System Made Me a Tank [LitRPG-Evolution]

From a distance, two more Winged Visitors took flight from among the crystals, their transparent wings and silvery scales gleaming. In the blink of an eye, a total of four were gliding through the air. Sunlight reflected off their translucent wings, creating hypnotic rings of light around them.

The first Winged Visitor suddenly flapped its wings rapidly. It combined the resulting air current with light particles reflected from the crystals to create a visible wave in the air. The wind attack whistled as it headed toward them.

"Look out!" shouted Boran as he threw himself to the ground. The attack passed right over his head, shattering a rock piece behind him.

Noemi raised her wand, bright blue energy balls beginning to form at its tip. "Magic Missile!" she said as she pointed her wand at the enemies. Seven arrows of light shot from the tip of her wand; each traced an arc through the air toward a different target. Two hit the same creature, which screeched in pain.

Boney silently drew his bow, scanning the targets. With a single fluid motion, he aimed his arrow at the nearest Winged Visitor and released it. The arrow lodged in the creature's wing section, but it wasn't enough to bring it down.

Boran got up from the ground and drew his shield. "They're maintaining distance between them, avoiding close combat!" he shouted. Just then, two Winged Visitors flapped their wings together, their combined wind forces mixing with light reflected from the crystals to form a tornado-like attack directed at Boran.

This time he couldn't escape. The crystal-enhanced wind attack lifted Boran into the air and hurled him back several meters. He fell hard to the ground, breathless for a few seconds. "Damn it!" he groaned, trying to gather himself.

[You took 40 damage]

Noemi quickly ran to his side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just... wasn't expecting that." Boran stood up again, scanning the creatures with his eyes. "They're keeping their distance."

Boney placed another arrow in his bow. He took aim and released it. The arrow pierced a Winged Visitor's chest; the creature faltered in the air but didn't fall.

The Winged Visitors had now formed a wide circle around them. The light reflecting from their wings was almost like a deception – it was becoming difficult to predict where they would attack.

"Noemi," said Boran breathlessly, "you two attack from a distance as much as possible. I'll distract them."

Noemi frowned with concern. "Are you sure?"

"We don't have any other option," said Boran. "Ready?"

Boney and Noemi nodded. Boran said, "Then I'm starting," as he charged forward, pointing his shield at the Winged Visitors and waving it in the air. "Hey! I'm here!" he said. They were out of range for his Taunt ability.

The Winged Visitors quickly turned to him. Two of them flapped their wings together, creating a powerful wave of wind. Boran dodged to the side at the last moment, but couldn't completely escape. The wind knocked him to the ground.

[You took 25 damage]

"Boran!" Noemi called out, but he was already back on his feet.

"I'm fine! They can't do much damage! Keep attacking!" Boran shouted as he ran in another direction. The creatures followed him, flapping their wings again. This time, the light reflected from the crystals combined with the wind to create an even more dangerous attack.

Boran threw himself behind a cluster of crystals, but part of the attack still hit him.

[You took 30 damage]

Noemi seized the opportunity and raised her wand. "Magic Missile!" she said. Seven energy arrows flew from her wand, raining down on the creatures whose attention was fixed on Boran. Two Winged Visitors shrieked in pain.

Boney had also taken position. He drew his bow and fired an arrow. However, the arrow missed its target.

Boran emerged again, running in a different direction. "Keep going, it's working!" As the creatures followed him, he tripped on a piece of stone and fell to the ground.

This time he couldn't escape. The light-enhanced wind wave hit him directly, lifting him several meters into the air and hurling him among the crystals.

[You took 55 damage]

Boran groaned as he straightened up, his arm bleeding despite his armor. Crystal fragments had cut his arm. "Doesn't even hurt," he said through gritted teeth.

Energy arrows shooting from the tip of Noemi's wand danced around two Winged Visitors, striking each one. The creatures screamed in pain, their wings faltering. Boney seized the opportunity and fired an arrow. It hit its target.

The injured Winged Visitors could no longer move in synchrony. Noemi raised her wand and cast a "Magic Bolt!" spell. The Magic Bolt hit one creature's chest. The creature fell onto the crystals, its wings still gleaming in the sunlight as it fell.

The last Winged Visitor was panicking. Seeing it was alone, it tried to fly higher. However, Noemi raised her wand one last time and cast another Magic Missile spell. Seven energy balls tracked the fleeing creature, each hitting a different point of its body. The creature swayed in the air and then began to fall.

The surroundings quieted. All four Winged Visitors were lying on the ground, their wings no longer glowing. Boran took a deep breath, wiping the blood from his arm. "Four down... We need to find six more."

The trio began moving deeper into the crystal valley, leaving behind the fallen Winged Visitors. Before them rose enormous crystal formations gleaming in the sunlight. And among those crystals, more Winged Visitor silhouettes with rainbow-colored wings could be seen.

Boran checked his weapon, silently counting his ammunition. Noemi gripped her wand more tightly, already beginning to shape the next Magic Missile in her mind. Boney drew his bow and prepared his arrow.

Boran took a deep breath. "Ready? The ones ahead look more numerous."

Noemi nodded, holding her wand firmly. "Yes, but be careful."

The trio cautiously proceeded deeper into the crystal valley. As the crystals around them grew larger, the play of reflected light increased. In this glittering environment, the silhouettes of six Winged Visitors became clear. They were larger than those in the previous group, and their wings were more luminous.

"They outnumber us," Boran whispered. "We'll use the same tactic. I'll draw their attention, you attack from a distance."

Both nodded. Boran took a deep breath and charged forward, raising his shield. "Hey! I'm here!" he shouted.

All six Winged Visitors turned to them at once. Their eyes gleamed in the light reflected from the crystals. Two quickly flew toward Boran, while the other four changed positions in an organized manner – as if forming a defensive formation.

Boran was more prepared this time. When the first two creatures approached him, he raised his shield just in time. The wind attack from their wings hit his shield, pushing him back only a few steps.

[You took 15 damage]

"Now!" shouted Boran, maintaining his position.

Noemi raised her wand. "Magic Missile!" Seven energy arrows shot from her wand, tracing thin arcs through the air toward the two nearest Winged Visitors. The arrows hit their targets, but the creatures only staggered — they didn't fall.

Boney also drew his bow and fired an arrow at the same time. The arrow lodged in a Winged Visitor's wing, disrupting its flight balance. However, the creature quickly recovered.

While Boran tried to evade the two Winged Visitors flying around him, the other four launched a new attack. Two of them flapped their wings in unison, while the other two manipulated the light reflecting from the crystals. The resulting combined attack was much stronger than the previous ones — like a hurricane empowered by crystal particles and beams of light.

This time, Boran had no time to dodge. The attack hit him directly, lifting him into the air and hurling him hard onto the crystal floor.

[You took 60 damage]

Boran groaned in pain, but still managed to get up. "Their level must be higher," he said breathlessly. His armor was scratched, and blood was trickling from his brow.

"Boney!" called Noemi. "I'm going to throw a Fireball between them, and you need to hit it with your arrow in mid-air! The Fireball doesn't activate until it hits something!"

Noemi quickly prepared another spell. "Now!" she shouted, pointing her wand at the center of three Winged Visitors. Boney's arrow hit the fireball perfectly as it floated in the air. The spell activated and engulfed the three creatures in a powerful explosion. One of the creatures fell in flames, while the other two were severely wounded.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Boney quickly fired another arrow. The arrow pierced the chest of an injured Winged Visitor. The creature staggered for a few meters in the air and then fell.

The remaining four Winged Visitors now appeared more anxious. Two flew around Boran, while the other two ascended to higher positions.

Boran raised his shield to deflect an attack. "The ones above, Noemi! They're preparing something!"

When Noemi looked up, she saw two Winged Visitors flapping their wings in synchronization and gathering energy from the crystals. "A bigger attack is coming this time!"

She quickly began preparing her most powerful spell. "Concentrated Magic Missile!" she shouted, pointing her wand at the sky. The seven concentrated energy arrows that shot from her wand merged and collided with the crystal energy gathered by the creatures. A powerful explosion echoed throughout the valley.

The crystal energy explosion had disrupted the Winged Visitors' spell but had also depleted Noemi's mana. "My mana is running low," she called out, breathless.

Boran took advantage of the opportunity to attack one of the two Winged Visitors flying around him. He swung his shield, but the creature escaped at the last moment. "Damn it, they're too fast!"

Just then, one of the Winged Visitors above launched another attack. Light waves emanating from its wings targeted Boney. Boney jumped aside at the last moment, but the attack grazed his shoulder.

[Boney took 25 damage]

He didn't seem to be in much pain. He raised his bow, aimed carefully, and released. The arrow struck the heart of the Winged Visitor above. The creature fell onto the crystals and lay motionless.

The remaining three Winged Visitors had become even more aggressive. Two began to circle rapidly around Boran, launching wind and light attacks one after another. Boran tried to defend with his shield, but he was wearing down with each attack.

[You took 35 damage]

[You took 25 damage]

"Noemi!" called Boran, dropping to one knee. "I need some help!"

Noemi desperately gripped her wand. "I'll try a Magic Missile with my last mana!" She pointed her wand at the creatures and gathered all her remaining mana to launch a powerful energy wave. The attack pushed back one of the Winged Visitors, preventing it from attacking Boran.

Boran took advantage of this brief respite to stand up, though he staggered. "Good shot! Now it's my turn!"

Making a move, he lunged toward a nearby Winged Visitor. This time the creature couldn't escape. Boran's shield struck the creature's wing. The creature lost its balance, and as it fell, Boran finished it off with a second blow.

"That's four!" he shouted, turning to the other creatures.

The remaining two Winged Visitors were now in panic. One tried to escape, while the other prepared a powerful attack in a last-ditch effort. Rapidly flapping its wings, it began gathering energy from all the crystals in the valley. The crystals trembled, some of them cracked. The resulting energy ball continued to grow dangerously.

"This looks bad," said Boran, stepping forward.

Noemi looked at her wand with concern. "My mana is too low; I don't have any spells left to stop such a powerful attack."

Boran thought quickly. "Then we need to destroy the source!" He began running toward the creature.

"Boran, don't! Let's retreat and come back when my mana is restored!" Noemi shouted, but it was too late.

Boran climbed a pile of crystals to reach the flying creature and jumped from there. In mid-air, he hurled his shield at the creature. The shield hit the creature's wing joint. The creature screamed in pain, and the energy it had gathered dispersed — but in an uncontrolled manner.

The energy explosion threw both the creature and Boran. The creature crashed to the ground while Boran also fell hard, hitting a cluster of crystals.

[You took 65 damage]

Noemi rushed to Boran's side. "Are you okay?"

Boran struggled to his feet, a pained smile on his face. "That's five. One to go."

The last Winged Visitor was trying to escape. Boney quickly raised his bow, taking careful aim.

The arrow traced a perfect arc and lodged in the back of the last creature. The creature wavered in the air and then fell, disappearing among the crystals.

Silence fell over the valley. Boran took a deep breath, wiping his face covered in blood and sweat. "We've dealt with all of them."

Noemi helped him, getting him to his feet. "That was a crazy move," she said, but there was admiration in her voice.

Boran shrugged, then winced in pain. "Thank you."

All three of them gathered in the middle of the valley, in the shadow of massive crystals. The danger had passed, but all their bodies were aching with pain. Noemi placed her wand in her belt and looked around.

"Let's rest over there," she said, pointing to a relatively flat cluster of crystals. "We need to catch our breath until my mana replenishes."

Boran nodded and moved toward the crystal cluster. He removed his shield and helmet, placing them aside, and checked the scratches on his armor. "I've taken quite a bit of damage," he said, also examining his own wounds.

"Wait," said Noemi, taking out a small bottle from her bag. "Drink one if you'd like." She extended the bottle to Boran.

Boran took the potion with a grateful expression and drank it all in one gulp.

Boney sat quietly among the crystals, counting his arrows. Occasionally he checked their surroundings, remaining alert.

"These Winged Visitors were stronger than I expected. Good thing the three of us are together."

Boran nodded, gradually beginning to relax. His wounds were starting to heal with the effect of the potion.

"If we continue like this after resting, we can probably complete the missions in a few hours," said Noemi, checking her wand. "It will take at least an hour for my mana to fully recharge."