Chapter Thirty-One: Patrol Mission Looking at the evaluations on the screen, Leilin began comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the two spells.
"Acid Splash has greater power, but enemies can easily dodge it — you'd need to constantly fine-tune with Spiritual Power. Shadow Hand is a bit weaker, but it's far more covert — perfect for sneak attacks!"
"Both of these spells were carefully chosen by me. They not only match my dark-element energy affinity, but they also don't require any material components — the most convenient option!"
Leilin's eyes suddenly lit up. "Chip, can you optimize the models of these two spells?"
"Ding! Affirmative. This optimization will consume 19 points of Spiritual Power. Proceed?"
"Absolutely not! I don't want to completely drain my Spiritual Power! Why does it cost so much?" Leilin's expression turned sour.
"Optimizing Acid Splash requires 9 points of Spiritual Power, plus supplementary advanced knowledge: Farr's Compendium of Spells, Missile Principles…"
"Optimizing Shadow Hand requires 10 points of Spiritual Power, plus supplementary advanced knowledge: Detailed Principles of Evocation Spells, Shadow Energy Analysis…"
"Well, looks like there's no hope for the time being!"
Leilin closed the screen. "Besides, even a single spell costs two points of Spiritual Power — I can barely sustain a few right now!"
"Chip, pull up my current status and generate a detailed report!"
"Leilin Farell. Second-rank Apprentice. Strength: 2.2. Agility: 2.4. Constitution: 2.7. Spiritual Power: 0.1 (4.1). Mana: 0 (4) (Mana is synchronously determined by Spiritual Power). Status: Healthy."
"Skills: Cross Sword Technique, Potion Crafting."
"Spells: Acid Splash — Zero-level Spell. Cast
"Shadow Hand — Zero-level Spell. Cast Time: 4 seconds. Range: 10 meters. Cost: 2 points Spiritual Power, 2 points Mana. Power: 4 degrees."
At Leilin's command, a three-dimensional holographic figure of himself materialized before his eyes, displaying all of his statistics in clear detail.
"Much clearer like this! Those two spells drained all my Spiritual Power and Mana — no wonder I'm feeling a bit dizzy!" Leilin rubbed his slightly throbbing temples.
"With the limits on my Spiritual Power and Mana, learning more spells isn't realistic. The only option is to prepare more potions! If only I had a Magical Item — my strength would definitely increase noticeably…"
……
Academy, Mission District.
This area was crowded with all manner of apprentices. Most wore grim expressions, their bodies bearing traces of blood and the aftermath of brutal combat.
Every now and then, a few grey-robed apprentices radiating intense magical fluctuations would stride past carrying the carcasses of enormous monsters, drawing envious glances from the crowd.
At the very center of the Mission District stood a black stone wall, its surface densely covered with listed missions.
Glowing green luminescent text flickered against the dark rock face, lending the whole scene an eerie quality.
Among the many missions, some were displayed in blood-red lettering that gave off an ominous feeling. These were the most dangerous assignments, but their rewards were also the most generous.
In an inconspicuous corner of the plaza, several figures stood quietly, as though waiting for someone.
"Leilin hasn't shown up yet?"
Lannuo stood with his arms crossed, looking somewhat bored.
"It's not time yet — what's the rush? If he said he'd come, then he'll definitely show up." On one side,
"Leilin? You mean that Potionology apprentice Leilin?" A green-haired girl nearby perked up immediately.
"I heard his talent in Potionology is second only to
"He's from the same place as us — of course he'd team up with us for missions!" Lannuo smiled.
"Then you absolutely have to introduce us later! If I could latch onto a Potionology apprentice, I'd never have to go adventuring again!" A red-haired girl giggled flirtatiously.
Lannuo's gaze drifted casually over the girl, and a faint blush crept across his cheeks without him noticing.
"Sorry! I'm late!"
Leilin was clad in leather armor with his grey robe wrapped around the outside, making him look somewhat bulky. A Cross Sword hung at his waist, a Crossbow was strapped to his back, and a large black bundle rested on his shoulders.
"We just got here ourselves!" Kreweir put away his chopping blade and broke into a smile.
"Just the five of us?" Leilin looked around. The only people he recognized were Kreweir and Lannuo — he didn't see Beilu and the others anywhere.
"Even though Beilu and the others are Third-rank, they haven't advanced to Second-rank Apprentices yet. For them, with barely any spell resistance, the outside world is far too dangerous. This is our first mission since the last failure — I don't want any more casualties!"
Kreweir explained.
Leilin understood. Although he too was Third-rank, with the Chip's help his talent should rival that of a Fourth-rank — and in terms of learning spells, he far surpassed them.
Beilu and the others were still lingering at First-rank. Taking them along would be useless — they might even become a burden. Leaving them at the Academy was the best thing for them. It was realistic, and it was cruel.
"Come! Let me introduce you!" Kreweir said with a smile.
"The one with green hair is Lilith, and the one next to her is Ni Lan. They're both apprentices of my mentor — they advanced to Second-rank two months ago…"
"Hello! Lord Leilin!" Ni Lan's eyes lit up as she stepped forward of her own accord.
"It's such good fortune to be on a mission with you!" Ni Lan spoke with a pronounced nasal twinge, sounding almost coquettish.
At this, Lannuo turned his head away, his expression darkening.
"I just have a bit of talent in Potionology — I should thank Mentor Guofate, since he…" Leilin rubbed his nose. Though he knew full well that with the slightest signal this beautiful woman would quickly become his friend, his recent single-minded focus on training left him with little desire for such things.
Moreover, after the overwhelming bombardment of his previous life, Ni Lan was only marginally attractive in his eyes.
"Right! What's our mission?" Leilin asked proactively, cutting off whatever Ni Lan was about to say.
"Since this is the first mission we're running together, I figured we'd take the simplest one — patrol the area around the Academy and clear out some Red-eye Crows. What do you think?"
Kreweir asked. The four of them had already discussed this beforehand; he was simply informing Leilin.
"Works for me. I haven't quite mastered my Zero-level Spells yet, so this is a good opportunity!" Leilin agreed.
Their team was newly formed, so starting with simple missions to build cohesion made perfect sense. It showed that Kreweir had grown a great deal since Hank's death — his approach had become much more steady.
"Chip! Scan!" Leilin silently commanded.
*Ding! Lannuo — Strength: 1.8, Agility: 1.9, Constitution: 2.5, Spiritual Power: 3.7. Status: Healthy.* *Lilith — Strength: 1.9, Agility: 2.5, Constitution: 2.4, Spiritual Power: 4.3. Status: Healthy.* *Ni Lan — Strength: 2.7, Agility: 3.4, Constitution: 2.9, Spiritual Power: 4.6, Status: Healthy.* "Since the Chip's processing power increased, its detection capabilities have also been enhanced. Now, within the entire Academy, apart from official Wizards, no other apprentice can evade the Chip's detection..."
Leilin thought to himself. The detection here naturally prioritized not alerting the target. Official Wizards were always surrounded by a layer of Field, and if the Chip probed rashly, it would definitely be discovered.
But for ordinary apprentices, as long as they came within his range, everything about them would be detected by the Chip.
"Judging by the data, they are indeed newly advanced Second-rank Apprentices. I just didn't expect Ni Lan to be the strongest. It seems this woman has also practiced a Knight's Breathing Technique; her physical strength is not to be underestimated!"
All of them had just advanced. Even if they had purchased Spell Models before, they might not necessarily understand them or be able to construct them in their minds, let alone master them. After all, for a Second-rank Apprentice, a Zero-level Spell was still very dangerous. Attempting to cast it before fully mastering it could very likely lead to failure or even trigger a backlash!
If we looked purely at combat power, without anyone using spells, Ni Lan might be able to take down all three of them.
This seemingly boy-crazy Ni Lan, who was determined to attach herself to Leilin, was actually the strongest among the four from Kreweir. Kreweir probably didn't know that, and a subtle smile played at the corner of Leilin's lips.
A normal Second-rank Apprentice needed at least three months to half a year of practice to fully master a Zero-level Spell. But for him, as long as the Chip fully analyzed the Spell Model and implanted it into his memory zone, he could learn it instantly.
And the power of any Zero-level Spell was something at the Knight level could not resist; perhaps a Great Knight might have a slim chance.
Clearly, Ni Lan's data was still at the level of a Knight. Even with her secret technique, Leilin was not the least bit concerned.
During the time Leilin was scanning them, Kreweir had already run to the counter and accepted a patrol mission.
After a brief discussion, the group walked out of the Academy together.
The blinding sunlight shone down, causing Leilin to squint.
"Come to think of it, I've been underground for over a year now. Coming out now really feels like a thousand-year-old zombie just unearthed."
Leilin raised his hand to shield the sun, looking at his own snow-white palm. Because he had spent so long underground and rarely went out to the gardens to absorb the moss's sunlight, Leilin's skin now had an unhealthy pallor, like a patient who had lost too much blood.
Of course, students at the Black Bone Forest Academy all had this problem to some degree.
Anyway, as long as one's strength increased, using Spiritual Power to radiate through the body to boost Constitution by a point or two was not a problem at all. There was naturally no need to come out for sunshine every day.
"Let's go!" Kreweir led the way.
Leilin glanced back at the enormous tomb behind him and the two guardian statues flanking the gate, then turned his head to follow the group.
"The area we're going to patrol is a section in the southwest of the Academy. The Red-Eyed Crows have become too numerous there recently and need culling. There are also some other creatures, of course! All materials gathered belong to us, and moreover, each person will receive three Magic Stones as payment!"
The five of them exited the graveyard. Kreweir found a spot and gathered the group into a circle, then pulled out a large map from his pack.
On the pale yellow parchment, the graveyard where Black Bone Forest Academy was situated sat in the center, occupying roughly one-tenth of the total area.
Around it were several simple routes, labeled with names in black ink, and the more dangerous territories were marked with red warning symbols.