The conversation between the two was very brief, and before anyone knew it, it had already ended.
Qianxue seemed to have forgotten Charlie's earlier "indifference" and blamed all her issues on her brother, completely shifting her animosity.
Seeing Qianxue return to her lively and cheerful self surprised everyone.
David shook his head while clicking his tongue, giving Charlie a thumbs up. "Bro, you really know how to charm the ladies! Just a few words, and you've cheered her up. It seems that the title of the 'White Rose Knight' of the Heiness is going to be passed to you sooner or later."
Colin shot his brother a glare. "So, the infatuated little prince, Mr. White Rose Knight David, huh?"
David smiled sheepishly.
Qianxue didn't mind his teasing and puffed up her cheeks, muttering, "It's all my brother's fault! He's been messing around behind my back. Just wait until I get back; I'll deal with him properly!"
"What's going on? How did it involve Young Master Qianjue?" Colin asked.
At this point, Charlie could no longer keep it a secret and briefly recounted the events of the first day in the Arcane Ring when Qianjue had approached him.
David was astonished, "Such a good opportunity! 300 points? I could really use that! Why didn't anyone tell me?!"
Then he caught sight of Qianxue's sharp gaze and gave a silly laugh.
Charlie pondered, "Qianxue, this matter is my fault. I shouldn't have accepted such a ridiculous condition. But we're still young, just starting out in the Arcane Ring. We should focus on our studies. If I can achieve more before graduation and gain more resources, it will benefit our future interactions and give me more leverage. What do you think?"
Seeing her stubbornness and persistence, Charlie could only choose to delay the confrontation.
Qianxue's face and neck burned red, and even in the dim light of the campfire, it was noticeable. She nodded repeatedly, saying, "I agree, but you can't keep ignoring me like today! It makes me feel so bad!"
"Of course not." Charlie smiled, though in his heart, he sighed and unconsciously glanced at Qingyan beside him. Their eyes met, and the emotion was quite complicated.
Qingyan smiled calmly and turned away.
If Charlie had the chance to choose between the two, he would prefer Qingyan. This girl's mystery, elegance, and kindness constantly attracted him.
However, Qingyan seemed to carry a lot of burdens and wasn't in that mindset, while on the other hand, Qianxue could recklessly chase after a vague first love. Thus, the relationships among the three had developed to this less-than-ideal point.
Charlie took a flame energy crystal from his pack and placed it on the dying campfire, murmuring an incantation. A hand of flame fell upon it, igniting a pure magical fire. The energy crystal would keep the campfire burning steadily, providing a comfortable warmth for the group whose clothes were still not fully dried.
"Colin, you guard the first half of the night. After midnight, we'll switch shifts. Everyone should get some rest; tomorrow will be another busy day."
"Okay! Goodnight!" Qianxue said with a sweet smile, curling up on the reed mat.
"Goodnight!"
...
Despite feeling extremely tired, Charlie couldn't fall asleep. Undoubtedly, today was the most perilous day of his life, brushing against death twice. Reflecting on it now made his heart race, and it fully exposed his current weaknesses—the common vulnerabilities of a magic apprentice.
Without high-level equipment, his self-defense capabilities were too weak.
To solve this problem didn't seem too difficult; among the fourth-level spells, there were many defensive measures that surpassed those of lower-level spells, such as: "Holy Barrier," "Flame Absorption Shield," "Frost Armor," "Ice Shield," "Arcane Puppet," and "Stone Skin."
Charlie kept recalling the magic books he had read. There seemed to be an invisible barrier between third-level and fourth-level spells, with a significant gap—greater even than the combined differences from third-level to zero-level spells. If he could master any fourth-level spell, the predicament he faced would be immediately alleviated.
However, therein lay the problem: no matter how hard Charlie tried, he couldn't master any fourth-level spell. The incantations weren't the issue; his mental strength wasn't either. So where was the problem? Charlie was completely at a loss.
With the rapid mastery of third-level spells, Charlie had somewhat underestimated the magic civilization of the Vagrand Continent. He thought that with the chip's assistance, he would surely sail smoothly along the path of magic. Now, he had finally hit a wall and found himself helpless.
Besides raising his magical level, there was another way to enhance personal combat power: improving personal physique. He had already mastered the techniques of mobile spellcasting and quick spellcasting. As long as he had exceptional physical fitness, he could also increase his combat effectiveness.
Thinking this, Charlie commanded in his mind: bring up my personal data.
"Host Charlie, the Prinsen coefficient is as follows:Strength: 1.77Agility: 0.93Mental Strength: 370Stamina: 0.82Physique: 0.77Personal Mana Pool: 85.47Shadow Affinity: 2Shadow Resistance: 3Water Element Affinity: 2."
Oh!
Compared to his state after consuming the Phantom Mushroom, both his strength and mental strength had increased to some extent, with strength seeing a particularly noticeable rise—even though it had only been less than half a day!
"Find out the reason for the strength increase."
"The strength increase comes from the primary strength potion consumed earlier. It is still in effect, and strength is expected to rise to around 2.3. The increase in mental strength is due to the continuous nourishing effect of the Phantom Mushroom, but its medicinal properties have now faded."
With this in mind, Charlie gained a bit more confidence in Mentor Anthony. The effects of magical potions were indeed significant. If he could truly break through in this field, Charlie would be the biggest beneficiary.
In the coming days, he could focus on exploring various herbs. Gathering his thoughts, Charlie felt somewhat relieved. He turned to check on Colin's state and saw his stiff body. The chip indicated that Colin's heartbeat was steady, and his breathing was calm; even if he wasn't asleep, he was hovering on the edge of dozing off.
What a worry!
As the night watchman, being able to fall asleep on the job was quite the embarrassment for him, especially since he had volunteered to take on the responsibility of the team's safety. If it weren't for Erin preparing the special insect repellent, they would have probably encountered issues by now.
Charlie could sense the poisonous snakes and scorpions lurking just a few meters away, safely kept at bay by the bug repellent barrier.
Suddenly, a faint sound of crunching leaves caught Charlie's attention. He perked up his ears, his head slightly raised, hovering in the air.
Creak!
A very subtle sound gently tapped against Charlie's eardrum, a noise beyond the range of human hearing, filtered out from the many minute sounds of insects and breathing thanks to the chip's capabilities.
About 51 meters away, the sound was so delicate that it couldn't be precisely located.
Charlie tossed a clump of dirt onto Colin's head.
Colin jolted awake, his eyes flying open. He was about to get up when Charlie signaled for him to stop.
Charlie made a shushing gesture, waking one sleeping partner after another. Qianxue rubbed her eyes, groggy, and was about to speak when Charlie covered her mouth.
Colin gestured, "What's going on?"
Charlie made a gesture in response: "Someone is approaching, number unknown."
Based on Charlie's reputation, no one doubted his judgment. But the problem arose: who would sneak up on them in the dead of night? And how did they pinpoint their location with such accuracy?
Although the traces of the magical fire were obvious, this reed marsh wasn't small. There should be more than one group camping here for the night.
"Is it a monster from the swamp?" Erin asked in sign language.
Charlie shook his head. "It's a group of people."
Gradually, the sounds became clearer. Now, without needing Charlie to remind them, they could hear the rustling of leaves.
"Twenty meters!" Charlie signaled, indicating everyone to prepare for an attack.
No matter who it was, a well-planned ambush turning into a surprise attack was certainly not a pleasant experience.
Charlie's lips curled into a cold smile as he gathered a ball of orange light in his hand.
Seeing Charlie begin to act, the others quickly prepared, even Erin started chanting nature magic.
As the attackers stealthily parted the last layer of reeds obscuring their view, they were momentarily stunned by the incoming orange-red light.
Having witnessed Charlie's brutal casting effects on the ship, several partners instinctively made the same choice as Charlie. Except for Qianxue and Erin, everyone else opted to cast Fireball, while Qianxue cast the second-level spell "Holy Light Strike."
Accompanied by a wave of natural magic, two ferocious wild boars appeared in front of the team, charging towards the attackers with a snort, following the howling elemental magic!
Erin, with her affinity for nature, summoned magical creatures that charged forth with great momentum. Weighing several hundred kilograms, with long tusks and sharp spines along their backs,
they were deadly weapons in their own right.
"Defend in place!" roared a voice from the other side, abandoning any pretense of stealth.
In an instant, colorful magical shields illuminated the reed thicket, all equipped with the skills of high-level gear.
The next moment, the searing waves of fire licked at the pale blue transparent shield; orange-red and deep blue energies collided, annihilating each other in an extraordinary display of colors that unfolded before everyone's eyes—a breathtaking spectacle of violent beauty.
The flames ignited the reeds, and with the wind fueling the fire, a towering inferno erupted, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.
Before the scorching waves of heat had even subsided, the two charging wild boars smashed through the attackers' defenses, scattering them like leaves in a storm. The remnants of the magic shields, weakened to their last breaths, shattered upon impact. Several apprentices let out piercing screams as they were trampled by the wild boars' iron hooves, collapsing to the ground, rendered combat ineffective.
Through the flickering firelight, Charlie seized the opportunity to observe the situation across the way. There were twenty-one attackers in total, four times the number of his own group.
Daniel!
Charlie was taken aback to see a familiar face among the attackers, and at that moment, Qianxue also spotted him.
"Daniel, what do you mean by this?!" Qianxue's face turned cold as she stepped forward, placing herself in front of her teammates, blocking them from the view of Daniel and his group.