Chapter 47

After a rest of about three days, Cook's team continued to move forward. Lori's foot had completely healed. Although it is said that mages have frail bodies, this is relative to other professions. Mages' bodies, after being purified by magic, are even stronger than those of ordinary strong men. Of course, compared to knights and other combat professions, they are not worth mentioning.

Take Cook, for example, who is a novice hunter. Although he has just started, his body is already stronger than Lori's and Mitch's. Moreover, Cook clearly felt that as the fighting spirit circulated in his body, it gradually grew stronger. On one hand, his body became more robust, and his strength increased continuously. On the other hand, his reaction speed became much faster, and his senses seemed to become more acute.

Kaka recently brought back some good news: there was an exit ahead. Although Kaka didn't know how far it was, since Kaka devoured the magic core of the magic bear, its speed had become so fast that even Cook couldn't see it clearly. Cook had also conducted private experiments, finding that ordinary weapons left no marks on Kaka. However, when Cook asked Lori several times what kind of magical creature Kaka was, Lori couldn't answer.

According to Cook's estimate, it would take the rookie team about a week to reach the exit Kaka mentioned. Cook had prepared food and fuel for ten days. However, after the incident with the attendants, Conknee started chatting and laughing with Lori. Cook couldn't help but sigh, "Women!"

"Cook, how is your magic study going?" Lori, along with the other two girls, walked behind Cook, with Mike bringing up the rear. Lori asked with a smile.

Cook was puzzled by Lori's behavior over the past few days, as she rarely spoke to people like this in his memory. However, he quickly replied, "My lord, don't mention it. After meditation, only about half of the magic elements remain."

"Half? Are you sure?" Lori asked almost immediately.

"Yes, after the elements are strengthened, only half remain. I've chanted the spell countless times but haven't successfully cast a spell yet," Cook replied dejectedly.

"Idiot! Do you know how long it took me to cast my first spell after one meditation?" Lori glared at Cook, then asked.

"How long?" Cook was very curious.

"Three years! Exactly three years. Let me tell you, Cook, a mage's cultivation is not as smooth as that of other professions. Often, learning a spell takes years. The more advanced the spell, the longer it takes. At higher levels, spells not only involve gestures but also languages like Elvish and Draconic as the basic languages of the spells. Moreover, the incantation is a means to resonate magic and mental power, so the tone of the incantation is also crucial. For the same Fireball spell, some people need one second, some need two seconds, and others need three seconds. This is not only related to magic and mental power but also to the proficiency of the incantation," Lori said in a lecturing tone.

"My lord, I understand," Cook said, feeling much relieved after hearing Lori's explanation. He had already felt the benefits of fighting spirit, but he hadn't yet seen the benefits of magic.

"Good!" Lori was delighted to see Cook's enlightened expression.

"My lord, why change the incantation? Isn't one spell enough?" Cook was puzzled. The Fireball spell he saw that day was at least as powerful as a heavy artillery shell and had the property of high-temperature burning. He also learned that the Fireball spell required six seconds, which was the time Lori needed at the Mage level. Since the Fireball spell is a third-level spell, equal to the Mage level, but mages have a weakness: the success rate of casting spells of the same level is very low, and it consumes a lot of magic and mental power. Now, at the Magic Knight level, Lori only needed three seconds. Seeing the power of magic, Cook understood why the profession of mages was so attention-grabbing. They are like artillery in war, and they can move and lock onto targets.

Cook understood that a mage is like a cannon. Using a lower-grade shell for a cannon of the same level reduces the damage to the cannon itself, making it faster to fire and safer.

"Hehe, this is actually a lifelong discussion among many mages. On one hand, some mages believe that the focus of cultivation is on magic and mental power. As long as these are strong, the power of the spells will naturally be greater. For example, a Fireball spell cast by an Archmage is dozens of times more powerful than mine, with a greater attack range and damage area. On the other hand, some believe that magic, mental power, and incantations must be cultivated simultaneously. This is correct. While an Archmage's Fireball spell is dozens of times more powerful than mine, if they cast a Bursting Flame Ball, it will be even more powerful, though it takes a bit longer to chant and consumes more magic and mental power. This academic debate continues," Lori's eyes lit up when Cook asked, and she looked at him, thinking he had great talent. Mitch, who had been with Lori for a long time, had not asked such questions despite learning magic for a shorter time than Cook. Lori answered him frankly.

Cook understood after hearing Lori's explanation. Each approach had its benefits, but he had just asked out of curiosity, as he felt these things were still far from him.

"Actually, Cook, you don't need to cultivate too many spells. Just one or two will do. After all, your warrior talent is better than a mage's. But what are your fighting spirit and magic attributes?" Conknee asked.

"Wood attribute!" Cook blinked, answering hesitantly, as everyone knew this.

"There are many types of wood attributes. Some focus on nature, others on life. Nature can be divided into plants, poisons, beasts, etc., while life mainly involves healing, increasing physical strength, and healing others' injuries," Conknee explained, glancing at Lori.

"I didn't know that," Cook was surprised by the many classifications of the wood attribute.

"Hehe, for a detailed assessment, we can have my father do it after we get out. The guys at the Mage Guild only care about gold," Lori said with a smile. For some reason, she had a bad feeling, which came from her attitude towards Cook.

"Thank you, my lord." Cook felt that Lori's attitude towards him had changed, but he didn't dare to think too much about it. He still aimed to win Mitch's favor, and as for Conknee, she represented his future glory and wealth.

"Let's go. We'll rest for a while after a bit more walking." Lori didn't like Cook's attitude, though she didn't know why. She usually liked people speaking to her in such a manner, but seeing Cook bow and scrape made her want to hit him.

After eating, it was time to rest. In the dark underground river, there was no concept of time. Lori used to have an hourglass, but it was lost. So, Cook and the others would rest when they were tired and eat when they were hungry, then practice and sleep.

"Mike, how do you catch so many fish?" Mike's recent success in catching fish had amazed Cook. Mike could catch hundreds of thumb-sized fish at once.

"It's a secret!" Mike smiled when Cook asked, which was the third time Cook had asked.

"Hehe, then work hard. You'll be on watch tonight, and I'll take the next shift." Cook patted Mike's shoulder and said.

"Okay!" Mike saw Cook sit down to practice and could only shrug, then looked around vigilantly.

Cook meditated as usual, and his speed was extremely fast. He only needed two hours, and an hour for practicing fighting spirit. Others usually meditated for at least eight hours. After learning the net-style meditation from Lori, Mitch only needed five hours, compared to ten hours before. This meant Mitch had great talent, and at the same level, her magic power was at least 30% more than others, though the meditation time was also longer.

Cook was amazed by this 30%. He thought simply, if one side of the artillery had 30% more ammunition, what would that mean? It was easy to imagine.

As soon as Cook started practicing, he understood why so many people were crazy about it. Each time the fighting spirit circulated in his body, he could clearly feel the cells in his body rejoicing, his bones, muscles, and blood full of vitality. Every heartbeat and every surge of blood made him feel three times more clearly with his mental power.

As the fighting spirit circulated, Cook found his body constantly evolving. Yes, evolving. His meridians became more flexible, his muscles more solid. Cook diligently circulated the fighting spirit, like an engine in a car, each cycle bringing him a new feeling, making him very happy.

"If I circulate the fighting spirit to other parts of my body, what would happen?" A crazy idea popped into Cook's mind. Once this idea was born, his heart couldn't help but race.

Currently, Cook's fighting spirit mainly circulated in his limbs and waist. He first tried his nose, as it was not a critical part. Even if something went wrong, it wouldn't have a significant impact on his life.

"Damn!" Despite his strong mental power, Cook couldn't push the fighting spirit into his nose. It was like a car without a road in front of it, surrounded by a forest. No matter how much he accelerated, it was useless.

Cook was not willing to give up and tried several times, but his nose almost went numb without any effect. He had to give up reluctantly.

"Since the nose doesn't work, what about the eyes?" Cook was still not satisfied. This time, his target was his eyes. He used his mental power to guide a very fine stream of fighting spirit towards his eyes.

"Damn!" To Cook's surprise, the fighting spirit easily entered his eyes. It was like a car on a slope steeper than 35°. Cook felt he didn't need to accelerate at all, and the fighting spirit naturally rushed in. When he opened his eyes, the fighting spirit continued to flow into his eyes, and Cook immediately exclaimed in shock.