According to the Witch's records, a water ghost possessed only the strength of an ordinary person, but its speed and agility were far greater. Unlike typical undead creatures, its corporeal nature granted it tremendous resistance against slashing, stabbing, and blunt-force attacks. As a result, when an ordinary person encountered a water ghost, unless their luck was extraordinary, there was virtually no hope of victory. Even a warrior at the level of a formal knight squire, fighting one-on-one against a water ghost, would most likely lose and perish.
However, water ghosts feared fire and positive energy, being utterly vulnerable to both. With proper preparation, even a simple torch could burn one to death.
Of course, this was the situation when encountering a water ghost on land or along a riverbank. In water, a water ghost's strength, speed, and agility were all dramatically amplified. It could also use the environment to defend against flames, leaving only holy light and other positive-energy attacks capable of producing effects without being diminished.
"I hadn't even prepared to go looking for one, and it showed up at my doorstep on its own — but none of the unofficial spells include fire or positive-energy attacks! And this water ghost doesn't look like an ordinary one; at the very least, its strength far exceeds the norm!" The moment Lucian laid eyes on the water ghost with two points of pale flame dancing in its sockets, this bitter thought flashed through his mind.
In the study of positive energy, mages had always lagged behind priests. The first-circle spell "Holy Light Ray" — a positive-energy attack — was merely equivalent to an unofficial Divine Art, and among unofficial spells there were only auxiliary techniques like the Light spell.
As for elemental magic, fire was the most volatile and difficult to control, placing extreme demands on the caster. Therefore, prior to formal spells, there was virtually no fire-based magic. The only flame spell available was "Maris's Little Spark," which existed solely to help Magic Apprentices who had forgotten their flint and couldn't start a fire in the wild for warmth or hot meals.
The Witch had been gathering ingredients specifically to brew an alchemical item called "Fire Glue" for use against water ghosts. Once prepared, Fire Glue could burn for a considerable time even underwater — enough to deal with several ordinary water ghosts.
But Lucian had only just begun studying magic, barely one day in. His plan had been to quickly master his spells, slowly gather materials, and only seek out an opportunity along the banks of River Belen after the Fire Glue was ready. Now, with zero preparation whatsoever, he had encountered a "mutated" water ghost.
In the words Lucian had once heard, this was precisely what happened when "plans can't keep up with reality!"
"Run?"
That was the very next thought that flashed through his mind. But at that moment, the mutated water ghost finished consuming the gang thug's brain matter, tossed the corpse aside, and lunged with such ferocity it nearly left an afterimage — pouncing directly onto the cultist.
Though the cultist had originally been a beggar with no particular strength, and had only joined the cult a few days ago without yet receiving the blessing of the "deity" he worshipped, when the water ghost's hands reached for him, he couldn't even raise his arms to block before it cracked open his skull and snapped his neck.
Incredible speed! Terrifying strength!
The moment Lucian witnessed this scene, the thought of fleeing cooled instantly in his mind. "If I don't do something and just run, I probably won't get far before this mutated water ghost pounces on me from behind."
"Ahhh!" The cultist-beggar's agonized scream rang out, then cut off abruptly.
This wasn't Lucian's first brush with a dangerous situation like this, and combined with his recent experiences, he managed to suppress his fear and panic, maintaining the concentration required for spellcasting. He calmly rejected the idea of fleeing.
"A water ghost fears fire and positive energy, but it's just past midnight — dawn is still a long way off."
"And if I tried to light a torch with a flint and attack, with this water ghost's speed and agility, I'd never hit it!"
"Among unofficial spells, only 'Maris's Little Spark' is a fire spell, but it produces a mere five-centimeter flame on the fingertip — I'd still need to get close enough to land a hit on the water ghost. And I haven't even started analyzing or learning that spell yet."
Lucian watched the scene before him as though he were a detached observer — the water ghost licking the last of the brain matter from its fingers, then lunging toward Ska — thinking through his options with calm precision, then ruthlessly dismissing each one in turn.
This was a quality that every outstanding mage had to possess!
When Ska saw the cultist-beggar's skull being torn open, it was as if he had finally snapped awake from a nightmare. Extreme terror seemed to inject something into his body — his heart pounded furiously, thudd-thudd-thudd-thudd — and he broke free of the paralyzing fear aura that the mutated water ghost exuded by nature, regaining his strength. He scrambled forward on all fours from where he had collapsed on the ground.
Unfortunately, the water ghost was simply too fast. Ska had barely taken two steps before the creature lunged and seized both his feet.
"The only spells I know right now are: 'Ring of Uncontrollable Force,' 'Eye of Stars,' 'Mage's Hand,' 'Light Suppression,' 'Acid Splash,' and 'Frost Ray.'"
"The 'Ring of Uncontrollable Force' is still active, but it's of little help against a water ghost whose speed and strength far exceed an ordinary person's."
"Water ghosts are immune to hypnosis and possess darkvision. 'Eye of Stars' and 'Light Suppression' are useless."
Lucian's mind worked with razor-sharp clarity, analyzing his own capabilities.
The water ghost hoisted Ska upward, gripped with both hands, and a sickening cracking sound echoed through the air as Ska was torn cleanly in half. His heart, intestines, liver, and other organs, along with his blood, splattered onto the ground in rapid succession — splat, splat, splat. His shrill, agonized screams reverberated through the sewer for a long, lingering moment.
"'Mage's Hand' combined with the 'Ring of Uncontrollable Force' might work against an ordinary water ghost, but this one's strength is too great."
"'Acid Splash' and 'Frost Ray' are acid and ice spells — water ghosts have strong resistance to both. And after my brief recovery, I can manage at most two more unofficial spells."
"Wait — the casting material for 'Acid Splash' is sulfur. Sulfur is a highly combustible substance, a component of black powder, and 'Acid Splash' works by igniting sulfur and compressing nearby water elements to produce acid."
Lucian's mind raced. He stared coldly at the water ghost as it lifted the half of Ska's body that still held his head, then, with the hand freed from discarding the other half, drove its claws downward and scooped out Ska's skullcap. Its tongue extended, lapping at the white, quivering brain matter.