Chapter 176: Turtle Shell and Spoils

As Viola battled the fourth-level molten giant general, her peripheral vision caught Jie Ming being engulfed by a barrage of concentrated attacks, her heart tightening.

She even noticed a few low-level combat wizards caught in the shockwave hastily retreating, fearing being implicated by Jie Ming’s “self-destruct truck” behavior.

But soon, Viola sensed something unusual, her worried expression turning to astonishment.

The molten giants on the battlefield still writhed in agony, meaning Jie Ming’s high-frequency sonic waves hadn’t stopped.

“How could he still be alive?!” another wizard exclaimed in shock, noticing the same.

As the smoke in the air cleared, Jie Ming’s figure slowly emerged. Only then did everyone see that he was enveloped in an energy shield.

Though the shield flickered unsteadily, Jie Ming himself was unscathed, without a single injury.

Seeing him, the wizards’ shock surpassed even that of the molten giants.

They could clearly sense that Jie Ming’s shield was merely a first-level energy shield. Even with a few additional protective spells layered around him, how could three or four first-level spells withstand such an onslaught?!

Before the wizards could ponder the logic, the molten giants, seeing their attacks fail, launched another barrage without hesitation.

Yet amidst the sky of firelight and stone spikes, the glowing shields around Jie Ming never ceased!

On his right wrist, unnoticed until now, was a bracelet embedded with protective rune artifacts.

Whenever an attack neared, the runes at the base of the artifacts flashed rapidly, conjuring visible protective spells—elemental shields, force barriers, or atmospheric distortions—layering one after another to block everything!

Each shield lasted only briefly, shattering after enduring dozens of molten projectiles.

But the protective rune artifacts on Jie Ming’s right wrist conjured new shields faster than the old ones broke!

As one shield shattered, another materialized instantly, seamless and continuous, their radiant glow unbroken.

Jie Ming floated in midair, engulfed by the storm of molten projectiles and stone spikes, yet his figure stood unmoved, enduring the damage like a steadfast reef.

“This kid… has some tricks up his sleeve.”

Viola’s worry transformed into unparalleled delight and amazement. She had never seen a wizard fight in such an outrageous manner!

Now assured of Jie Ming’s safety, she refocused, unleashing her full power to keep the fourth-level molten giant pinned down.

Not just Viola, but the other second-level wizards tangling with the third-level molten giants also intensified their efforts, fully occupying their opponents to prevent them from joining the assault on Jie Ming.

The wizards saw clearly that Jie Ming’s contribution far outstripped that of any other low-level wizard.

With him suppressing the enemy, victory was only a matter of time, so they couldn’t let molten giants above a certain strength interfere with him.

Jie Ming, facing the relentless barrage, showed no intent to dodge.

He abandoned mobility entirely, standing firm in the sky, drawing the hatred of every molten giant on the field.

While continuously unleashing wide-range high-frequency sonic waves to suppress the enemy for the other wizards, he also attracted nearly all the molten giants’ firepower, guiding their attacks to himself, the “punching bag.”

With Jie Ming suppressing and drawing most of the fire, the other wizards felt their pressure ease significantly!

Under the wide-range sonic suppression, the second- and first-level molten giants moved sluggishly, their defenses rigid, practically “sitting ducks.”

The combat wizards seized the opportunity, unleashing torrents of witchcraft with soaring efficiency, swiftly clearing the enemies restrained by Jie Ming!

In just over ten minutes, this massive molten giant remnant force was utterly crushed under Jie Ming’s support and fire-drawing.

Aside from the fourth-level molten giant general still locked in combat with Viola and a few giants who fled decisively, the remaining thousands of molten giants were either killed or captured by the wizards.

When the dust settled, Viola, having depleted most of her mental energy, finally subdued and suppressed the heavily wounded fourth-level molten giant general.

But after the battle, the wizards’ first glances weren’t toward Viola. Their eyes instinctively fixed on the figure still quietly floating in midair.

Jie Ming, surrounded by faint, flickering rune shield glows amidst the lingering dust and elemental aftershocks.

They saw him raise his wrist, the light of the protective rune artifacts finally dimming, no longer flashing frequently.

No longer enveloped in spell radiance, Jie Ming looked somewhat fatigued, but his eyes sparkled with excitement.

All the wizards’ gazes toward Jie Ming were filled with incredulous shock!

Though Jie Ming hadn’t killed or captured many molten giants himself, every wizard knew who the greatest contributor to this battle was.

Their eyes conveyed pure awe and reverence for his strength.

The embers of battle hadn’t fully faded, the scorched stench still lingering in the air, but the wizard squad’s atmosphere shifted from tense slaughter to relaxed victory.

Viola retracted her arcane radiance and lightly landed beside Jie Ming.

She raised her hand, a trace of rune lightning lingering, and gave a firm pat on the shoulder of Jie Ming’s robe, which, protected by shields, bore no real damage.

The force was unexpectedly strong, reflecting her inner shock and admiration.

“Jie Ming, you really… surprised me,” Viola said, her voice tinged with an awe she hadn’t noticed herself, her gaze complex as if seeing her junior for the first time.

“To pull this off, it won’t be long before I can’t lead you anymore…”

Jie Ming gave a slight smile, shaking his head, his fatigue vanishing: “All thanks to studying the molten giants a bit more. Glad it came in handy.”

Viola’s eyes shone with even greater appreciation. She patted his shoulder again, signaling the upcoming spoils tally: “No matter what, your performance today earned you plenty of merits. Now, it’s time to divide the spoils. We’ll talk more back at camp.”

The wizard world’s strict rationality and order ensured that even something as contentious as spoils distribution was managed through a rigorous system.

The magic network terminal Jie Ming received upon enlisting wasn’t just for receiving orders or contacting allies; it was also an authoritative system that automatically recorded each wizard’s contributions.

The strength of spells used, number and level of enemies killed, support effects, and even the value of captured prisoners were all recognized by the magic network and converted into “merits.”

Spoils were divided based on these contribution records.

“The fourth-level molten giant general and the few third-level giants naturally go to Master Viola and the assisting second-level wizards,” a second-level wizard responsible for tallying the results reported respectfully to Viola.

These high-tier captives and corpses, even as raw materials, were valuable resources, especially given the molten giants’ unique properties, making them coveted biological materials for any wizard.

The allocation of third- and fourth-level giants was straightforward, but what concerned them most was the distribution of the vast number of second- and first-level molten giants.

These live captives and intact corpses were the most valuable currency on the battlefield for low-level wizards.

“Jie Ming’s contributions stand out. Based on merit, he should receive the majority of the second-level and some first-level molten giants,” Viola declared without hesitation.

Her words sparked slight reluctance among the low-level wizards, but their faces showed no dissent.

After all, Jie Ming’s contributions were undeniable—his near-miraculous “human fortress” support justified a far greater share than usual.

More importantly, it was clear to all that he shared a close relationship with Viola, a third-level wizard with a strong background in Noren Academy. No one dared to covet Jie Ming’s merits and invite trouble.

Thus, Jie Ming smoothly claimed the largest share of the spoils, including the best-conditioned dozen second-level molten giant captives and a heap of first-level giant corpses for his continued research.

After Jie Ming stored his spoils in his spatial expansion bag, he noticed that the remaining second- and first-level captives and corpses sparked lengthy disputes among the other wizards.

“I killed a second-level molten giant; my battlefield contribution should be about 5% higher than his,” a first-level wizard argued.

“But I suppressed dozens of first-level giants on the other flank. My support contribution should translate to a larger share of captives!” a second-level wizard countered. “My spell consumption was far greater than yours!”

“Nonsense! Your support was nothing! If I hadn’t held the front, you think you’d have cast a second spell?!”

Though no physical fights broke out, their sharp words and veiled sparks in their eyes revealed their true emotions.

The dispute, starting with merits and spoils calculations, soon devolved into questioning and criticizing each other’s battlefield performance, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense and rigid.