Chapter Twenty-Four: Isn't It Reasonable for a Mage Like Me to Learn Healing Spells?

“Ding, you have slain a Gobi Patroller and gained 39 experience points.”

“……”

“Ding, you have slain a Gobi Patroller and gained 12 contribution points.”

“……”

“Ding, you have slain a Gobi Patroller and obtained a skill book: Basic Healing (E).”

The monsters here awarded roughly the same amount of experience as those in the Frozen Rift, but the efficiency of farming them was much higher. Not only that, the gatekeeping creatures offered Yi Shen yet another pleasant surprise—a true stroke of luck. From three small monsters, he acquired a skill for Basic Healing!

Basic Healing was a priest’s skill, granting the ability to heal allies. Yi Shen had previously acquired a priest’s job change certificate. If he sold them together later, perhaps he could even negotiate a premium.

However, as he read the skill book’s description, his pupils contracted slightly.

“Hm?”

[Basic Healing (E): Consumes 50 mana, unleashes a spell of holy light, restoring 80 health points to a friendly target. Skill cooldown: 3 seconds. Class restriction: Priest. Status: Learnable.]

The skill book’s properties were somewhat peculiar. According to the description, it was strictly for priests; in Yi Shen’s understanding, only priests could use healing skills, while other classes might have some incidental healing effects embedded in their abilities, but nothing like this.

Yet, as Yi Shen examined it, he noticed that the skill book, despite its class restriction, was still in a learnable state.

[Ding, you have learned Basic Healing (E).]

Yi Shen tried clicking the learn button, and was surprised to find he successfully acquired the skill. When he opened his own panel, sure enough, Basic Healing was listed among his skills.

Yi Shen: “……?”

His first reaction was that something was amiss.

If a mage could truly use Healing, surely someone would have mentioned it on the forums. A mobile artillery piece capable of healing itself would be a force to be reckoned with.

But now he undeniably possessed the skill.

He even tried casting it on himself.

After a brief casting time, a warm current flowed through his body, granting some recovery.

That meant, as a mage, he had actually learned the priest’s healing skill!

“So? Is this an effect hidden within Mage’s Heart?”

Yi Shen pondered as he examined his system panel.

Given the situation, he could only surmise that Healing was considered a spell, thus falling within the mage’s domain. Or perhaps, although his class was called “Mage,” it differed from those formed via job change certificates.

He speculated that he was a naturally gifted mage, born with Mage’s Heart—a true mage. Those who acquired the class through certificates were merely “pseudo-mages,” shaped by the system’s data.

Setting aside these conjectures, the reality was that he had learned the skill.

Since it was no detriment, Yi Shen decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he looked forward to discovering whether he could learn other priest skills, or even abilities from other classes.

If all were attainable, his profession would not be limited to mage; he could become a versatile combatant—ranged, melee, healer, even a tank!

The three wind elementals before him faded as their duration ended, shattering Yi Shen’s hopes.

He waved his hand and summoned three new ones, heading deeper into the hills, noticeably more spirited than when he first entered.

Now, his objectives were not just experience and contribution points, but also more valuable skill books and better equipment.

As long as his strength grew, those outside who eyed him with hostility would soon find themselves irrelevant!

……

The entire South Creek Gobi secret realm was divided into five sections.

The first two were home to patrollers and laborers, while the last three belonged to managers and high-ranking kobolds.

There were plenty of minions, though no elite monsters. In the managerial zones, each area contained a realm elite, capable of dropping valuable loot.

In this realm, one had to advance cautiously, and even avoid being noticed by the kobolds.

Otherwise, a careless step could draw a horde of kobolds and plunge one into grave danger.

Just like Yi Shen now.

With a single misstep, he had attracted a dozen or so kobolds, placing himself in a perilous situation.

Yi Shen positioned himself at the top of a hill, targeting every kobold with a Flame Bomb. Thanks to multiple casting, each spell could hit five targets at once. As the kobolds climbed, Yi Shen unleashed Arcane Shock for damage.

At this moment, his output was still a bit lacking, but he quickly cast an acceleration skill on himself and dashed toward another hillside.

The Flame Bombs began to explode, damage numbers appearing in succession.

The kobolds occasionally managed to hit Yi Shen with ranged throwing skills.

Previously, Yi Shen would have dodged, but now, armed with Healing, he could tank the hits and save time.

When all the kobolds finally fell, Yi Shen had amassed nearly five hundred experience points—an impressive efficiency.

Yi Shen was now level 15, needing 5,000 experience to level up. With each wave granting 500 points, just ten waves would suffice for solo leveling.

If a ten-person team came here, clearing all monsters would net each member only five experience points. In terms of both efficiency and safety, they couldn’t compare to Yi Shen.

Solo farming yielded at least ten or twenty times the rewards of teaming up!

……

[Ding, you have enough experience. Your level has risen to 16, and your attributes have been enhanced.]

[Strength +11, Agility +12, Intelligence +18, Endurance +12, Spirit +14]

……

Yi Shen quickly reached level 16, and after clearing a dozen waves, he was already halfway to level 17.

By now, most of the monsters in the first half had been wiped out, leaving only a few stragglers. In the kobold dwellings, many chests could be found.

These chests contained sundries, a source of income for other explorers, but Yi Shen disliked the difficulty of finding them and the unpleasant smell in the kobold lairs, so he chose to abandon them and head toward the managerial section!