Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Lance hovered hundreds of meters in the air, opened the spell list with one hand, and his consciousness sank into the pale blue light screen.

A list of third-circle spells unfolded before his eyes.

His gaze swept across the list, finally landing on an icon of a pulsating electric arc.

Lightning Bolt

[Consuming 300 experience points, you have learned the third-level spell – Lightning Bolt!]

[Lightning Beam: A 100-meter-long, 5-meter-wide linear bolt of lightning shoots from your fingertip in the designated direction.]

Every creature within the linear area must make a Dexterity saving throw. A failed saving throw results in 32 points of lightning damage, while a successful saving throw halves the damage.

Lightning can ignite flammable objects that are not covered or carried in the area.

Lance nodded in satisfaction.

With Fireball for area-of-effect damage, Lightning Bolt for linear penetration, Lesser Spirit Bomb for single-target burst damage, and Blink and Flight for survival—he is now a qualified elite-level mage.

With 1120 experience points remaining, he continued browsing.

[Consuming 300 experience points, you have learned the third-level spell – Haste!]

[Acceleration: Touch up to three willing creatures, granting them the following benefits for the next minute: double speed; advantage on attack rolls; advantage on dexterity saving throws.]

A powerful support skill, definitely worth learning.

[Consuming 300 experience points, you have learned the third-level spell - Dispel Magic!]

[Dispelling Magic: You can use it to handle the following three situations:]

1. Remove spell effects from a creature.

Target a creature and attempt to terminate a spell effect on it. You need to make an attribute check on each spell you want to dispel.

The check formula is d20 + your spell critical attribute modifier, with difficulty (DC) of 10 + the spell's spell level. If the check result is greater than or equal to DC, the spell's effect terminates on the target.

2. Remove spell effects from items.

You can aim at a magical item (such as a sword enhanced by an "Enchanted Weapon") and try to suppress its magical abilities. If successful, the item's magical effects will be suppressed for 1 minute, but the item will not be destroyed.

3. Counterspells.

When an enemy casts a spell within your casting range, you can use a reaction to cast a dispel spell. If the enemy's spell order is lower than your dispel spell's, the cast will fail automatically; if it is equal to or higher, an attribute check will be performed (rules as above).

This is the core spell for countering spellcasters, second only to [Spell Counter], making it both loved and hated by mages.

There's a saying that goes something like this—the most restrained mage class is always the mage.

[Consuming 300 experience points, you have learned the third-level spell – Protection against energy damage!]

[Protection from Energy Damage: Touching a willing creature grants it resistance to one energy type (acid, freezing, fire, lightning, or thunder) for the next hour. Only one energy type can be selected per cast.]

You might encounter any kind of magic on the battlefield, so it's always good to be prepared.

220 experience points remain.

Lance closed the panel.

He really has everything he needs now!

"Master, your smile is so strange~" Little Black poked its head out from his arms, its green eyes full of curiosity.

"It's nothing," Lance said, rubbing its head. "It's time to walk now."

He descended and landed in a secluded ravine.

The arc was below forty, which made Lance feel very insecure.

There are 32 Arcane Points remaining. Arcane Echoes restores 5 Points per hour, so it will be fully restored in four hours.

It's good to wait until it gets dark.

Anyway, you can't do that kind of thing openly during the day; you have to do it secretly at night.

……

Arc: 50/50.

The sun was already setting in the west.

[Third Ring Spell - Flight!]

A pale blue light fell upon him, and Lance picked up Little Black and took to the air again.

He flew below the clouds, the wind whistling past his ears at a speed of thirty meters per second.

After flying for about half an hour, Lance noticed something unusual in his field of vision.

Below lay a rolling hilly area, sparsely covered with low shrubs. On the gentle slope between two ridges, he spotted something unusual—

A dark mass stood out starkly against the gray-brown earth.

are people.

To be precise, it should be the military.

Lance immediately increased his altitude while casting a spell.

[First-level spell - Invisibility!]

The magical power instantly enveloped him and the black cat in his arms. His figure vanished into thin air.

While in stealth mode, Lance slowly descended.

Below is a cavalry unit.

There were about three thousand men, and their horses were unsaddled and scattered on the gentle slope to graze. The soldiers sat in twos and threes on the ground; some were eating dry rations, some were dozing off against their horses, and some were talking in huddle together.

There were no tents or campfires, so it was clearly a temporary rest stop.

Lance circled in the air, observing carefully.

These cavalrymen were well-equipped—uniform dark gray leather armor, standard scimitars hanging beside their saddles, and many horses also had bows and quivers strapped to their backs. Their warhorses were also carefully selected, robust and with uniform coats.

Most importantly, their flag—

A black background with a black eagle spreading its wings.

That was the symbol of the Sassanid kingdom.

Lance's eyes lit up.

"It really is them."

"Three thousand cavalry... that should be the vanguard."

He continued to observe, trying to identify the strongest members of the team.

Soon, he spotted a small group of people in the middle of the line.

There were a dozen or so men sitting around a large rock, clearly keeping their distance from the other cavalry. They were also better equipped—some wore half-plate armor, others wore dark cloaks.

The one in the very middle is an extremely burly and robust man.

Even sitting down, he was half a head taller than the person next to him. With a face full of fierce features and a menacing gaze, he sat there with his arms crossed, exuding a subtle sense of oppression.

The canonical stage.

Lance wanted to get closer and observe more carefully.

To ensure insurance,

[Upgraded Ring Casting - Mage Armor!]

[Upgraded Ring Casting - Invisibility!]

Lance upgraded the [Mage Armor] (originally only first-level) and [Invisibility] (originally only second-level) to third-level. Surely he can't be detected now? And even if he is detected, the shield can't just shatter instantly, right?

Lance drifted over slowly, narrowed his eyes, and the information appeared:

[Target: Redmond Bloodaxe]

Race: Human

[Class: Warrior]

[Level: 11]

"Exemplary Rank, Level 11 Warrior."

"As expected of a vanguard force composed entirely of cavalry, they certainly have a master commander in command."

He continued to scan the others—two level 8 warriors, who seemed to be his adjutants.

A level 7 wanderer.

However, there were no mages.

The remaining soldiers were ordinary cavalry, but they were full of energy and spirit; they were all veterans at least level 2.

Among these three thousand people, the proportion of professionals is probably not low.

Lance silently observed for a few minutes while remaining invisible, memorizing all the information he could.