The battle has just begun, far from being finished. If I don't do something, the Versatile mode will likely run out even before I can bring down this ancient mammoth. The only advantage I know is that Zazaza doesn't have any specific elemental affinity—it's neutral, as I requested. This means I don't have to be too selective with the skills and elements I use.
Elemental affinity, I believe, doesn't need much explanation. Anyone who plays games and has a thinking ability comparable to a giraffe's brain can understand it. Fire is weak against water, and vice versa, and so on. As for a neutral element, when facing other elements, there isn't much difference. You could say neutral is physical damage.
Zazaza roared again, lifting its trunk elegantly to swing it towards the ground, aiming to whip me who stood here. Everyone knows that I would instantly die if I even get one hit from it, so I can't afford to let it land even a tiny bit of damage on myself.
Fortunately, thanks to the Rain Arrow effect, the movement of this mammoth is slowed. The space where I can dodge is not so wide, and if I keep doing so, this trunk whip will still give me certain damage even if it doesn't hit directly. That's the range of the boss's attacks.
So…
Cast, Mantle of Spellcaster!
Cast, Undetter!
These are buff skills, insta-cast ones. I cast them one by one in preparation for the basic spell I'm about to use. In a decisive moment, I draw the bowstring and aim it upward, where the giant trunk is about to flatten me.
"[Cast, Impact!]."
Another insta-cast skill, but this one is maxed level. A blue energy forms an elongated oval that shoots directly at the trunk. The effect of this skill is knockback, but the caster can also be pushed backward due to its strong force. That's where Undetter comes into play.
The trunk is thrown higher, causing Zazaza to lose balance. I approach one of its legs and release Impact once again. This time, I'm also pushed back a short distance, but I receive no damage.
The boss falls to the side.
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"Good job, me!"
When facing enemies alone as a mage, I always target the moments when they are at their biggest vulnerability. If the enemy can still perform multiple types of attacks, I'll be busy evading, which is why it's the perfect moment to increase my DPS.
01:51
Until a floating number appears above the arena, that's the time I spend defeating Jourmoutth Zazaza. Is it an impressive record? Definitely not.
"What was that, senior?" Ritta hurriedly climbed onto the arena. "I've never seen it before, you cast magic skills through a bow? And you can run while casting, that's so unfair."
She pointed out something different from what I had in mind. I thought she would comment on my poor time record. "I told you, this thing in my hand is absolutely broken," I casually answered.
"So, the reason you don't even glance at weapons is because of that bow? That's also why you asked me to reset your MP all the time?" she curiously asked.
I nodded at her question, but she seemed even more concerned than before. If I didn't provide an explanation, Ritta's thoughts might remain clouded and it would be difficult for her to get out of that predicament.
"Instead of a weapon," I began to explain, "this bow is a form of ability, a skill you could say, that will continuously drain MP until it runs out and cannot be canceled."
"When I cast skills in Versatile mode, it's as if this bow itself is doing the casting. My guess is that I also contribute a significant amount of mana to maintain that state while moving around."
"That's cheating," she complained, hitting my side with her palm.
"This is Eve's Sanctuary; the Diviner, just accept it."
"So, theoretically, senior could cast Meteor while hopping around like a kangaroo on the battlefield, right? Yeah, that must be it," she persisted in her questioning.
And that is absolutely wrong. Mana capacity of a mage is still not enough to cast Meteor, let alone some passive skills that need to be active beforehand, not to mention the lengthy casting time. "I would run out of MP before I could ever cast Meteor through Versatile mode," I said.
"If the amount of MP is the issue, senior could use a weapon with that attribute and everything would be fine, right?"
"I can't."
"Why? I know one or two weapons that can directly boost someone's MP, and I consider myself a veteran in this game, you know."
"No, I mean I can't, as in, literally," I paused for a moment, "as a trade-off for Versatile, I lose the ability to wield any weapon. My main and sub-weapon slots are sealed. That's just how it is."
Our conversation continued back and forth like this, I don't know for how long. But I think this is also the right moment to tell Ritta everything. After all, what harm could it do if someone knows that I hold a game-changing ability... well, there might be a little downside, but whatever.