Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 76 First Spellcast

As night deepened and his body grew weary, Rean's spirits were strangely invigorated.

"Is there something wrong with this potion? Can you tell me what its ingredients are?" The potion, with its fishy and herbal smell, almost made Rean vomit.

"If you knew the ingredients, well, that's when the real problem starts!"

Okay, Rean didn't dare ask anymore.

He couldn't understand why Kuku was rushing him to start learning magic now (Kuku: While the "snake" buff is still active, hurry up and let him in).

It makes no difference whether you have one more day or one less day. Wouldn't it be more efficient to start studying when you're in better condition?
"Hey, was it successful?"

Rean had tried "Spell Focus" several times before, and had failed almost every time.

He was a little stunned when he succeeded on his first try and easily entered the spellcasting state.

Is the medicine that Kuku concocts, which tastes so awful, really that effective?
However, the unusually strong mental fluctuations led him to actually begin casting his first spell.

[Temporary Job Levels: Tier 1 Alchemist Master, Tier 1 Sage, Tier 1 Dragon Speaker (These temporary jobs will disappear after 11 days and 20 hours)]

Logically speaking, Rean, who has the rank of spellcaster, should have been able to cast spells long ago.

But as Kuku said, casting spells is a technical skill, and even with the help of heroic spirits, Rean cannot cast spells with precision.

"First, we need to build a spell model. Rocket, that's the one."

This time, Rean's target was the zero-ring Trick Rocket, whose standard destructive power was probably less than that of Rean's sword strike, and it was also the simplest fire spell.

For an ordinary mage, casting a spell is a simple matter of pointing a finger, but at this moment, Rean was covered in sweat, his hands flailing about, not daring to stop at all.

"I've broken down again, it's so hard to control."

The spell model collapsed before even a flame was generated.

Rean glanced at his own panel.

[Biotype Level: Primal Stone, Status: Strength 8, Physique 9, Agility 6, Spirit 8 (22)]

As the primary attribute of spellcasters, mental strength, used to convert and produce magic, is four points higher than that of Sur at his peak due to the possession of the heroic spirit Kuku. Considering the border benefits of attribute points, the actual difference in mental strength may be several times greater.

With such strong mental power, how come you can't even perform a simple magic trick?

But this is actually much better than before, when Rean couldn't even enter a spellcasting state.

Is it a problem with the release of magic (which has no attribute)?

The release of magic is a spellcaster's basic ability, which literally means converting mental energy into magic and then placing it outside the body.

This is the foundation of many extraordinary abilities. As a paladin, Rean has the ability to release magic (positive energy) and magic (radiance), while as a red dragonborn, he also has the ability to release magic (fire).

The former allows Rean to use healing spells (although he doesn't know them) and the Evil Slash, while the latter is various enchanted flames and fire breath.

The sacred flame halo that enabled him to achieve great feats was also formed by releasing dragon flames through magic.

Mages need pure magic power to create magic bit by bit, and what they need is to release magic power (without attributes).

Rean himself didn't have it, but all three magic-based classes he obtained from Kuku had this most basic ability.

He is now trying to mobilize his mental energy and convert it into pure magic to construct a "spell model".

This feeling is completely different from that of Paladins and Warlocks, whose spellcasting is so simple and automatic that it's like you just shout out a spell and it starts working on its own.

A mage, on the other hand, must meticulously control every drop of magic, creating their own spells from scratch.

"It looks so simple, just an 'arrow' and a 'fire elemental plane magic mark'. Why does it keep exploding on my hand?"

This is like a "bullet" about to be fired; Rean is shaping it, but it collapses on its own each time.

"Was it too much force, or was it a lack of control?" Rean compared the model and pattern in the book, then used magic to shape it, but he still failed every time he tried to draw it.

He was a little anxious, and his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Kuku.

Kuku clearly sensed it, but continued reading silently, showing no intention of offering any guidance.

Rean took a deep breath and gave up the idea of ​​asking for help.

He understands the principles, but some skills can only be learned through trial and error, like riding a bike or swimming. Once you learn how, you'll master them.

For now, we can only explore slowly. Invisible tentacles of mental energy coiled between his hands, trying to mold a complete spell model.

Rean could feel himself improving every moment, and he was indeed in good shape today.

However, he didn't know how many times he would have to fail before he could take another step forward; this uncertainty was the greatest test of his willpower.
"It's done!" After failing at least a hundred times, Rean finally took the first step.

Finally, after Kuku changed to another book, the colorless and transparent "arrow model" stabilized in Rean's hands. Despite being drenched in sweat, he didn't stop there; he began the next step in casting the spell.

"Infuse magic to bring the spell model to maturity."

"Boom!" This time, it exploded on his hand again.

Rean took a deep breath, not looking at anyone else, and tried to calm himself down.

Time and again, despite repeated failures, progress was indeed being made. After succeeding once, creating the spell model for the Fire Arrow seemed to become much simpler.

It usually takes two or three tries to succeed, then it explodes during the magic input phase.

Rean had begun to understand that the key point was not the strength of mental power, but rather its stability and precision.

The magic model is precise and stable; even the slightest flaw will cause it to explode immediately after magic is input.

"Tsk, it seems like they'll also be testing spatial imagination and spatial geometry."

The model became more and more complete and detailed, and finally, after being infused with magic, it remained stable.

Rean laughed. It might not be perfect, but it was complete and acceptable.

"Next, we will introduce the fire element."

Rean could easily ignite him with a single thought; the dragon flames released by his magic would guarantee their power. However, ordinary mage apprentices don't have this ability; they can't "breath fire" on their own.

Most basic fire spells are actually the product of "magic exchange," summoned from the elemental planes through "fire elemental plane magic marks."

At this moment, the magic arrow began to "color," gradually ignited by the fire elements attracted by the magic mark.
"Boom!"

This time, Rean was blown away!

"Cough cough." Rean coughed for a long time while lying on the ground before slowly sitting up.

It wasn't that he was injured; as a descendant of the Red Dragon Clan, his fire resistance was quite high, and this level of magical fire explosion wouldn't harm him. Rather,
"Isn't this power a bit off?" He was a little confused.

Rean chose the Flame Arrow as his first trick because he was of the Red Dragon race.

As far as he knew, the power of this trick was very subtle, very subtle.

"Idiot! You have the blood of a red dragon! You have a natural affinity for elements, and they (fire elementals) like you! You need to reduce the amount of magic you use to feed them! The fire elementals obtained by exchanging the standard amount of magic for a dragon will definitely overwhelm the spell model!"

Finally, Kuku spoke.

"Uh, how much should we reduce it by?"

This time, there was no answer, but Rean understood and decided to try it himself.

Seventy percent, sixty percent, fifty percent... roughly between forty and fifty percent, it has finally stabilized!
During this process, Rean's magical shaping skills also became more stable and proficient.

This time, between Rean's hands, there was a small, faintly visible flaming arrow.

Next, use hand gestures to guide the spell (the incantation was already used in the shaping stage; the spell for magic is extremely short) to direct it toward the target. This shouldn't be too difficult.
"boom!"

Rean smashed the teacup on the table, while Kuku closed his book.

"Great! Faster than expected! At least ten times! I thought you would."

Rean smiled. He was actually aiming at the cheap pencil drawing on the wall.

He secretly resolved to practice his accuracy whenever he had time, since there were no teammates who could escape unscathed in reality.

It was probably three or four in the morning, but Rean was very excited about his first successful spell.

He had mastered zero-level spells so easily; did he have exceptional talent? He had heard that mage teachers would judge an apprentice's potential based on how quickly they mastered low-level spells.

"Below average. Under normal circumstances, someone with this level will never become a Grand Mage." Kuku's teaching method is exceptionally cold and realistic.

“The magic tricks aren’t difficult. A normal apprentice would take about the same amount of time as you, but you actually have my professional assistance. Other apprentices have to practice the most difficult magic release.” Rean’s dream of becoming a genius mage was shattered!

In fact, Kuku held back a bit, as Rean currently has the mental strength of an archmage and the "snake" buff.

Magic tricks are not even considered formal magic; even street bards and thieves can master some of them.

Rean's talent for spellcasting as a mage should be considered inferior.

"Snap." Kuku closed the book with a calm expression; he had actually known this would be the outcome all along.

Li Ensu was never a magic-casting genius, and his adaptability to most professions was below average. But what ultimately determines how far a person can go is not just talent.

Even if it's bad, is it worse than the dog-headed man Kuku, whose intelligence is lower than that of an average person?
"With your talent, if you go to the mage tower, they'll make you an apprentice for six months and then send you away. I can get you to the level of a 'mage genius,' it just depends on whether you're willing to pay the price." Perhaps, this is the reason why Kuku was summoned.

(End of this chapter)