Before entering the cave, He Xi first checked the three skills that most needed improvement.
[Mage Hand Lv.4 (4/80), Mage Armor Lv. 2 (6/20), Magic Missile Lv.3 (38/40)]
Of course, he had mainly come here for the latter two, especially [Mage Armor].
He Xi felt that the chasm preventing most Apprentice Mages from becoming official professionals was, nine times out of ten, this defensive spell—one with no offensive power, high mana consumption, and a proficiency that could only be raised by taking hits.
After all, [Mage Hand] could be practiced anytime, anywhere, as was clear from the fact that he had already raised it to Lv.4.
As for [Magic Missile], he merely had to find Demonic Beasts—or less efficient targets.
Only [Mage Armor] was different. To raise its proficiency, he had to get hit.
He Xi raised a hand and lightly tapped the top of Slag's bare Gnoll skull.
With a hum, a gentle orb of light flared to life, driving back the surrounding darkness and making Slag's skull gleam crystal-clear.
Then he cast [Mage Armor] again.
A translucent force field of hexagonal scales enveloped Slag's entire body as well.
Only after doing all that did he signal for Slag to enter the cave first.
Though he knew there would be no other dangers inside, those annoying Mist Demons would still be there.
What was more, unlike the first time he had entered, his teacher was not present to simply use [Wind Creation Spell] and blow all the mist away.
So this time, he would encounter those things soon after going in.
After passing through the narrow passage, He Xi felt the ground beneath his feet gradually level out.
This should be the ruins passage paved with stone bricks.
Relying on his memories, he kept moving forward without