Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 329 The Price of Kindness

In the world of the extraordinary, is strength more important, or skill?
"Why not have both? It's impossible." Although having everything is obviously the best approach, time and energy are limited, and sometimes trade-offs must be made.

The debate between the "brute force faction" and the "watch me do some fancy tricks" is endless, but Rean is a pragmatist who uses whatever is available and whatever works.

Rean originally thought that spellcasting was a kind of "mathematics" and that there was often an optimal choice.

Yes is yes, and no is no, but now it seems I was just being superficial.
“If you only look at a spell model, the one with the greatest power and lowest cost is the most cost-effective and may be the so-called optimal choice. But in reality, the foundation of many practical and advanced techniques is those ‘errors’ and ‘outdated things’.”

Rean thought that the Fireball spell, which had been optimized by countless predecessors, had reached its limit. Both its mana consumption and damage range were optimal. But now it seems that optimal may also mean mediocrity, and means losing higher-level potential.

"They call our school of thought the Star-Burning School. But I think it should be the Star-Shaping School. No, I don't mean we want to create fireballs like stars. One of our paths is to 'compress' and 'fuse' the fire element to make it infinitely close to the essence of stars."

The mentor system is actually a branch of the elven school. Elegant elven archmages like to carry several elemental orbs on their heads when they go out, whether they are fire, ice, or lightning.

This is a technique for training magic control ability, and it is also a requirement for instant spellcasting in actual combat. However, it is difficult for beastman spellcasters to do this because it requires a continuous and stable output of mental energy. It may take more than ten or even decades to master it.

The shorter lifespan of half-elves compared to elves makes them more inclined to "explosive power." Within this system, they have conducted in-depth research on "magic sphere fusion," which aligns with the general principles of "scientific" research.

The more you specialize, the more specialized you tend to become, leading to even more sub-disciplines within those specializations.

The more detailed the research, the harder it is to make progress, but the results are also amazing.

"Our system has a history of about 1,500 years. Most of the archmages are half-elves or elves, which requires a high level of elemental affinity and magic control. But I think you should be able to learn it."

The most basic training involves keeping the flame in the palm of your hand as a "fireball," neither exploding nor extinguishing.
"Well, if we only look at the spell's power, it might only have a higher mana cost, lower burst damage, and smaller damage range than a level 2.5 spell."

Rean was confident he could learn it, and he was surprised to find that the system suited him very well.

"The most difficult part is actually multitasking to maintain several fireballs."

Once the fireball is released, there is no need for spellcasting concentration (mental energy maintenance); it ends as soon as it is thrown.

However, since the Fireball involves the fusion of spells, it is natural to maintain the focus of the spellcaster, keep the fireball floating in mid-air, and maintain a stable state so that the two sides do not explode upon contact. At the very least, maintain the focus of the spellcasters.

This is why the mentor tested Rean's abilities in this area; it is the core competency of this system.

If you can't draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other, this path is destined to fail, so let's not waste everyone's time.

"Energy shaping systems actually require multitasking abilities. You need to simultaneously maintain the summoning, conversion, compression, and fusion of energy; single-threaded operation is simply not enough."

The further Rean walked the path of a mage, the more he understood the hardships of this path. It seemed that so-called "mortals" really couldn't make it, as there were too many demanding requirements for talent.

"Your talent is a bit beyond expectations. Are you really just an ordinary 'orc'?"

The half-elf, seemingly referring to something, looked at Rean's round ears and said with a smile, while Rean smiled in response without saying a word.

Rean guessed that his mentor had actually seen through it all long ago, but just didn't say it.

As long as it's not said outright, I, Rean Sudar, am a pseudo-dragon evolutionary, not a dragonborn!
Given the number of dragons in the Prime Material Plane, the Dragonborn, though few and rare, are not extinct. However, the basic characteristics of the Dragonborn are actually high resistance to the corresponding attributes and increased spell damage.

Rean's ability to multitask was clearly beyond expectations. Looking at the two orbs of light (a ring of illumination) that Rean summoned in his hands, Alcaster nodded in satisfaction.

This is a spell that requires focused concentration to maintain. If its stability can be maintained, then maintaining two "fireballs" should not be difficult.
"Let me give you a practice method first."

Uh, isn't the lowest level spell Fireball? Even if the analysis of Fireball isn't far off now, it will still take some time.

"Use this; it has a first-level spell called 'Fireball' attached to it, making it a member of our spell system."

Alcaster took out a bracelet with a first-circle spell called "Fireball" attached to it, and at the same time, he tossed a scroll to Rean.

"You should be able to finish this quickly. Fireballs can also be stacked and fused. If you can fuse three or more, you can achieve the power of a three-ring fireball."

Upon hearing this, Rean was overjoyed. Didn't this mean that he would soon become a mage who could wield the "fireball"?
This first-level spell is quite simple. Many of its models are the magic missiles that Rean learned, but the details have been revised and the spell power to summon fire elements has been added.

Rean held the bracelet and activated the power within the spell. Even at its maximum, it could probably only be used three or four times.

"Its effectiveness in actual combat is mediocre. It lacks the numerical advantage of magic missiles, as well as their stable trajectory, speed, and accuracy."

However, as an "energy storage weapon," it is still a valuable and practical item, easily fetching several thousand gold coins.

In the hands of the Grand Master, however, it was merely a teaching tool, a small gift given casually.
"Boom!"

Rean casually summoned two "fireballs," which then exploded into sparks in his hand.

It seems that even with a "backdoor," it's not that easy to combine two flammable and explosive elements; it still requires ingenious operation and design.

The archmage casually tossed Rean a notebook, containing the learning notes of his "senior brothers," which should accelerate his learning process.

Rean accepted it with a smile. He had only intended to find a "question and answer machine," but he unexpectedly received this kindness and inheritance, which was naturally a good thing. Under normal circumstances, a "true inheritance" would probably take several years or even more than ten years of testing before you could start. This one started right away from the beginning, thanks to the subtle "transactional relationship" between the two parties.

Compared to the continuation of races and ethnic groups, what do these few magical mysteries matter?

Moreover, Rean's talent is truly remarkable. Not only is he good at multitasking, but the advantages of his red dragon bloodline in fire magic are self-evident.

It's hard to say whether fire resistance or the amplification of fire spell effects is more important for fire mages who excel at self-destruction, and red dragons are at the top of the continent in this regard.

The biggest problem with the Red Dragon is that it is impulsive and prone to outbursts of rage, and its use of magic relies too much on instinct and is crude.

The red dragon bloodline excels at warlocks, but its volatile nature is not suitable for Rean, a mage who can multitask. It is clear that Rean has overcome this weakness.

"In this way, I should be able to gain the attack power of a third-circle spell very soon." For Rean, this was probably the biggest benefit.

Even though the power of his "Furnace Fire" has exceeded the third tier, casting spells with the abilities of a "Warlock" is a completely different matter from that of a Mage. This ability to have complete control over the spells makes him very satisfied.

"Oh, I have some nephews and nieces here who also want to make a living here." Of course, this kindness doesn't come without a price.

"Uh, I do need some teammates, it would be great if you could introduce me to some." This was the expected attempt to "win him over," and Rean certainly wouldn't refuse.

However, if the non-human tribes keep infiltrating, what if, in the end, the beastman kingdom's squads don't have a single beastman among them?
(End of this chapter)