I just became a mage, and my skills have become supernatural? What the heck?

The five figures completely disappeared into the crack.

On the desolate, rocky beach, only the howling of the cold wind remained.

Ye Hongyu leaned against the hood of the extended luxury car, took out a pack of women's cigarettes from her pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, she raised her head, her gaze falling upon the crack above.

That record contains the historical walkthrough of the [Hard Mode - Ghost Castle].

[Current high record: 1 hours 15 minutes 23 seconds]

[Record holders: Mei Yixuan, Chen Jin, Liu Shu... (18 years ago)]

"1 hour and 15 minutes..."

Ye Hongyu stared at the number and muttered to herself.

This record is like an insurmountable mountain, standing in the way of all new professional players below level 5 in the Dragon Kingdom for a full eighteen years.

That was a miracle created by the most brilliant geniuses of that year, and no one has been able to break it to this day.

"If it's the young master..."

Ye Hongyu's eyes flickered.

That terrifying micro-management, that mastery of skills as if they were extensions of his own limbs, certainly gave him the right to challenge this record.

It could even be said that, in any era, the young master's individual strength would make him an absolute core damage dealer.

But the next second, Ye Hongyu shook her head again.

"What a pity."

"Records like these can never be broken by one person alone."

She exhaled a smoke ring, her gaze turning somewhat regretful.

"Although the Xia family girl is an A-level water mage with solid fundamentals, those two boys are also quite strong and well-equipped."

"But... it's just not bad."

To the average person, this might seem like a luxurious elite squad.

But in Ye Hongyu's eyes, who had witnessed Lin Mo's "abnormal" operations, this team's configuration was really not up to par with her young master.

"Passing the level is definitely not a problem, but if we want to break the record... these little guys will probably only become a burden that slows down the young master."

Ye Hongyu flicked her cigarette ash, no longer thinking about that unattainable record.

Her task now is simple: to stay here and wait for the young master's triumphant return.

……

Inside the instance at this moment.

After a dizzying sensation, Lin Mo opened his eyes.

Before your eyes is a gloomy and terrifying ancient castle corridor.

The walls were made of blackened bluestone bricks, covered with withered vines and foul-smelling moss.

The air was filled with a musty, damp smell.

On both sides of the corridor, a grotesque skull lamp hangs every few meters.

Flickering blue flames burned within the wick.

"This dungeon is a bit of a nightmare."

Lin Mo looked around and joked.

The little fireball also started to become active at the right time.

["Fireball": This doesn't even deserve to be called fire! Blue and cold, it's a desecration of the dignity of flame! This is heresy!]

[The "Fireball" spellcaster was emotionally charged: "I am a true fire elementalist! I am light! I am heat! These trash pretending to be fire disgust me!"]

[Status Update: The Angry Purifier (It vows to burn down all the fake fires here!)]

[Current Mood: Irritable and Bloodthirsty (Damage against undead monsters +100%)]

Lin Mo's lips twitched slightly.

Good grief, you can get angry over this?

Are you a racist? Do you want to extinguish fire just because it's the wrong color?

However, there was one thing Lin Mo still didn't understand.

That's why this little fireball can easily give itself a damage amplification buff.

Lin Mo pondered for a while.

He's probably similar to the male protagonists in those shonen manga I read in my past life, right?

As long as you shout loud enough and get emotionally excited enough, your output will increase exponentially.

Such things as "My pain is greater than yours," or "The fault isn't mine, it's the world's"...

Just at this time,

Xia Qingyue, who was ahead, had already quickly entered battle mode.

She gently tapped the ground with her staff, and a soft, light blue halo spread out, slightly dispelling the surrounding chill.

"Everyone, cheer up!"

Xia Qingyue's voice was cold, yet it conveyed a sense of calm:

"This is a difficult dungeon. In terms of both attributes and combat skills, it's not even in the same league as monsters of the same level in the wild."

She quickly scanned the crowd and began to outline the tactics:

"Get into formation."

"Wang Meng, you hold the shield and stand at the front. Be careful to draw aggro and absolutely do not let the monsters break through the defense line."

"yes!"

Wang Meng let out a low roar and slammed the heavy tower shield heavily onto the ground.

"Zhang Kai, you're on my left. You're responsible for long-range physical attacks and reconnaissance. Keep an eye on the ceiling and shadowy corners."

"clear!"

Zhang Kai drew back his longbow, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.

"Weiwei, stay in the middle and be ready to shield and heal Wang Meng at any time."

The young pastor named Liu Weiwei nodded nervously, gripping the cross tightly in her hands.

Finally, Xia Qingyue's gaze fell on Lin Mo.

"Young Master Lin... please stand in the middle of the line."

After saying that, she turned to look at Zhang Kai and emphasized her words:

"Zhang Kai, if any monsters attack from behind, support Lin Mo immediately."

Zhang Kai immediately understood and patted his chest to assure him:

"Don't worry, Captain! As long as I have a breath left, I will not let Young Master Lin lose a single hair!"

"Okay, I'll cheer for everyone from behind."

Lin Mo didn't care about Xia Qingyue's arrangements for him. Instead, he took out some snacks with fire properties from his pocket.

I just grabbed this when I was at home.

[The "Fireball" spell sneered: Shouting "666"? Letting this bunch of noobs protect me? What a joke! A complete joke!]

Lin Mo didn't bother with the little fireball; this skill was really too talkative.

……

The team advanced slowly.

The castle was eerily quiet, with only the heavy footsteps of the group echoing through the corridors.

crunch--

Suddenly, a soft sound came from the dark corner ahead.

It sounded like bones grinding together.

"stop!"

Xia Qingyue gave a low shout, and the tip of her staff lit up with light.

Something's coming!

Everyone's nerves tensed instantly.

Two dark blue flames slowly emerged from the darkness ahead.

Then, by the dim light, everyone finally saw the monster's true form.

【Netherworld Cat (Elite), Lv.5】

Although it's called a cat, it's actually about the size of a cheetah.

Its body was devoid of flesh and blood, consisting only of stark white bones, with eerie blue flames burning between the bone crevices, staring intently at the crowd.

"It's a high-agility monster! I didn't expect to encounter an elite-level monster on my very first encounter..."

Xia Qingyue's expression changed. "Wang Meng, raise your shield! It's too fast; it's hard to hit from a distance. Wait for it to pounce before attacking! Don't waste your mental energy!"

Before he could finish speaking...

"call--"

A bright orange light suddenly appeared from the back of the line without warning.

Immediately following, a heat wave swept through.

A fireball the size of a fist, carrying a kind of unstoppable and violent momentum, whistled past Xia Qingyue and Zhang Kai's ears!

"Young Master Lin, wait until you're closer before you shoot. You can't hit him from this far away."

Zhang Kai shouted instinctively.

Faced with such a highly agile monster at such a distance, it would be almost impossible for them, a group of rookie professionals who had only been promoted for two days, to hit it.

Using skills randomly at this time is a complete waste of mental energy!

Just as the fireball was about to hit, the ghostly cat suddenly dodged to the left, and the fireball flew past it, grazing its side.

"Sigh, it's empty as expected..."

Zhang Kai sighed.

However, the next second, the fireball that had clearly flown past suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if it had been forcibly pulled back by a pair of invisible hands.

The "Fireball" spell sneered: Dodge? What are you trying to dodge?!

call--!

The fireball changed direction in mid-air and slammed hard into the waist of the ghostly cat!

"Meow—!!"

The Netherworld Cat let out a shrill scream and was blasted to the ground.

"This...has it turned a corner?"

Zhang Kai, Xia Qingyue, and the others were all stunned for a moment.

Before they could even react, another fireball whizzed past them.

Thanks to the "Purple Cloud Set" which provides a cooldown reduction of up to 60%, the [Fireball] spell, which originally required a 3-second cooldown, now only requires 1.2 seconds!

Almost the instant the first fireball exploded, the second fireball roared out!

Then came the third shot!

The ghostly cat tried its best to hide, but found it was all in vain.

Boom! Boom!

Two loud explosions rang out.

The flames died down.

That level 5 elite monster was blasted into pieces by a triple attack.