Above the mage

Chapter 224 Mandora’s Magic Eye

The howl of the snow leopard resounded, causing the accumulated snow to shake off snowflakes.

It's clearly targeting Gaode Maps.

Those eyes, barely visible in the snow and mist, stared intently at Gao De, like burning flames, scarlet and filled with hatred; even the swirling snowflakes couldn't conceal the fierce light within.

It can catch up to this? This isn't a snow leopard, it's a dog!

Gao De cursed inwardly, never expecting that this "snow leopard" would be so persistent and powerful.

But since they've already met as enemies, and their hatred is palpable, it's unrealistic for the other party to run away given their speed.

"Then let's do it." Gao De thought fiercely, showing his "if you're not convinced, then do it" attitude.

After all, he had already swallowed the magical plant, and the situation was beyond redemption.

However, before he could even process these thoughts and do anything, someone else had already made a move before him.

Du Wei!

He frowned as he watched the "snow leopard" pounce on him.

Du Wei stretched out his right hand, pointing forward, with a dense magical light flashing from his fingertips.

The next instant, a dense magical fluctuation arose in the direction the "snow leopard" had traveled.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of crystal-clear magical snowballs burst forth from nowhere, raining down on the "snow leopard" with astonishing speed and density, like a dense barrage of bullets.

No matter how agile or quick it is, it has no way to avoid such a dense barrage of magical snowballs.

2nd Ring Evocation Spell, [Snail Snowball Swarm]!

These magical snowballs were not only numerous, but each one also contained an impact force that could not be ignored, instantly thwarting the "snow leopard's" offensive.

The snow leopard was knocked to the ground by the impact of the magic snowball.

However, as a creature of the ley lines with tenacious vitality, it is obviously not so fragile as to be instantly killed by a spell.

So, the next moment, it shook off the snow, temporarily ignoring its injuries, its eyes flashing with an even more ferocious light, already harboring a grudge against Du Wei, and preparing to make a comeback.

But would Du Wei give it a chance to breathe?

In Du Wei's hands, spells seem to have no casting time or delay.

It was as if one spell had just been cast, and in the blink of an eye, the next spell was already being performed.

Almost the instant the "Snow Leopard" stood up, Du Wei waved his right hand again.

A shimmering green arrow materialized from his palm.

An ominous corrosive aura emanated from the surface of the arrow, its color a dark, almost blackish green, as if it could corrode anything it touched.

The green arrow pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound as it hurtled towards the "snow leopard".

Just as it was about to hit, the arrow suddenly exploded, turning into a thick cloud of strong acid mist that instantly enveloped the snow leopard's body.

It's still a level 2 Evocation spell, [Mayouf's Acid Arrow]!

The corrosiveness of the [Mayof's Strong Acid Arrow] far surpasses that of the [Acid Splash] trick, rapidly eroding the snow leopard's fur and muscles, producing a sizzling sound.

The air was filled with a dizzying, rotten smell.

Faced with this fierce magical attack, the "snow leopard" let out a painful roar and struggled desperately.

Du Wei showed no emotion upon seeing this.

Everything was as he had anticipated.

The two spells he cast were, firstly, an area-of-effect spell that guaranteed a hit, and secondly, a single-target spell that also had an additional bonus to its hit rate.

These are all attack spells chosen to target the snow leopard's quick reactions and agile movements.

It is evident that Du Wei possesses extremely high combat skills on the spot.

Take advantage of its illness to kill it.

His third spell was also released at this time.

Above the snow leopard's body, a phantom-like but dazzling spiked mace appeared.

It was not made of ordinary iron, but was formed from pure magic power, emitting a faint light. Although its form was illusory, it contained terrifying power.

[Spirit Weapon]

The appearance of the spiked hammer made the snow leopard, which was already immobile due to its injuries, feel an unprecedented threat.

It let out a mournful roar.

But it was just a dying struggle.

With Du Wei's control, the illusory mace transformed into a streak of light, slicing through the sky and striking the "Snow Leopard" with pinpoint accuracy.

After a painful whimper, the once-fierce snow leopard turned into a corpse, falling to the ground with a thud.

Gao De's spellcasting action abruptly stopped.

Du Wei's spellcasting was so fast that it seemed as if the three spells were cast at the same time.

The whole process looked like it was flowing smoothly, without any flaws, and was unbelievably beautiful.

The snow leopard went from appearing to becoming a corpse in less than three seconds.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of combat alone, Du Wei is indeed much stronger than him.

Not only was his mage level higher than his, but his spellcasting consistency and spell reserves during the battle were also far superior to Gao De's.

Was it the awakening of a feat that increased spellcasting speed, or something else? Gao De subconsciously pondered to himself.

Thanks to Du Wei, what should have been an extremely difficult battle was resolved with ease.

Gao De felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart, making him feel much lighter.

He was naturally grateful to Du Wei.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have been in serious trouble this time," Gao De said.

"How did you manage to provoke the snow-spotted cheetah from the late second ring?" Du Wei seemed to have only done something insignificant, without taking credit for it.

He merely glanced at the now-dead snow-spotted cheetah and casually asked a question.

After a year of study at the Seres Academy, Gao De still couldn't recognize the "snow leopard" creature, but Du Wei called it by name directly.

This is also a difference in foundation.

Gao De did not deliberately conceal anything about Du Wei's problem, and briefly explained what had happened.

"Oh," Du Wei said after listening to Gao De's description and pondering for a moment, "You're really lucky."

"That demonic plant must be Mandora's tears."

"Mandora's Tears?" Gao De repeated the name. Clearly, this was knowledge beyond the scope of the basic courses at Seres Academy.

"A fourth-tier magical plant that only appears randomly in the snowy region." Du Wei was not surprised by Gao De's question.

This kind of knowledge is not something that ordinary people can access.

"In ice layers that are cold enough and pure enough, there is a small chance of ice essence appearing, and in ice essence, there is a small chance of 'Mandora's Tears' growing."

"Therefore, 'Mandora's Tears' can appear anywhere in the snowy region, and you can only find it by chance. Trying to find it specifically is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Although it is only of the fourth rank, in most cases, its value is even greater than that of a fifth-rank magical plant."

"Besides its rarity, the main reason is that after taking 'Mandora's Tears,' the user's eyes will be strengthened by 'Mandora's Tears,' and their vision will be permanently improved."

"Furthermore, if you are compatible enough with 'Mandora's Tears' and absorb the medicinal properties sufficiently, it is even possible to obtain the ability of 'Mandora's Eye'."

"The Mandora's Eye grants you the ability to magnify and zoom in on your vision, making it extremely versatile."

After saying that, Du Wei said calmly, "However, this is only a low-probability event, so don't be disappointed. The benefits you've already received are already significant enough."

Then, he was met with a long silence from Gaode.

Then, Du Wei suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Gao De with a mixture of disbelief and doubt: "Could it be that you..."

Gao De nodded slightly, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "What you said, I really am lucky."

"."

After a moment of frustration, Du Wei forcibly suppressed his anger and shock and reminded Gao De: "Refine the magical plant containing ice element into a medicinal liquid and drip it into your eyes. After absorbing enough ice element power, the Mandora Magic Eye can continue to improve."

It's still a skill that can be improved.

At this moment, Gao De's mood became incredibly good.

"This is truly incredible luck," he couldn't help but sincerely exclaim.

However, the main point is that Flora discovered this "Tears of Mandora".

As for obtaining the "Mandora's Eye", Gao De estimates that it wasn't just good luck, but more due to the [Adaptive] ability.

Since they had already run into each other, Gao De decided to take advantage of the place Du Wei had prepared as a place to stay and the campfire he had created with magic.

He carried a limited amount of charcoal with him, so it was always good to save some fuel.

Incidentally, I also got a free dinner.

It must be said that hot soup with spices tastes really good.

After filling their stomachs, the two stared at each other for a while without chatting. Finally, they turned their backs to each other and began their respective cultivation practices.

Flora, the only one who didn't need to practice cultivation techniques, just looked around aimlessly.

After finishing their cultivation practice, the two, who had been sitting in silence, each took out their sleeping bags and began to rest.

And that's when Gaode (Gaode Maps) will show its superiority.

Compared to Du Wei, whose body was visibly trembling slightly, Gao De seemed to be sleeping on a fire pit, relaxed and at ease.

Perhaps it was because the dinner was pretty good that night, but Gaode slept exceptionally well.

When Du Wei woke up the next day, he had already used magic to recreate the campfire and was warming himself by it and preparing breakfast.

"You slept well," Du Wei said expressionlessly when he saw Gao De wake up.

"Sleeping well is better than not sleeping well, right?" Gao De shook his head and said softly.

"So this is the source of your courage to challenge the Dandong Snow Mountain as a novice?" Du Wei asked angrily.

……

"So you call yourself an expert, but I've always been able to catch up with you," Gao De added.

"Master, why did he leave?"

"He's getting anxious."

"And what about us?"

"We're not in a hurry, let's eat first."

After a simple breakfast to replenish his energy, Gao De took out the barley seed he had found in the snow leopard's den and handed it to Flora.

"Lady Flora, is this barley seed valuable?"

"It's worthless."

Flora gave her answer after just one glance.

It is not a magical plant, yet it can survive in environments as cold as -60 degrees Celsius.

"Can it still sprout and grow?" Gao De asked again.

"Yes, but it has to be cold enough, otherwise it will die from the heat."

"How cold is 'cold enough'?"

"It has to be this cold now, or even colder."

"What amazing barley!"

"Lady Flora isn't afraid of the cold, nor is she afraid of the heat."

"Lady Flora is amazing."

"Yes."

Carefully putting away the "magical" barley seed, Gao De glanced again at the completely frozen carcass of the snow-spotted cheetah in the distance.

As a creature belonging to the second ring of the earth veins, its fur and bones are extremely valuable.

The former is a highly sought-after material, whether for making magic paper or "luxury goods," while the latter is a raw material required for certain magic potions.

Its fur had been corroded beyond recognition by the acid, and its bones were too heavy.

So Gaode could only take a few reluctant glances before resolutely getting up and leaving.

As darkness fell, Gao De saw Du Wei again, who had already prepared his lodgings, lit a campfire, and was preparing dinner.

Gao De grinned and moved closer without any hesitation.

"Trying to freeload again." Du Wei glanced at Gao De expressionlessly, then said without any further emotion.

"After thinking about it carefully, I realized that it wasn't just a matter of spices; the food you brought was of high quality."

"I just realized that wild boars really can't stomach fine food."

"Eat more and you'll be able to eat more."

"."

"This one is yours."

"Why did you leave so soon today? You were already gone when I woke up."

"To get rid of you."

"real?"

"Otherwise?"

"If you wanted to get rid of me, why are you still waiting for me here?"

"Who's waiting for you?"

"you."

"I just saw that you had limited supplies and that the fuel you could find here was getting scarcer, so I was afraid you would freeze to death on the snow-capped peaks of Dandong."

Thanks.

".Need not."

"It suddenly occurred to me that you said your goal is to enter the North, so you don't actually need to climb to the summit like me."

"I have no family business to inherit, and my time isn't as precious as yours. Since you want to compete with me in this, then I'll just take some time to compete with you."

"..."

The next morning, when Gao De woke up, he found that Du Wei, who had left earlier, had unexpectedly left him a pot of meat soup.

"This guy," Gao De shrugged.

Generally speaking, Du Wei, who doesn't sleep well at night, will get up very early the next day and set off early.

Gaode, who was the next to arrive, would catch up with Du Wei as dusk fell, as Du Wei needed to spend time settling into his lodgings and preparing dinner.

Then, it was only natural to take advantage of the rest stop and food supplies.

Time slipped away quietly as the two chased each other.

Gao De also knew that the main reason Du Wei set off early was that he tacitly agreed to take on the responsibility of preparing the campsite for the night.

Occasionally at night, after finishing their daily practice, the two would chat idly for a while.

"People like you, born into wealthy families, are often like those depicted in biographical novels, where siblings are constantly at odds and plotting against each other from a young age?"

"I thought you wouldn't care about my family's affairs."

"We're friends, so it's normal to be curious about a friend's family background."

"Friends," Du Wei paused for a moment, then said calmly, "That's mostly the case, but not in my family."

"Why? Is your family more harmonious?"

"It's not because I don't have any brothers or sisters."

"No siblings? That's rare. Could it be your father?"

In Gao De's impression, these aristocratic families were all about having a lot of money and a lot of children.

"No," Du Wei decisively interrupted Gao De's association, and then said, "My father had no brothers or sisters, my grandfather didn't live with us, and loyalty and fidelity to one's partner has always been a tradition."

(End of this chapter)