Grinding EXP From Fireball Skill-Chapter 52: Marching

"Move out!"

At Otz’s command, the group marched out of the city.

The three-thousand-strong army marched in a great procession along the main road toward the front line.

The soldiers marched in neat, uniform steps.

In contrast, the accompanying Professionals were gathered in scattered groups of two and three, chatting amongst themselves during the march.

They showed none of the discipline expected of an army marching to war.

Orn rode a Dragon Blood Steed over to the crowd.

"SNORT!"

The Dragon Blood Steed let out a loud snort, causing several nearby people to retreat in fear.

Orn’s mount was a genuine Tier Three Magic Beast of a Dragon Blood Species.

Its combat strength was greater than that of the vast majority of Professionals.

A single kick from it would be enough to break the bones of a Tier Two Professional and make them vomit blood.

Everyone subconsciously kept their distance from Orn, afraid his mount might go berserk.

Orn’s cold gaze swept over the crowd as he said, "Idle chatter is forbidden during the march."

"Knights and Warriors will form a defensive perimeter. Shooters and Mages will march in the center. Monte, arrange for the Assassins to act as scouts and gather intelligence along the way."

Soon, the chaotic group became well-organized.

It wasn’t perfectly disciplined, but at least it was no longer so messy.

Orn’s demands of the Professionals were not high.

In war, the main force was the trained soldiers.

Extraordinary Professionals were primarily there to deal with the Extraordinary Beings within the enemy’s ranks.

Unless, of course, it was an army composed entirely of Extraordinary Professionals.

After organizing the group of Professionals, Orn didn’t linger and spurred his horse to catch up with the army ahead.

City Lord Otz led the army at the very front, the contingent of Professionals followed some distance behind, and further back still was the logistics unit transporting grain and supplies.

With the Professionals in the center, they could provide powerful support to both the front and rear.

After Orn left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They conversed in low voices, no longer daring to speak as openly and nonchalantly as before.

Li Wei sat on a cart pulled by an Earth Beast.

All the Mages were riding on the towed carts.

The carts were pulled forward by Earth Beasts six to seven meters long.

The Earth Beast was like a locomotive, pulling seven or eight wooden carts forward at a steady pace.

The wheels rumbled as they turned, jolting the cart from time to time.

Li Wei leaned against the cargo, curiously watching the Earth Beast up ahead.

’The books say that Earth Beasts are relatively docile, have immense stamina, and are excellent for long-distance travel and carrying heavy loads. It’s not just the Human Race that domesticates them for transporting goods; the Beastman, Dwarf, and Goblin Races do as well.’

’Although I’ve seen drawings of Earth Beasts in books, this is the first time I’m seeing a real one. It looks... a little different, doesn’t it?’

’The one in the book was hairless and covered in tough armor, and usually over ten meters long.’

Li Wei watched the Earth Beast, feeling puzzled.

Gu Ze explained, "You’re talking about the Earth Dragon Beast. It’s also a type of Earth Beast, but it’s the Sub-dragon Species."

"A normal Earth Beast looks like this. Earth Dragon Beasts are much rarer."

Li Wei had a flash of understanding. "Oh, so that’s how it is."

The march was boring, and the cart was too bumpy to allow for peaceful meditation.

Instead, Li Wei had to close his eyes and practice his magic mentally, using his Spiritual Power to repeatedly construct the Small Fireball Technique.

The other Extraordinary Professionals would occasionally glance over at Li Wei on the cart, their eyes filled with envy.

"Mages have it made, not even having to walk."

The main reason was that, compared to other Extraordinary Beings, Mages had weaker physiques and were not suited for long-distance marches on foot.

This trip to reinforce the battlefield was a journey of at least a hundred kilometers.

Making the Mages walk—most of whom spent their days cooped up in the Mage Tower without exercise—would mean they’d likely be exhausted before they even reached the battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, a full day of marching had passed.

As night fell, the column halted to make camp.

Li Wei jumped down from the cart, stretching his arms and legs.

After sitting all day, his back was sore and his muscles ached.

RUMBLE!

The ground trembled, and a booming sound echoed.

Li Wei turned his head and saw Mage Martin casting a spell, instantly creating a house made of earth and stone.

The house wasn’t large, and it looked rather crude.

However, compared to the others who could only rest on the ground, it was immeasurably better.

Li Wei looked at Martin with a hint of envy.

The house wasn’t large, so Martin took only El and Marina inside to rest, leaving everyone else outside.

They either sat on the ground or leaned against the carts to rest.

Li Wei looked to Gu Ze and asked, "What spell did Mage Martin cast?"

Gu Ze replied, "Mud into Stone, a Tier Three Earth Magic spell!"

"The opposite of that is Fossilized into Mud, also a Tier Three Earth Magic spell, which has the exact opposite effect."

"A Tier Three spell, huh?" Li Wei was a little disappointed.

He had wanted to learn it. It would have been so convenient for long journeys.

He didn’t expect it to be such a high-tier spell.

He scanned his surroundings, a hint of anticipation appearing in his eyes.

’Tonight’s harvest will surely be bountiful.’

Building fires, cooking meals, standing watch, eating, sleeping.

Aside from eating and sleeping, none of this really concerned Li Wei.

Soldiers were assigned to stand guard.

During the meal, Allen found the group and said, "Per Commander Orn’s orders, to make full use of the Professionals’ abilities, we are now establishing Mage groups. Mages skilled in the same type of magic will form a group, and commands will be issued on a group-by-group basis."

He announced everyone’s group assignments: Gu Ze was assigned to the Ice Mage group, and Li Wei and Rota were assigned to the Fire Element Mage group.

Li Wei looked at the people Allen had brought over. Allen said they were members of the City Lord’s Mansion’s Mage Tutoring Corps.

A group of Ring Mages and Ring Mage Apprentices.

There was a sizable number of them—eight Tier One Ring Mages and twelve Ring Mage Apprentices.

They all looked very young, unlike the Mages from the Mage Tower, who were mostly in their thirties or forties.

In terms of strength, however, the Mage Tower completely outclassed the Mage Tutoring Corps.

The fifteen Apprentice Mages were comparable to fifteen Tier One Ring Mages.

Even so, El, Marina, and the others were still astonished to see that the City Lord’s Mansion had so many Tier One Mages.

El stared intently at Allen and said, "You had all of them convert to become Ring Mages?"

Allen chuckled. "What do you mean, I *made* them become Ring Mages? They all did it voluntarily."

"If you need any help, I can help you become Ring Mages as well."

Allen said with a smile, looking at the group of Apprentice Mages.

Hearing this, El’s expression soured.

Among the crowd, some were tempted, some hesitated, and some scoffed at the idea.

In terms of strength, an Apprentice Mage was an even match for a Tier One Ring Mage.

But in terms of status, it wasn’t even close.

Even if a Tier One Ring Mage was slightly weaker, they were still an Official Mage.

An Official Mage, a true Extraordinary Professional recognized by the Mage Association and the Professional Association.

Seeing that his words had had their intended effect, Allen didn’t press the issue.

He had the people from the Mage Tutoring Corps and the Mage Tower stay together to get acquainted with the members of their respective groups.

Li Wei’s Fire Element Mage group was the largest, with fifteen people.

Including El, that made sixteen.

The members from the Mage Tutoring Corps made up the majority of them.

Without a doubt, the Fire Element Mage group was also the main "firepower" group.

Late that night, Li Wei checked that his Invisible Armor was activated, wrapped his Invisibility Cloak around himself, and leaned against the cargo to enter the dreamscape.

"Great Dream Traveling Skill!"