On the third day in the Midnight Marsh, the team was noticeably quieter. They had experienced several small battles along the way, but luckily the magical beasts they encountered were not very powerful. They were either driven away by the mercenaries or left behind.
Edith, dragging his heavy feet, struggled to keep up with the group. He couldn't help but question the purpose of this test. Was the academy training knights or infantry? Did they really think that making these physically weak future mages trudge through a swamp filled with mud would be a proper test?
He was tired, hungry, and his eyes were lifeless. He felt like a walking corpse. Damn Conjugation Tree, where are you?
"We found it!" Vila's excited voice rang out. Edith's body jolted as if suddenly brought back to life.
They arrived at the base of the Conjugation Tree. This tree was easy to identify, as it had two symmetrical branches growing from its roots. One side was made of wood, while the other side had a marble-like luster.
Simon approached the wooden side of the tree, "This is the material you need for your staff, right? Do you need us to climb up and break a branch off for you?"
Vila quickly stopped him, "Actually, it's the other side. And we don't need to break off the branches ourselves. The Conjugation Tree will give them to us."
"Are you sure?" Simon hesitated, not doubting that the Conjugation Tree would give its branches to the apprentices, but questioning whether the heavy, petrified wood on the other side was the proper material for staff.
"Yes." Seeing the Tree meant they had completed about 90% of the examination task. Vila was in high spirits, her voice cheerful, "This type of staff is perfect for mage apprentices transitioning to junior mages. At this stage, very few offensive spells are learned, so if there is any danger, the Conjugation Staff is also very suitable for close combat."
The "Scavenger" mercenary squad all had expressions of barely suppressed laughter.
"Although we rarely fight against mages, we will definitely treat mages with this kind of staff very seriously," Old John spoke on behalf of the team.
Vila turned to the equally excited trio, "Let's go to the Conjugation Tree. Just touch the trunk, and the tree will bestow its blessings and branches upon you."
Edith's smile froze on his face, and he asked cautiously, "If one's magical talent is not sufficient, will they not receive a branch?"
Vila was stumped by his question. She wanted to say that as long as someone was accepted into the Academy of Stars, there shouldn't be any problem. However, she also hesitated, considering Edith's prominent family background, "Logically speaking, since the academy assigned you this task, they probably wouldn't let you get stuck at the last step... right?"
By then, Gwendolin had reached the tree trunk. She placed her palm on the cool surface. As soon as her hand touched it, a milky-white ripple appeared, and two orbs of light fell from the treetop. Gwendolin caught the pale branch, her expression changing slightly due to the heaviness of the branch.
Another orange orb of light fell onto her chest. Gwendolin frowned in confusion, "Humility? The Conjugation Tree's blessing for me is humility. Does it think I'm arrogant?"
Vila quickly explained, "The blessings should be random. I met a very friendly senior whose blessing was 'Kindness'. Also, this state will disappear after a day, so you don't need to think too much about it."
Benson walked over, and his blessing was "Candor."
Everyone turned their eyes to Edith, who nervously approached the Conjugation Tree. Fortunately, nothing embarrassing happened. He received a red orb called "Courage" and... a huge branch.
Edith's expression at this moment seemed pitiful. He helplessly held the branch, which was more than half a person's height and as thick as a calf at its thickest part. Since he used all his strength to grasp the branch, he had no energy left to control his facial expression, making him look bewildered and helpless.
Gwendolin was already hiding behind the mercenaries, giggling. Vila stammered, "This is the first time I've seen such a large branch. Um... perhaps the Conjugation Tree really likes you?"
Edith's expression was even worse than if he were crying, as he realized that the huge branch wouldn't fit in his spatial ring. "Do I have to carry it back like this?"
"We can also hire a carriage, provided we return to Bante City," Simon said, looking very calm. Vila glanced at him with slight surprise. Given Simon's character, he wouldn't normally engage in conversation like this. Was he influenced by the "Candor" blessing?
The blessings of the Conjugation Tree were truly fascinating, with their effects varying from person to person. Some people felt no difference, while others experienced a significant personality change. However, the duration of the blessing was short, so everyone jokingly called this period the "Brief Festival of Fools." Those who received the blessings could indulge in activities they would not normally dare to do, as no one could tell if they were genuinely influenced or not.
However, Vila hadn't shared these rumors and anecdotes with the team due to the awkward atmosphere earlier, so she figured their changes were genuine.
Although their mission was complete, Old John estimated that it would be impossible to return to Misty Town in time today, so they had to spend the night at the mercenary camp.
No one objected to this, mainly because the person responsible for carrying Edith's branch couldn't move quickly. Edith didn't try to show off this time, and the mercenaries took turns carrying the material for his future staff, sympathizing with the future mage. They even couldn't bring themselves to be upset about his occasional unreasonable behavior in the past few days.
The "Scavenger" mercenary team secretly exchanged knowing glances and had a great time.
Suddenly, Old John growled, "Watch your heads!"
The mercenaries were on high alert. What kind of monster was the most challenging to deal with in the Midnight Swamp? It wasn't the largest or the one with the sharpest teeth but the flying ones. They would attack and leave immediately, making you think they were gone, only to return. These creatures were incredibly patient, driving the mercenaries crazy each time.
Simon blocked a Four-winged Thunderhawk's claws with his sword and sparks even flew from the point of contact. He took two steps back and looked stunned, standing still for a long time. It wasn't the sharpness of the Thunderhawk's claws that surprised him, but the fact that it was an electrically charged magical beast.
What a nuisance!
Old John made a quick decision, "Hurry, let's get back to the mercenary camp!"
Powerful magical beasts had their territories, and when choosing the location for the mercenary camp, some of the most experienced mercenaries who had spent years in the Midnight Swamp determined that the current location was near the territory of a gentle magical beast. This powerful beast was very low-key and had never attacked any mercenary. Since the establishment of the mercenary camp, no one had ever encountered it.
The reason everyone was sure this magical beast existed was that other magical beasts pursuing them would hesitate or even retreat when they approached this area.
Now, the legendary powerful magical beast was by the river, scraping fish scales with a crisp sound.
The Lizard introduced several famous magical beasts in the Midnight Swamp to Ina: "The Ironback Demon Bear lives where there are more trees; the bald bird went there for the delicious wild fruits.
The Four-winged Thunderhawk has four wings, but only two are useful for flying. It tried to come to my territory to catch electric fish last time, but I drove it away." The Lizard spoke with great pride.
Ina casually asked, "Their names are all very impressive. Were the names given by themselves or by humans?"
"It was humans who named them. We can't come up with so many strange adjectives," the Lizard weakly retorted. "My name is the most impressive one, actually."
Ina realized what he was trying to say and gave the Lizard an approving look. "You're right."
A commotion came from a distance, accompanied by screams and fighting. Ina had just finished dealing with all the frost thornfish, and she stood up, "I'll go check it out."
The fleeing group not only had to be careful of the turbulent swamp beneath their feet but also had to guard against the Thunderhawk's surprise attacks from behind. Moreover, carrying the heavy branch of the Conjugation Tree slowed them down.
Gwendolin's attack spell missed the Thunderhawk again. She stomped her foot in frustration, suddenly realizing that her much-prided talent couldn't compensate for her lack of actual combat experience. She couldn't hit that damn bird!
Bensen hadn't learned as many spells as Gwendolin. He just kept using the few he had learned: Fireball, Slow, and Wind Wall... He found that defensive spells like Wind Wall and auxiliary spells like Slow were more effective than sharp offensive spells. The Wind Wall would affect the Thunderhawk's diving movements, and Slow could reduce its speed a little.
He shared this discovery with Vila and Gwendolin. Vila immediately abandoned her attack spell and switched to Beson's set of spells. Gwendolin observed for a while and had to admit that Beson was right.
The Thunderhawk circled above the group, its sharp eyes fixed on its target. It dove down at lightning speed, and its sharp claws penetrated the leather armor on Sage's shoulder. With a powerful flap of its wings, it carried him into the sky.
Three Wind Walls blocked the Thunderhawk's escape from different directions. Old John grabbed the long knife in his hand and threw it at the Thunderhawk's abdomen. Simon and the others grabbed Sage's legs, preventing the Thunderhawk from leaving smoothly.
The Four-winged Thunderhawk regretted choosing the wrong target. This human looked weak, but he wasn't light at all. If it hadn't miscalculated his weight, the Thunderhawk wouldn't have paused so long when taking off, giving the humans an opportunity.
Sage was carrying the large "staff" of Idith on his back, his legs being pulled by Simon, and his shoulder gripped by the Thunderhawk. He felt like he was about to be torn apart.
Finally, the Thunderhawk gave up on its prey, but it quickly targeted another one—Gwendolin.
She must be much lighter, the Thunderhawk judged. With that thought, it immediately let go of Sage and charged at Gwendolin. Gwendolin had just finished casting her previous spell and didn't have time to cast another one when the Thunderhawk reached her. Her pupils constricted, and her body stiffened for a moment.
Could she escape this time?
A figure suddenly rushed out from the side, standing in front of her.
It was Edith.
Edith seemed just as confused, unable to figure out why he impulsively tried to save a classmate he had always been at odds with. He closed his eyes and yelled haphazardly, "Don't get me wrong, I have no ulterior motives! I just want to prove that my robe is expensive!"
In fact, by the time he finished the first half of his sentence, the Thunderhawk's claws had already touched Edith's back. His robe suddenly emitted a radiance, and an automatic defense magic circle activated instantly. The Thunderhawk has been repelled far away. By the time the middle part of his sentence was done, the Thunderhawk was already coming at him from a different direction, and when he finished the whole sentence, Edith was already up in the sky.
His voice, filled with a sob, came from above: "Why can it only protect the back if it's so expensive?!"
Everyone was stunned, watching the Thunderhawk's retreating figure, and hastily chased after it in that direction.