Sixth Ring Wizard

This battle caused heavy losses for the caravan, with as many as sixty-two deaths.

Among these sixty-two, twenty-five were ordinary people, and the rest were all guards who died in battle.

Kaleem's adventurer group lost thirteen people; they faced the most enemies among the adventurer groups.

Because they were well-equipped, the army deliberately allocated considerable forces to deal with them during the attack.

The other adventurers lost twenty-four members, most of whom were on the weaker side.

Adventurers are especially shrewd; most of them wouldn't really risk their lives, focusing instead on surviving safely.

With this mindset, those slightly stronger could generally survive since the battle didn't last long.

Kaleem and Luo Kui commanded the caravan, arranging for their men to handle various tasks.

Kaleem now had considerable prestige; the previous scene had left an indelible impression on these people.

Seeing the matter was resolved, Herag went to find Ed hiding under the wagon and kicked him on the butt: "Get out quickly and prepare to drive us out of here."

Ed promptly climbed out, nodded, and smiled: "Okay, sir."

Since witnessing Herag's incredible powers, Ed held him in reverence akin to the gods.

Kaleem, with his whole body glowing white, indeed looked splendid, but Ed believed Herag was even more formidable.

Herag returned to his carriage and was about to get in when Kaleem ran over.

"Are you Sir Jelant? Thank you for saving us at that crucial moment; otherwise, who knows how many might have died," Kaleem said gratefully.

Herag glanced at him, nodded, and said, "Hmm."

He was curious about the kind of power Kaleem had, but had little interest in the man himself; he didn't like dealing with idiots, so he gave a curt reply and got into the carriage.

To Herag, befriending someone like Kaleem might be even more dangerous than making him an enemy, as who knows when such a person might cause your death.

Kaleem laughed awkwardly but didn't mind: "I guess mystics always have peculiar temperaments."

He hadn't seen Herag in action, but the discussion with adventurer group members made him realize Jelant was a mystic who had just killed many soldiers.

Upon learning this, Kaleem immediately came to express his gratitude.

Three hours later, the caravan set out again, but this time there was much less laughter and more of a somber atmosphere.

Luo Kui sat at the front of the lead carriage, looking worriedly ahead, eyes unfocused.

His long-time business partner had died in the recent battle, and when they found him, only half of his head remained.

"After this run, I'm going back to the countryside to enjoy life..." he remembered his friend saying before they set off.

...

Five days later, the caravan finally left the Dragon Ridge Highland area and entered a plain after descending the mountain.

Ives was still confined in a cage, given only a little water daily and fed once every three days to keep him alive.

As Luo Kui put it, a Great Knight doesn't starve to death so easily.

Ives was extremely weak, having been injured, with his limbs crippled, and starving, his spirit was at rock bottom.

Herag thought they should just finish him off with a blade; keeping him around would only cause trouble for themselves.

Because he accepted Luo Kui's job, Kaleem felt he had to complete this mission and safely escort the caravan to the Doris Kingdom.

He also needed to escort Ives back to Storm City to meet the gallows, and thus assigned two members of the adventurer group to keep a close eye on Ives the entire way.

Upon entering the plains, the caravan encountered more towns, no longer as sparsely populated as the Dragon Ridge Highland.

The caravan's supplies could now be replenished easily along the way, no longer a concern.

Even though the caravan had lost quite a number of people, its defensive strength was still considerable.

Especially after Kaleem's breakthrough to become a Great Knight, the journey saw much fewer troubles.

Some oblivious bandits did try to take a bite of this fat piece but to no avail.

Soon, a month had passed.

Herag sat calmly in the carriage and slowly opened his eyes.

"Shenlan, check my body data."

"Herag Merlin: Strength 3.9, Agility 4.0, Constitution 5.5, Spirit 12.4, Magic Power 100%."

Herag exhaled; the Meditation Practice of the seventh star was complete.

There was a significant boost in all physical stats, partly due to completing the seventh star and the continuous reinforcement from the Dark Energy Particles.

Just three stars left to illuminate all points of the first Array Map. I wonder what effects it will have by then.

His current concern was reaching the Meditation Practice requirement for the Third Class Wizard Apprentice without a Stone Giant's heart to refine Magic Potion.

The Stone Giant's heart couldn't be stored long, and couldn't be prepared while at the academy.

Herag wasn't sure if Stone Giants existed in the Doris Kingdom, and if he met the advancement requirements without obtaining their heart while the academy had no information, he'd have to rely on Shenlan Inference to find substitutes for the Stone Giant heart in Magic Potion Materials.

Magic Potion recipes aren't set in stone, and many ingredients can be substituted, sometimes resulting in even better effects.

Because some materials are extremely rare and not universally applicable, mature Magic Potion recipes need to consider feasibility. So some recipes replace rare ingredients with less effective but easier-to-obtain ones.

This is common in Magic Potion, with Wizards often experimenting with alternative materials in various recipes, where many peculiar formulas are born from such experiments.

Having completed the Meditation Practice for the seventh star, Herag closed his eyes again to start the Meditation Practice for the eighth star.

Ives had a difficult time, as being a Great Knight, his injuries healed quickly.

But with someone always watching him, the moment his injuries nearly healed, they would break his limbs again.

This repeat torture left Ives in a terrible state.

Due to the rare bandit raids on this journey, Kaleem had more energy to keep an eye on Ives.

Ives also sought a chance to escape, but found no opportunities at all.

His injuries would always relapse, leaving no hope in sight.

However, he didn't give up, his will to survive growing stronger, just waiting for the right chance.

Half a month later, in the middle of the night, just two weeks away from reaching Doris Kingdom.

Herag, while meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of the cage holding Ives.

Ives was slumped inside, hands hanging weakly, just like before.

Watching him was a girl named Lizi, a member of Kaleem's adventurer group and an ardent fan of his.

Tonight was her turn to guard Ives, a rather boring chore.

Ives had his limbs broken many times, with no ability to escape, leaving no pressure on the guard.