Chapter 34: The First Mission

Chapter 34: The First Mission

Li Wei stayed in the Mage Tower for three days.

Then Gu Ze found him.

"Li Wei, didn't you complete a single mission last month?"

Li Wei nodded, slightly puzzled. "Yes, why?"

Gu Ze sighed helplessly. "I forgot to tell you—apprentice mages must complete at least one combat-assistance mission each month. It's a requirement from the Mage Association."

"There just aren't enough apprentices. If we don't enforce it, no one would take on missions for the Adventurer’s Guild."

"Many tasks in the Adventurer’s Guild require magical support to be completed safely. Without mages, attempting them is perilous."

"You became an apprentice too quickly—no one’s had time to teach you these things. Had you remained a mage apprentice longer, your master would’ve told you all this by now."

Li Wei rubbed his index finger thoughtfully. He hadn’t expected that leveling up so fast could come with drawbacks.

He truly had missed much of what he should have learned.

But it wasn’t too late to learn now.

Gu Ze continued, "The Mage Association has already issued you one warning. Three consecutive failures, and they’ll strip you of your apprentice status."

Li Wei seized the key point. "So as long as I complete one mission every three months, I’m fine?"

Gu Ze nodded. "Technically, yes. But I wouldn’t recommend it."

"Completing guild missions brings rewards. For apprentices, it’s the most common way to earn contribution points. Spending some time on missions actually benefits your cultivation."

"Understood, Master Gu Ze," Li Wei replied.

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

He took out his magic insignia and activated it with mana.

"Magic Steward, are there any suitable missions for me? Preferably nothing requiring long travel."

The Magic Steward’s voice emerged.

"Filtered according to your criteria, remaining mission: Eliminate first-rank magical beasts—Abyss Spiders—appearing in the southwest region of Maple Forest. Difficulty: Low."

"I’d like to see the full details."

"The magical servant is already delivering the mission scroll to your room. Please check upon arrival."

A few minutes later, a knock came at the door.

Li Wei opened it. A translucent magical servant handed him the scroll, then vanished.

He took the scroll and shut the door.

The magical servants were managed by the Magic Steward, devoid of true intelligence—mere programs following rigid routines.

Incapable of handling complexity, they mostly delivered messages or cleaned rooms.

Sitting at his desk, Li Wei unrolled the scroll.

After reading once through, he grasped the mission’s essence.

His role was to assist a team of adventurers who had taken the Abyss Spider extermination task.

He wouldn’t even need to fight the spiders directly.

All he had to do was locate the spiders’ hiding places and dispel their magical webs when cast.

Without a mage, only highly skilled veterans could succeed.

Novice adventurers often failed to detect the spiders lurking beneath the ground.

Falling into an ambush meant bloodshed.

The Magic Steward had recommended this mission because Li Wei had practiced only one spell—the Minor Fireball.

And that very spell countered magical webs.

Moreover, though the Abyss Spiders excelled at traps, they were merely first-rank low-tier beasts—posing minimal danger.

For a first-time apprentice mage, it was a forgiving assignment.

Li Wei pondered briefly. The task seemed acceptable.

It was just outside the city, in the maple woods—no long journey required.

He contacted the Magic Steward and accepted the mission.

The steward relayed the confirmation to the Adventurer’s Guild.

After receiving their reply, it informed Li Wei of the meeting time.

"Tomorrow at nine o’clock, assemble at the Adventurer’s Guild entrance. Assist Squad Grass Fox in completing the beast-extermination mission."

The next morning, Li Wei arrived at the guild gate, staff in hand, wearing his apprentice’s robe.

A group had already gathered in the square before the entrance, waiting.

When they saw someone clad in the apprentice’s robe, several young faces lit with excitement.

"After all these days, finally a mage willing to help us! I was about to give up on this mission."

"Sigh, we don’t have many options. Other beasts are beyond our strength."

"This apprentice looks so young… can he really help us succeed?"

Seeing Li Wei’s youthful face, doubt crept into their eyes.

"Are you Squad Grass Fox?" Li Wei asked.

The leader, Lan Ya, stepped forward eagerly. "Yes, that’s us. Are you Apprentice Mage Li Wei?"

Li Wei nodded. "That’s me."

"If there are no issues, let’s depart soon. We might finish by midday and return for lunch."

Hearing this, the others felt even more uneasy.

Lan Ya, unwilling to abandon the mission, forced a smile. "No problem. We’re ready. We can leave immediately."

Together, they walked toward the outskirts of Maple City.

As they went, Lan Ya explained the mission.

"After winter ended, Abyss Spiders began appearing in the southwest corner of the maple forest. They’ve disrupted village life—already, villagers have died in their jaws."

"Our task is to eliminate the first-rank Abyss Spiders in the forest."

"Apprentice Li Wei’s role is to assist us in locating the spiders and dispelling their magical webs in time."

She paused, then looked at Li Wei. "May I ask—how long does it take you to cast a spell?"

"Ten seconds," Li Wei answered.

Lan Ya nodded. "Understood. We’ll ensure you have enough time to cast."

After walking a while, Li Wei gained a clear picture of Squad Grass Fox.

Leader Lan Ya—a first-rank mid-tier greatsword warrior.

Deputy Ku Nan—a first-rank low-tier knight.

Member Lisa—a first-rank low-tier sharpshooter.

Member Dias—a first-rank low-tier warrior.

All were novices, fresh graduates from the Vocational Academy.

To nurture more adventurers, the Adventurers' Guild deliberately reserved low-difficulty tasks for lower-ranked members.

Only when a mission was extremely urgent or had been delayed too long would it be opened to higher-level adventurers.

At ten o'clock in the morning, they arrived at the maple forest where the Cave Spiders had appeared.

Li Wei stood beside a large tree, eyes closed, carefully sensing the subtle shifts in magical elements in the air.

Dias whispered to Lisa, "He looks younger than us—can he really be an apprentice mage?"

Lisa also harbored doubts. "Can he actually find the Cave Spider?"

Lanya shot them both a sharp glance and murmured, "Be quiet—and stay alert."

Li Wei opened his eyes and pointed ahead to the left. "This way. About eighty meters off, the magic elements are disturbed—likely a magical trap set by the Cave Spider."

Lanya immediately commanded, "Advance in that direction. Lisa, prepare to test-fire at any moment!"

"Understood!" Lisa nocked an arrow, drawing her bow taut.

(End of Chapter)