Chapter 12: Camping

After traveling for another five or six days, Shaoke's group had ventured deep into the Misty Forest, reaching areas rarely frequented even by mercenaries. Suddenly, the number of ordinary beasts and magical creatures increased significantly. To ensure everyone's safety, under the captain's orders, the group slowed their pace and shifted into an elongated oval formation. The stronger soldiers moved slowly along the periphery, using their small axes to hack out a crude trail for the team's advance. Fortunately, the Misty Forest had relatively few vines or entangling plants, and the group only needed to cut down smaller trees, which didn't waste too much energy.

The scouts who had been scouting ahead regrouped, forming a team of over twenty. They operated about a hundred meters ahead of the main group, all composed of the team's elite. They could shoot from a distance or fight up close with blades and axes. Their responsibility was to scout for easier paths and drive away or hunt down lone monsters that had separated from their packs.

As they traveled, due to the scarcity of mercenaries in the area, Shaoke occasionally discovered medicinal herbs and low-level spellcasting materials. Collecting these herbs and low-tier spellcasting materials was another major source of revenue for the team during their patrols, aside from hunting magical creatures.

At this time, the mages were also tasked with drawing maps and recording basic information about the local plants, magical creatures, and beasts. These tasks were handled by Mage Kiya and Mage Yija. Shaoke wasn't interested in recording information and maps that predecessors had already documented countless times. Instead, he took the time to combine the maps drawn by predecessors and those he had created over the past two years, intending to redraw a more comprehensive and detailed map.

Shaoke's current task was to guide the two new mages on how to better draw maps and record detailed information, teaching them how to identify spellcasting materials and choose effective spells for fighting monsters, among other things.

After traveling for a few more days, Shaoke noticed a sharp increase in the number of magical creatures here, while the population of ordinary beasts had significantly declined. Although the frequency of magical creature appearances had risen dramatically, most were low-tier creatures: Mud Boars, Snow Deer, Ice Lions, and other creatures that moved in herds. Despite their low tier, the materials obtained from them were important resources for low-level mercenaries. Therefore, this news was quite favorable for the soldiers in the team. These low-tier magical creatures posed little threat to the imperial soldiers, who could acquire magic cores, materials for crafting armor, and other items highly sought after by low-tier mercenaries.

Shaoke realized that their current location was one they had rarely reached before. The appearance of large numbers of low-tier magical creatures prompted Shaoke to discuss with the captain and decide to stay and hunt these low-tier creatures. This was to keep their numbers in check and prevent a surge of higher-tier monsters or even a beast invasion. It also provided an opportunity to acquire materials such as pelts and magic cores to enrich their personal savings. Thus, they decided to set up camp here and build a temporary base for their use during this period.

After some searching, Shaoke's team found an area with relatively sparse trees. Except for the soldiers assigned to guard duty, everyone began using the tools they carried to clear the trees and weeds from the designated campsite.

Following the usual practice, Shaoke led the two mages, protected by several soldiers, to set up some alert wards. This would help alleviate the pressure on the sentries and save manpower.

Shaoke led the group to a spot about ten meters outside the campsite and retrieved the necessary spellcasting materials from his pouch. He casually explained, "Mage Kiya, Mage Yija, take these materials and go set up the wards." After a pause, he glanced at Mage Yija, who seemed hesitant to speak, and asked, "Is there a problem, Mage Yija? Speak up so we can solve it together." "No, Mage Xueye, there's no problem. It's just... will these magical creatures actively attack us?" Mage Yija explained nervously, his face flushed. "I don't think these magical creatures are that powerful; they're just numerous."

"Yes, they won't actively attack us, but if we attack them first and any surviving creatures escape, there's a high chance they'll attract attacks from other groups." Shaoke paused briefly before continuing, "Contrary to what the records say, it's not only high-tier magical creatures that seek revenge. Low-tier creatures can also attack humans who have harmed them under certain circumstances, and they can be even more frenzied than high-tier creatures. Currently, people only know that if surviving creatures escape, it can lead to attacks. The reasons for attacks under other circumstances haven't been identified yet. Perhaps you'll discover this situation over time!"

"Those so-called scholars should really organize the books properly and come to this dreadful place to see the real situation. Let them verify it so that inexperienced, unfortunate mages won't accidentally run into trouble," the young physician who had followed them chimed in.

After addressing Mage Yija's doubts, Shaoke said to the physician, "Eno—Physician Swann—hold your tongue for now. They might not be used to distractions, especially at close range."

Since they were all low-tier mages, Shaoke and the others had only one choice: the zero-tier alert ward called "Eyes of the Night." This type of ward didn't consume large amounts of expensive materials, and its structure wasn't overly complex. This zero-tier ward only required some magic powder, a suitable carrier, drawing the ward, and then activating it with mental energy and mana. However, for the two mages who were setting up wards independently for the first time during an outdoor mission, they seemed somewhat nervous, and their progress was slow. By the time Shaoke had already set up two wards, their two wards were still incomplete.

Shaoke approached them and gently reassured them, "Don't be nervous. When I first went on a mission, I was worse than you! I was so nervous that I couldn't even measure the magic powder correctly, and my ward drawing was a mess. At the time, Mage Feiyi and Mage Loki guided me over and over again. After all, everyone is like this when casting spells outdoors for the first time. The environment here can't compare to the lab. Alright, Mage Loki, you've succeeded. Chant the incantation!" Shaoke somewhat self-deprecatingly downplayed his own abilities, hoping to boost their confidence. "It's not easy! Why am I doing this? I wasn't this slow back then! Fortunately, they both have solid foundations and good technique."

Worried that the soldiers might disturb the two mages' spellcasting, Shaoke turned to the soldiers guarding them and said, "Keep quiet. Don't disturb the mages' spellcasting." The soldiers heeded Shaoke's warning. Already quiet, they now held their breaths, afraid of disturbing the mages' spellcasting. Only the distant sound of tree felling occasionally reached them, but this didn't cause much interference.

After drawing the ward, Mage Kiya accurately added the right amount of magic powder as an energy source. After a brief pause, he began chanting the incantation in standard magical common language. The surrounding soldiers watched Mage Kiya with envy, perhaps hoping that one day, their descendants might also produce a noble mage.

After all, it was only a zero-tier magic ward. The incantation wasn't long, though the meditation method for activating the ward was slightly more complex. As the incantation echoed, magical elements in the air slowly infused into the ward. Under the mage's mental energy activation, a flash of light suddenly appeared before fading into obscurity. Clearly, the ward had been successfully created. Shaoke then congratulated Mage Kiya on his success. Subsequently, Mage Yija's ward was also completed. Encouraged by his two companions, he began chanting the incantation and successfully activated the zero-tier ward.

The subsequent work became simpler. Even after Shaoke stepped back, Mage Kiya and Mage Yija gradually sped up. After drawing enough wards, Shaoke finally felt relieved. It seemed the two mages had adapted to some extent to this kind of life, which would greatly benefit their future spellcasting. If they couldn't even set up a stationary ward properly, Shaoke certainly wouldn't expect them to successfully cast spells on targets during combat with magical creatures. Of course, these thoughts weren't shared with the two new companions.

The leveling of the campsite progressed quickly. Trees as thick as a person were continuously felled by the soldiers in shifts and dragged to the perimeter of the campsite to build a crude wooden fence. In about a magic hour, the group cleared a sufficiently large open space for the team members to reside in. They quickly cleared away branches, weeds, and large stones from the ground and began setting up tents for the mages so they could rest earlier. To ensure the mages' safety, the three mages shared one large tent, which was more than twice the size of the tents housing five soldiers each, making it convenient for the mages to move around inside.

The soldiers thoughtfully dug a fire pit in the center and prepared ample firewood for the mages' needs. They then cleared away the snow on the ground until the dark soil was exposed. Wide planks cut from the recently felled trees were laid down, and the processed animal pelts acquired over the past few days were spread over the floorboards to prevent the cold from the ground from seeping in.