Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Lance put the materials into his dimensional pocket; Dulak and the others had already followed.

"Dulak, don't move," Lance ordered.

【Healing Mantra! 】

A flash of white light appeared, and Drak's injuries healed at a visible speed.

"Is this divine magic?!"

Looking at the changes in himself, Drucker exclaimed in surprise.

"Lord Lance, aren't you a mage?"

"I also work as a Primal Paladin."

"Paladin..." The Durak squad looked like they suddenly understood.

"No wonder...no wonder..."

Lance ignored them, glanced at the panel, and then began to operate it.

[Consuming 100 experience points, you have learned a first-level spell – Command Duel!]

[Used 4000 experience points to level up to level 5!]

Congratulations on reaching Level 5 Arcane Mage!

You have acquired a new class feat: Arcane Contracts!

You have acquired a new class feat: Arcane Mastery!

Your panel has been updated!

Name: Lance

[Race: Half-elf]

[Faction: Chaotic Good]

[Class: Level 5 Arcane Mage]

Experience points: 0/5000

[Arc: 50/50]

[HP: 65/65]

--property--

【Strength: 15】

[Agility: 16]

[Physical Fitness: 16]

【Intelligence: 20】

【Perception: 18】

【Charm: 20】

——Specialty——

[Copy Scroll] [Spellcasting Material-Free] [Arcane Echo] [Quick Copy] [Projection Buster] [Circle of Death Spellcasting] [Arcane Pact] [Arcane Mastery]

—Spell—

[Zero-ring spells: Magic Trick, Fire Arrow, Tremor Shock, Preemptive Strike, Mana Burst, Tranquil Mist, Blade Burst, Aard Sign, Death Knell, Thunderclap...]

[First-level spells: Magic Missile, Mage Armor, Grease, Basic Dimensional Pocket, Invisibility, Slip Away from the Foot, Charm, Healing Mantra, Holy Slash, Featherfall, Forced Duel...]

[Second-Circle Spells: Giant Growth/Shrinking, Bear's Resilience, Bull's Strength, Intermediate Dimensional Pocket, Lesser Spirit Bomb, Skin Reversal, Mirror Image...]

Level 5 is a watershed moment for professionals, especially full spellcasters.

Starting from this level, Lance can learn third-circle spells.

Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Flight, Dispel Magic...

Even Graham, the Lord of Rield City who has entered the Exemplary Path, would not be his match.

This is the real value of being able to cast sixteen Fireballs in a row at level 5!

But arcane mages are certainly not limited to this.

Lance looked at his two newly acquired specializations.

Arcane Mastery: Your control over magical energy has reached a level of consummate skill.

When you cast any spell that deals damage based on a percentage of the caster's health, you can add your primary spellcasting attribute modifier as bonus damage to the spell's damage.

Arcane Contract: You have mastered the forbidden knowledge of binding the souls of others with magical contracts.

By entering into a contract with a willing intelligent being, you can share some of your arcane power with them.

The contract object's level cannot be higher than yours, and the number of them cannot exceed your own level.

After the contract is established, the contractor will receive a random level and permanent attribute increase.

The highest level a character can be raised to is one level lower than yours, and this attribute cannot exceed your corresponding attribute value as a result.

At the same time, the contractor can obtain some of the spells you currently possess and learn them as spell-like abilities.

Zero-ring spells can be cast freely. Currently, first-ring spells can be used three times a day, second-ring spells can be used twice a day, and third-ring spells can be used once a day.

After that, whenever the arcane mage's level increases, the contractor may gain new spells, attribute boosts, or level increases.

Additional effect – Sanctification: You can instantly kill a contractor with a single action, regardless of their location. Their body turns to ashes, and their soul is reclaimed by you.

Additionally, you will receive a certain amount of experience points based on the contractor's level, race, and other attributes.

He put the panel away and said to Dulak and the others, "Don't rush off yet, we still have things to do."

Sissa blinked: "What is it?"

"I bet it's a treasure hunt!" Logan exclaimed excitedly.

"A kobold of this size that has built up a lair over such a long period of time could not possibly be just some dilapidated remains that we have seen."

"Cough, of course,"

Logan added, "I just enjoy treasure hunting, I don't want a share. I didn't contribute much, and I don't have the nerve to ask for a share."

Durac scratched his head: "Lord Lance, those kobolds have mostly run away, do we still need to look for them?"

"Don't worry about those who ran away," Lance said.

Finding them wouldn't make much difference.

At Lance's current level, killing level 0 monsters no longer gives him any experience.

"But we still need to find the treasure." Lance nodded. "After all, the kobold race has a very interesting habit."

"They'll hide anything that's sparkly," Lance said. "Gold coins, silver coins, gems, magical items—anything that glitters, they can't resist bringing it to their nest."

Logan's eyes lit up: "So there really are a lot of treasures?"

"Find it first, then we'll talk about it."

The group returned to the cave where the Eye Demon was imprisoned.

The cave was very large, more than 30 meters in diameter and about 7 or 8 meters high. The ground was uneven, with gravel and traces of dried slime everywhere.

The iron chain that bound the beholder was still lying on the ground, each link as thick as an arm, covered with dense runes.

Lance walked over, squatted down, and took a look.

【Sealed Chains (Damaged)】

[Type: Magical Item]

[Quality: Tier 3]

[Effect: Specifically designed to seal away Eye Demon hordes; requires a caster of 5th Rank or higher to activate. Damaged.]

"What a pity," Lance shook his head. "If it were intact, it would be worth a lot of money."

"But we definitely can't let it go; let's see if we can fix it later."

Lance threw the chain into the dimensional pocket.

He stood up and, along with the others, began a thorough search of the cave.

"Lord Lance!"

Logan suddenly shouted; he had discovered something in a corner deep inside the cave.

Lance walked over, squatted down, and took a look.

There was a pile of rubble there, which looked no different from the surrounding area.

"Is there something?"

"right!"

Lance raised his hand.

[The Mage's Hand!]

An unseen force lifted the rubble, revealing a dark entrance beneath.

It's a downward passage.

"Wow!" Logan leaned closer. "There's a hidden compartment?"

"The kobolds dug the hole." Durak also ran over to take a look. "These little bastards are pretty good at digging holes."

The passage was so narrow that only one person could pass by bending over.

The passageway extended diagonally downwards for about twenty meters before suddenly opening up.

It is a naturally formed stone chamber, smaller than the one above, about ten meters in diameter.

In the center of the stone chamber, there was a small mountain.

Gold, silver, and bronze coins were mixed together, reflecting a golden light under Lance's [Dancing Light] spell.

There were several wooden crates nearby, some of which were rotten and cracked, revealing their contents.

There were silver goblets, bronze candlesticks, jewelry inlaid with gemstones, and some things that looked like magical items.