My inventory is full of monster materials.

The next day, early in the morning.

As dawn broke, the stream murmured softly.

On the shallow beach by the stream, Mark was staring at the skill "Eye of Surveillance Lv1 (Green)" on the character panel.

He planned to try casting the spell for the first time.

Last night, while Mark was on guard duty for the first half of the night, he happened to run into Felix coming out for some fresh air.

As for why I came out for some fresh air...

Don't ask, those who know, know.

Mark seized the opportunity to question Felix about magic.

The two hit it off immediately and talked for a long time by the campfire.

Magical energy is everywhere in nature, but its concentration and distribution are very uneven.

Most intelligent beings contain magical energy within their bodies, which is similar to "physical strength" and is therefore also called "magic power".

Most extraordinary beings possess magical organs specifically designed to manage the flow of magical energy within their bodies.

Humans do not have organs for demonic transformation, but they can use their mental power to manipulate magic.

Felix couldn't explain the underlying principles either.

It is said that magic is naturally close to spiritual power.

The higher one's mental strength, the easier it is to control magic.

Intelligence directly affects mental strength.

For this reason, only a human with an intelligence level of 10 or higher is qualified to become a mage apprentice.

However, most ordinary people have an IQ of 5-6 after adulthood, and it is difficult for them to reach 10 points in their lifetime.

Becoming a Dharma Master's apprentice is difficult enough, let alone becoming a fully-fledged Dharma Master.

Mark currently has an intelligence of 11 points and a potential of up to 20 points, making him a natural-born spellcaster.

In theory, Mark could earn the title of mage apprentice if he mastered a spell and successfully cast it.

Coincidentally, he happened to have mastered a spell—the first-level spell "Eye of Surveillance".

The principles and knowledge of magic related to spells are all imprinted in Mark's mind, allowing him to understand them without any obstacles, as if they were innate instincts.

Mark subtly inquired about a similar situation with Felix, and the reply he received was that there was a special type of spellcaster—a "sorcerer" whose magic was innate.

This also made Mark realize one thing: the effects of the equipment slot directly address the core issue.

However, now is not the time to discuss equipment slots.

Now is the first step on the path to magic!

Mark sat cross-legged on the ground and rested for a moment.

Then extend your right hand, begin to feel the surging magic within your body, and guide the magic to gather in your palm with your mind.

Within a minute, a blue, phantom-like rune stone appeared in his palm.

But Mark was already sweating profusely and felt completely drained.

With victory in sight, he gritted his teeth and continued to gather magic power.

Another minute passed.

The runestone solidified, forming a stone resembling air gel, with an unknown red rune on it.

Mark wiped the sweat that was about to drip onto his eyes, then weighed the runestone in his hand. It felt like air gel, completely weightless, but he could vaguely feel a mental pull in his mind.

He threw out the runestone.

The moment it touched the ground, a half-meter-tall blue phantom totem rose up.

The totem is a stone pillar structure with mysterious patterns carved on it, and a strange eyeball floating at the very top.

At the same time, Mark's field of vision began to overlap and intertwine.

He crouched down to examine the eyeballs, and the eyeballs turned to examine him in return.

It looks exactly like looking in a mirror!

"This is magic."

Mark couldn't help but marvel.

Unfortunately, whether it's a totem or an eyeball, they are all illusory creations constructed by magic.

Otherwise, he would be itching to dissect it and find out what was going on.

In addition, Mark can easily control the direction of the eyeballs and can also actively turn off the images transmitted to the eyes.

Most importantly, he can place more than one ward...

As long as he has enough magic power, he can place wards all over the map.

Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

With Mark's current magical reserves, he can only unleash "Eye of Surveillance" three times.

After three times, you will be so exhausted that you can't even stand up straight.

After all, it's a level 1 spell, so the cost must be quite high.

Just as Mark was about to take a break, a shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Hey! What are you doing? It's taking you forever to get some water!"

Talia walked over and saw Mark covered in sweat. She looked suspicious and then looked past him at the ground in front of her.

"What's so interesting about the ground that you're staring at it so intently?"

Mark, however, pointed to the ground with a serious expression and said...

"I'm watching ants moving house, it's so interesting."

"ha?"

Talia bent down to look, half believing and half doubting.

This is a shallow part of a stream, surrounded by wet pebbles. Where did these ants come from?

But Mark's perspective was entirely different.

Talia watched for a while, then lost interest and decided not to waste time arguing with Mark anymore, so she got straight to the point.

"Felix is ​​calling you to assemble. Goblins are nocturnal, so now is the perfect time to strike. Hey! Did you hear me?"

"Oh, I understand."

"So mysterious."

……

……

Four figures were crouching in the dense bushes.

Felix led Henry, Mark, and Emily to observe the goblin camp 10 meters away through the grass.

The camp was surrounded by a crudely made wooden fence, through which one could vaguely see green goblins.

Felix stared at the tightly closed camp gate, then at the empty wooden watchtowers on either side, and already had a general idea in his mind.

"Given the habits of goblins, it's impossible for them to have gone two hours without changing shifts. Victory is practically assured; the number of goblins at this outpost is severely insufficient."

Henry was eager to avenge his previous defeat.

"Felix, should we charge in now?"

"No rush, let's wait for Talia to bring back the information."

"All right."

The bearded man was deeply troubled by the destruction of his steel shield.

Although he has regained a shield, this cannot erase the emotions he has poured into it over the years. He must personally slay all the goblins to commemorate his beloved shield.

Mark and Emily lay obediently, learning from the veterans how to conquer a stronghold.

"Coo-coo! Coo-coo!"

Suddenly, a clear and melodious bird song came from the forest.

A moment later, the grass nearby rustled.

Mark instinctively reached out to raise the light crossbow, which was already drawn, but Felix immediately stopped him.

"Don't be nervous, it's Talia who's back."

"Um."

Mark then realized.

The bird call we just heard was a coded communication signal between the "White Eagle" squad.

Sure enough, Talia appeared, emerging from the bushes and bowing as she approached Felix to report.

There were about fifteen goblins in the camp, and they were mostly old, weak, sick, or disabled. I didn't see any large goblins.

"Felix, should we lure some of the enemy out first?"

When dealing with medium to large monster strongholds, it is usually necessary to lure out one or two waves first.

By taking advantage of the fact that monsters generally have low intelligence, we can lure the enemy out as much as possible to divide and surround them, gradually weakening the overall strength of the stronghold.

But Felix rejected the suggestion.

"These goblins are now extremely wary, and our baiting tactics are unlikely to work. So..."

Felix's sharp gaze swept over his companions, each of them bearing a chilling expression.

He then lowered his voice and gave the order.

"According to our predetermined formation, break through the gate head-on and annihilate them without leaving a single survivor!"

"Slaughter them all, leave no one alive!!" x4