Grinding EXP From Fireball Skill-Chapter 34: First Mission

Li Wei stayed in the Mage Tower for three days.

Gu Ze came looking for him.

"Li Wei, is it true you didn’t complete a single mission last month?"

Li Wei nodded, asking with some confusion, "Yes, that’s right. What’s wrong?"

Gu Ze said helplessly, "I forgot to tell you. Apprentice Mages are required to complete at least one combat support mission per month. That’s a rule set by the Mage Association."

"There’s no other way. There are too few Apprentice Mages, so if it weren’t mandatory, no one would take on missions from the Professional Association."

"Many missions from the Professional Association can only be completed smoothly with a Mage’s help. Trying to force them without a Mage is quite dangerous."

"You became an Apprentice Mage so quickly that no one has had the chance to teach you these things yet. Otherwise, a teacher would have told you about this back when you were still a Mage Apprentice."

Li Wei rubbed his index finger. ’I didn’t expect leveling up so fast would cause problems, too.’

He had indeed missed out on quite a few things he was supposed to have learned.

But it wasn’t too late to learn them now.

Gu Ze said, "The Mage Association has already issued you one warning. If you get more than three of these in a row, they’ll revoke your status as an Apprentice Mage."

Li Wei latched onto the key point. "So, does that mean I can just complete one mission every three months?"

Gu Ze nodded. "You can, but it’s best not to."

"Completing missions for the Professional Association comes with rewards. It’s the most common way for Apprentice Mages to earn Contribution. Spending some time on missions is actually beneficial for your Cultivation."

Li Wei said, "Alright, Teacher Gu Ze, I understand."

At noon, after lunch, Li Wei returned to his room.

He took out his Magic Badge and activated it with his Mana.

"Magic Butler, what missions suitable for me are available right now? Preferably something that doesn’t require long-distance travel."

The Magic Butler’s voice replied.

"Based on your requirements, the filtered results show one remaining mission: Clear out the Tier One Magical Beast, the Demon Cave Spider, appearing in the southwestern part of the Maple Forest. Difficulty: Low Level."

"I want to see the mission details," Li Wei said.

"A Magic Servant has been dispatched with the Task Scroll to your room. Please be ready to receive it."

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door.

Li Wei opened the door to find a translucent Magic Servant holding out a Task Scroll to him.

He took the Task Scroll and shut the door.

Magic Servants were managed by the Magic Butler. They possessed no intelligence of their own and simply followed pre-programmed routines.

They couldn’t handle complex tasks and were mostly used for delivering messages and cleaning.

Li Wei sat at his desk and opened the Task Scroll.

After reading it through once, he had a general understanding of the mission.

His task was to assist the Professional squad that had accepted the Demon Cave Spider clearing mission.

He didn’t even need to fight the Demon Cave Spiders himself.

He just needed to help locate the spiders and break their Magic Spider Webs when they were used.

Without a Mage’s assistance, it would take a highly skilled, veteran Professional to complete this mission.

Newbie Professionals would have a hard time finding the Demon Cave Spiders, which hid underground.

If they accidentally fell into a Demon Cave Spider’s ambush, casualties were highly likely.

The Magic Butler had recommended this mission to him because he had cultivated the Small Fireball Technique—and it was the only technique he knew.

The Small Fireball Technique could counter the Magic Spider Web.

Furthermore, although Demon Cave Spiders were good at setting ambushes, they were only Tier One Low Level, so the risk factor was relatively low.

It was a rather friendly mission for an Apprentice Mage on his first support assignment.

Li Wei thought for a moment and decided the mission was acceptable.

’It’s in the Maple Forest just outside the city, so I won’t have to travel far.’

He contacted the Magic Butler and accepted the mission.

The Magic Butler relayed the acceptance to the Professional Association. After receiving a reply, it informed Li Wei of the mission time.

"Meet at the entrance of the Professional Association tomorrow at nine in the morning. You will assist the Grass Fox Squad in completing their magical beast clearing mission."

「The next day」

Li Wei arrived at the entrance of the Professional Association, carrying his Magic Staff and wearing his Apprentice Mage Robe.

A group of people was already waiting for Li Wei in the plaza outside the Professional Association.

Seeing someone in an Apprentice Mage Robe appear, the young people looked slightly excited.

"We’ve been waiting for so many days. A Mage has finally agreed to help us. I was about to give up on this mission."

"Sigh, what can you do? There aren’t many missions suitable for our squad, and we can’t beat the other Magical Beasts."

"This Apprentice Mage is so young. Can he really help us complete the mission?"

Seeing Li Wei’s youthful face, their confidence wavered.

Li Wei asked, "Excuse me, are you the Grass Fox Squad?"

The leader, Lanya, quickly replied, "Yes, we are. And you must be Apprentice Mage Li Wei?"

Li Wei nodded. "I am."

"If there are no other issues, let’s head out. We should try to finish the mission this morning so we can be back for lunch."

Hearing this, the squad members felt he was even more unreliable.

Lanya didn’t want to give up the mission, so she had no choice but to say, "No problem. We’re all ready. We can leave now."

The group headed out of Maple City.

Lanya began to explain the mission details. "After winter ended, the Demon Cave Spiders started appearing in the southwestern corner of the Maple Forest. They’re severely impacting the daily lives of the nearby villagers. Some have already been killed by them."

"Our mission this time is to clear out the Tier One Demon Cave Spiders in the Maple Forest."

"Mage Li Wei, your task is to help us find the Demon Cave Spiders and free us from their Magic Spider Webs in a timely manner."

At this point, Lanya looked at Li Wei and asked, "If you don’t mind me asking, Mage Li Wei, how long does your Casting take?"

Li Wei replied, "Ten seconds."

Lanya nodded. "Understood. We’ll buy you enough time to cast."

After walking for a while, Li Wei got a general idea of the Grass Fox Squad’s composition.

Leader Lanya, a Tier One Middle Level Great Sword Warrior.

Vice-captain Kunan, a Tier One Low Level Knight.

Member Lisa, a Tier One Low Level Divine Shooter.

Member Dias, a Tier One Low Level Warrior.

They were all a group of rookie Professionals who had just graduated from the Professional Academy.

To cultivate more Professionals, the Professional Association intentionally reserved low-difficulty missions for Low Level Professionals.

Only if a mission became too urgent or remained uncompleted for too long would it be opened up for High Level Professionals to accept.

By ten in the morning, the group had arrived at the area in the Maple Forest where the Demon Cave Spiders were known to appear.

Li Wei stood beside a large tree, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed the changes in the Magic Elements in the air.

Dias whispered to Lisa, "He looks even younger than us. Is he really an Apprentice Mage?"

Lisa was also skeptical. "Can he really find the Demon Cave Spiders?"

Lanya shot them a glare and whispered, "Quiet. Stay alert."

Li Wei opened his eyes and pointed ahead to their left. "Over there. About eighty meters away, the Magic Elements are abnormal. It’s likely a Magic Trap set by a Demon Cave Spider."

Lanya immediately commanded, "We’re moving that way. Lisa, be ready to fire a probing shot at any moment!"

"Roger!" Lisa nocked an arrow, ready to draw her bow.