Two-Person Strategy

"Me?"

Hearing Rhode's words, Lize opened her eyes wide in surprise, and even Mace, standing to the side, gaped in astonishment.

As everyone knew, the Spirit Master was a profession on the Dragon Soul Continent akin to pharmacists, doctors, and nurses. They were essentially support roles within a team; bandaging wounds, healing injuries, casting shields, and dispelling toxins were the tasks they performed most often. As for fighting on the front lines? That was something unheard of!

"That's right."

Rhode nodded. The moment he stepped into this place, he seemed to have transformed back into the commander leading a team through a dungeon.

"In a moment, you will follow my orders. This doesn't require particularly complex techniques, but it will demand a high level of reaction and awareness. However, once you're familiar with it, I don't think it will be too difficult... What is your current mastery of energy...? How many times can you use Holy Radiance?"

Although Rhode had roughly guessed her level through Lize's previous healing spell, it was better to confirm it for the sake of caution.

"I am a full-fledged Spirit Master, at the seventh layer of the Outer Ring. As for Holy Radiance... I can only use it once a day, and it can last for a day... provided my soul power isn't depleted."

The professional grading for spellcasters differed from that of combatants. Beyond their professional level, they also possessed a classification for soul power: Outer Ring, Middle Ring, and Inner Ring—with ten layers in the Outer Ring, seven in the Middle, and three in the Inner. This was because spellcasters believed their power originated from the depths of their souls, which were commonly viewed as three integrated, ring-like existences. The deeper a spellcaster probed into their own soul, the more powerful they became. Lize's strength had already reached the seventh layer of the Outer Ring, meaning she was highly likely to break through the limits of an Outer Ring spellcaster and enter the ranks of the Middle Ring.

For a level six Spirit Master, this was truly rare. However, this made Rhode even more confident.

"Very good. Remember, from now on, you are not to cast Healing Light on me, even if I am injured. Pay more attention to Mr. Mace; if there is danger, put a shield on him... Do you understand?"

"This... I understand, Mr. Rhode."

Although Rhode occasionally threw out words that left Lize feeling bewildered, she managed to grasp his meaning through guesswork and nodded slightly to show she understood.

"Mr. Mace, how many days of supplies do we have left?"

"Enough for three or four days, I suppose."

Clutching the travel bag in his arms, the fat merchant thought for a moment before answering, though his face wore a look of tragic resignation.

"If we eat sparingly..."

"Now is a good opportunity to lose some weight."

If Rhode had been smiling when he said this, Mace might have taken it as a joke. Unfortunately, Rhode's expression was deathly calm, devoid of any mirth, which only made the fat merchant more distressed. As he clutched his bag, intending to say something more, Rhode had already turned away and issued an order to Lize.

"Cast Holy Radiance."

"Understood."

Facing Rhode's command, Lize gave a slight nod, then extended her hands and closed her eyes.

Soon, a cluster of soft light slowly emerged from the center of the girl's palms. The gentle white radiance spread in all directions. Whether it was an illusion or not, the fat merchant noticed that the thick fog, which had been right beside them, began to retreat rapidly upon being touched by this light. After rubbing his eyes, he discovered that the surroundings, previously shrouded in dense fog, were now much clearer. Some ruins that had only been vague, blurry shadows were now clearly visible, revealing broken walls and houses. This caused everyone to breathe a sigh of relief; after all, regardless of the situation, having a clear line of sight was always safer.

"I'll take the lead, Lize follows, and Mr. Mace, you walk at the back. Don't stray too far from us. No matter what happens, do not act alone."

The ruins were deathly silent.

The light, filled with positive energy, had dispelled the fog, but it had not dispelled the danger lurking within. Under Rhode's lead, the group moved forward slowly, stopping occasionally to observe their surroundings before continuing—but soon, Rhode waved his hand, signaling them to halt.

If his memory served him correctly, he was nearing the spawn point of the first wave of mobs.

Sure enough, not long after Rhode stopped, several faint points of light appeared in the fog ahead. They flickered like eyes.

"Th-that, what is that?"

Mace became instantly nervous.

"They are Wraith."

Rhode extended his right hand, and soon, Star Trace appeared in his grip.

"Be careful, they won't dare to get too close."

No sooner had Rhode finished speaking than the group saw the thick fog ahead suddenly contract and expand, spitting out three bizarre creatures.

They appeared to have human forms, but their entire bodies were wrapped in dense mist. The three monsters stood together, their boundaries so indistinct that it was difficult to tell them apart; only those three pairs of bright little eyes confirmed that this was not merely simple fog.

Perhaps it was something even less simple.

"Lize, cast Healing Light on the first one."

Healing Light?

Hearing this command, a flash of doubt crossed the girl's mind. That was a healing spell; why cast it on such a monster? But the question only flickered in Lize's mind for a moment. Soon, she raised her right hand and cast Healing Light on the monster in front of her.

As a Spirit Master, Lize's technique was quite good. Healing Light was a mid-range healing spell; as long as one could pinpoint the target's location, casting it wasn't difficult. For Lize, it was effortless, though perhaps because the target was a monster rather than a companion, the girl hesitated for a moment before completing the spell.

A stream of pure white light instantly emerged from the air and enveloped the Wraith. According to its original effect, any living being it covered would immediately recover a certain degree of injury and even feel invigorated; it was the most basic of basic spells used by Spirit Masters.

However, the Wraith's reaction was completely beyond the girl's expectations. The moment it was shrouded in that white radiance, the Wraith let out a shriek that even she could hear clearly. Its previously upright body bent over heavily as if struck by a punch, trembling violently. The mist wrapping its body even disintegrated in that instant, like ice and snow melting under the sun. This left Lize stunned; she even subconsciously looked down at her own hands, unable to fathom how she had cast a spell with such lethality.

Rhode, however, remained very calm upon seeing the Wraith's reaction. One had to know that the positive energy generated by Healing Light was the natural nemesis of negative energy clusters like the Wraith. Not to mention that half of Lize's lineage was of orthodox Angelic descent; the positive energy condensed by an Angel naturally differed in quality from that of an ordinary human. If the latter's positive energy was scalding boiling water to a Wraith, then the former's was no less than high-concentration sulfuric acid. It was fortunate that Lize was only a half-breed; had she been a pure Angel, that Wraith would have long since been reduced to ashes.

Lize didn't understand why a healing spell would have such an effect, but in truth, players on the Dragon Soul Continent were well aware of it. In their view, "Healing Light" was merely a mask used to deceive the eyes; the essence of the spell was the release of positive energy. It was only called that because positive energy brought healing effects when it encountered living organisms, and the name was used for convenience—it did not mean it could only heal wounds. In the early days of the Dragon Soul Continent, a joke circulated among players: the most tragic thing for a Necromancer was to encounter a group of undead—because a Necromancer's spells were essentially derived from negative energy, and using them to attack undead creatures also composed of negative energy would only result in healing rather than destruction. This forced many Necromancer players who had dreamed of controlling an army of the dead to dominate the world to tearfully learn elemental spells to ensure their advantage against undead monsters—oh, and they sometimes had to moonlight as healers.

Essentially, there was no great difference between a Necromancer and a Spirit Master. Most lived in environments where their abilities could not harm the groups they encountered, and their powers only took effect when they met opposing attributes. It was just that for a Necromancer, the probability of encountering living beings was relatively higher. As for Spirit Masters, it wasn't until the middle of the Darkness Descends war, when the undead were rampant, that they shed their label as logistics personnel and became fierce warriors on the front lines. Before that, the probability of a Spirit Master encountering the undead was very low, and since NPCs didn't possess the vast information players had, it was no surprise they remained stuck in their ways.

But now was not the time to be stuck in one's ways.

"Attack the two behind!"

Rhode's figure flickered as he charged toward the Wraith in front, simultaneously issuing an order to Lize.

"Yes!"

Perhaps encouraged by the scene before her, Lize's response was spirited and powerful. Soon, two more streams of abundant positive energy descended from the sky, landing on the other two Wraiths respectively. The soft light enveloped them, halting their attempts to advance. Taking this opportunity, Rhode, having activated Shadow Blink, had already arrived before the first Wraith.

"---!"

The Wraith, scoured by the positive energy, let out a shrill shriek, and Rhode, standing before them, became the target of their vented fury. Soon, the Wraith in front lunged forward, its translucent claws swiping at Rhode with a sharp whoosh.

Although Lize's power had weakened their defensive capabilities, their offensive power had increased significantly as a result; if he didn't handle them with care, it was entirely possible he could capsize in the gutter.

However, Rhode would certainly not allow such a thing to happen.

He shifted his stance, narrowly dodging the Wraith's outstretched claws, and then, with a sharp twist of the pristine white blade in his hand, he thrust forward.

Critical Hit!

Star Trace struck precisely at the only semi-solid soul condensation within the Wraith's ethereal body. This caused the Wraith, already in agony under the radiance of the positive energy, to let out a mournful wail. It raised its claws in despair before its body, already on the verge of collapse, completely lost its form, dissolving into a pile of floating dust.

And just at that moment, the other two Wraiths attacked as well.