[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-104":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},2257108,4404,"Chapter 104: Gray Spine Hornet Swarm","above-the-mage-chapter-104",104,"\u003Cp>The team continued advancing and exploring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single apprentice mage being attacked and injured wouldn’t disrupt the entire mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, this was expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How can frontier exploration happen without casualties?…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, without new earth veins, the two-kilometer zones on either side of the official road had been swept repeatedly by mages over the years, leaving almost no earth-vein creatures visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, everything was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth-vein creatures emerging from the new earth veins didn’t know, like the nearly native ones, that the vicinity of the official road was human territory and should be avoided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the deep forest areas far from the official road were mostly occupied by “old earth-vein creatures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In comparison, these cleared “transitional zones” had become the unclaimed land in the eyes of the “new earth-vein creatures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, they became the ideal landing spots for these “new earth-vein creatures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There!” The lead middle-aged mage’s eyes glowed with spiritual light—he had spotted the earth-vein creature first this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team followed his gesture and looked in that direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, a towering tree stood, estimated to be over ten meters thick, its trunk black as iron, riddled with cracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the cracks, countless black insects, resembling hornets, clung to the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These black insects lay motionless on the trunk, their color blending perfectly with the bark; without the middle-aged mage’s signal, they would have been nearly impossible to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gray Spine Hornets, 0th-tier earth-vein creatures. Their tail stingers can be fired. Individually, they’re not dangerous, but they travel in swarms and are extremely afraid of fire,” the middle-aged mage quickly stated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those who know flame attack spells, raise your hands,” he whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sparse handful of seven or eight hands rose, including Gao De’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the twenty-plus apprentice mages, only about one-third had mastered flame attack spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow me—we’ll try to eliminate most of these Gray Spine Hornets in the first strike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rest of you who know area-of-effect spells, prepare. After we strike, launch your second wave immediately to mop up,” the middle-aged mage gave simple battle instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only give such simple instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, they were a hastily assembled team, unfamiliar with each other’s strengths and spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, even if they tried, they couldn’t coordinate complex battle plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these conditions, a blunt, straightforward tactic was the most suitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, at the middle-aged mage’s command, those who knew flame attack spells swiftly activated their spell models.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement—the Gray Spine Hornets were precisely his favorite swarm-type earth-vein creature!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He activated the 【Flame Arrow+】 spell model as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the air around them filled with a scorching heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone unleashed their flame spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several irregular bursts of magical flame wove together into a small sea of fire, roaring toward the Gray Spine Hornets clinging to the trunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most formidable of these was the spell cast by the lead middle-aged mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surprised Gao De slightly was that the middle-aged mage’s flame attack spell was also 【Flame Arrow】, identical to his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in both power and spectacle, it far surpassed his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“High-tier mages still use low-tier spells, and as their rank increases, so does the spell’s power,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s mind flashed these thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM! The flame attacks struck one after another; upon hitting solid objects, they triggered minor explosions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gray Spine Hornle swarm was startled by this sudden assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They fluttered wildly, but the fire spread too fast, instantly engulfing countless Gray Spine Hornets with a sizzling sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gray Spine Hornets clearly had no special abilities. Under the flames, they offered little resistance before turning to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just this first wave had already halved the swarm clinging to the towering tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining Gray Spine Hornets, startled, immediately took flight from the trunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after the first sweep, the leftover swarm was still dense, appearing like several clouds of gray smoke rising from the trunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ZZZZZ! These clouds emitted an irritating buzz, crossing the now-dying fire line and surging toward Gao De’s group—as if preparing to retaliate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the apprentice mages who hadn’t acted in the first wave and knew area-of-effect spells now unleashed their prepped spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them was Gao De’s familiar 【Acid Spray】, poison gas attacks, and even one who cast lightning—making Gao De glance over in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet most mages in the team were wild mages, so their methods were extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully counting, only six had cast in the second wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning, this temporary team—carefully selected from wild mages who knew attack spells—still had half with no area-of-effect spells. Was it because they didn’t want to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Definitely not. It was simply that they couldn’t learn them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell formulas publicly sold by the Mage Association were all utility spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For wild mages, mastering attack spells had always been extremely difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Gao De once again lament how harsh the survival conditions were for wild mages under knowledge monopolies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the second wave of spells, the approaching clouds of hornets were reduced by another large portion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Gao De and the others who knew flame spells had already launched their second round of attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames erupted instantly, clearing another wide area, eliminating countless more Gray Spine Hornets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after these two rounds of exchange, a small number of Gray Spine Hornets had finally closed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SHHHH! The next moment, these hornets raised their tails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stingers shot out like raindrops, piercing toward the mages in the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Individually, the Gray Spine Hornets were no bigger than a thumb, but their stingers’ power couldn’t be ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At minimum, they could pierce through several layers of clothing—and there were far too many, densely packed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s heart leapt; in his spell star-sea, another spell model flared with mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without any visible motion, a faint gray glow flashed across Gao De’s entire skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Blade Ward+】! PLOP PLOP PLOP! About twenty stingers struck Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these stingers, upon hitting his skin, bounced off as if striking supple leather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others weren’t so lucky—either they lacked defense spells or reacted too slowly, and all suffered varying degrees of stinger wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some who reacted especially slowly hadn’t covered their faces in time; their skin now bore tiny puncture wounds, blood oozing out, looking grotesque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Gao De silently thanked himself for investing his Fierce Bat’s essence point into 【Blade Ward】.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eliminated casting motion had made his 【Blade Ward+】 cast almost as fast as a thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0th-tier earth-vein creatures mostly lacked supernatural power—they were merely tougher beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these conditions, 【Blade Ward】, which boosted physical resistance, was far more practical than 【Increase Resistance】, which boosted magical resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, after these rounds of cleansing, the Gray Spine Hornets had been greatly reduced; the remaining ones’ stinger volleys hadn’t reached the threshold of qualitative change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So although many were wounded, most injuries were minor, and no one was in life-threatening danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The apprentice mages gritted their teeth, temporarily ignoring the pain and numbness from their wounds, and unleashed more spells to sweep the remaining Gray Spine Hornets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acid spray, poison gas, and lightning flared in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this assault, the swarm could no longer hold together—only a scattered few buzzed away, retreating into the dense forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gray Spine Hornets lose their threat when they’re not in swarms,” the lead middle-aged mage observed, choosing not to pursue further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1226,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f72027a13444596927038d1502e3a9e35d35cda33603f5c9cd90fadfc4f55f37","above-the-mage-chapter-105","above-the-mage-chapter-103",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]