83: Chapter 83 Mage Advancement

"Check yourselves. Is everyone alright?" Richard asked his teammates with concern.

Cecilia had already checked the other team members one by one and replied:

"We're fine. Other than Selina having a slight thigh strain from the battle just now, and Jinbao being a bit shaken up, everyone else is fine."

"That's good. Everyone, go get some proper rest."

Richard let out a long sigh of relief. Although this adventure was highly rewarding, it had been incredibly dangerous.

If they had been greedy and continued to scavenge for treasure in the Black Tower, or if Morpheus hadn't used that Group Haste Scroll in time, they would likely have lost their lives on Demon Island.

He adjusted his mindset and then quietly approached the captain.

"Thank you, Captain Mair, for not abandoning us at such a critical moment. Please accept this money as a token of our gratitude and as compensation for the sailors who died in the battle just now."

As Richard spoke, he slipped a pouch into the captain's hand, which contained a full 100 gold coins.

He was truly grateful to the captain. Ordinary people seeing such a terrifying sight would definitely have sailed away immediately to escape, rather than choosing to wait for Adventurers like them.

This captain was truly courageous and possessed great integrity.

The captain did not refuse, tucking the coin pouch into his breast pocket. He shook his head helplessly:

"Now, I'm afraid the Roaring Storm Sea is going to become a forbidden zone. Who knows what means those demons might use to take to the sea. These are truly turbulent times."

After chatting with the captain for a few more minutes, Richard leaned against the bow to rest.

He opened the system once more, and several new messages were displayed inside:

[Killed Modified Babau Demon ×1 — Gained 200 EXP]

[Killed Modified Spider Demon ×1 — Gained 250 EXP]

[Assisted in Killing Modified Multi-Eyed Demon ×1 — Gained 100 EXP]

With a total of 550 EXP gained this time, Richard did not hesitate for a second and immediately poured all of it into his Mage class.

[Congratulations, Adventurer! You have been promoted to a Level 5 Mage!]

[Gained 1 free attribute point.]

[You have reached a class advancement node. Please choose one of the following advanced classes:]

First is [Elemental Mage]: The world begins with the elements, and to the elements it shall eventually return.

Possess comprehension and understanding of various elemental energies far exceeding ordinary people. Constitution +2, Intelligence +3.

Gain two new skills: [Elemental Overload] and [Elemental Attendant].

Gain the talent [Elemental Mastery]: The power of any spell you cast with fire, frost, lightning, or acid tags is increased by 50%, and the duration is increased by 20%.

Second is [Wild Mage]: Logic is the crutch of the weak, and I shall embrace the wild!

Spells cast possess wild power, sometimes bringing miracles, but sometimes bringing disaster. Strength +1, Constitution +1, Intelligence +3.

Gain two new skills, [Wild Surge] and [Impending Doom], and the talent [Wild Breath]: Able to infuse magic to strengthen one's own body, temporarily increasing Agility and Strength.

Third is [Arcane Scholar]: True power lies in understanding the formulas behind all things.

Your thinking and calculation abilities are greatly enhanced, and your learning and comprehension abilities far exceed ordinary people. Intelligence +5, and gain two new skills: [Arcane Analysis] and [Arcane Twin].

Gain the talent [Photographic Memory]: Extremely strong memory, able to remember all content after seeing it once, and able to mimic others' handwriting and voices.

[Because you promoted by killing special creatures, you may choose a special class!]

Fourth is [Abyssal Mage (Special Class)]: When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Constitution +3, Intelligence +3, and gain two new skills: [Touch of Corruption] and [Summon Demon].

Gain the talent [Abyssal Echoes]: Doted on by the Abyss, you obtain the Source of Chaos unique to Abyssal creatures, and become immune to fear and charm effects; you can perfectly understand and speak Abyssal.

Faced with another difficult choice, Richard first ruled out the Elemental Mage and Wild Mage, as these two were relatively mediocre.

He thought about it and felt that Arcane Scholar was quite good, especially the Photographic Memory talent, which was practically a god-tier learning skill and would definitely be of great help to him.

But this promotion had also unlocked a special class, and it possessed an extremely powerful talent...

After a few minutes of contemplation, Richard ultimately chose [Abyssal Mage]. Not only was the talent special, but the three-point bonus to Constitution was also something he highly valued.

What he lacked right now was a stronger physique; otherwise, his muscles would not be able to withstand his own terrifying brute strength.

The moment he gained the new attributes, Richard felt his mind become clearer, and his entire body felt as if it were soaked in a spring of life, with every cell seemingly cheering!

The internal injuries and hidden nerve damage within his body were all slowly recovering.

The newly learned skill [Touch of Corruption]: Infuses future spell attacks with Abyssal traits, causing a rusting effect on enemies' armor and non-enchanted weapons.

If the target is a living creature, both their body and mind will suffer continuous corruption, and failing to resist will result in mental abnormalities such as fear and confusion.

The other skill, [Summon Demon]: Summons demons of different tiers and quantities based on the Intelligence attribute. The summoned creature cannot disobey any of your commands. Costs 5 Mana.

As for the free attribute point gained from leveling up, Richard chose to keep adding it to Strength, increasing it from 14 to 15.

Richard opened his status panel to check his upgraded attributes and abilities:

Class: Level 6 Brand Warrior (0/3200), Level 5 Abyssal Mage (200/1600) / Level 2 Blacksmith / Level 1 Beast Tamer

Strength: 15

Agility: 7

Constitution: 11

Intelligence: 8

Mana: 8

Talents: [Second Heart], [Abyssal Echoes]

Warrior Skills: [Powerful Strike Lv.3], [Appraisal Lv.2], [Polearm Mastery Lv.2], [Mortal Strike Lv.1], [Charge Lv.2], [Bloodthirsty Brand]

Mage Skills: [Basic Elemental Meditation Lv.0], [Firebolt Lv.0], [Mage Armor Lv.0], [Blink Lv.0], [Counterspell Lv.0], [Touch of Corruption], [Summon Demon Lv.0]

Blacksmith Skills: [Dwarven Forging Lv.1], [Molten Strike]

Beast Tamer Skills: [Beast Empathy Lv.0]

Richard felt that his Warrior class skills had improved quite a bit, whereas his Mage class skills were all too low in level, and he had barely had any time to practice his meditation method.

Because of this, his Mana was still too low; spells like Blink or Summon Demon could only be used once a day.

Once they successfully returned from this exploration mission, he planned to find the old mage again or spend money to go to other magic towers to properly improve himself.

After that, he would continue to improve his blacksmithing skills. The Arcanite Fragments from this trip's haul could be used to forge new protective gear, and the Thunderforged Steel Ingots could be used to forge new enchanted weapons.

Richard thought to himself: Even if his own skill level wasn't up to par, he could ask the dwarf Balun to help with the Forging when the time came. He could still learn a lot by assisting on the side.

Hehe, the old dwarf would definitely be itching to get his hands on such excellent materials; he wouldn't even need to pay any tuition fees by then.