My 3rd Return: Archercaster's Birth

"[Cast: Calls Orb!]," I muttered. A small orb ball hovered on my shoulder. "[Cast, Infuse: Arrow Rain!]," I added and didn't stop there. "[Cast: Calls Orb!], [Cast, Infuse: Magic Storm]."

I paused for a moment as I couldn't continue with the next skills. Even my full normal MP bar wouldn't be able to do it. A simple solution to a problem, though.

I reached for a blue potion bottle adorned with a gold cap and drank from it. Not only did my mana instantly fill up, but I felt a multiplied power surge within me. Yup, my MP capacity had doubled. The effects that were rightfully bestowed by cash items.

And now, as a starting move: "[Cast: Spellcaster's Depth!], [Cast: Reach Potential!], [Cast: Unreach Magic!]." And then, as the grand finale: "[Cast: Calls Orb!], [Cast, Infuse: Unreach Magic: Meteor!]."

Calls Orb, one of the rare skills that can summon an empty orb to store casted spells. Players can delegate the casting time process to this orb, but at the cost of higher MP consumption. Once casted, these orbs last for 120 seconds. The maximum number of orbs that can be summoned simultaneously is three.

Then I gulped down MP potions, two bottles at that, and my MP bar was fully replenished. Doing this, I felt like a Witcher chugging all the potions they have before starting a battle.

Alright, this is the moment...

I took a deep breath and exhaled it, then repeated the process until I felt more relaxed.

In the game I play through my smartphone or console, it's impossible for me to be this stressed just fighting monsters. But in this full dive virtual world, emotions like these are brought to the surface, as if the developers are trying to bring a sense of reality into the game as much as they can.

While stroking the pearl adorning my magic staff, I spoke, "I will use you again, my old friend."

With all the readiness I had, I stood up and leaped forward. I slid down the slope terrain with speed. I surely caught the attention of the monsters, who immediately realized my arrival.

In the blink of an eye, we were within striking distance of each other. Observing my opponents, I noticed one of them start to launch an attack. It wielded a weapon in the form of a bow, and the string had already been pulled back. Anticipation rushed through my body. The Archer class had a skill category that could unleash more than one arrow simultaneously. Avoiding skills with a wide range, I wasn't too confident in my personal status as a mage.

And at the same time, even more enemies were about to pierce my lone body.

Without taking my eyes off the bow, an arrow raced towards me. I sidestepped to dodge the attack. Thankfully, I continued running, avoiding two and three subsequent arrows.

I didn't have the chance this time when several small knives flew towards me. No...they accompanied me for a few moments before being unable to chase me any further, landing on the ground. Were they trying to lure me into a trap?!

In a sudden moment, as I had anticipated, a spear grazed me and impaled into the ground.

"Oi, that's not how you use a spear, you stupid ape," I grumbled.

Alright, as planned (I lied), I was surrounded by enemies. They knew how to not let me move freely, creating an opening for them to attack me immediately. One against many, what could I do?

"[Cast, Call: Thunderia Storm!]," I announced, raising my magic staff high. The orb at the tip glowed even redder, bright enough for me to think it would explode. The sky instantly became gloomy, unleashing its wrath upon us.

The sound of thunder and lightning resounded, threatening my hearing. I couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Gya-ha-ha! This is an area skill that doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. I've accidentally killed my party members with this a few times." I felt strangely thrilled by my admission. Was it because it reminded me of them we called companions?

Lightning crackled violently, its power shattering layers of earth and stone with each strike. Those without resistance to this element, coupled with the ailment status of Confusion, would find themselves in a challenging situation. There was no mercy for anyone caught within the range of this skill—ah, speaking of which, I was also caught in it.

Confusion, as the name suggests, causes confusion. Bodily coordination becomes chaotic, and vision becomes unstable. Without prevention measures, attacking one's own allies becomes a common occurrence.

For now, I focused on avoiding the thunderous explosions around me, hoping to avoid being hit directly. However, it was inevitable. My health bar decreased and kept decreasing, but then it began to refill. The auto-use health potion was functioning as intended. That being said, if I sustained a certain amount of damage in quick succession, the auto-use cooldown wouldn't catch up.

I had no intention of using this troublesome area skill without a plan and preventative measures in mind. After ensuring I was hit by elemental damage, I would prioritize these monsters over my own skills.

The robe I was wearing provided 80% elemental resistance and made me immune to ailment status for 60 seconds. It only worked against one and only the first element at a time with a 600-second cooldown before it could be used again.

My initial concern came from the estimate that this group of monsters could cooperate and coordinate like a party of players. This assumption proved to be true when I saw how they chased after me upon realizing my presence.

That's why I could figure out who, or perhaps, which ones I should defeat first.