Chapter 7: Setting Sail

After straining his mind to barely defeat a three-eyed spider without any casualties, Mels never expected three new three-eyed spiders to appear right afterward! From their positions encircling them from three sides, they had clearly noticed Mels and Sol’s presence long ago, but hadn’t shown themselves for a specific purpose.

When it came to magical beasts, Mels knew Sol could only attack from a distance with magic and absolutely couldn’t engage in close combat. That’s why he had Sol hide far away during the previous fight. But now, Sol was also trapped in the encirclement. This meant Mels not only had to fend off the three-eyed spiders’ frenzied attacks but also protect Sol’s safety, which was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

"Boss, there’s no other way. Let’s summon Kerdos," Sol whispered to Mels, seeing the dire situation.

Truth be told, Mels also knew summoning the Steel Ape would greatly benefit the battle. But he understood that Kerdos was a purely physical-attack-type Summoned Beast. Facing three-eyed spiders that could spray venom, it would likely suffer severe damage. If that happened, the consequences would be unimaginable for anyone.

Though reluctant, the current situation forced Mels to make a choice. If his Little One could recover his combat strength, then with Mels’ martial skills and Little One’s aerial advantage, defeating the three-eyed spiders wouldn’t be too difficult. Unfortunately, at this critical moment, the Summoning Gem on the back of Mels’ hand was emitting a faint red light, indicating it was impossible for Little One to join the fight!

The three-eyed spiders seemed eager to feast on the meal before them, starting to hiss softly as they slowly closed in on Mels and Sol.

Seeing the disgusting saliva dripping from the corners of these monsters’ mouths, Mels steeled his heart and said to Sol, "No choice, we have to rely on Kerdos! Sol, summon Kerdos, then use it as cover and wipe out these monsters with mass-destruction magic!"

Mels knew full well that his decision was tantamount to announcing their location to all the three-eyed spiders in the Wind Valley. But the situation was already desperate; any hesitation could lead to an irreversible tragedy. So Mels could only resolve to first deal with the immediate crisis, then figure out how to eliminate the remaining three-eyed spiders!

Though Sol was somewhat cowardly by nature, he wasn’t a fool. He understood Mels’ meaning and cherished his Summoned Beast, but at this moment, he couldn’t think of any other solution and could only summon Kerdos!

Once decided, they acted immediately. As Mels stood guard in front of Sol with his longsword held ready, Sol lifted his arm. But just as his lips began to tremble, preparing to chant the summoning incantation, a volley of javelins and arrows suddenly shot out from the forest.

This rain of arrows, whistling through the wind, struck directly at the three-eyed spiders surrounding Mels and the others. Almost simultaneously, Mels was astonished to see Elven Warriors clad in green, nearly blending into the forest, launching a surprise attack on the three-eyed spiders from all directions!

As if startled by the sudden arrival of numerous enemies, the three-eyed spiders first retreated in fear. Then, upon realizing their attackers were their mortal enemies of over three hundred years, they immediately changed their attitude, brandishing their spear-like tentacles as they pounced toward the Elven Warriors.

The sudden appearance of the Elven Warriors freed Mels and the others from being encircled by the three-eyed spiders. However, Mels also noticed that the weapons wielded by the Elven Warriors had little lethal effect on these massive magical beasts. Now he finally understood why, in the three-hundred-year-long conflict, the Elven Warriors, who held an absolute numerical advantage, couldn’t defeat the three-eyed spiders!

"Sol, go join the Elven Warriors and provide magical support when necessary. I’ll deal with these bastards!" Mels shouted to Sol, then brandished his longsword and charged at the nearest three-eyed spider.

Mels was grateful for the reinforcement from the Elven Clan warriors and certainly couldn’t stand by while they were attacked by the three-eyed spiders. With Sol able to retreat to a safe area, Mels could now unleash his martial skills against the three-eyed spiders without any reservations.

Perhaps due to greater hatred toward the Elven Clan warriors, the three-eyed spiders hardly attacked Mels at all, which only hastened their demise.

In the previous battle, Mels had already discovered that the lower abdomen was the three-eyed spider’s most vulnerable spot. Naturally, he wouldn’t hesitate now. Drawing from his earlier combat experience, this time Mels circulated the formidable Qi energy of the True Nameless Divine Style before the fight, transforming the ordinary iron in his hand into an indestructible divine weapon.

Since the three-eyed spiders’ attention was almost entirely on the gradually retreating Elven Warriors not far away, Mels encountered almost no resistance as he charged toward the nearest spider. Using agile footwork to evade the spider’s tentacles, Mels slipped beneath its body. This time, he didn’t need to perform any stabbing motions. Instead, he directly raised his longsword, roared, plunged it into the spider’s body, and then used his powerful Qi energy to propel himself forward!

By the time Mels emerged from the massive torso of the three-eyed spider, the ugly creature didn’t even have time to let out a mournful cry before crashing to the ground. Its blue-and-green innards scattered in all directions under the tremendous impact.

Witnessing Mels’ heroic display, the Elven Warriors couldn’t help but cheer. The ensuing courage made them stop retreating, ready to fight the three-eyed spiders to the death. Seeing this, Mels instead felt a wave of unease.

Sure enough, as Mels lunged toward the second three-eyed spider, he was shocked to find that the farthest spider had already closed in on the Elven Warriors. Using its two front tentacles, it suddenly grabbed an Elven Warrior, intending to stuff him into its mouth for a feast!

Just as Mels feared he couldn’t rescue in time and was about to watch an Elven Warrior meet his end in the spider’s giant maw, a loud shout rang out: "Whirlwind Technique!" A wave of yellow wind blades, sharp as flying knives, shot straight from nearby toward the vicious magical beast.

Although the wind blades wouldn’t cause much damage to the three-eyed spider, the accurate attack was enough to make it release its two tentacles, dropping the unfortunate Elven Clan warrior. After he landed, other Elven Warriors immediately extended helping hands, taking him aside to rest.

Seeing this scene, Mels knew he no longer needed to worry about the Elven Warriors and turned to attack his second target.

Under Mels’ excellent combat tactics, all three three-eyed spiders were slain in less than ten minutes. Aside from the earlier warrior who suffered some abrasions, no one else was injured, which greatly pleased Mels.

Just as Mels was about to wipe the blood off his longsword and thank the Elven Warriors, an adult male elf with a peacock feather in his hair stepped out from among them. He approached Mels and said cheerfully, "I never expected you to possess such strong combat abilities. This is the first time we’ve managed to kill three-eyed spiders without significant casualties. If we go back and tell our clan that we eliminated four magical beasts at once, they probably wouldn’t believe it."

"You flatter me. By the way, I haven’t thanked you yet. I’m truly grateful that you led the Elven Clan warriors to aid us and help us escape the crisis. Without you, I wouldn’t have had the chance to deal with those three-eyed spiders so easily." Mels smiled slightly as he spoke to the Elven Warrior.

"Haha, actually, the person you should thank is the Great Elder. After you left, the Great Elder ordered us to come out and assist you in battle. To be honest, this is a matter between our Elven Clan and the three-eyed spiders. Asking for your help really puts you in a difficult position," the elf said.

"Not at all. I also need the Windstorm Wood," Mels admitted frankly.

Mels’ casual remark, however, caused the Elven Warrior’s expression to change drastically. After repeating the words in surprise, he pressed, "You’re not here to eliminate the three-eyed spiders in this area but to go into the Wind Valley to search for Windstorm Wood?"

"Yes, we came here specifically for the Windstorm Wood. Is there a problem?" Mels asked, puzzled.

"Sigh... No wonder the Great Elder sent us to help you. But I think even with us, we probably can’t be of much assistance!" The elf sighed deeply, then said to Mels, "I suppose you have no idea what’s actually in the Wind Valley right now. Since there’s still plenty of time, why don’t you listen to me explain the detailed situation of the Wind Valley?"

Mels certainly didn’t object to the Elven Warrior’s suggestion. After the two found a relatively clean spot to sit down, the Elven Warrior began, "The Wind Valley used to be the most beautiful place in this forest. Before our Elven Clan could use nature magic, we lived there.

Later, because the Great Elder foresaw an impending disaster, our entire clan relocated to our current village. To prevent travelers of other races from accidentally wandering into the Wind Valley, the Great Elder even set up a barrier in the forest to confuse them.

Initially, none of us knew what ‘disaster’ the Great Elder’s prophecy referred to. But less than ten years after we left the Wind Valley, the three-eyed spiders you see now appeared here. These spiders usually feed on forest animals but attack other races and our Elven Clan when encountered.

The Windstorm Wood growing in the Wind Valley is very important building material for us forest elves. To reclaim what was ours, we formed an army to try to eliminate those magical beasts. However, reality was far from what we imagined. Over three hundred years, countless lives of our kin have been destroyed by these demons, yet we’ve gained nothing. Our Elven Clan’s reproductive capacity simply can’t sustain such levels of casualties. Therefore, the Great Elder ordered us not to approach the Wind Valley again.

Although our population has increased over the past hundred years, the three-eyed spiders’ reproductive ability far surpasses ours. Do you know how many three-eyed spiders are in the Wind Valley now? I can tell you, definitely no fewer than a thousand! Moreover, the three-eyed spiders we just fought were the smaller, weaker ones that couldn’t survive in the Wind Valley! Because these magical beasts have no emotions, they’ll even attack their own kind when food is scarce. So these smaller three-eyed spiders had to leave the Wind Valley to search for food outside."

"A thousand three-eyed spiders?" Sol exclaimed in shock. He then turned to Mels and said, "Boss, even Relks’ knight order couldn’t face such a large number of magical beasts head-on!"

Hearing Sol’s words, Mels also felt extremely anxious. After a long moment, he said to the Elven Warrior, "Are there really that many magical beasts here? Why do they gather here? Is there enough food for them?"

"A thousand is our estimate. Since we can’t enter the Wind Valley, we can only observe them from nearby hills. I believe this number is definitely on the low side; the actual number of magical beasts might be even higher than our estimate.

We don’t know why they gather here, but survival isn’t an issue. The reason we chose to live in the Wind Valley before was because of the Life Spring there, which is essential for growing Life Trees. Any creature that regularly drinks this Life Spring water can delay aging and barely stave off hunger. Now it’s just that there are too many three-eyed spiders, and the Life Spring water isn’t enough for all of them, leading to cannibalism," the Elven Warrior explained.

"Boss, it seems getting the Windstorm Wood won’t be easy for us," Sol shook his head helplessly.

After listening to both of them, Mels fell into deep thought. After a while, he resolved, "No matter what, we’ve come this far. We must at least assess the situation. If it’s truly impossible to obtain the Windstorm Wood, we can think of other methods later."

At Mels’ insistence, the Elven Warrior, along with several clansmen, led Mels and the others toward a path nearby that led to the cliffs surrounding the Wind Valley. Though the journey wasn’t long, it was exceptionally steep and difficult. Before they were halfway, Sol could only be carried on Mels’ back as they climbed upward.

After the group arduously scaled the steep cliff, the expansive view immediately brightened Mels and Sol’s eyes. Looking out, the blue sky and white clouds seemed within reach, beautiful birds flew beside them, and the endless green forest brought a sense of profound peace. Being here, all worldly concerns could be cast aside.

"The scenery here is truly beautiful!" Sol took a deep breath and said emotionally.

"Haha, if we could restore the Wind Valley to its original state, you’d definitely think that’s the most beautiful place in the world!" the Elven Warrior said proudly to Mels and Sol. Hearing his words, Mels and the others grew even more eager to see the Wind Valley. Under the Elven Warrior’s guidance, they soon arrived at a cliff located on the right side of the Wind Valley’s center, about three hundred meters above the valley floor.

"Look, the three-eyed spiders are gathered there," the Elven Warrior pointed and then indicated the gathering spot to Mels.

In truth, no explanation was needed; Mels couldn’t possibly mistake the location. In the vast valley, countless black three-eyed spiders lazily scattered about, as if enjoying the rare sunlight. Near the cliff edge not far away, a thin stream of spring water slowly flowed into a small pool at the valley bottom. Several exceptionally large three-eyed spiders even played around the spring. Mels knew that must be the Life Spring the Elven Warrior mentioned.

Although Mels had anticipated such a scene, seeing thousands of three-eyed spiders in the valley still couldn’t help but dampen his spirits. Defeating just one of the larger three-eyed spiders was already quite taxing. If he could simultaneously fight thousands of magical beasts, his power alone would be enough to rule the continent.

"Do you think it’s possible to fight these creatures?" the Elven Warrior suddenly asked quietly beside him.

Mels knew the Elven Warrior lowered his voice to avoid embarrassing Mels. However, the question still gave Mels a headache. Yet, with almost no consideration, Mels shook his head straightforwardly and said, "There are too many. It’s simply impossible."

"Actually, if they were gathered together, maybe we could wipe them out all at once," Sol suddenly murmured.

"What did you say?" Hearing Sol’s words, Mels seemed to see a glimmer of hope and eagerly pressed for details.

"I..." Startled by Mels’ loud exclamation, Sol paused before saying, "I just said, if we could gather them within a diameter of about five hundred meters, I could try using large-scale attack magic like the Thunder God Curse to eliminate them. But looking at the current situation, even if we stacked them three layers high, a five-hundred-meter range still wouldn’t be enough to hold this many."

"Then how many times do you estimate it would take to clear them out?" Mels suddenly asked.

"How many times? If we could really increase the density, then about ten times would definitely be enough. Even if a few remained, I think we could handle them," Sol said to Mels after roughly estimating while looking down at the swarm of three-eyed spiders.

"Good, then let’s do it in ten times! As long as you cast the magic ten times, it’ll be done!" Mels said excitedly.

Hearing Mels actually consider this, Sol was greatly shocked. He then repeatedly shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "Boss, spare me. The Thunder God Curse, God-Slaying Curse, Flame Demon Curse, Heavenly Ice Curse, Earth-Shattering Curse—these are all extremely difficult spells. I used the Thunder God Curse once at my master’s place before and ended up vomiting blood for a whole day. You want me to use it ten times? That would really make me vomit blood to death!"

"I never said you had to use all ten in one day. Besides, I doubt your magical energy could support that many uses anyway. How about this: once a day. At most, ten days and it’ll be done," Mels said to Sol with a smile.

"That's right, using it once a day won't be as tiring." Sol scratched his head, considered it for a moment, and then suddenly broke into a happy grin.

"Then it's settled, absolutely no backing out, or else you'll have to carry all the luggage forever!" Mels quickly added.

"Yeah, no problem at all. But after I help you wipe out all the Three-Eyed Spiders, you'll have to carry my luggage from then on." Sol seized the opportunity to try and get the upper hand.

"Fine, absolutely no problem!" Mels agreed without hesitation, then turned to the Elven Warriors and said, "Excuse me, where can I find animals like deer or bears around here? I want to go catch a few."

"Why hunt animals? If you need food, we have plenty of fruit," asked the elven warrior, puzzled.

"No, it's not that. My brother vomits blood when he uses magic. If he vomits blood once a day for ten days straight, he'll have none left! So I need to catch him some deer or bears or something, so he can drink blood to replenish his blood." Mels stated bluntly.

Hearing Mels' words, Sol suddenly thought of something and shouted loudly, "No way, boss! That's gross, I'm not doing that!"

"Then *you* get to carry all the luggage!" Mels said resolutely.

"You're too sneaky, boss! You tricked me again!" Sol then realized that trying to take advantage of Mels was definitely not a simple matter.

Just as Mels was elated and Sol was dejected, the elven warrior suddenly spoke up, "Although I don't know what method you plan to use to inflict large-scale damage on the magical beasts, I want to know how you intend to lure them into a small area of five hundred meters?"

Hearing the elven warrior's words, Mels was thunderstruck!

Indeed, if Sol could eliminate all the magical beasts at once, then Mels could use himself as bait, but now the situation was completely different. If he rashly entered the Valley of Winds, even if Sol could eliminate the Three-Eyed Spiders within a radius of about five hundred meters, the remaining ones would be enough to prevent him from getting out. Sol couldn't control a summon while casting, so Kerdos was useless, and Little One didn't know when he would recover. That left only Mels to attract the enemy.

Seeing that the plan, which had seemed perfect, now had a major flaw due to a momentary oversight, Mels was beside himself with worry. Although Sol had been bargaining with Mels earlier, he now also started thinking of solutions.

After a moment's thought, Sol said, "Boss, I've got it! I can cast a Flight spell. As long as you can use it to attract the Three-Eyed Spiders from the air, not only can their numbers increase somewhat, but the danger is also much smaller!" "No, if you're using large-scale magic, you can't simultaneously cast a flying spell on me. That would be too dangerous for you! Magic drains your mental focus. If something goes wrong, you could burn out your mind! Even if we can't set sail, I don't want to see you in danger." Mels shook his head and firmly opposed.

"Then there really is no way." Sol had to admit Mels had a point, saying somewhat dejectedly.

"If flight is all you require, we may be of assistance," the elven warrior suddenly said to Mels.

"What? You can cast spells on humans?" Mels looked at the elven warrior in surprise.

"Although we can only use non-offensive nature magic, we can have the wind spirits grant you flight. Moreover, if it's just about flying, the warriors of our Elven Clan are also willing to act as bait! In fact, if we can truly eliminate the Three-Eyed Spiders, the elven warriors are willing to pave the way with their lives, but I'm only worried..." At this point, the elven warrior instinctively glanced at Sol.

Although the elven warrior knew that high-level Archmages among humans could use highly offensive magic, he also understood that such humans were not only rare but also generally very old. He couldn't imagine someone as young as Sol being able to use such magic. Therefore, even though Mels said Sol would only vomit blood after using magic, he still wasn't very reassured. However, Mels trusted his brother completely. He laughed heartily and said, "Hah! Don't let his usual dopey act fool you. When it really counts, he's very useful. His magic is absolutely effective! And we don't need you to pave the way with your lives, it's not that serious. As long as you can make me fly, we'll have those things wiped out in ten days flat!"

Under Mels' repeated insistence, the elven warriors quickly completed the necessary preparations. Sol, wearing a pained expression, had been gradually channeling magical energy and infusing it into his staff to cope with the enormous energy required to cast the spell.

In truth, Sol didn't actually vomit blood profusely from using magic. It was just that the Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes had warned him when teaching him powerful magic that, given his current ability, he absolutely must not casually use extremely destructive magic. This wasn't only because such magic was very difficult to control, but also for the sake of Sol's own body.

However, Mels also understood Sol's capabilities. Once a day was still within Sol's limits, which is why he came up with this plan. By the time everything was ready, the sun was gradually setting in the west, and the Three-Eyed Spiders in the Valley of Winds began to grow restless, seemingly preparing to take turns drinking the Life Spring water to replenish their energy.

On the cliff of the valley, four elven warriors chanted ancient magical songs. The surrounding air began to ripple, and countless wind spirits, invisible to human eyes, materialized beside the elves. Through the beautiful songs, the elves communicated with the spirits and, after much effort, finally convinced the wind spirits to lend their power to Mels. Buoyed by this power, Mels slowly ascended.

"Human, your heart is pure and flawless, your intentions are free of evil. We, the wind spirits, will follow your will and let you roam the skies. But, human, remember, you have only one hour of flight time. Otherwise, your body will be drawn to our power and you may be lost to our realm forever." After Mels' legs lifted off the ground, a melodious voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

Although surprised, Mels understood this must be the wind spirits he couldn't see. He quickly said, "Thank you, I will remember your words!" After he said this, the breeze around him quivered. Mels knew that was the joyful dance of the spirits, proof of their acceptance. After the elven warrior made a downward gesture to Mels, his body, with the help of the wind spirits, swiftly descended, plunging straight down toward the thousands of black monsters.

The closer he got to these Three-Eyed Spiders, the more their grotesque forms unnerved Mels. Now he finally understood why the elven warrior said the Three-Eyed Spider he killed was just a small one.

Looking around, hulking Three-Eyed Spiders, seven or eight meters tall, were everywhere, and a few even exceeded ten meters, enough to rival the metal constructs ridden by those mysterious people.

It was common knowledge among warriors that if a magical beast's body size doubles, its power increases tenfold. Seeing the size of these Three-Eyed Spiders, Mels couldn't help but start to worry whether Sol's magic could kill them. However, he was now in too deep to back out now. No matter what he discovered, Mels had to give it his all; otherwise, everything done before would be meaningless!

Gathering his qi energy and concentrating it on his longsword, Mels began to dive toward the magical beasts in the valley! Although Mels couldn't yet release qi energy instantly like Xiu Lante, forming an invincible sword aura attack through his longsword, he was more than capable of extending the reach of his sword's energy. Therefore, he first decided to use low-altitude circling and sword energy attacks to get the Three-Eyed Spiders' attention and then make them gather together. However, reality wasn't as simple as Mels imagined. When he flew low over the heads of the Three-Eyed Spiders, most of them just watched him angrily without following. Often, when Mels approached a particular Three-Eyed Spider, it would look up warily at him, but once he flew out of a certain range, the Three-Eyed Spider would go back to what it was doing before, showing no intention of attacking Mels.

Seeing that his diving tactic was getting him nowhere, Mels gritted his teeth and lowered his altitude again, sweeping his sword energy, now extended to about two meters, toward the larger Three-Eyed Spiders. This time, those Three-Eyed Spiders were indeed provoked, but the number was still too small. Moreover, many Three-Eyed Spiders, upon realizing the strange "animal" that attacked them had flown away, just roared a couple of times and stopped following.

Thus, although Mels was busy for nearly half an hour, he still achieved nothing, with fewer than twenty Three-Eyed Spiders glaring angrily beneath him.

"Damn it, do I really have to go down there for you to pounce on me?" Mels angrily said, looking at the unfavorable situation before him. Just then, the few super-large Three-Eyed Spiders guarding the Life Spring in the distance let out strange cries. When those cries sounded, the Three-Eyed Spiders following beneath Mels, blocking the path for others, gave up following Mels and began to move forward.

"So you have leaders!" Watching the situation unfold, Mels felt a surge of joy and immediately understood that these magical beasts, seemingly chaotic, actually had their own leaders. A new plan instantly formed in Mels' mind.

Now there were only about twenty minutes left of the flight time mentioned by the wind spirits. Mels certainly didn't want to waste another second. He abandoned the small Three-Eyed Spiders around him and flew directly toward the large Three-Eyed Spiders surrounding the Life Spring. As soon as he entered the airspace above those large Three-Eyed Spiders, the smaller spiders that had previously ignored him suddenly let out a series of urgent chirping sounds, as if warning the large ones.

"Hehe, don't worry, I want to deal with you first!" Mels said smugly to himself, then suddenly dove at high speed, directly attacking the largest one among the five giant Three-Eyed Spiders. Although Mels' sword strikes were little more than an annoyance to these beasts, his actions thoroughly enraged the Three-Eyed Spider swarm.

When Mels returned to the sky where he had been hovering, he suddenly noticed over a hundred globs of sticky mucus shooting toward him from all directions. Unprepared for such an attack from the Three-Eyed Spiders, Mels panicked and quickly gained altitude, only stopping his movement when the mucus could no longer reach him.

Whew... He let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He now realized his tactic was spot on. Even though the Three-Eyed Spiders couldn't attack him, they were tightly clustered together, as if waiting for the moment Mels fell to tear him to shreds!

"Sol, now's the time!" Mels shouted to Sol in the distance.

In fact, Sol had already noticed the optimal attack time had arrived. The young man closed his eyes and began to chant a powerful attack spell using his extraordinary magical talent!

"By the will of the God of Wrathful Thunder, Kado, by the surging lightning blood within my body, by the silver serpents of lightning tearing through the sky, by the roaring heavens that shake the earth, awaken the destructive desire sleeping in my heart, reveal the divine power to destroy heaven and earth! O God, forgive my sins, welcome the impending destruction! Million Raging Thunder Curse!" As Sol chanted the incantation, his body became enveloped in thick electrical arcs. If Sol hadn't already told the elven warriors beside him to leave, they would probably have scrambled to flee at this moment.

The hardest part of high-level magic to control is the launch timing and the point of impact. In this regard, Sol's experience and ability were ultimately insufficient. After gathering the spell with his strongest power, the tip of his staff began to tremble, arcs of energy dancing around it, but he couldn't condense it into a ball ready for release.

After a moment of stalemate, Sol knew he could no longer control the outward flow of magical energy. Left with no alternative, he could only gasp out, "Boss, get out of the way! Ahhh, Thunder Flame Ball, Thunder God Curse!" With a roar, the magical energy, controlled by Sol and amplified by his staff, surged directly toward Mels' location.

At this moment, Mels, to prevent the Three-Eyed Spider swarm from dispersing, was lowering his altitude and weaving through the spray of mucus they spat. When he heard Sol's call and immediately gained altitude, he saw a black thunderball the size of a cartwheel hurtling directly toward him.

"Not good!" Almost instinctively, Mels dodged to avoid the thunderball's impact, flying upward in a panic. When he calmed his startled mind and looked back at the swarm of Three-Eyed Spiders, he saw a scene that left him dumbfounded.

When the cartwheel-sized thunderball fell toward the ground, it suddenly erupted with countless electrical arcs. The black light, like an inverted rice bowl, completely covered an area of about five to six hundred meters in diameter. The black light disappeared almost instantly.

And in that instant of attack, all the Three-Eyed Spiders within the magic attack range vanished as if evaporated. The only proof of the previous attack was a huge black circle over five hundred meters in diameter on the ground!

Looking at everything before him, Mels was speechless for a long time. Now he finally understood why, on the continent, no matter how strong Summon Warriors were, the strength of mage troops still directly affected the outcome of battles! Although it was only a five-hundred-meter range, what would be the consequences if it landed on a dense military formation? Mels didn't dare to think, nor could he imagine!

After a long silence, Mels, finally regaining his composure, wobbled as he flew back to the cliff. At this moment, Sol was lying on the ground, panting heavily. The elven warriors standing behind Sol were rooted to the spot, staring at Sol as if he were a monster.

Sol didn't mind the elven warriors' reaction. He said to Mels, "B-boss, I did pretty well, right?"

"More than pretty well, you never cease to amaze me! From now on, you can't use something like that against me!" Mels said with a laugh, pulling Sol up and helping him walk toward the center of the rocks where they could rest.

Actually, Mels himself was also exhausted at this moment. Just as the wind spirits had said, using their power consumed a great deal of physical strength. But Mels knew Sol needed care even more, because he had truly used magic beyond his own capabilities!

After this intense battle, the sun quietly disappeared. The elven warriors had also shifted from their initial shock to joyful cheers. Now they seemed to see the dawn of victory, firmly believing that in ten days they would definitely be able to completely eliminate these Three-Eyed Spiders!

After all, Three-Eyed Spiders were low-level magical beasts. No matter how strong their power, they lacked human intelligence. The next day, when Mels attracted them using the same method, they still fell for it. However, on this day, Sol's exhaustion was even greater than the day before.

After eight days of repeated attacks, the magical beasts in the Valley of Winds were few and far between, but Sol's body could no longer hold on. On the ninth day, Sol finally agreed to the request Mels had made days earlier: to stop using the magic tactic and rest for a while before continuing to eliminate the remaining Three-Eyed Spiders.

After five days of rest, Sol, full of energy, set out again. It was on this day that Mels and the others entered the Valley of Winds and began, along with the increasing number of elven warriors, to eliminate the few remaining stragglers.

Although this period was the most difficult for Sol, he discovered that continuously using high-level magic had rapidly improved his abilities in a short time, which was one of the reasons he insisted on not resting.

Through the continuous efforts of Mels and the elven warriors, four days later, the Valley of Winds and the surrounding areas were cleared of magical beasts. This beautiful valley finally returned to the hands of the Forest Elven Clan. To celebrate the victory, the Forest Elven Clan held a grand evening party for Mels and Sol. The sailing ship "Wind Ship" that Mels cared about most also began construction under the personal order of the elven clan's Grand Elder!

Now, all Mels was waiting for was the day of departure. He could finally fulfill his wish to go to the Free Federation! However, Mels didn't realize that actually reaching the Free Federation would still be a long time away. On this path, he had only taken a small first step!