[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-103":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257107,4404,"Chapter 103: Ambush","above-the-mage-chapter-103",103,"\u003Cp>“Each of you leads a team of about twenty mages, spreading out one team every kilometer to clear both sides of the road.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over here, Mage Viersha had already issued orders in an orderly manner: “If you encounter trouble you can’t handle, send a signal immediately—I’ll arrive as soon as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recipients of these orders were twenty other First-Ring mages, also affiliated with the city of Bremen’s official forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Viersha’s signal, each First-Ring mage selected over twenty non-official mages to form twenty teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following a strict sequence, as each team advanced one kilometer, two teams would leave the convoy and enter the forests flanking the official road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After six mage teams had already departed from the convoy, it was finally Gao De’s turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged mage appeared, pointing at four carriages—including the one Gao De was in—“You, you, you, and you, get down and follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mage apprentices on all four carriages had already prepared themselves mentally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the command, they leapt down from the carriages and followed the middle-aged mage into the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four carriages they had ridden in, along with the dozen or so city guards accompanying them, would remain on the road to wait for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One purpose was to provide necessary logistical support; the other was to transport valuable bio-pulse carcasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the road and entering the forest, the scent of decay hit them at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick, lush foliage blocked out all air, leaving the light dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group moved through the dense woods, footsteps crunching on the thick layer of fallen leaves and dead branches, producing a rustling sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De followed within the team, noticing that though he felt some tension, what dominated his heart was actually eagerness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead middle-aged mage had already cast a spell the moment they stepped off the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes grew deep and bright, as if capable of piercing through all illusions and disguises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De, noticing this, understood clearly: this was a detection spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to “wild mages” who learned spells haphazardly, mages under the official system had one major advantage: their spells were systematic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From reconnaissance to combat, everything was thoroughly developed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch your surroundings, especially above—I only have two eyes and can’t cover every direction,” the middle-aged mage warned, sensing the group’s growing laxity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, everyone tensed up immediately, raising their vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, the instant he finished speaking—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zzzt! A dark shadow plunged down from the shadow of a towering tree, moving at an unbelievable speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a giant flying bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its dive was precise and swift, having already locked onto its target—the mage apprentice lagging behind the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The apprentice, seemingly paralyzed by fear, stood frozen in place, motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, the bird’s talons slashed out like a sharp dagger, slicing across the apprentice’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, blood sprayed—the apprentice didn’t even have time to scream before collapsing, life unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire event occurred in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sudden attack jolted everyone awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the successful ambush, the bird let out a piercing cry, as if taunting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its feathers were pitch black, its eyes glinting with cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beast!” roared the lead middle-aged mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a deep breath, raised his right hand, and his fingertips glowed with blue light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his roar, the blue light exploded into a blade of ice, shimmering with cold, hurtling toward the flying monster in midair!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice blade carved a graceful arc through the air, as if freezing the very atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the threat within the ice blade, the monster shrieked shrilly, attempting to evade through rapid flight. But in the middle-aged mage’s hand, another streak of blue light was already forming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zzzt! The ice blade skimmed past the monster’s belly feathers—missing direct impact, yet the cold radiating from it still made the creature shudder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the monster could react, another ice blade arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struck the monster’s left wing with perfect accuracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice shards sprayed as a horrifying wound opened, and a thin layer of ice spread rapidly across the monster’s left wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the monster lost balance and tumbled uncontrollably downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-fall, it struggled desperately to stabilize itself, but to no avail—finally crashing to the ground with a pained screech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die!” The mage apprentices, still shaken, saw the monster on the ground and unleashed their spells in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, dozens of attack cantrips rained down upon the flying monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with its astonishing resistance, it couldn’t withstand the continuous magical barrage—it was instantly reduced to a dead bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Gao De joined in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, he wasn’t the one who landed the final blow, so he gained no essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none of that mattered now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to the mage apprentice who had been struck by the monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lay on the ground, his chest clothing torn open, revealing a horrifying wound that exposed bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was unconscious, fading fast, life slipping away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead middle-aged mage saw this, frowned slightly—but nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out a pre-prepared “Basic Healing Potion” from his pocket and applied it to the wounded apprentice’s wound to temporarily stop the bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take him back to the convoy—the convoy has mages trained in healing spells.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged mage showed no emotional disturbance, simply pointing at one of the remaining apprentices and ordering, “You.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!” The selected apprentice, as if granted mercy, hurriedly replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—After all, you got paid per day; avoiding combat was always better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest of you, continue the mission. Learn your lesson—these beasts always ambush. If you get hit hard, even healing spells might not save your life,” the middle-aged mage reminded the team that had failed to prevent the attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded silently, clearly storing this warning deep in their minds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Experience teaches—once taught, you learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having witnessed a companion fall, all their sense of ease vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was thinking the same question: If that bird had targeted me instead, what would my fate be now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once that thought took root, no one could remain relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s perspective had changed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had underestimated the dangers of hunting bio-pulse creatures in the wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had assumed that with numbers and official mages leading, safety was guaranteed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, anything could happen in the wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teamwork only slightly improves safety—if you rely solely on others, you won’t even know how you died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can only rely on yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1074,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9f49e7fba712c4bc1ee7ae42482d7b400618cd902faf22c43e9f48f67abe4c81","above-the-mage-chapter-104","above-the-mage-chapter-102",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]