Chapter 91 - 90: Grinding Monsters and Leveling Up

Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Grinding Monsters and Leveling Up

Next, the section of the wall where Gaode and the others were stationed endured several continuous waves of attacks from the Fierce Bats.

However, as the battle waged on and they took action more frequently, the group gradually familiarized themselves with the Fierce Bats’ attack patterns, handling them with increasing ease.

During this time, the Mage Apprentices of the Seventh Squad struck another six or seven times.

Gaode participated in three of those instances. Relying on the extended range and outstanding lethality of [Flaming Arrow+], he successfully killed three Fierce Bats.

Combined with his very first strike, his Origin acquisition progress for the Fierce Bats had impressively reached (4/7).

The situation seemed well under control. Yet, things often changed in the blink of an eye.

Another new swarm of Fierce Bats lunged toward the section of the wall Gaode was defending.

At the forefront of this wave were four Fierce Bats that were visibly more than a size larger than the rest, covered in much darker fur.

When the archers’ arrows struck these four Fierce Bats, they simply bounced off as if hitting solid metal, completely unable to pierce their flesh.

"They are 1st Ring Fierce Bats!" Rillo frowned.

While 0th Ring Fierce Bats could still be wounded by ordinary arrows, once Earth Vein Creatures reached the Same Tier of 1st Ring, they possessed incredibly strong physical resistance. Essentially, only Magic or Alchemy Weapons could pose a threat and inflict substantial damage on them.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

The four Fierce Bats charged at the very front, forcefully bearing the brunt of the arrow rain to carve out a path.

Seeing this, the expressions of all the Mage Apprentices in the Seventh Squad shifted drastically.

They did not believe their Tricks could threaten 1st Ring Earth Vein Creatures.

Moreover, even without the 1st Ring ones, the number of Fierce Bats closing in on the wall under the leadership of the four vanguards was already approaching a hundred. This was not a number they could fend off.

This was the first true crisis the Seventh Squad had encountered during this defense.

"What do we do?!" Someone with weaker mental fortitude had already broken ranks, completely at a loss.

This sort of panic was highly contagious.

"Don’t be afraid, a High-Ring Mage will take action!" Through timely Detection of the group’s emotional shifts, Rillo shouted loudly to steady their nerves.

At that very moment, as Rillo’s voice faded, Gaode sensed an invisible yet powerful fluctuation of Energy surge abruptly from the tower behind them.

Towers were erected at regular intervals along the wall, and upon these towers, Alchemy Weapons were mounted. Of course, Bremen clearly did not intend to utilize Alchemy Weapons for this defense. The one striking was a Mage!

Gaode subconsciously looked back, vaguely catching a glimpse of a figure clad in a Magic Robe flashing within the fortress-like tower looming over the wall.

The next moment, in front of the section of the wall defended by the Seventh Squad, a cloud formed of countless tiny daggers materialized directly in the advancing path of the Fierce Bat swarm.

Gleaming with a cold light, these daggers continuously hovered, danced, and spun within the fixed area. They carved out countless trajectories, looking as if a tempest of blades had been whipped up.

With no time to react, the Fierce Bats plunged head-on into the dagger cloud.

The blades carved silver arcs across the bodies of the Fierce Bats.

Whether it was the four leading 1st Ring Fierce Bats or the nearly one hundred 0th Ring Fierce Bats, there was absolutely no difference before these spinning Magic Daggers.

Every single bat was struck by several daggers simultaneously, and each of the hit Fierce Bats let out a shrill, agonizing shriek.

Under the slicing of the daggers, their bodies were torn to pieces in an explosion of flesh and blood.

They tried to flee or dodge, but the speed and sheer number of the daggers far exceeded their own, spreading outward at an astonishing pace.

Soon, the air was entirely filled with the blood and mutilated remains of the Fierce Bats.

This wave of attacks that had paled the faces of every Mage in the Seventh Squad was resolved just like that.

"Is this the true Magic Power of a spell?" Gaode murmured in his heart. "I just don’t know what ring it is. First Ring, or Second Ring?"

He finally understood why 0th Ring Magic, which he considered to possess quite decent power, was branded with the slightly mocking moniker of a "Trick."

It was not because 0th Ring Magic was too weak, but rather because the Magic Power of the higher rings was simply too formidable!

The gap between a Mage and a Mage Apprentice was still too vast.

After this most threatening wave of attacks was resolved by the High-Ring Mage hidden in the tower, the ensuing situation stabilized once again, with no further surprises occurring.

These Fierce Bats flying out of the forest continued their assault for nearly another half hour before finally being largely dismantled.

The scattered remnants of the Fierce Bats could no longer organize any large-scale offensives. They dispersed into the wild forest outside the city and vanished from sight.

The battle was over.

Gaode looked at the ground outside the wall, littered with bat corpses and shredded wing fragments, and then at the several injured City Guards on the wall. He couldn’t help but sigh.

These Fierce Bats were already considered extremely easy-to-handle Earth Vein Creatures. They possessed no ranged attack methods, let alone Extraordinary Power. They merely had slightly tougher physical bodies, using their lives to stubbornly brave the rain of arrows and crash against the wall. It gave off the distinct feeling of moths drawn to a flame, actively seeking their own demise.

But even so, quite a few City Guards had still been scratched or bitten by the stragglers that broke through the defensive line before the Mages could deal with them.

According to Rillo, Fierce Bats carried deadly diseases. One could easily imagine the fate that awaited these injured City Guards—at the very least, they would be left half-dead.

However, such was the nature of battle. Emerging without casualties or injuries was practically impossible.

"We were all strangers before this, having never fought alongside each other. To be able to complete our mission during our first battle together without too many casualties is already quite a feat." The squad leader, Rillo, was clearly very satisfied with the outcome and had openly praised them.

This deeply resonated with the temporarily assembled Mage Apprentices of the Seventh Squad. Having received both tangible material rewards and a certain degree of emotional validation, everyone was in high spirits.

Rillo paused here, his gaze sweeping across everyone’s faces before he finally spoke.

"The situation during the city defense was complex and urgent, making it impossible to accurately count the number of Fierce Bats you assisted in killing...

"But don’t worry, the extra rewards we agreed upon beforehand will absolutely be given to you in full.

"Later on, you can report your numbers to the registration staff yourselves. We will settle your rewards based on the participation numbers you provide.

"I trust you all won’t falsify your reports," Rillo added with a smile.

In truth, even if they were to falsify their reports, the discrepancy wouldn’t be very large.

After all, a Second-Class Mage Apprentice could cast a dozen Tricks at most before their Mana was completely drained.

And during the city defense just now, while no one kept strict count of exactly how many Tricks each Mage Apprentice had cast, they all had a rough estimate in mind. Thus, even if someone tried to pull a fast one, they wouldn’t dare overreport by much.

By phrasing it this way, however, Rillo appeared incredibly generous, making everyone feel exceptionally comfortable.

As for Rillo, he wasn’t the one paying out of pocket anyway; the money came from the authorities. Even if these funds weren’t distributed to the Wild Mages participating in the defense, they wouldn’t end up in his pockets regardless.

Since that was the case, why not be a little generous and at least earn some goodwill from the group?