Chapter 21: Earth Shield Technique: Sensing the Aura of Danger

The next day.

Lin Mo turned over in a daze, his hand instinctively reaching out to the side.

"Hmm?"

Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was a delicate, pretty face.

The young woman wearing a black-and-white lace maid outfit was by the bedside, holding a cup of warm milk.

Seeing Lin Mo wake up, she leaned forward slightly.

"Young master, you're awake~"

The maid's voice was soft and bone-piercing, "You were too tired last night and have been sleeping until now. Drink some milk first to replenish your body, shall we?"

Lin Mo sat up, took the milk and drank it in one gulp, then habitually opened his attribute panel.

【Name: Lin Mo】

【Class: Mage】

【Level: Lv. 10 (8%)】

"Ho, really level 10?"

Is this the joy of lying flat?

Others grind monsters to death, while I level up just by sleeping.

Lin Mo looked around, found only the personal maid present, and asked curiously:

"Where are the others?"

The maid took the empty cup and explained softly:

"Young master, about an hour ago, Captain Ah Hu and the others stopped drawing aggro."

"Because you were sleeping so deeply later on, the monsters thrown at you had no reaction."

"Ye Dui was worried about your safety and feared disturbing your rest, so she had them stop for now. Some are guarding outside now, while others have gone to take their shifts."

"Oh, I see."

So that's how it is.

After hearing this, Lin Mo nodded.

It seems that little Fireball guy is also exhausted and collapsed.

Just then,

Ye Hongyu also walked over with Ah Hu and Shi Tou.

The three were obviously somewhat tired, with faint traces of bloodshot eyes visible.

"Good morning, young master!"

"Good morning, everyone. You've worked hard."

Lin Mo stretched, got out of bed, and said, "I slept too deeply last night; I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."

"No, no! Young master, that was deep meditation!"

Ah Hu chuckled with a simple, honest look on his face:

"To maintain such precise killing efficiency while in deep sleep and persist for half the night, young master, you are simply a god!"

Lin Mo let out a dry laugh and didn't take up the thread.

"Young master, then... shall we continue leveling?"

Ye Hongyu glanced at the special soldiers standing by and asked, "If you wish to continue, I'll have them draw aggro immediately."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo glanced at his skill bar.

【'Fireball' Status: Sleeping soundly (drooling)】

The main DPS is AFK; who would level up at this time?

Rely on manually casting Fireballs myself?

Don't make me laugh.

It's better to lie in bed and play a few ranked matches.

"Forget it, Sister Ye, let's not level for now."

Lin Mo waved his hand and yawned, saying, "Just woke up, my head is still buzzing, and I can't react properly. Let's rest a bit and wake up."

"Alright, listening to the young master."

Ye Hongyu nodded.

At this moment, Shi Tou, standing aside, suddenly spoke up curiously:

"Young master, since you've already reached level 10, can you learn a second basic skill? Yesterday I heard the Commander say you wanted to learn an Earth-element skill?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo also remembered.

Indeed, level 10 allows learning the next basic skill.

"Right, staying alive is the priority."

Lin Mo took out the 【Earth Shield Technique】 basic skill book given by Su Wan yesterday.

Seeing this, Ah Hu immediately spoke up:

"Young master, you've finally chosen the right skill. Not only is staying alive important, but more importantly, Shi Tou is the only S-rank elemental affinity mage in our special brigade."

Saying this, Ah Hu nudged Shi Tou with his elbow.

"And it's Earth-element affinity! As for understanding Earth-element skills, in our Jianghai City, if Shi Tou claims second place, few dare to claim first!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Tou waved his hands repeatedly:

"Brother Hu, don't blow smoke! In front of the young master, how would I dare claim to be S-rank..."

"The young master is a micro-control master! I think the young master's mastery of Fireball is even deeper than my Earth Shield Technique, which I've practiced for over ten years!"

"What I have here is… is just a little bit of insight, just a little bit…"

Though his words were modest, the confidence in Stone's eyes could not be hidden.

As an S-rank earth-affinity mage, his perception of the earth and his construction of defensive skills truly possessed a talent beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Alright, Brother Stone, stop being so modest."

Lin Mo smiled and patted the skill book. "Since you're the expert, once I learn it later, I'll have to trouble you to give me some pointers."

"I don't deserve the praise! Young Master, please go ahead and try. If you have any questions, I'll definitely tell you everything I know!" Stone was overwhelmed by the favor shown him.

Lin Mo didn't dawdle any longer.

This was a skill tied to his own life—learn it early, feel at ease early.

"Use."

As Lin Mo's mind moved.

The skill book in his hand dissolved into specks of light and drilled into his brow.

【You have learned the basic skill: Earth Shield (Lv. 1)】

【Earth Shield: Summon an earth-element shield to block physical and magical damage from the front.】

As for the skill's effects, Lin Mo didn't care much about them.

What he cared about was whether Earth Shield could talk.

Lin Mo tentatively called out within his heart.

"Xiao Tu? You there?"

"Anyone there? Hellooo?"

"Hello? Moses Moses?"

"……"

The Earth Shield icon on the skill bar showed not the slightest reaction.

No way?

Lin Mo's brow furrowed slightly.

Could it be that only Little Fireball was special?

Or perhaps…

This skill was a mute?

Seeing Lin Mo daze off after learning the skill, Stone couldn't help but ask:

"Young Master? How is it? How does it feel?"

Stone put on the look of someone who'd been through it all and patiently explained:

"Actually, the hardest thing for an earth mage is communicating with the earth element."

"Fire element is violent and restless—spark it and it ignites."

"But earth element is steady by nature. To use earth skills well, you need extreme patience…"

"You've just come into contact with it. Not feeling anything is perfectly normal."

Lin Mo didn't dwell on it any longer. After all, the man was still right in front of him chattering away and sharing his experience—it would be a bit rude not to respond.

"Oh oh… so that's how it is. Thanks for the lesson, Brother Stone."

Seeing Lin Mo's attitude so humble, the sense of accomplishment in Stone's heart was instantly greatly satisfied.

He chuckled and pointed at the empty ground in front of Lin Mo:

"Young Master, how about you release 【Earth Shield】 right here and give it a try? I'll take a look for you."

"Alright, let's give it a try."

Lin Mo nodded, then stood up.

Hum—

As the skill was used, the surrounding air trembled slightly.

A faint yellowish-brown halo materialized around Lin Mo, then condensed into a semi-transparent earth-element shield, floating before him.

It looked… as if a single breath of wind could blow it apart.

A-Hu and Ye Hongyu nearby exchanged a glance.

Without elemental affinity, being able to take shape on the first release was already not easy. As for its strength… well, don't hold your breath.

Stone, however, was quite responsible. He stepped forward two paces and reached out to tap it.

"Hmm… Young Master, for a first release, being able to take shape already surpasses 90% of newbies."

Though that's what he said, what Stone actually meant was: for a blank-slate mage with no elemental affinity, being able to release it like this was already quite good.

But after all, this was the Young Master—his words had to be a bit more tactful.

"However…"

Stone shifted his tone and began to offer guidance:

"The structure here is still too loose, Young Master. Try to calm your mind. Don't think about how to defend—instead, feel the earth beneath your feet."

"Imagine that you are drawing out the rock and soil beneath your feet, constantly compressing and stacking them, filling them into this shield."

Stone gestured as he spoke, using his spiritual power to guide:

"Come, Young Master, follow my rhythm. Take a deep breath… feel that sense of weightiness…"

Lin Mo nodded and, following Stone's guidance, closed his eyes.

Though he had no so-called elemental affinity, under Stone's spiritual guidance, that thin shield underwent some changes.

This was also the first time he had completely independently released a skill.

Hum—

The color of the shield visibly deepened by several shades.

Although it still didn't look all that strong, at least it was starting to look proper.

"Yes! Exactly like that!"

Stone's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap and cheer:

"Young Master, remember that feeling just now. With the shield's current thickness, it can absolutely more than withstand a basic fireball attack of the same level!"

Stone suggested, looking eager to try:

"Young Master, let's test its actual defensive power. I'll use the most basic fireball technique to attack it and see."

Hearing that he was about to take a hit, Ye Hongyu nearby frowned slightly: "Stone, the Young Master just learned it, and you're already going to test it on him?"

"Ye Dui, rest assured, I know my limits. I'm just using a small fireball to test it. With the shield's solid thickness, it's completely enough to withstand it."

Stone patted his chest and assured confidently.

Seeing him so certain, Ye Hongyu finally nodded.

After all, Stone was a veteran mage, so he still had that much control.

Afterward, Ye Hongyu took Ahu and stepped back a few paces.

Stone also retreated to a position over ten meters away.

Whoosh—

In his palm, a ball of orange-red flame instantly rose up.

This fireball was indeed not large, a size smaller than Lin Mo's previous fireball.

However.

The instant this ball of firelight appeared.

The originally unresponsive 【Earth Shield】 icon suddenly trembled.

【【Earth Shield】 senses a dangerous aura.】

【【Earth Shield】 lets out a pig-slaughtering shriek: No good! There's danger! Don't come any closer!】