"[Aegis], [Guardian], [Protection], [Quick Cast]."

My body alternated between different colors, following Subtle's chant directed towards me, and she immediately got straight to the point as if she knew exactly what I had planned.

"I guess you don't really need ATK, do you? So, [Mana Charge]," Subtle continued.

I know this last skill, by lowering the target's ATK, MP Recovery increases. "Hah, I'm a mage, so thank you very much," I replied.

Different from fighting ten unique monsters, now I'm truly trying out a new gameplay style. I can't predict the outcome before trying it myself, but I'm already impatient, so I'll defeat this giant worm as quickly as possible and see for myself.

Generally, it is not usual for a mage like me to be given Aegis, Guardian, and Protection. These should be buffs given to those who directly face enemies. Anyway, now I am playing the role and I think Subtle is astute in her mind.

An instant-cast spell, [Frigid], which I’ve cast, I release as a bluish magic arrow. My shot hits the target effortlessly. Actually, I don't specifically aim for one in particular; as long as it hits, it's enough.

Frigid is not a skill that deals damage. Instead, the mini-boss seems to ignore it completely but doesn't divert its aggro from me. This is good. For a while, the worm will be vulnerable to fire element attacks. It seems the worm is starting to get annoyed by the unwanted changes within itself. It roars and pulls more of its main body out of the spiral.

"It's provoked," I think.

I run around, trying to keep its attention. Its wide mouth, devoid of fangs, starts emitting cold vapor, and I know I need to act quickly.

The mini-boss spews cold vapor and shards of ice directly towards me. I wait for the right moment to dodge. Even though I don't get a direct hit, I still take damage and experience the chilling side effect. If Subtle hadn't increased my magic resistance and reduced the damage taken, I would have suffered even more.

"Hhh, now we're even," I joke with the worm.

"[Overlimit], [Sorcery's Torch]," I muttered, no hesitation as I drew my bowstring, "[Firebolt]."

A small flame flickered at the tip of the formed magic arrow, swiftly transforming into a blazing arrow. I couldn't unleash this magic instantly, and I purposely refrained from moving too much. Remember, I didn't have enough stamina to keep this up continuously.

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Like a serpent stalking its prey, the mini-boss gracefully writhed on the floor, positioning its massive body around me as if preparing to constrict. Its head lifted, its sharp eyes fixated on me, trapped within its clutches(?). It roared, and in a swift motion, attempted to gulp me down alive. However, its futile maneuvers didn't attack me in that instant, allowing me to complete my casting.

Firebolt is a series of rapid-fire single-target attacks, and at my current level I can unleash five at once. Unusual-sized, blazing arrows are lined up on my back; four are already prepared, with one remaining on my bow.

Just as the worm's gaping mouth loomed over me, I unleashed my magic with full abandon.

The first arrow pierced through the worm's upper jaw, causing it to recoil in pain. Clearly, thanks to the Frigid effect and the fire-type magic, the worm received twice the usual damage. The second arrow hit its mark, slightly off towards the neck, but provided only normal damage. However, for the third arrow, the damage inflicted was doubled. This was due to a gap where the Frigid effect could take effect. Ultimately, two arrows caused normal damage, while three dealt double damage.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Overlimit is a skill that enhances damage of one elemental magic. So, you could say that the normal damage received by the mini boss’ essentially not just ‘normal’. Not that hard to understand isn’t it?

“[Overlimit], [Sorcery’s Torch].”

Exploiting the opportunity when the mini boss was momentarily occupied, I started moving through its massive and elongated body. It was quite slippery, but as long as I stayed focused, I thought I would be fine. After all, I didn't plan on climbing up this worm all the way to the top.

Reaching a certain height, I leaped to the side where my comrades were engaged in battle, my back facing them while my bow was directed towards the mini boss. I thought my move was pretty cool, but miscalculations still happened occasionally.

"Ugh."

My back hit the floor, leaving my comrades bewildered by my actions.

"What are you even doing?"

I quickly got up, thankful that I didn't release my bowstring despite the stumble. "It seems I miscalculated the casting," I replied, trying to maintain a nonchalant and unruffled tone.

My whole body is still shivering from the cold, and now it's even worse. My breathing became heavier. The hot vapors coming out of my mouth reacted with the cold air around me creating a mist every time I exhaled. And this wasn't a natural phenomenon, except for this battle.

"[Freeze Burst]," I muttered.

I could hear my teammates behind me slightly complaining about the sudden drop in temperature, and that was understandable. There were some normal skills that wouldn't affect certain types of monsters or boss-level creatures, but this skill wasn't one of them. Even if it was just for a second, it would still have an impact.

Though I didn’t lose my balance, I was pushed back as an arrow blazed with an aura of frost was unleashed.

"I'm only gone for a moment, and you're having fun on your own."

"Isn't this our chance to finish it off now?"

My comrades had finished their fight and gathered around me. We watched as the magically imbued arrow exploded without much fanfare in the mini boss's main body. Groaning, whether in pain or from the cold, thick ice covered and continued to spread throughout the mini boss's body from the point where the arrow detonated.

"It will only last for a few seconds, let's attack!"

"No," I said, stopping their footsteps.