A sharp sound pierced the mist - the sound of a blade slicing through flesh. In the hazy visibility, the sound was especially clear.
Followed by the noise of objects being knocked over, Qian Xue looked up to see a bald, burly man lying dead on the ground. A flying axe had cut deeply into his neck, almost severing it, and hot blood was spraying everywhere.
The warm, crimson liquid spattered onto Qian Xue's porcelain-like skin, contrasting starkly with her youthful, innocent face, creating a jarring visual impact.
Qian Xue felt the warm touch and the pungent smell, and she instinctively opened her mouth, ready to scream. But she held it back, swallowing the scream.
She heard Charlie's heavy breathing. In this moment, she felt ashamed. On the real battlefield, she realized she knew nothing, and her title of a third-tier mage seemed to be just a facade. She recalled her past feats in the small competitions at home, and understood why her brother had looked down on them - they were just for play.
"I can't be a burden!" This was the overwhelming thought in Qian Xue's mind right now.
Qian Xue pressed her lips tightly. She suddenly realized there was still one enemy left, and she had a chance to prove herself.
Suddenly, a chill came from beside her. An ice arrow hit the pirate, freezing the area where it struck. A stone pillar then abruptly erupted from the deck, impaling the pirate. Blood gushed down the pillar as the pirate struggled, eyes bulging and face flushed red, unable to even cry out in agony.
He had paid the price for his own cruelty.
"Yay!" The Gerstah brothers high-fived each other, their excitement evident.
Charlie smiled slightly, quietly dissipating the fireball in his hand. "Well done, brothers!" he praised.
Although Charlie could have handled it alone, he was still pleased that his companions had finally taken action, signifying their transformation from bystanders to warriors.
David scoffed, "These people aren't as difficult as we imagined. They're just a bunch of trash!"
Colin said, "Souls without faith, using cruelty to mask their own weakness. Ah, a group of pathetic weaklings!"
Blue Eyes chuckled, "Before, I didn't see you all being so brave."
Under Charlie's guidance, they had gradually regained their courage.
Charlie seized the opportunity: "David's right, you need to believe in the power you possess. You are the chosen ones of the Arcane Circle, the future elite of this continent. While they are just a group of struggling lowlifes. As long as we have the right environment, we can wipe them all out!"
"So what do we do next?"
"Let's go check on Qian Xue first."
The four found Qian Xue crouching on the ground, her face smeared with some black soot and a few drops of crimson blood, accompanied by a pitiful expression.
Qian Xue had lowered her hand, revealing a bright red, scraped left knee. Her delicate, porcelain-like skin had been abraded, with fresh blood seeping through, mixed with the dark grime, creating a striking contrast.
For a normal person, it was a trivial flesh wound, but on her, it looked like a blemish on a pristine snowy landscape, evoking a sense of pity.
Blue Eyes sighed lightly, "Oh dear, how pitiful!"
Her words seemed to have unblocked Qian Xue's restrained emotions. Her long lashes blinked, shedding a few pearls of tears, which she silently endured.
Charlie said calmly, "Let me take care of that for you. It'll sting a bit."
"Mm-hmm," Qian Xue nodded.
Charlie raised his right hand, and a sphere of water vapor coalesced, the outer layer continuously rotating, fully demonstrating its flexible, moisturizing properties.
Colin genuinely praised, "Charlie's control of low-level magic is truly remarkable. Even many great mages may not be able to achieve this level."
Charlie shook his head, "That's an exaggeration. Great mages are not as simple as you think. Perhaps you've just been too impressed by the title of an apprentice mage."
His words contained some truth. Compared to an apprentice mage like Charlie, most people would be dazzled.
David couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, "Brother, you're proficient in arcane, fire, and water magic. Just how many spells do you know? You're really crushing my fragile young heart!"
Charlie smiled mysteriously and said, "Well, you're about to witness my fatal blow."
With a casual wave of his hand, a holy light descended upon Qian Xue's knee, flickering for a few breaths before vanishing.
David was stunned, rubbing his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.
However, the next moment, the bleeding wound on Qian Xue's knee immediately stopped bleeding, and the skin visibly grew back, the injury closing up and forming a scab.
Qian Xue touched her knee in astonishment, realizing it no longer hurt. Curious, she used her fingernail to lightly pick at the edge of the scab, which loosened and peeled off, revealing the fresh, healthy skin underneath.
The abrasion had healed in just a few breaths?
Colin was stunned, his jaw dropping. "You... you have no faith, yet you can use divine magic?"
Charlie shook his head, "This is not divine magic, but light magic."
Blue Eyes remarked, "Being proficient in four schools of magic, even if just at the beginner level, is already quite formidable."
"Alright, let's get to the main task. The teacher may urgently need our support."
Charlie then began checking the spoils of war. The steel short axe was a good item, which could compensate for the delay in his spells when needed. Unfortunately, most of the enemies had been burned to death by the fireball, and their valuable belongings, including the bow and arrows that could have greatly enhanced Charlie's abilities, were mostly destroyed.
After searching around, Charlie only found six axes and one curved dagger.
However, the other four said they were unwilling to use these weapons, arguing that the power of magic far exceeded the power of these physical weapons. And since they didn't have Charlie's talent, they couldn't make good use of the weapons even if they took them.
Charlie couldn't carry too many items by himself, so he simply took two short axes and secured them to his waist.
The five of them, shrouded by the mist, slowly made their way forward, painstakingly traversing the wreckage, and arrived at the middle of the ship. Through the cracks in the dilapidated wooden planks, they could see an extremely intense exchange of fire taking place on the deck.
Qian Xue curiously pressed her head against the gap, peering out. Whatever she saw made her shudder, and she opened her mouth...
But Charlie quickly covered her mouth, stifling her scream.
Blue Eyes gestured for her to be quiet, and seeing their posture, she paused.
The Gerstah brothers also noticed the anomaly, suppressing their urge to laugh.
No wonder the sensations were different - one hand was warm and smooth, the other soft and pliant. Charlie sheepishly smiled and released his hands, ignoring the pain from his bitten finger.
Qian Xue glared at him silently, her face flushed with a hint of resentment.
At the moment, the teacher was likely being pushed back to the bow of the ship, while on the platform below, there were more than a dozen strange-looking pirates lying in ambush, and arrows were constantly being fired from the stairwell leading to the hold. The total number of enemies was impossible to estimate, but the five of them were currently above the invaders' territory, temporarily safe due to the cover of the mist.
The deck was not just for decoration, but constructed of alloy steel, with traces of rampant magic evident, blackened in places and even partially melted.
Looking at the situation at the bow, it was even more dire. The ground was dotted with shallow pools of a greenish liquid, continuously corroding the steel and emitting a hissing sound accompanied by plumes of white smoke, the stench unbearable.
Colin quietly said, "That's corrosive acid and plague potion. The enemy may have an evil alchemist."
In the Millennium Empire, any cases involving evil alchemists were tragedies the authorities preferred to avoid. Nearly every evil alchemist had the blood of hundreds, if not thousands, on their hands.
What should they do?
This was the question facing the five of them. Their gazes eventually settled on Charlie, as if he had become their go-to person.
Charlie silently surveyed the situation from different angles, collecting data on the entire battlefield. The problem was that the enemies were simply too numerous - if he missed even a small portion, their small team would be wiped out.
He rapidly evaluated various plans in his mind, only to reject them one by one. Any plan with a survival rate below 50% was immediately discarded. He considered factors like spell damage, spell synergy, terrain, environment, and psychology, but couldn't find a strategy with a success rate above 70%.
If they were to engage the enemies head-on, it wouldn't be appropriate. While he didn't care about his own life, he had to consider the safety of the entire team.
Unintentionally, Charlie noticed Qian Xue was sniggering at him, whispering something to Blue Eyes. Following their gaze, he saw a hole in his cloak, where the flying axe had cut through.
He was truly impressed by this carefree girl. Even in this life-or-death situation, she wasn't worried at all, since someone else was taking care of it.
Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed in Charlie's mind, and a confident smile spread across his face.
He gestured to his companions, announcing, "I've got a plan!"