Chapter Thirty-Nine: Reflections After the Battle

Magic Missile, manipulated by force fields, ignores all concealment and defense, guaranteeing a hit on any target. It curved around the iron shield held by the skeleton, striking directly at its body. At that moment, the skeleton warrior’s curved blade was descending toward Zhao Xu, who had just finished casting his spell and was ready to dodge. Yet the residual force of the energy-laden Magic Missile caused the skeleton to falter, then vanish on the spot. The arena fell silent once more; in Arthur, summoned creatures were mere projections, and upon death, they dissipated into energy, leaving no trace behind.

Zhao Xu wiped the cold sweat from his brow, silently thankful for his luck. He now saw the information panel for his character:

[Player casts Level 1 Arcane Spell: Magic Missile]
[Magic Missile hits Skeleton Warrior, dealing 1D4+1=4+1=5 points of damage.]
[Skeleton Warrior’s current HP is below zero, defeated.]

Had the summoned skeleton’s health not been below average, and had his Magic Missile not dealt the maximum five points of damage, he might not have escaped being struck. The result could have gone either way.

Footsteps sounded behind him—Antinoia had approached. She looked at Zhao Xu and asked, “Are you satisfied with your result?”

Zhao Xu merely shook his head.

“It wasn’t necessarily bad. Let’s review. Tell me your thoughts,” Antinoia prompted.

Zhao Xu began by recounting the intelligence he’d gathered on the skeleton soldier, estimating its HP and attributes—his assessment was nearly spot on.

“Very good. The first step in a mage’s battle is intelligence preparation,” Antinoia replied. “Generally, before combat, we must know the enemy’s details to prepare accordingly. Novice mages lack divination spells for gathering information at first, but that doesn’t mean this task can be neglected. Arthur offers countless places to collect intelligence, many immune to spell interference. You’ve made good use of your player’s advantage.”

Zhao Xu smiled; the forum had no data on skeleton soldiers—he relied solely on memories from his previous life. Fortunately, Antinoia couldn’t access the players’ forums, or she’d surely expose him.

“Second, after gathering intelligence, comes self-preparation. If a prepared mage ambushes an unprepared mage of equal level, the odds are roughly seventy to thirty in favor of the former.”

Here Antinoia gazed straight into Zhao Xu’s eyes. “Explain the function of Mage Armor.”

Without even glancing at his character panel, Zhao Xu replied, “It grants the defense of a suit of armor, equivalent to a +4 bonus.”

“And the duration?” Antinoia asked.

Zhao Xu paused, then answered, “One hour per caster level.”

He took a deep breath. “I should have cast this spell as soon as I arrived via teleportation.”

Compared to others, this spell’s duration was exceptionally long. A +4 armor bonus could reduce his chance of being hit by twenty percent.

“Exactly. So next time, remember: the moment you know battle is imminent, use your spells to enhance yourself.”

“Now, tell me your considerations when the skeleton warrior charged at you,” Antinoia continued.

Having collected himself, Zhao Xu spoke slowly: “My first thought was to cast Mage Armor, so its chance to hit me would drop from sixty percent to forty.”

Though combat situations are complex, attacks and defenses still adhere to the rules of hit points. Attack power plus a roll of 1D20—if the total equals or exceeds the defense rating, it penetrates defenses and causes damage.

The skeleton soldier’s attack power was only one, plus 1D20—so a range of two to twenty-one. It had only a sixty percent chance to break through his defenses.

“Even so, there was still a chance I’d be struck, and its damage could kill me outright. So I forewent defensive spells and aimed to eliminate it directly.”

Zhao Xu’s health was a mere six HP—pitifully fragile. The skeleton’s blade dealt 1D6+1 damage (two to seven), so a roll of five or six would knock him out instantly.

“My second consideration was Protection from Evil, which grants a +2 deflection bonus against attacks from evil creatures and immunity to damage from summoned creatures’ natural weapons. But since the skeleton wielded a scimitar, the spell wouldn’t help—so it was less useful than Mage Armor, and I dismissed it.”

“My third option was Color Spray, but the undead traits of the skeleton made it completely immune to this spell’s effects. So I had to abandon that, too. As for Dimension Swap, you wouldn’t agree to switch places with me, so that wasn’t viable either. Ray of Enfeeblement would be less effective than Mage Armor.”

Color Spray is actually a vicious spell among low-level spells. If the opponent fails a Will save, creatures with fewer than two Hit Dice are stunned, blinded, and dazed for 2D4 rounds, then blinded and dazed for 1D4 rounds, and finally dazed for one round. By the time it’s over, most creatures are shattered.

The skeleton warrior had 1D12 HP, one Hit Die—not exceeding two. But its undead traits granted immunity to stun and daze effects, leaving Zhao Xu at a loss.

Antinoia nodded after hearing his explanation. “Among zero-level spells, Undead Strike deals 1D6 damage. Why didn’t you use it?”

Zhao Xu shook his head. “That spell requires a ranged touch attack, which means beating the enemy’s defense rating—only a thirty-five percent chance to hit. Moreover, Magic Missile’s average damage is 3.5, the same as Undead Strike. So I’d rather use the spell that always hits.”

“Good, you’re not muddled enough to think that just because the enemy is undead, you should use that worthless Undead Strike,” Antinoia said with satisfaction. “You were able to react instantly—that’s commendable. Today’s lesson is meant to show you the gap between theory and practice.”

“In the early stages, beware of undead, oozes, constructs, elementals, and plants. Plan ahead for how to deal with them. Elementals are easier, but the other four are basically poor—lacking everything.”

Zhao Xu nodded. Though undead creatures have low HP due to lack of constitution, their vast immunities are a headache for any mage.

“Now, for the second test. If you can land a spell on me, there will be a reward,” Antinoia said with a certain smile.