Chapter 105: Increase Resistance

Hearing this, Gao De finally relaxed, glancing around.

Of the entire team, not a single person besides him and the lead 1-Ring mage had escaped injury from the Gray Spike Bees.

Fortunately, all were superficial wounds and would heal quickly.

But one man was unlucky—he seemed struck in the eye by a stinger, now clutching his eye and screaming in agony.

Clearly, he was out of combat for the foreseeable future.

Gao De sighed again.

Only two encounters had occurred, and already two were out of action.

Most wild mages lacked both spell reserves and combat experience; when real fighting came, their flaws showed plainly.

“As long as no one died, it’s fine. The main force has mages trained in healing spells—minor wounds will be treated soon, so don’t worry.”

“Besides, it’s only the first day. Everyone will get better with practice.”

The lead middle-aged mage signaled a mage apprentice to escort the injured apprentice back for treatment and rest.

“We rest a bit, then continue.”

After two consecutive encounters, the team needed brief rest to recover strength and mana.

Gao De also found a tree and leaned against it to sit.

He pulled out a bottle of “Blue Light Tincture,” drank most of it, and began channeling to rapidly restore his mana.

In two battles, he had cast 【Flame Arrow+】 three times and 【Blade Ward+】 once—his already meager mana was nearly depleted.

In an environment where attacks could come at any moment, the anxiety of low mana felt like thirst in a desert with water nearly gone.

About fifteen minutes later, Gao De ended his channeling and opened his eyes.

His internal mana was fully restored.

Looking around, Gao De noticed most others still had their eyes closed, channeling to recover mana, while the lead middle-aged mage kept his eyes open, keeping watch.

This was because most lacked the preparation Gao De had—none had purchased the mana-recovery “Blue Light Tincture.”

Another reason: among everyone, Gao De had the least total mana; less mana meant faster recovery.

The apprentice mages who had opened their eyes before him were all those who hadn’t mastered area-of-effect spells.

They hadn’t expended any mana in the previous battles.

Seeing this, Gao De simply closed his eyes again.

In his mind, the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow interface had already opened.

Origin:

0-Ring—【Gray Spike Bee】 (7/7).

A new origin had been acquired.

The cost was worth it—only the first day, and he’d already gained another complete origin.

As for stat allocation, Gao De had already decided.

His “vision” fixed squarely on 【Increase Resistance】.

Gao De had been lucky—he had yet to encounter any terrestrial creatures with supernatural power.

But he could foresee that the “pioneering” would continue for some time; encountering such creatures was merely a matter of time.

And his only current defense against supernatural power was 【Increase Resistance】! “Allocate!” he silently thought.

In Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, the “Big Dipper” representing the 【Gray Spike Bee】 origin flew out.

Target: the spell model of 【Increase Resistance】.

Instantly, amid intense changes, the spell model extended, stabilized, and expanded.

The yellow plus sign after 【Increase Resistance】 vanished.

Its name changed to 【Increase Resistance+】.

【Increase Resistance+】 (Protection, 0-Ring): Channel mana into a target (can be self) to increase the target’s spell resistance, reducing damage and effects from spells.

One casting lasts one minute.

Bonus: The target’s spell resistance gain is slightly increased; if cast on self, after the one-minute duration, mana may be spent to extend the spell indefinitely without recasting.

“Effect +1, Duration +n.” This was Gao De’s simple translation of the upgrade.

For a sustained defensive spell, this was the most tangible enhancement possible.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

“Rest is enough. Resume movement,” the lead mage said sternly.

“Hurry. We must clear this area before nightfall—otherwise, danger levels rise another tier.”

The apprentice mages, even those with no Yewai combat experience, rose instantly without hesitation.

Everyone knew: terrestrial creatures at night were far more dangerous than by day.

In the time that followed, the encounters were no longer as perilous as the first two.

After all, the bloody lessons were fresh—everyone had learned.

Moreover, their current location was far from the “Hogen Terrestrial Vein,” at its outermost fringe.

The terrestrial creatures wandering here were mostly low-tier.

True powerful terrestrial creatures dwelled within the “Hogen Terrestrial Vein” and “Hogen City.”

Dealing with them was the task of high-ring mages of Shengxi City—not something for mere novices like them to worry about.

By afternoon, their team encountered six more battles.

In five of them, the lead mage spotted the enemy first.

With initiative and coordinated effort, they secured victories with no casualties.

Unfortunately, none were colonial creatures, so Gao De couldn’t gather a complete origin.

Moreover, with so many eyes around, “securing the kill” was extremely difficult.

The final battle came from underground—a nearly 1-Ring White-Footed Centipede.

Because the centipede emerged from below, the lead middle-aged mage failed to spot it first; instead, his own team was ambushed.

But this time, it wasn’t as perilous as the first bird-like monster attack.

During the bird attack, not only had the apprentices been unprepared, but even the lead mage had been careless and off-guard.

This time, the moment the White-Footed Centipede struck, the lead mage detected the disturbance and reacted immediately.

A sharp ice blade struck instantly, delivering a fatal blow, preventing further harm to the apprentices.

Night fell.

The lead mage led the team on one final sweep—found nothing, no new terrestrial creatures appeared.

The day’s mission was preliminarily complete.

He led the exhausted team, their nerves taut from a full day, back to the main road.

Once seated on the wagons, everyone finally exhaled.

The wagons resumed motion as the group reunited.

Tonight’s camp was six or seven kilometers ahead.

When night fully descended, Gao De’s group arrived at the pre-built camp.

It was a large, temporarily cleared open space.

Logistics staff had already prepared dinner; arriving teams could eat immediately.

A warm bowl of meat broth, paired with ample rations, made Gao De feel utterly comfortable.

Drinking hot broth in the wild was truly a blessing.

At camp, Gao De also saw the two apprentices who had been injured and withdrawn earlier.

Under the healing mage’s care, their wounds, though not fully healed, had stabilized and regained normal mobility.

They’d likely regain combat readiness in a few days.

But when it came time for tomorrow’s registration and reward claims after dinner, the apprentice injured by the bird-like terrestrial creature immediately shook his head, declaring he wouldn’t fight again—he’d return tomorrow.

The other apprentice, whose eye had been struck by the Gray Spike Bees, hesitated, then decided it had merely been bad luck and poor preparation.

Next time, if such a situation arose again, he wouldn’t be so unlucky—he chose to stay and continue.

As for Gao De, there was no doubt—he would continue! (End of Chapter)