolf nodded in satisfaction. In addition to its somewhat pungent smell, the effect of this smoke bomb had completely surpassed the level of ordinary smoke bombs. Next... let's see how the other equipment works.

Thinking this, Randolf reached out and drew an arrow. Soon, three dim, blue arrows slid from his fingers and flew out. The three arrows quickly drowned in the smoke and disappeared.

Another noise broke out again.

A mercenary was cautiously heading over towards him. He hurriedly raised his shield and stopped. His countless battle experience told him that the situation had changed. Sure enough, as he lifted the shield, a heavy collision noise came from the surface of the shield, and the impact caused his body to stagger.

However, this was not the end. Soon, he was surprised to feel cold energy flash through him.

What happened?

The cold energy seemed to be alive and invaded his palm. This caused him to scream and he instinctively threw away the round shield in his hands. The shocked mercenary discovered that the surface of the thick, rough round shield was now covered with a thick layer of frost and was spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even though the shield had been thrown away, the white frost didn't stop spreading. It spread along the edge of the shield and formed a semi-transparent ice. Finally, it stopped after freezing the entire shield. The little frost fell from the air and blend in with the dense, white smoke. It looked very beautiful.

However, the mercenary who witnessed this scene was extremely scared. He knew what would have happened if he didn't let go of the shield; not only would his shield freeze, but his arms would likely suffer the same treatment.

What the hell is this kid is doing!

Seeing the scene in front of him, he finally stopped and started thinking about whether he should move on. This powerful magic arrow could not be easily avoided; he might be able to escape once, but could he escape the second time?

Without waiting for the poor mercenary to make a decision, another arrow flew out like a serpent from the thick smoke. Although it was very fast, it wasn't difficult for an elite member of a mercenary group to block it with his weapon. So facing such an attack, the mercenary did not really pay special attention. He just leaned over and brandished his long sword. He accurately blocked the arrow that flew towards his shoulder and deflected it. Afterwards, the mercenary threw out his long sword in fear. Because after his sword came in contact with the arrow, it was immediately frozen. In a blink of an eye, the original sharp sword was frozen. If he didn't react in a timely manner and hurriedly throw his sword away, the same would have happened to his hands.

How were they going to fight?

The empty-handed mercenary stood helplessly inside the thick smoke. He was looking at the frozen sword and shield before him and both of his hands. Were they going to be the next sacrifice?

What a joke! This is just a warm-up battle, and I definitely won't sacrifice my own body just for this!

Thinking of this, he quickly made a resolute decision.

Run!!

For spectators, this battle was simply boring to the extreme. Except during the first round, the trio confronted one another. Afterward, everything was shrouded in the smoke and nothing could be seen. The people in the colosseum could only watch the thick fog and no one knew what was happening. Those who had long lost their patience started shouting and complaining. However, it was totally unhelpful to the situation inside the smoke.

As these people almost fell asleep due to boredom, the smoke suddenly shifted. This made them immediately get spirited and sit upright while staring at the thick smoke. They were waiting for something to happen.

This time, their expectations didn't turn into disappointment.

Soon, the crowd saw a mercenary running out of the smoke with a frightened expression. He waved his hands vigorously while rushing out of the smoke without hesitation. Then, he jumped down the ring and yelled, "I admit defeat! I admit defeat!!"

After he finished saying this statement to the members of the Mercenary Association who served as referees, the mercenary did not return directly to the post and quickly disappeared. Behind him, the people were completely speechless and did not know what to say. What happened inside? Why did this guy run away as if he had seen a ghost?

Everyone's curiosity was immediately sparked again.