07 The Fundamentals of a Mage

Six Storm Mad Wolves—though only second-level Magic Beasts—were no trifling threat.

The Storm Mad Wolves crept closer inch by inch, letting out low growls as though they might pounce and tear them apart at any moment.

Tang Ge gripped his two-handed greatsword, drew a deep breath, then swung it fiercely. A scorching radiance spread across the blade, and Tang Ge brought the greatsword down with savage force. Its whistle tore through the air, as if it could split the very sky in two.

Battle aura! Xia Ming was somewhat surprised. Tang Ge's battle aura was remarkably potent, and his whole body was as sharp as an unsheathed sword.

Boom!

The air around them shuddered. One Storm Mad Wolf suddenly lunged forward, and Tang Ge wrestled with it. His greatsword swept across, seeking to stab into the wolf's belly, but the Storm Mad Wolf abruptly spat out a wind blade glowing with greenish light!

Tang Ge surged with battle aura and gave it a brutal block. The wind blade shattered at once!

One Storm Mad Wolf was clearly no match for Tang Ge, a fifth-level Battle Master. The remaining five wolves joined the fight, surrounding and trapping Tang Ge.

In the darkness, light simultaneously shone from the tips of Xia Ming and Sherlock's staffs. Seizing the chance, both began chanting their spells.

But Xia Ming's magic was clearly completed before Sherlock's. Xia Ming's [Starlight Flame] bloomed like a fiery red rose and shot into one of the mad wolves' bodies. Flames burst forth, scattering sparks in every direction.

Only then did Sherlock barely finish his chant. He, too, cast [Starlight Flame], blasting it toward another mad wolf!

"This...!" Sherlock exclaimed, shooting Xia Ming a startled, uncertain glance. His eyes held an indescribable shock.

"Awwooo!" The two mad wolves struck by Starlight Flame howled miserably. Large patches of fur across their bodies had been scorched black, and blood streamed without stop. The one Xia Ming had hit was in an even more pitiful state—its abdomen had been torn open by a huge gash, blood pouring endlessly as it collapsed to the ground.

Wolves were naturally afraid of fire, not to mention that Xia Ming and Sherlock had unleashed fire magic. Several mad wolves backed away a few steps, the savage gleam in their beastly eyes fading considerably and giving way to a faint wariness.

Scarlet blood was splashed all over the ground, along with the organs and intestines of the dead mad wolf. Xia Ming, who had rarely seen such gore, turned somewhat pale.

Still, Xia Ming forcibly suppressed his physical discomfort and began reciting another string of incantations. This time, his chanting was noticeably faster than before. Clearly, the crisis had once again drawn out his potential.

Beside him, Sherlock's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets. He looked at Xia Ming as though he were seeing something terrifying.

[Fire God's Roar]! It was still fire magic, but it was third-level fire magic. Its power could not be mentioned in the same breath as Starlight Flame.

A huge mass of flame erupted savagely, like a colossal beast opening its blood-filled maw. It came roaring in and swallowed one mad wolf like a beast devouring its prey.

The mad wolf did not even have time to let out a cry before the searing flames instantly burned it to ashes!

Sherlock's eyes widened. "Th-this... what magic is this?"

[Fire God's Roar] was a fire spell recorded in the Book of Eternity, so naturally Sherlock did not recognize it. This was Xia Ming's first time using the spell as well. Its power proved formidable indeed, leaving him even more satisfied.

The remaining three mad wolves had been locked in combat with Tang Ge when they suddenly discovered that their companions were dead. They could not help howling mournfully, but their attacks only grew fiercer, their snarls increasingly savage.

But the overall situation had already been decided. Tang Ge snorted coldly, gripping his sword in both hands. His body flickered, splitting into several afterimages in midair. Like a roaring lion, he shot forward like an arrow released from the bowstring.

One Sword, Three Shadows!

Tang Ge's rapidly moving body became three phantom images, charging head-on at the three mad wolves! The wolves opened their mouths and spat out three green wind blades, but Tang Ge's battle aura shattered every one of them.

Boom!

A striking wound appeared across each of the three Storm Mad Wolves' bodies, and the once emerald-green grass was stained a shocking crimson.

Yet the three wolves, though gravely wounded, still had strength left. Savage as ever, they tried to pounce again—but how could Xia Ming and Sherlock possibly give these beasts another chance? The two Starlight Flames they had prepared long ago shot forth, sending the three Storm Mad Wolves straight to hell.

Looking at the Storm Mad Wolf corpses scattered across the ground, all three of them let out a soft breath of relief.

They had won this battle beautifully. Though it had been somewhat dangerous, none of the three had suffered even a superficial wound.

Xia Ming was still reliving the battle. This had been his first real combat, and a struggle balanced between life and death undoubtedly imposed the greatest pressure. During the fight just now, that pressure had drawn out his potential. Xia Ming carefully recalled every detail of the battle, considering his own shortcomings.

Tang Ge, meanwhile, deftly pulled a dagger from his waist and dissected the Storm Mad Wolf corpses one by one. His movements were practiced; clearly, this was far from his first time doing such a thing.

A moment later, Tang Ge removed six jade-green crystals, each the size of a duck egg, from the heads of the six Storm Mad Wolves. The six emerald crystals emitted a faint glow, and Xia Ming immediately understood that these must be Magic Beast crystal cores.

Storm Mad Wolves were second-level Magic Beasts. Such crystal cores were worth roughly twenty to thirty gold coins apiece on the black market. It counted as a small fortune.

After the night attack by the pack of Storm Mad Wolves, none of the three felt the slightest bit sleepy. Sherlock in particular stared intensely at Xia Ming. After studying him deeply for a moment, he said, "Brother Xia Ming, your spell chanting time seems pretty short. How long does it take you to chant Starlight Flame?"

Xia Ming frowned and answered as though it were only natural, "Around two seconds. It seemed to be even a little faster just now."

The instant Xia Ming finished speaking, the darkness fell utterly silent. Xia Ming felt that both Tang Ge and Sherlock were looking at him as though he were some kind of monster.

"Brother Xia Ming..." Tang Ge's eyes were wide, his voice dry and hoarse. "Brother Xia Ming, are you saying that it only takes you two seconds to chant a second-level spell?"

Even Tang Ge, a Battle Master, was startled. Casting a second-level spell in under two seconds—such chanting speed was simply outrageous.

A mage's chanting speed was closely tied to two factors. First was how proficiently they had mastered the incantation; second was their affinity with magical elements. Under normal circumstances, chanting a second-level spell took around four seconds. Yet Xia Ming had forcibly cut that time in half. What a terrifying thing that was!

Tang Ge glanced at Sherlock. Sherlock was considered a rather outstanding mage among his peers, yet as far as Tang Ge knew, it took this fellow nearly four seconds to cast a second-level spell! A gap of almost two seconds was enough to decide life or death.

"What's wrong?" Recalling Anthony's assessment of him, Xia Ming asked in confusion, "Isn't this a basic requirement every mage should possess?"

The moment he said that, Xia Ming realized that the two men were looking at him with even greater horror. Their expressions were grief-stricken, as though they wanted to cry but had no tears.

"You... you..." Looking at Xia Ming's matter-of-fact expression, Sherlock simply could not form a complete sentence.

Xia Ming frowned. "Isn't this a basic requirement every mage should possess?"

Sherlock dearly wanted to curse. Basic, my ass! Countless mages might spend their entire lives unable to reduce the chanting time for a second-level spell below two seconds, yet this bastard was calling it basic?

Xia Ming glanced at Sherlock. "Sherlock, how long does it take you to chant a spell?"

At that moment, Sherlock felt his face burning. He wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.