Above the mage

Chapter 371 First Kill of the BOSS

For the next hour, due to the Hunter's Mark, any damage that God deals to Aldrich will receive a bonus.

More importantly, Gaode will find it easier to track Aldridge's movements.

This is crucial for combat in aquatic scenarios.

"!" Aldrich noticed the Hunter's Mark and stared at God with wide eyes.

However, Gao De had not yet deactivated the [Disguise+] skill, so he was still wearing Hack's appearance.

"If you've got the guts, show your true colors!" he shouted, half-jokingly.

"As you wish." Gao De smiled slightly and actually gave a reply.

Then, a thought struck him, and he deactivated the disguise, revealing his true figure, clothing, and even face.

Aldridge instinctively widened his eyes, trying to make out Godd's appearance through the darkness.

It's now!

Gao De thought to himself, his eyes instantly becoming as sharp as an eagle's.

Within his sea of ​​magical stars, a magic model has been activated.

[Flash]!

Flash of Light is just a trick, a functional trick.

But that doesn't mean it won't work on second-ring mages.

If used properly, even magic tricks can have amazing effects.

For example, right now.

An intense flash of light erupted, instantly spreading in all directions.

The light was so intense that it was impossible to look directly at it.

Gaode Maps has already closed its eyes.

But Aldrich didn't react in time; his eyes were suddenly stung, tears streamed down his face, and he became dizzy.

The light flashed and disappeared in an instant.

Gao De reopened his eyes, looked at Aldrich who had instinctively shielded his eyes with his hand, and lightly tapped his fingertip, causing magical fluctuations to appear in the air.

Two beams of energy shot out like electric arcs, shimmering faintly and standing out conspicuously in the darkness.

[Magic Burst+]!

Although Aldridge, who was in a dazed state, couldn't see Gao De's movements clearly, it wasn't hard to guess that Gao De would definitely take the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

So he took a deep breath and plunged into the water without hesitation, trying to dodge like Gao De had done before.

Whether it's the strong resistance of the water or its obstruction of vision, the underwater environment can become a temporary safe haven.

However, the two energy beams from the magic explosion did not lose their target despite Aldridge's dodge.

They were like two thermally-guided torpedoes, following Aldridge into the water and striking him with pinpoint accuracy.

The automatic enemy-locking effect of 【Magic Blast+】is undoubtedly very effective in the current situation where visibility is extremely low.

Swoosh! Bang!

Two distinct voices rang out, like two thunderclaps exploding underwater.

This means that two different types of damage were blocked by the shield spell.

It was clearly just a spell, but it ended up causing two different types of damage.

Mana Burst does not have the spell effect of dealing damage in two stages.

The construct effect of 【Winter's Arrival】.

The damage consists of two parts: the force field damage from the Magic Blast itself and the cold damage from Winter's Arrival.

"You're a first-circle mage!" Aldrich finally recovered from his dizziness.

He had no time to ponder why Gao De's spell could hit him so accurately. Instead, he popped his head out of the water and shouted at the dark surface.

Aldridge's voice echoed across the sea.

[Magic Blast] is just a trick, but if it were cast by a second-ring mage, its power would certainly not be so weak under the double ring ascension.

However, it is clearly one level more powerful than the [Magic Blast] cast by a mage apprentice.

Therefore, it is obvious that Gaode's mage level is definitely a first-level mage.

However, this discovery left Aldrich with a sense of unease and uncertainty.

He never expected that a first-ring mage would dare to challenge him, a second-ring mage, alone.

What kind of rebellious act is this?

As a sea sentinel mage, one should be better able to understand the suppression that high-ring mages have over low-ring mages.

In a flash, Aldrich quickly cast a first-level protective spell on himself: [Absorb Elements].

After only two attacks, Gao De, a first-ring mage, had already made his [Shield] spell teeter on the brink of collapse.

He realized that Gao De had many tricks up his sleeve, and was especially cunning in the water. If he launched an attack, he might not be able to succeed.

In this situation, quickly casting protective spells on yourself is undoubtedly the most cost-effective approach.

First, there is no possibility that the spell will fail.

Secondly, the first-ring protective spell cast after the ring is raised is something that a first-ring mage would have to work hard to break even if he remained motionless and allowed Gao De to use his abilities.

This is equivalent to being in an invincible position.

That's the logic, but Aldrich was actually quite frustrated:

As a second-ring mage, it's already embarrassing if he can't quickly overwhelm a first-ring mage, and now he's even in a passive defensive situation.

But this was truly a choice made out of necessity.

He was already a second-circle mage, but because he had only been promoted for half a year, he had not yet mastered second-circle spells.

Under normal circumstances, a first-circle spell is powerful enough to deal with a first-circle mage when cast under the ascended ring.

However, the aquatic environment is unique, and many spells cannot be used in this situation.

The first to be affected are the fire spells, which are among the most destructive low-level spells, such as [Burning Hand] and [Blazing Slash].

It's basically those spells with obvious spell trajectories.

With limited visibility and the ability for Gaode to hide in the water at any time, it is very difficult to hit a spell with a trajectory.

The more unusual the environment, the more it tests the depth of a mage's spell repertoire.

And this is precisely Gaode's strength.

This is Aldridge's weakness.

A mage from a low-level gang might have more combat experience than an academic mage, but in terms of spell reserves, they are definitely far inferior.

Therefore, Aldridge is now in a rather awkward situation where he has no other options.

Of course, he had another option: to swim ashore with his head covered under the protection of protective spells.

Once he gets ashore, he'll have many more ways to create something similar to Gaode.

The problem is, Aldridge isn't sure if Gord will follow him to shore.

He had a reason why he had to take down Gao De—if Gao De brought the message back to the Sea Sentinels, he would be finished.

"That's it, the ship!" In a flash of inspiration, Aldrich suddenly realized the key point.

Let's get on the boat first, at least we'll have a place to stand, unlike now where we're soaking in the water with nowhere to exert our strength.

The small boat was coated with the "Greasy spell" by Gaode Maps, making it slippery and difficult to climb. He had already failed once.

But that's not a big problem; as a mage, I have plenty of methods.

Aldrich had an idea and activated the spell model.

It's still [Water Flow Collision], but this time, his target is himself, and he controls the force, only providing momentum without causing damage.

As he cast his spell, the seawater began to churn, forming a whirlpool.

The whirlpool, carrying immense force, surged upwards like a whale spouting water, lifting Aldridge high into the air.

Aldridge adjusted his body slightly in mid-air, like an elegant bird, and landed smoothly in the small boat.

Snapped!

Before Aldridge could even feel smug, Gao De had already snapped his fingers lightly.

A moment later, flames suddenly burst into flames on the small boat.

The flames spread with unprecedented ferocity.

This is a synergy between [Spark Technique] and [Greasy Technique+].

The grease that was originally covering the small boat was instantly ignited by the spark spell.

The fire spread instantly, engulfing the small boat in a sea of ​​flames, licking at every plank of the boat.

The wooden planks gradually turned black and warped under the high temperature of the flames, making crackling sounds.

They boarded the ship, but it vanished in an instant.

Aldridge's expression changed slightly. Faced with the raging fire, he had no choice but to leap into the sea.

But as soon as he entered the water, a powerful whirlpool rushed towards him.

The eddy current, like a giant, rapidly spinning funnel, churns up layers of waves in the seawater.

At the center of the eddy was a dark shadow. Aldrich couldn't make out its exact shape in the murky water, but it was enough to send chills down his spine.

Water beast!

He then realized that there was another water beast in the water!

It was this water beast that initially capsized their boat.

However, after falling into the sea, the water beast suddenly disappeared. In addition, with the pressure from God's offensive, Aldrich temporarily forgot about the water beast's existence.

The dough moves extremely fast.

For Gaode Maps, waterways are at most a semi-home ground, but for Gaode Maps, they are a true paradise.

A faint blue halo surrounded its body, causing the water to surge and crash viciously into Aldrich.

The stirred water flowed like a raging tsunami, its momentum overwhelming, almost identical to the spell [Water Impact] that Aldrich had previously used to attack God.

But unlike Gao De, he wasn't agile or quick-reacting, and couldn't dodge the attack at all.

boom!

The force of the water made his body roll around uncontrollably, and he accidentally inhaled the foul-smelling seawater into his mouth and nose.

Before he could even feel nauseous, the dumpling had already rammed headfirst into him.

With a bang, the [Shield Spell] finally shattered.

Under the impact of the water flow, Aldridge's body had completely lost its balance, leaving him unable to protect himself.

Without a doubt, this is the best fighter jet to date.

Gaode Maps won't miss it.

As he lit the boat, he had already dived into the water, using the underwater movement ability granted to him by the Touch of the Ocean to quickly approach the boat.

Now, the distance between Gao De and Aldridge is only ten or twenty feet.

He keenly sensed the break in the shield spell and immediately unleashed his ultimate attack at point-blank range.

A flash of silver light shot out from Gao De's ear like a meteor.

It was an extremely fine silver needle.

However, its actual name is Blade, not Needle.

Frozen Blade+!

Gao De currently possesses only a first-level attack spell, and after incorporating Ice Fiend, its power far surpasses that of a first-level spell.

This is his most treasured spell.

Invisible fluctuations spread.

The needle-like, icy blade, like a flash of lightning, carrying a chilling aura, flew swiftly toward Aldrich.

A cold glint flew towards Aldridge, aimed directly at his heart.

Aldrich's pupils constricted as he watched the icy blade approach, filled with terror.

He twisted his body with all his might, his muscles tensed, every muscle working at full capacity, unleashing his full potential.

Effort was not in vain; the icy blade aimed at his heart ultimately missed slightly.

With a whoosh.

The icy blade pierced right through his body.

Blood splattered out, spreading rapidly in the dark seawater like blooming dark red flowers.

But this is only the beginning.

Aldridge's expression changed several times.

He felt a series of sharp pains all over his body.

The Frozen Blade also deals damage in two stages: the first stage is a piercing attack with a power of 15 degrees Celsius, and the second stage is a cold attack with a power of 32 degrees Celsius.

With the blessing of Winter's Arrival and Hunter's Mark, both instances of damage are additionally inflicted with 10 degrees of cold damage, turning the damage into four instances.

It deals 4 instances of damage and can trigger Hunter's Mark 4 times, resulting in 4 additional instances of damage.

One spell, eight hits of damage!

All 8 hits deal damage and benefit from the 37% power bonus from [Winter's Arrival].

The total power of this spell is so high that it doesn't even belong to the first-level rank, making it far beyond the reach of any first-level mage.

A sharp pain instantly assaulted his mind, and Aldrich's face contorted like a demon, his expression twisted.

However, he did not die; in fact, he became even more energetic due to the intense stimulation.

A mortal body shouldn't even be able to withstand the damage from magic tricks, so how could it withstand such terrifying magic?

This is because Aldridge had already given himself an "absorption element" buff early on.

This spell can capture some of the incoming energy, reducing its effect.

Gaode's Frozen Blade, except for the first piercing attack which is physical damage, the other seven attacks are all elemental damage, primarily ice elemental damage.

This happens to be exactly what Aldridge is good at.

Compared to first-circle mages, second-circle mages gain the additional ability of "elementalized physical body".

This means that the magic power within the body radiates to the body, and the mage can choose an element to strengthen the physical body, thereby gaining resistance to the corresponding element.

Mages also vary by region; mages from coastal areas are more likely to be skilled in water elemental magic.

Therefore, when it came to advancing to the second-ring elemental physical body, Aldrich did not hesitate to choose the water element.

Ice element is a variant of water element. Although the differences between the two are not small, after the water element has taken on a physical body, he still has a certain degree of additional resistance to ice element spells.

Absorbing elements and transforming his physical body into water elements provided Aldrich with double protection, allowing him to withstand God's incredibly powerful spell.

"Die!" Driven to this point by a mere first-ring mage, Aldrich's blood boiled and his anger flared.

He stared intently at Gao De's figure, which could only be vaguely outlined in the darkness, a shadow flashing across his eyes.

[Inflict Fear], a first-level necromancy spell!

To awaken the inner fear of any creature within sight at a distance, the target must engage in a mental confrontation.

If the confrontation fails, the target will fall into a state of fear.

How could the fight be successful? If a second-ring mage casts this spell on a first-ring mage, the first-ring mage has no chance of successfully fighting back.

The result was as he had expected.

Gao De seemed to be frozen in place by a spell, and then his body began to tremble slightly.

This is a sign of being gripped by fear.

"You're courting death! A sea sentinel mage with a bright future is throwing away his life to fight me!" Aldrich gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

He pushed off with his legs and, using the buoyancy of the seawater, rushed forward rapidly.

A dagger had appeared in his hand.

A layer of blue energy glow swirled around the dagger.

That power comes from Gaode's [Frozen Blade+].

[Absorb Element] can not only absorb some of the attack energy, but also store it for use in the next melee attack.

With a dagger in hand, and filled with rage and murderous intent, Aldridge plunged it into the chest of God, who was still in a state of fear.

clang!

A metallic clang rang out, and the hard texture of the metal made Aldrich momentarily stunned.

But he reacted quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the dagger had already slashed downwards.

Then, Aldridge's face froze.

He looked down in surprise.

Gao De's fingernails became extremely sharp and long at this moment, like sharp weapons, and pierced directly into his body through his chest.

【Primal Barbarian Attack】.

A golden symbol flashed briefly in Gaode's left eye.

The Mandora's Eye, activated from the start of the battle, helped him build a character model of Aldrich and discern his opponent's weaknesses.

After he fell into a state of fear, Aldrich did not choose to cast protective spells on himself, but instead chose to attack.

A very reasonable choice.

However, what's unreasonable is that Gaode's fear state lasted for far too short a time.

Therefore, Aldridge, who was completely unprotected, was infected.

Without protective spells, the water elemental body offers absolutely no protection against [Primal Strike].

"ah!!"

Aldridge let out a painful groan, his voice filled with despair and resentment.

His eyes first became bloodshot.

Then, everything went black, and my body collapsed backward into the water.

The seawater quickly submerged his figure, leaving only a ripple.

(End of this chapter)