Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 506 Fireball!
Reaching level 5 in a profession is a crucial milestone for some spellcasting professions, marking a significant transformation and transforming them into what people call "mages."

The primary reason for this is that spellcasters who reach this level truly gain the ability to cast third-circle spells at will.
"Flight," "Curse Removal," "Speaking to the Dead," "Group Healing Mantra"...

The abundance of incredibly powerful and practical spells gathered here elevates the versatility and functionality of spellcasters to a new level, providing countless solutions for both high-intensity battles and complex situations in missions.

A level 5 mage with all the necessary spells, when well-prepared, can handle almost any trouble that is not too far above their class level.

However, if one has a few reliable teammates to protect them, even when facing ferocious monsters of high challenge level, it is not impossible to deal with them.

He could almost single-handedly elevate the team's overall strength to a whole new level.

Of course, limited by their own energy and talent, time constraints, and the ever-expanding spellbook that grows with each job level, not every spellcaster has the ability to memorize a large number of spells.

Perhaps at the beginning, they would try to learn a little bit of everything and find their strengths and interests. However, as they delve deeper into the path of arcane magic, the types of spells that spellcasters memorize also develop in a more vertical and specialized direction due to their own school of thought.

Often, they specialize in only one type of magic, and at most learn some powerful magic from other schools that are widely applicable as a supplement.

And within this vast list of spells, which is more numerous than the stars in the sky, there exists a famous spell that almost every mage who reaches level 5 will include in their must-learn list, a powerful spell that strikes fear into the hearts of countless non-spellcasters.

— "Fireball"!
It must be admitted that its fame on the continent of Aifara is partly due to the influence of bards, whose exaggerated descriptions of the spell's effects have contributed to the spread of the name "Fireball".

However, the fact that this spell is so widely praised by non-spellcasters and even non-professionals among countless adventurers who value practicality and face extremely dangerous missions is precisely what makes it so exceptional.

It cannot heal injuries, nor can it control the mind; it has no other special effects whatsoever.

The outstanding feature of the "Fireball" spell lies in only one point:
--harm!
The most unassuming yet devastating harm.

This spell will inflict explosive fire damage on all creatures within a 20-foot radius of the spell's location, causing the blazing flames to engulf everything in its path.

Xia Nan, who was standing in the warehouse at the moment, protecting the three boxes of goods behind him, had the deepest understanding of the powerful force of the "Fireball" spell.

Thanks to his outstanding perception and agility, his reaction time is the fastest on the field.

This allowed Xia Nan to avoid the terrifying possibility of being hit head-on by the fireball spell, and he adjusted his position with incredible speed, preparing for defense.

Even so, limited by the size of the warehouse itself and the mission items that needed to be protected, Xia Nan could only barely escape the fireball spell's damage radius of up to twenty feet. The place where he stood was about twenty-one or twenty-two feet away from the center of the explosion.

Accompanying the sudden burst of orange-red flames was a scorching heatwave carrying countless splinters of wood and sparks.

The immense impact struck the snake-scale arm shield, and Xia Nan felt as if his entire arm and body were being plunged into some kind of invisible, scorching current, and violently pulled backward.

Fortunately, his excellent physical condition, coupled with the [Gravity Control] he secretly used to increase his own gravity, allowed Xia Nan to steadily control his center of gravity and prevent him from being swept away by the flames.

Then came the orange-red flames that exploded outwards like a blast.

Xia Nan didn't know the exact temperature of the flames, but what he could see were the wooden crates and supplies that were within the range of the fireball spell, which hadn't even had a chance to burn before being instantly turned into black charcoal ash, and the air that was blurred and distorted due to the high temperature.

With such terrifying destructive power, under the swirling flames within the damage range, there is no substantial difference between an ordinary person and an adventurer who has just obtained a professional level.

Even standing at the edge of the radius would likely result in severe burns and loss of combat ability.

Under these circumstances, Xia Nan's nearly two years of accumulated experience since his transmigration has invisibly transformed into three layers of protection.

The first level, [The Ghostly Scales Guard].

This rare blue equipment, forged primarily from the scales of the Serpent Corpse from the Mysterious Realm, may primarily target "corrosion" and "acid damage" as its defensive attributes, but that doesn't mean it lacks the ability to protect against fire.

The extremely special and tough material allows the shield to maintain its cool color even when it is directly exposed to the surging orange-red flames, just like a pebble washed by flowing water.

Only the metal and leather attached to the arm are visible, showing obvious signs of burning and melting.

The Serpent Scale Arm Shield blocked the most intense fire damage from the Fireball spell for Xia Nan.

The second level is [Gravity Control].

Xia Nan's innate talent for combat meant he didn't even need to think; the instant he raised his shield to defend, he focused his attention and adjusted the surrounding gravity.

He redirected the surging flames that should have completely enveloped him to his arm shield.

Then, starting from the edge of the shield, the flames that were shattered by the shield were directed to both sides of the body.

From a distance, Xia Nan at this moment resembles the center of a vortex of flames, with the blazing orange-red flames being guided and concentrated before spreading outwards.

This operation maximizes the defensive capabilities of [Netherscale Guard] while minimizing the risk of being burned by the escaping flames.

However, Xia Nan's proficiency in [Gravity Control] is only level 1, and the Serpent Scale Arm Shield is, after all, just an "arm shield" with a limited defensive area.

No matter how he manipulated gravity to concentrate the flames, and then guided and dispersed them, wisps of flame still seeped into the defensive circle and landed on him.

The third layer of protection that takes effect next is the [Abyss] Armor.

This armor set, made primarily from shark-like materials, is a two-piece structure consisting of a close-fitting inner lining and an outer protective layer, offering a defensive area far exceeding that of ordinary armor.

More importantly, thanks to the special nature of the main materials used in the equipment and the superb craftsmanship of the artisans during forging, the armor possesses a seemingly insignificant "+25% fire resistance" that plays a crucial role in the present day.

As you can see, the orange-red flames that seeped down from the outer defensive ring landed on the surface of the armor, and suddenly a faint blue light appeared on the surface of the slightly sunken vortex pattern in the center of the [Abyss Flow] chest.

The humidity suddenly intensified!

"Fuck!"

The blazing flames had barely touched the armor when they were swallowed up by the fine liquid condensing on its surface, turning into wisps of scorching white smoke that swirled around Xia Nan before disappearing into the air.

At this point, all three layers of protection have taken effect.

The near-perfect response to the crisis meant that Xia Nan, who was already outside the range of the fireball spell, only suffered minor burns on his exposed skin, such as his cheeks and hands. These burns wouldn't affect his combat ability and wouldn't even require active treatment; his body's natural healing abilities would allow them to heal completely within a few days. His equipment, combat skills, and physical attributes combined to shield him from this sudden fire spell.

On the other hand, the Iron Rock Shield team did not behave as calmly as Xia Nan.

Although their professional level was the same as his, the comprehensive disadvantage in the three aspects mentioned above made it extremely difficult for this team to face the bombardment of fireballs.

The dwarf Habik, alerted by Shanan, raised his shield to defend himself, though he didn't understand why.

As it turned out, this was the most correct move he made in this battle.

The distance to the center of the fireball was closer than Xia Nan's, about nineteen to twenty feet, almost right at the edge of the fire damage range.

The sturdy dwarf looked as if he were carrying a wall, his entire body pressed against the back of the large, heavy steel tower shield in front of him.

Flames streaking across the sides of the shield scorched the dwarf's already thick body hair, nearly setting the braid hanging down his chest ablaze, sending wisps of white smoke into the air.

The skin beneath the thick body hair was scalded red by the escaping flames, clearly indicating that it had been burned.

The two teammates behind the dwarf were also in a difficult situation.

Even though Habak's tower shield absorbed the majority of the fire damage, the two were still scorched by the scorching wind.

The human ranger Seri knelt down on both knees, clutching her wooden bow tightly with both hands, and lay behind the tower shield in a very unseemly posture.

This is all in order to minimize the area of ​​the body affected by the heatwave.

Even so, the scorching flames still burned his skin until it turned red, and his whole body trembled slightly from the burning pain.

The dwarf rogue Agu fared slightly better. His already short body was almost pressed against Hapik's back, allowing himself, the captain, to take the brunt of the damage and thus avoid the impact of the flames to the greatest extent possible.

Compared to Xia Nan, or the other three members of the Iron Rock Shield squad, the orc Howl was not so lucky.

His murky bloodline made him react a beat slower than usual. By the time Xia Nan threw Hogan out the window, quickly leaped in front of the cargo to assume a defensive stance, and reminded the others to raise their shields, the big oaf had just pulled his head out of a box full of cured meat.

Even though they belatedly realized what was happening after hearing Habik's shouts and ran towards the dwarves, it was too late.

When the fireball struck the ground and the fiery stream exploded outwards, Howling was only twelve feet away from the blast center.

Although they weren't directly hit, they still fully experienced the terrifying power of the third-ring fireball spell.

"Sizzle!"

The orc's clothes, including his leather shoulder armor, the hard felt padding underneath, and his durable trousers, were almost instantly devoured by the flames, turning into unrecognizable black charcoal curls that flew far away.

Thanks to his orc bloodline, Howl has always been proud of his more robust and muscular physique than that of ordinary humans, but now this former advantage is forcing him to endure a larger area of ​​burning in the flames.

The exposed skin was dried out, resembling the surface of charcoal, turning blackish-brown and covered with cracks.

The expensive totem tattoos done by experts are gone, replaced by excruciating pain that penetrates to the bone, like being cut or pricked by a knife.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

The orc warrior, who always prided himself on being fearless and brave, was now more pathetic than the most cowardly and pain-averse child, rolling and struggling on the ground, letting out a shrill and painful howl from his throat.

Whether it was luck or bad luck, the orc's physical condition was indeed quite good. Even though he was hit by the fireball, Howl did not die on the spot, and even his screams sounded quite powerful.

But precisely because of this, he needs to be fully aware of the exaggerated burning pain emanating from his entire body.

The flames gradually dissipated, leaving behind lingering hot air, and a large patch of black scorch marks remained on the ground in the very center of the warehouse.

Ignoring the shrill howls of the orcs to his side, Xia Nan turned his head slightly and glanced at the three boxes of treasures he was protecting behind him. Seeing that only the edges of the boxes were scorched and there was no major damage, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His gaze then fell upon the warehouse wall that had been blasted open by the fireball spell.

There, reflected in the pitch-black night, were human silhouettes rapidly approaching.

With keen senses at work, following the trajectory of the magical particles disturbed by the spell in the air, Xia Nan's dark eyes looked straight into the deepest part of the night, at the very back of those dozens of enemies.

Two figures, one muscular and one thin, came into view.

The burly man had a sinister face, a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and the appearance of an adult human. His temples were gray, and he was probably around fifty years old. He held a huge chopping axe in his hand.

The thin man standing next to him was a Shahua fishman that Xia Nan knew all too well.

Or rather, the Shahua fish-man priest.

The lifeless, dark fish eyes seemed to faintly retain an orange-red glow. Its two arms hung naturally at its sides, while the other two held a half-meter-long bone horn. It was possible to detect extremely dense magical particles gathered in the air around the mouthpiece of the horn.

Without a doubt, this bone horn was its spellcasting tool.

"Damn it, when did they find out?!"

In his ears came Habik's angry yet slightly panicked shouts and curses.

"'Rotten Vulture' Grylls? I knew it! The Tidefall Gang is definitely connected to this group of pirates!"

"Howl, stop yelling! This damned orc, give him a healing potion!"

At this point, we can no longer worry about the loss of medicine.

Hearing what Captain Habik said, Seri hesitated for a moment, but eventually took out a small test tube-shaped medicine bottle from her pouch, aimed it slightly, and then smashed it hard at the orc who was writhing in pain on the ground in front of her.

(End of this chapter)