Wizard: Become stronger by drawing cards from the potions variety show

Chapter 694: Skillful Stealth

Operation successful.

[Nightmare difficulty, combat training qualification obtained. Currently Nightmare difficulty 1/4 unlocked.]

Noah, panting, watched as the surroundings slowly returned to normal, then asked, "Can't we proceed directly to Nightmare difficulty?"

[Nightmare difficulty is a comprehensive training program; you need to complete four difficult training courses to redeem the qualification.]

Noah understood.

"I see."

His gaze swept across the combat training interface.

"So, the only option I have now is to continue with teamwork training...?"

Noah withdrew his gaze. He wasn't in a hurry to move on to the next challenge and training session, but instead reviewed what had just happened.

In the battle just now, he faced a battle wizard who had mastered all the super magic feats.

He has already fought this wizard five times.

If you include the previous stages used to qualify, he had completed thirty consecutive challenges. He gradually adapted to the opponent's fighting rhythm and finally won the head-on battle.

Although the challenge was overcome, there was an element of luck involved.

Therefore, he still needs to review the situation.

"Perhaps it would be better to use spells to advance directly here. Although it might consume twice the mana, I can overpower the opponent's magic and gain the initiative. The opponent's shield barrier was already damaged before, and they are currently fighting against me, so they don't have time to replenish it..."

Noah reviewed the entire debriefing process, comparing the information he gained during the battle with the information he should have actually obtained in the debriefing, and was judging the more suitable time to adjust his battle strategy.

The opponent and the timing are different in every battle, but the grasp of timing and the analysis of details are the same. The more data and the more detailed the analysis, the better you can grasp the opponent's state and battle strategy.

That would fundamentally change a problem.

The mindset for fighting.

Before this, when facing an opponent, I had no idea about their choices, was confused about the process of the battle, and had no idea how the battle should proceed.

Now, through constant battle practice and review, Noah has a subtle understanding of his opponents' intentions and fighting styles.

Simply by processing information, he could vaguely visualize the opponent's combat options in his mind, thus further judging the direction of the opponent's battle.

After marking out all the potentially better options, Noah re-simulated the scenario in his mind.

After confirming his physical and mental state and considering the potential changes in this situation, he got up, recovered from meditation, and proceeded to the next option on the interface in front of him.

You have selected the simple mode.

The second training test component is teamwork.

In Easy mode, your teammates will possess superhuman combat awareness. Please ensure everyone survives while completing the evacuation.

Although the difficulty level is still listed as easy, Noah will not let his guard down this time.

Noah had already discovered from the combat training that the basic difficulty requirements here were very high.

As the surrounding scenery changed, Noah sensed magical fluctuations nearby. Instinctively gathering his magic power, he turned around warily to observe, and exclaimed incredulously, "Teacher?!"

Yes, he saw Li Daoxian, Yuan Hua, and Melissa.

The three teaching assistants were standing beside him, all dressed in the same wizarding uniforms as him; they were clearly his teammates.

"Why are you so surprised?" Li Daoxian laughed. "We don't have much time left. We need to break through and leave here as soon as possible."

Noah stared at Li Daoxian for a moment, sensing the magical fluctuations emanating from him.

However, given his high-level wizarding skills, he doesn't seem to be a teaching assistant, or at most, just an avatar. Yuan Hua and Melissa might also be avatars.

Was it simulated by the training system, or did the teaching assistants project a portion of their own minds into it? Was it so that they could observe them more closely?
These thoughts flashed through Noah's mind.

Noah then calmly said, "Tell me your situation in as much detail as possible."

The habits formed during the previous combat training were still there, so Noah's first priority was to gather information.

He needs a clear understanding of his own combat strength in order to determine which battles he can fight and which he cannot.

He then received detailed information about the three people.

The text details their magical specialties, tactical roles, and some of their secret arts.

Noah only needed one glance to realize that his three teammates, who looked just like the assistant coach, were all formidable in their abilities. Moreover, although they had different roles, they also possessed the skills to handle other situations.

More importantly, these individuals all possess super-magical specialties, and if classified by strength, they should be considered senior high-level wizards.

Noah was certain that this combat squad, as long as they weren't facing a domain wizard, should have the ability to evacuate.

Noah said, "I'll be the main attacker. Teacher, your perception and spirit are stronger, so I'll leave the perception and mind connection to you. Teacher Yuan Hua and Teacher Melissa, you can do whatever you want. If I need your support, I'll let you know."

The mental network is connected.

Noah casually tossed out his mind probes, and at the same time, he received feedback from Li Daoxian's detection magic.

By comparing the two, Noah instantly pinpointed the nearest enemy's location.

Noah did not hesitate and looked at Li Daoxian, saying, "Seal off that area as much as possible."

Then, he raised his hand and cast a spell that increased spell range and delayed spell duration.

Plague Spreads (Spell Upgrade + Spell Enhancement)

The combination of the two spells completely concealed any trace of the curse.

Although those wizards all possess shield credentials and are temporarily unaffected by magic, the curse-casting spells will continue to be strengthened and stacked within a certain range under the influence of the plague's spread.

Once those wizards' shields break, they will be infected by the curse and lose their ability to cast spells for a short period of time. Even if it is dealt with in time, Noah can do a lot during that time. Moreover, Noah will not give them time to deal with it in time.

Seeing this, Li Daoxian raised his hand and sent out countless streams of light composed of runes, like winding snakes. The patterns on their bodies gradually dimmed and then disappeared into the ground.

After a short rest, Noah cast an area-of-effect dispel spell.

With the mind probe's location, Noah can precisely define the area around the wizards where the magic can be dispelled.

There is almost no reaction time.

The next moment, the shield next to the wizard who was hiding there suddenly lit up and then made a crisp cracking sound.

Before they could react, their senses were weakened, as if shrouded in fog, and they could no longer see anything around them.

They realized they had a problem.

They tried to push it, but the magic power within them seemed rusty and couldn't gather for a long time.

"Damn it!" They realized that the other side had come prepared and had set a trap sometime earlier.

They looked up and saw a dazzling green light, and a blurry human figure behind it.

They vaguely heard a soft chanting: "The Curse of Reaping Death".

The interwoven green light resembled the facets of a gemstone.

In an instant, all the wizards fell like wheat.

Noah sighed.

He had prepared many backup plans, but it seems he won't need them. It turns out this really is easy mode.

He had fought against opponents of extremely high difficulty for too long. Each one was like a piece of chewing gum, stubborn and persistent. No matter what, the opponent could always find a way to deal with magical attacks, or at the very least, mitigate the damage. Even when he had the upper hand, he could only catch the opponent's mistakes little by little.

Although each battle is supposed to be a fast-paced affair, it actually takes quite a while.

There aren't many enemies who die so cleanly and decisively these days.

Just then, he saw many translucent snakes appear around him, floating in the air, seemingly tearing at something in the void.

The snakes gradually appeared, and numerous runes flashed on their backs. Then, they swallowed whatever they were biting.

A circular outline can always be seen inside the snake's body.

All the way down.

Noah glanced at it and determined that it was something like a life contract, probably bound to the lives of these wizards, and would trigger a response once they died.

However, these responses were swallowed by the snakes, which should have prevented them from responding.

Having teammates definitely makes things much easier; the less information they reveal, the easier their subsequent battles become.

After looting the wizards' storage rings and bags, they packed up everything usable, which served as a kind of supply.

This strategy of using war to sustain war is not entirely unacceptable.

Noah quickly replenished his mana using the "heating" system, and at the same time planned to take a magic potion.

Just then, a round thing about the size of a thumb appeared in front of Noah.

"Use this."

Noah looked up and saw that it was Yuan Hua who was speaking.

Yuan Hua's hair hung down as he smiled confidently, "Although due to limitations, I couldn't do it any better, it will still recover much faster than yours."

Noah did not hesitate and picked it up and ate it.

Golden elixir.

I had already seen this secret potion-making technique, which belonged exclusively to Yuan Hua's school, during my early education.

It melts upon entering the mouth, then transforms into a large mass of pure magic power to replenish the entire body. More importantly, even the depleted spirit seems to be replenished.

In terms of total replenishment, it's similar to high-level potions.

However, the difference is that high-level potions will accumulate drug resistance if taken in a short period of time, and there are certain side effects, but this jelly-like thing in front of us has no side effects at all, or rather, it has some, but they are so subtle as to be imperceptible.

"So this is the Golden Core... It's truly remarkable."

Yuan Hua said with a smile, "This can hardly be called a golden elixir. At most, it's just a pill made using a special technique. It's a pity that your Soul-Snatching Curse shattered these souls too much. Otherwise, the medicinal effect would have been even better."

Beside the fallen wizard, Yuan Hua easily gathered the broken soul into his hand, drew circles with both hands, and kneaded it slightly, forming a pill that Noah had just taken.

Noah's pupils contracted.

With conceptual awareness, one can clearly see the complex changes that occurred when Yuan Hua pinched and tucked the dough.

The fragments of the soul extracted from the corpse were reorganized and layered in Yuan Hua's palm. As they rotated around, impurities were pushed out, and the pure parts were recombined and condensed at the center of the circle.

The soul itself is a product of higher-level rules. In Yuan Hua's hands, it was decomposed and downgraded, forming a large amount of pure magic and spirit, which is why it can be replenished after consumption.

The complex changes in the soul are all simplified to a simple rub with both hands, a single ring.

One pill after another was collected by Yuan Hua into the crystal bottle.

Yuan Hua said with a smile, "Come on, everyone, one bottle each. That way, when you run out of magic or feel tired, just take one, hehe."

Melissa gently brushed her hands over the people, and something seemed to break off from their bodies. Then, with a flick of her wrist, three pale green flames floated in her palms.

Then she pushed her hand, and three balls of flame floated to Yuan Hua, Li Daoxian, and Noah's side, slowly landing on their shoulders.

Then, the translucent little snakes gathered around the flames and then disappeared into them.

The flames surged, then slowly shrank, but in the center of the flames, several wispy lines appeared, clearly resembling the snake that had just entered.

Melissa looked at Li Daoxian and nodded slightly, then said to Noah, "As long as these soul flames don't go out, the others won't be able to detect our abnormality."

Li Daoxian waved his hand, and black tentacles enveloped the corpse on the ground before disappearing into the earth.

He tapped the flames on his shoulder with his finger and then said, "The nearest enemy is at three o'clock. What's the next plan?"

Noah didn't hesitate: "Of course we cleared it all the way through."

Noah then led the way, sealing off the area, taking inventory, searching bags, and continuing forward.

One stronghold after another was wiped out, and they became more and more proficient at this process.

As time went on, Damian also noticed the problem.

The subordinates are in normal condition and still have vital signs, but they haven't reported anything for a long time.

Something's wrong; there must be a problem.

So they began sending messages to confirm.

As a result, half of the information received no response.

Damian immediately sent a message to everyone: "Gather at the nearest point."

The people deployed were relatively scattered in order to find the trail and surround the enemy more quickly. Now, they haven't received any information and the enemy is taking them down one by one. This is too much of a blow.

Since we can't find them, we can only try to avoid casualties.

Meanwhile, Noah and his companions, who had just finished searching the area and were making "full use" of the ambushing wizards, also sensed that the enemy had discovered something amiss through the candlelight on their shoulders.

However, they now have ample supplies and their stealth operation was a great success, having killed more than half of the hunters. The remaining half should also have a chance.

(End of this chapter)