Chapter 15

"Me?"

Upon hearing Rod's words, Rijie's eyes widened in surprise, and even Meis beside her opened his mouth in astonishment.

As is well known, Spirit Masters in the Dragon Soul Continent are akin to pharmacists, doctors, and nurses. They are generally support roles within a team, responsible for bandaging wounds, healing injuries, casting shields, and dispelling toxins. As for fighting on the front lines? Such a thing is probably unheard of!

"That's right."

Rod nodded. The moment he stepped in, he seemed to revert to his role as the leader of a team clearing dungeons.

"In a moment, you'll follow my orders. It doesn't require particularly complex techniques, but it will demand a high level of reaction and awareness. However, once you get used to it, I don't think it will be too difficult... How is your control over energy now? How many times can you use Sacred Radiance?"

Although Rod had a rough idea of Rijie's level from her healing spells, it was better to confirm for safety.

"I am a full-time Spirit Master, at the seventh level of the Outer Ring. As for Sacred Radiance... I can only use it once a day, and it can last for a day... if my soul power consumption is not too high."

The classification of spellcasters differs from that of combatants. In addition to their profession level, they also have a hierarchy of soul power, divided into the Outer Ring, Middle Ring, and Inner Ring, with ten levels in the Outer Ring, seven in the Middle Ring, and three in the Inner Ring. This is because spellcasters believe their power comes from deep within their souls, and in the general belief, the soul is seen as a three-layered, interconnected existence. The deeper a spellcaster explores their soul, the more powerful they become. Rijie's strength has reached the seventh level of the Outer Ring, which means she has a good chance of breaking the limits of Outer Ring spellcasters and entering the Middle Ring.

This is quite rare for a Level 6 Spirit Master. However, this gave Rod even more confidence.

"Very good. Remember, from now on, you don't need to cast Healing Light on me, even if I'm injured. Pay more attention to Mr. Meis, and if there's any danger, cast a shield on him... Understand?"

"This... I understand, Mr. Rod."

Although some of the words Rod used were confusing to Rijie, she managed to understand his meaning and nodded slightly to indicate her understanding.

"Mr. Meis, how long will our supplies last?"

"Three or four days, I think."

The fat merchant, holding his travel bag, thought for a moment before answering, but his face showed a hint of solemnity.

"If we save some..."

"It's a good opportunity to lose some weight."

If Rod had smiled when he said this, Meis might have taken it as a joke. Unfortunately, Rod's expression was very calm, with no trace of a smile, which only made the fat merchant more conflicted. He was about to say something more when Rod turned his head and gave Rijie an order.

"Cast Sacred Radiance."

"Okay."

In response to Rod's command, Rijie nodded slightly, then extended her hands and closed her eyes.

Soon, a soft glow slowly emerged from the center of the girl's palms, and the gentle white light spread in all directions. It seemed like an illusion, but the fat merchant noticed that the thick fog around them began to retreat rapidly under the light. After rubbing his eyes, he found that the surroundings, which had been shrouded in fog, were now much clearer. The outlines of the ruins, which had been only vaguely visible, were now clearly visible, with broken walls and houses. This made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, as clearer vision was always safer.

"I'll go first, Rijie follow me, and Mr. Meis, you walk at the back. Don't stay too far from us, and whatever happens, don't act alone."

The ruins were silent.

The positive energy from the light had dispelled the fog, but it had not dispelled the danger within. Under Rod's lead, they moved forward slowly, stopping occasionally to observe their surroundings before continuing. However, soon, Rod waved his hand, signaling the two to stop.

If his memory served him right, they were approaching the spawn point of the first wave of enemies.

Sure enough, not long after Rod stopped, several faint light points appeared in the fog ahead, flickering like eyes.

"What, what is that?"

Meis immediately became tense.

"They are Wraiths."

Rod extended his right hand, and soon, Star Trace appeared in his hand.

"Be careful, they won't dare to get too close."

As Rod spoke, the dense fog suddenly contracted and expanded, then spat out three strange creatures.

They had human-like forms but were entirely enveloped in thick fog. The three creatures stood together, their boundaries indistinct, with only their bright, small eyes confirming that they were more than just fog.

Perhaps they were even more complex.

"Rijie, cast Healing Light on the first one."

Healing Light?

Hearing this command, a hint of confusion crossed the girl's mind. It was a healing spell, so why cast it on a monster? However, this doubt quickly passed, and Rijie raised her right hand, casting Healing Light on the monster in front of her.

As a Spirit Master, Rijie's skills were quite good. Healing Light is a mid-range healing spell, and as long as the target's position is clear, casting it is not difficult. For Rijie, it was effortless. However, perhaps because the target was a monster rather than a teammate, her movements were a bit hesitant, but she quickly completed the spell.

A beam of pure white light immediately appeared in the air and enveloped the Wraith. Normally, the life it enveloped would immediately recover from its injuries and even feel invigorated. It was a basic spell for Spirit Masters.

However, the Wraith's reaction was completely unexpected. As it was enveloped by the white light, it let out a scream that Rijie could clearly hear. Its body, which had been standing, bent over as if punched, trembling violently. The fog surrounding it disintegrated in an instant, like ice melting in the sun. This shocked Rijie, who instinctively looked down at her hands, unable to understand how she had cast such a powerful spell.

Rod, however, remained calm. The positive energy from Healing Light is naturally the bane of Wraiths, which are composed of negative energy. Moreover, half of Rijie's heritage is pure angelic blood, and the positive energy condensed by angels is of a higher quality than that of ordinary humans. If the positive energy from ordinary humans is like boiling water to Wraiths, then the positive energy from angels is like concentrated sulfuric acid. Fortunately, Rijie is only a half-angel; if she were a pure angel, the Wraith would have been obliterated instantly.

Rijie didn't understand why a healing spell could have such an effect, but players in the Dragon Soul Continent generally knew that Healing Light is just a cover. The essence of the spell is to release positive energy. When positive energy encounters a living being, it has a healing effect, but it's not limited to healing. In the early days of the Dragon Soul Continent, there was a joke among players: the most tragic thing for a Necromancer is to encounter a group of undead—because Necromancers' spells are mostly negative energy, and using them to attack undead creatures, which are also composed of negative energy, would heal rather than destroy them. This forced many Necromancer players to learn elemental spells to maintain their advantage over undead monsters—oh, and they sometimes had to double as healers.

In essence, Necromancers and Spirit Masters are not very different. They mostly live in environments where their abilities have little effect, and only when they encounter opposite attributes do they become effective. For Necromancers, the chance of encountering living beings is relatively high. For Spirit Masters, it wasn't until the mid-stage of the Darkfall War, when the undead were rampant, that they shed their logistical roles and became formidable front-line fighters. Before that, the chance of Spirit Masters encountering undead was low, and since NPCs don't have as much information as players, it's not surprising that they stuck to their roles.

But now is not the time to stick to old ways.

"Attack the other two!"

Rod's figure blurred as he charged toward the Wraiths, giving Rijie an order.

"Yes!"

Perhaps encouraged by the scene before her, Rijie's response was spirited and forceful. Soon, two more beams of positive energy descended from the sky, landing on the other two Wraiths. The gentle light enveloped them, halting their attempts to advance. Seizing this opportunity, Rod, who had activated Shadow Flash, was already in front of the first Wraith.

"!"

The Wraith, assaulted by positive energy, let out a scream, and Rod became the target of its anger. The Wraith in front of him suddenly extended a translucent claw, swiping at Rod.

Although Rijie's power had weakened their defenses, it had also increased their attack power. If not handled carefully, it could lead to a disastrous outcome.

However, Rod would not allow such a thing to happen.

He dodged the Wraith's claw, then the white blade in his hand spun and thrust forward.

Critical hit!

Star Trace accurately struck the only semi-solid soul fragment in the Wraith's ethereal body. The Wraith, already suffering from the positive energy, let out a mournful cry. It raised its claws in despair, and its already crumbling body disintegrated into dust and vanished.

At that moment, the other two Wraiths also attacked.