Chapter 25: Duergar Mind Master
【You are attacked by the Duergar Mind Master’s Poison Heart Dagger, but it misses…】
If not for Shield and Protective Cloak, he really might have been one-shot killed!
“Seeking death!”
Brat, reacting, roared and immediately charged, his face ferocious, looking like he was about to devour someone.
Finn gritted his teeth, eyes bulging with rage, his messy beard and hair standing on end, truly like an enraged Beast.
He was not far behind Anse, yet he only noticed at the moment Anse was attacked, filled with regret.
He raised his hand for a Quick Cast of Hunter’s Mark, an X-shaped Magic Mark appearing above the cloaked figure’s head, in case the opponent turned Invisible again.
Anse didn’t hesitate at all, quickly retreating—this distance was too dangerous for him.
But as soon as he took a step, he saw the Duergar raise his hand, accompanied by faint Mana fluctuations.
‘Fuck!’
He cursed inwardly and immediately stopped.
“
Metamagic-Quickened Spell: Magic Missile!
Three Magic Missiles formed instantly, whistling through the rain curtain and night sky.
The Duergar halted his action, dodging aside, but the Missiles followed like shadows; he decisively crossed his arms, using his Armguards to block.
“Bang bang bang—”
Three consecutive dull thuds; the Duergar stepped back to dissipate the force, his Armguards deformed, his arms a bloody mess.
【You cast Magic Missile on the Duergar Mind Master… Duergar Mind Master is hit, taking 8 Force Damage, current Life 31/39…】
Anse didn’t even look, the blue Magic pattern on his Spell Storing Ring suddenly lit up, followed by three more whistling Spell light shadows.
“Woo woo woo—”
“Whoosh—”
The Duergar was decisive, sidestepping Finn’s Arrow, pointing at Anse with a raised hand—a wave of invisible force rushed straight at Anse, then he turned his back to tank the Magic Missiles.
Anse’s scalp tingled; he triggered Shield again, but this time the Force Shield was as good as nothing.
His mind blurred for an instant, scales on his body and Protective Cloak both flashing with Mana light; that Spell wave dissipated into nothing.
【Duergar Mind Master casts Dominate Mind on you, forcing a simple Intelligence Saving Throw（12）… Saving Throw successful】
“Holy shit!” he cursed out loud.
On the other side, the Duergar’s Cloak was tattered, blood soaking his Leather Armor; before he could be surprised the Spell failed, Brat’s Longsword was already swinging at his face.
He barely sidestepped, but the Longsword slashed up at astonishing speed.
He couldn’t dodge, hurriedly swinging his Dagger to block, but the immense force on the Longsword knocked it aside; the blade sliced from below to above, tearing his Leather Armor and carving a wound tens of centimeters long across his chest and abdomen, flesh spilling out.
The Duergar grunted, rolling to turn Invisible and escape, but a gale suddenly arose above his head; a massive shadow swept past, sharp Claws tearing half his face, his right eye and half his scalp gone, blood dripping.
“Ah—” the Duergar screamed for the first time, voice shrill and trembling.
Anse inwardly cheered, activating his Spell Storing Ring again.
“
Three Magic Missiles left three white light arcs in the night sky, successively smashing into the Duergar’s chest and abdomen wound.
“Bang bang bang—”
The Duergar was gutted outright, organs exploding everywhere, arms hanging limply, gaze unfocused.
【You cast Magic Missile on the Duergar Mind Master… Duergar Mind Master is hit, taking 20（Critical Hit） Force Damage, Target Death, gain 215 Combat Experience, Level Up】
Brat hopped forward with a slash, severing the Duergar’s head with one sword.
The enemy was dead, but no one relaxed their guard; Brat and Finn surrounded Anse, hearts still pounding.
“Don’t tense up, there shouldn’t be anyone else.” Anse reassured.
No wonder they say Mages fear Assassins—it was truly dangerous just now, but he knew even if it happened again, he still wouldn’t die.
Shield was Reaction Quick Cast, plenty of time; Dominate Mind seemed scary, but control lasted at most a few seconds during which he couldn’t Spellcast—the Duergar could at most make him hit them with a stick.
With his melee skill, he couldn’t hurt Brat or Finn at all.
At this moment, the importance of the Team was undeniable; going solo had too little margin for error.
“This is a Duergar, right? How’d it get so deep into the city? Ballsy.” Brat raised his foot to kick the gruesome head away, but thinking it could be exchanged for Bounty, he stopped.
“Duergar Mind Master, usually serves as Spy, skilled in Invisibility, probably here to scout News.” Anse explained.
This thing’s Challenge Rating was only 2, yet it was this tough.
“You stay safe, we’ll pack up; the blood smell might attract Monsters.” Brat reminded.
“Got it.” Anse replied, walking to the Corner, leaning against the wall, watching them “harvest” the Loot.
He Leveled Up, urgently needing a safe Place to advance.
This Combat revealed his means were too lacking—attack Spells just Magic Missile and Prismatic Spray.
Magic Missile was reliable, but its damage was significantly less than Prismatic Spray; one Prismatic Spray dealt 3d8（3-24） damage, could choose type, and might chain for secondary explosion.
But Prismatic Spray was easy to miss, base range half of Magic Missile, clear drawback.
He needed stronger, more Spells to handle different situations.
A few minutes passed.
The three hurriedly left, Brat and Finn each carrying a bloody Bundle.
Passing a Stone Building with open doors, Anse waved, and they ducked inside, shutting the doors tight.
“I’ve had some insight into Innate Magic, wait for me.” Anse explained, taking off his Backpack, sitting on the ground pretending to Meditate.
Brat and Finn exchanged puzzled looks.
Anse had entered the mental world, the Silver Twenty-sided Die floating quietly.
The Die’s third symbol was mostly lit, not far from full.
Opening the Character Card, the Level Up option popped up:
Increase Sorcerer Level or choose a new Class.
Anse decisively chose to increase Sorcerer Level, as third-level Sorcerer could learn Second Ring Spells, a major Strength boost.
If he Multiclassed to first-level other Class like Warrior, total Class Level would still be three, but he couldn’t master Second Ring Spells—that was one Multiclass drawback.
【Level Up: 3rd-level Sorcerer!】
【「Mana Control」 Level Up, you master new Draconic Spells: 「Dragon Breath」, 「Polymorph」, you can learn one New Spell】
Third level was a key milestone; most Classes chose Subclass at three, setting future direction.
Anse was special, determining Sorcerous Origin at one, but still gained major boost at three.
Most exciting was Adventure Trait 「Mana Control」 upgrading!
He’d been wondering how to upgrade it, but it followed Spellcasting Level—fitting Sorcerer Class trait.
Second Ring Mana Control let him easily handle Second Ring Spells, stronger Spellcasting stability, plus another 5 Mana cap, making Mana more abundant.
Explanation:
1. Damage Overflow: Enemy has 4 Life left, gravely wounded and slowed; dealing 20 Critical Hit（Critical） damage is overflow, deader than dead（ignoring max Life）.
If exactly 4 damage, might die instantly or fall into Coma, then Death Saving Throw needed.
2. Saving Throw Difficulty（DC）: Theoretically everything has Difficulty Value, like lockpicking, Attribute Saving Throws, perceiving Stealthy Creatures, etc.
Very Easy: 5
Easy: 10
Medium: 15
Hard: 20
Very Hard: 25
Nearly Impossible: 30
You have a Twenty-sided Die; rolling 20 means destiny favors you, inevitable success（Critical Success! Dumb luck!）.
Protagonist’s Intelligence Saving Throw example: DC（12）, own Intelligence Adjustment Value +1, Cloak Saving Throw +1; he just needs to roll 10.
Reality isn’t dice rolls; protagonist’s will, body, mental state affect it, so resisting simple Dominate Mind is probable.
