Chapter 97 - 96: [Enhance Resistance+]

Chapter 97: Chapter 96: [Enhance Resistance+]

Gaode felt relieved upon hearing this and glanced around. Surprisingly, everyone in the entire squad—except for him and the leading 1st-Ring Mage—had been stung by the Gray Thorn Bees. Fortunately, they were only superficial wounds and would heal quickly.

However, one person was out of luck. A stinger had seemingly pierced his eye, and he was currently clutching his face, howling in agony. Clearly, he had lost his combat capability for the foreseeable future.

Gaode couldn’t help but let out another sigh. They had only encountered two waves of combat, yet two people were already incapacitated. Most Wild Mages severely lacked both magic reserves and combat experience. Once it came to a real, life-or-death battle, their flaws were completely exposed.

"It’s good that there are no casualties. The main force is equipped with Mages who have mastered Healing Magic, so minor injuries will be cured quickly. Don’t worry, everyone. Besides, this is only the first day. You’ll all get the hang of it as we go."

The leading middle-aged Mage gestured for a Mage Apprentice to escort the injured man back for treatment. "We will rest for a while, then continue."

After enduring two consecutive battles, the squad needed a brief reprieve to allow everyone to recover their physical strength and mana. Gaode found a tree and sat down, leaning against its trunk. He took out a bottle of Blue Light Potion, drank more than half of it, and began running his Guiding Technique to rapidly replenish his mana.

Across the two battles, he had cast Flaming Arrow+ three times and Blade Protection+ once. His already meager mana reserves were largely depleted. In an environment where ambushes and combat could occur at any moment, the anxiety of not having full mana was just like running out of water in a desert.

About fifteen minutes later, Gaode finished running the Guiding Technique and opened his eyes. The mana within his body had been completely restored.

Looking around, Gaode noticed that most people still had their eyes closed, relying on their Guiding Techniques to recover mana. Meanwhile, the leading middle-aged Mage kept his eyes open, keeping watch for the group. This was because most of them weren’t as fully prepared as Gaode, who had purchased Blue Light Potions to accelerate his mana recovery. Another reason was that among everyone present, Gaode’s total mana capacity was among the lowest...

With a smaller total mana pool, recovery was naturally faster. As for the Mage Apprentices who had opened their eyes before Gaode, they were all individuals who hadn’t mastered any area-of-effect attack magic. They hadn’t expended any mana in the previous battles.

Seeing this, Gaode simply closed his eyes again. Within his consciousness, the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow information interface unfolded.

Origin:

0th Ring — [Gray Thorn Bee] (7/7).

A new Origin had been acquired. The effort had paid off. It was only the first day, yet he had unexpectedly obtained another complete Origin point. As for where to allocate this point, Gaode already had a decision in mind. His "gaze" fell straight upon Enhance Resistance.

Gaode’s luck had been quite good; so far, he hadn’t encountered any Earth Vein Creatures possessing Extraordinary Power. However, it was foreseeable that the upcoming "land clearing" operation would last for a while. Encountering Earth Vein Creatures with Extraordinary Power was merely a matter of time.

And his only current reliance when facing Extraordinary Power was Enhance Resistance!

Gaode thought, "Allocate point!"

From the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, the Big Dipper representing the Gray Thorn Bee Origin flew out. Its target was the Magic Model for Enhance Resistance.

An instant later, accompanied by a violent transformation, the Magic Model extended, stabilized, and expanded. The flashing yellow plus sign behind the Enhance Resistance entry vanished completely. Its name had also changed to Enhance Resistance+.

[Enhance Resistance+] (Defense Series, 0th Ring)

Infuse mana into a target (which can be oneself) to increase the target’s Magic Resistance, thereby reducing the magic damage and magical effects endured.

A single casting lasts for one minute.

Bonus: The Magic Resistance gained by the target is slightly enhanced.

If the target is oneself, upon reaching the one-minute duration limit, mana can be consumed as needed to infinitely extend the spell’s duration without needing to cast it again.

"Effect +1, duration +n."

This was Gaode’s simplified translation of the point allocation’s effect. For a continuous defense magic, this was the most practical enhancement possible.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

"We’ve rested enough. Let’s keep moving," the leading Mage said sternly. "Hurry up. We must finish clearing this area before dark; otherwise, the danger level will escalate significantly at night."

The Mage Apprentices, who had still been resting and recovering their mana, immediately stood up without any hesitation. Even Wild Mages with absolutely no wilderness combat experience knew full well that Earth Vein Creatures were far more dangerous at night than during the day.

The time that followed was not as perilous as their first two encounters. After all, with bloody lessons right in front of them, everyone had learned to be cautious.

Furthermore, their current location was extremely far from the Hogan Earth Vein; they were at the outermost edge of its area of influence. The Earth Vein Creatures roaming this far out were predominantly Low-Tier Earth Vein Creatures. The truly formidable Earth Vein Creatures were entrenched within the Hogan Earth Vein and Hogan City.

Dealing with those creatures was a mission for the High-Ring Mages of Saint Sean City, not something minor fry like them needed to worry about.

By the time afternoon rolled around, their squad had engaged in a total of six more battles. In five of these instances, the leading Mage had spotted the enemy first. Having seized the initiative and working closely together, they took down the threats with practically zero casualties. ℯ

Unfortunately, none of the targets were pack-type Earth Vein Creatures, preventing Gaode from gathering a complete point of Origin. With so many people and chaotic conditions, it was extremely difficult for him to even "steal a kill."

In their final battle, however, the Earth Vein Creature ambushed them from underground. It was a White-footed Centipede bordering on the 1st Ring. Because it emerged from beneath the soil, the leading middle-aged Mage failed to detect it beforehand, allowing their squad to be attacked first.

But this time, it wasn’t as terrifying as their first encounter with the avian monsters. During the avian Earth Vein Creature ambush, not only were the Mage Apprentices unprepared, but even the leading middle-aged Mage hadn’t fully gotten into the zone and had let his guard down.

This time, the instant the White-footed Centipede launched its attack, the leading Mage noticed the disturbance and reacted immediately. A chilling Ice Blade attack dealt a fatal blow to the White-footed Centipede instantly, preventing it from inflicting any further harm upon the Mage Apprentices.

The sky gradually darkened.

The leading Mage led the squad on another sweep of the area, but they found absolutely nothing. No new Earth Vein Creatures appeared. Their mission for the day was tentatively complete.

Thus, he guided the squad—now thoroughly exhausted after a full day of keeping their spirits taut—back onto the official road. Only after everyone boarded the carriages did they finally let out a sigh of relief.

Once everyone was accounted for, the carriages began moving again. Tonight’s camp was stationed about six or seven kilometers ahead.

It was only when night fully fell that Gaode’s group arrived at the already-constructed camp. It was a massive clearing that had been temporarily prepared for their arrival. The logistics staff had already prepared dinner; the squads arriving one after another could eat as soon as they got there.

Downing a piping-hot bowl of meat soup, paired with an unlimited supply of dry rations, made Gaode feel entirely comfortable and relaxed. Being able to drink hot soup out in the wilderness was truly a blissful thing.

Upon reaching the camp, Gaode also saw the two Mage Apprentices who had been injured and left the squad early on. Under the care of Mages wielding Healing Magic, their injuries—though not entirely healed—had stabilized, and they had regained normal mobility. It seemed that in just a few more days, they would recover their combat capabilities.

However, after dinner, when it was time to register information for the second day and claim their wages, the one who had been injured by the avian Earth Vein Creature immediately shook his head. He stated that he no longer wanted to fight and planned to head back tomorrow.

The other Mage Apprentice, whose eye had been stung by the Gray Thorn Bee, hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, he decided that his injury was merely a result of bad luck combined with poor preparation. He figured that if he encountered a similar situation next time, he surely wouldn’t be this unlucky again. Therefore, he decided to stay and keep working.

As for Gaode...

Without a doubt, he was definitely going to keep working!