Chapter 24: Sprite Lair

Words : 1236 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 24: Sprite Lair*BANG!* Shards flew everywhere as Hal's [Weak Mana Blast] barely protected him from the fourth Rock Bullet, having just dodged the first three. A sharp piece then cut a moderately deep wound across his left cheek, his back slamming mildly against a tree as he huffed and puffed in exhaustion. He had somehow survived yet another volley of lethal earthen projectiles. Before Hal could even catch his breath, however, a brown magic circle materialized above him, from which a massive boulder dropped. Had Hal not seen this attack from the sprite leader once before, he might've failed to notice it. He clumsily dove to the ground, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath the weight of the Rock Meteor, then quickly made an effort to stand up. Of course, Hal wanted to counterattack to gradually put himself in a better position, but the unsettling sprite leader's perfect timing and cunning attacks always denied him the opportunity, interrupting him with either a Rock Meteor or a Rock Bullet whenever he was about to act. This resulted in a one-sided assault from the arcane monsters, with Hal barely surviving through sheer grit and willpower. 'Damn it...at this rate, I will simply lose stamina and be an easy target later...I need to do something...' Specifically, he had to escape while he still had the energy to do so. 'But how?' He was surrounded by five cunning sprites, ensuring he remained in the middle regardless of where he tried to break through. 'Tch, I have to take a risk...' Another volley of Rock Bullets came the next moment, and Hal used the same tactic to survive—dodging the first three by running sideways and clashing with the fourth using his [Weak Mana Blast], shattering parts of the earthen projectile and forcing it to veer off course. He then made a mad dash toward one of the sprites, confusing the creature. It was physically weak and could only kill its targets through teamwork and relentless bombardment with Rock Bullets. seaʀᴄh thё Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And so, the Mischievous Housesprite did the only thing it could: it shot a Rock Bullet. Hal had seen it coming long ago and quickly fired back with a [Weak Mana Blast]. Since the clash happened closer to the sprite's magic circle, the sharp shards minorly wounded the creature. Hal then decisively tackled the Mischievous Housesprite, causing it to momentarily lose balance and focus, allowing him to dash past it. Finally, after a whole perilous minute of trying, he escaped the arcane monsters' encirclement. A furious screech rang out from behind as the sprites frantically gave chase. Unfortunately for them, while it was possible to catch a child, a plump teenager, a middle-aged woman, or the elderly, catching a young man in his prime was another matter entirely. Hal bolted into the distance, disappearing completely after using another charge of [Mist Veil]. The sprite leader could only shriek once more in frustration as the "toy" escaped. Strangely, after the thick mist dissipated, they simply stared into the distance before quickly returning to the houses. This time, the sprite leader personally supervised everything, standing guard while its underlings wreaked havoc and extracted mana from the foundations. Greyfen Town lost yet another four houses that day, never to be rebuilt in the near future. Hal, meanwhile, huffed and puffed as he leaned on a wall. It took everything out of him to make his narrow escape. He deserved to at least rest for a few seconds. But of course, Hal didn't dare rest for too long, utilizing what remained of his Chaos Karma to control the perched Spirit Sparrow. A few minutes later, the tiny avian arrived at the eastern part of Greyfen Town, spotting the Mischievous Housesprite leader. Hal breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the arcane monsters weren't after him. He quickly stood up and made his way over to the safety of the barricades, tired, hungry, and thirsty. Unfortunately, Hal's Chaos Karma was running low. He had to temporarily dismiss the Spirit Sparrow. Once Hal believed it was safe, he began to jog back to the resident camp, arriving about ten minutes later. There were a few minor cuts on his face and arms, along with some bruises from being grazed by whole Rock Bullets, so Hal received care from the residents and enjoyed a few dozen minutes of peace as he ate bites of dried bread and meat jerky, washing it down with a bottle of water to rehydrate himself. Thirty minutes of rest was nowhere near enough, but he had at least recovered most of his stamina and a fair bit of his Chaos Karma. He was ready to battle and kill the sprite leader, believing the attacks would stop once the darned thing was dead. Of course, Hal knew he couldn't do it alone, since his arsenal of spells was limited. But with twenty able-bodied men armed with thick wooden panel shields... The only option for the Mischievous Housesprites would be to flee—if they even got the chance. Hal planned to encircle them and wipe them out once and for all. Exiting the old house that had been lent to him for a decent rest, Hal visited the makeshift infirmary to check on Akan, Mayor Erold, and everyone who had been rescued. They all seemed to be doing well, even the plump young man who had been bleeding rather alarmingly. After checking on the injured, Hal left the infirmary, headed to the wooden barricades, and assembled a small troop of twenty men. He left ten behind to guard this side, just in case something unexpected happened, before marching out toward the eastern part of town. Time passed as they neared their destination... "Wait..." he ordered, causing the defenders to halt their vengeful advance. From what he knew earlier, the five Mischievous Housesprites were just on the other street, extracting mana from the houses. Hal summoned the Spirit Sparrow to check. To his displeasure, they were already leaving. The four houses had already collapsed, and the subordinate sprites were holding a blue orb of solidified mana. Hal frowned. "W-What's wrong, sir wizard?" asked one of the defenders, noticing his reaction. "They're leaving the town..." Hal explained. "Let's wait here; I'll follow them with my summon." The defenders nodded in compliance. They weren't happy that the sprites were leaving this time, preferring to wipe them all out. The residents could only hope that the wizard was planning the same after tracking the arcane monsters. Hal, meanwhile, had already closed his eyes, focusing on the Spirit Sparrow's vision. He trailed the Mischievous Housesprites as they left the town and headed toward the nearby forest, causing Hal to frown further. Forests were mana-dense, and more dangerous creatures lurked there. However, he figured that since the sprites were only F-ranked arcane monsters, their destination should be on the outskirts or somewhere close to it. They shouldn't be going too deep. So, Hal risked his Spirit Sparrow, following them into the forest. He was right. Just around five minutes later, the sprites began looking around before entering what seemed to be a small cave entrance hidden between rocks and bushes. 'Found your damn lair!'

Chapter 24: Sprite Lair

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