A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 122 Even Small Things Are Cute

Failed? Rorschach was somewhat taken aback.

He released it again, and although it was the same as before, this time Rorschach focused on sensing the changes in the ether around him. It was noise; it seemed that only the core first step, "Magic Control," and the random "Frequency Vibration" were effective.

Is this a conflict between "dissociation" and random vibration? Rorschach thought for a moment, then manipulated the panel, trying to place them on rings of different levels. Still no luck. Rorschach could feel dissociation and etheric vibrations occurring one after another, but they weren't emitted in the form of projectiles.

Why didn't it work? Rorschach changed "projectile" to "ray". With a "biu", an invisible surge of restless ether shot out from his fingertips and hit the training target, but the target was completely unharmed.

In other words, the "rays" worked, but the "dissociation" didn't. Rorschach quickly came up with a way to verify whether the ordered flow of ether could be disrupted:

He cast the [Featherfall] spell on the experimental target, and then in [Arcane Vision], there was a constantly dissipating magical aura floating around the target. If the random "Frequency Vibration" also took effect, then the [Featherfall] spell attached to the target should be removed.

Rorschach then experimented again, in which the aura was struck by a violently vibrating and changing point of light in his vision, and then rapidly collapsed centered on the point of impact.

So it works, but interestingly, even though Rorschach used a "ray" form, in arcane vision the "clutter" form is a flickering and changing light spot, more like it is being transmitted through an ether ray.

Rorschach was able to confirm that the random etheric tremors currently did not interfere with the "rays," but did interfere with "dissociation" and "projectiles."

He changed his approach. His so-called "random" etheric noise still couldn't achieve the effect of oscillating crystal release, nor could it strongly interfere with and suppress the caster. So he decided to try a different method.

Rorschach's current magical control ability is limited, meaning there's a limit to the environmental ether he can manipulate. Therefore, under a certain output power, he should create oscillations with the highest possible frequency to concentrate the impact power, while avoiding the spellcasting frequency bands corresponding to other attributes, in order to achieve the desired effect.

Adjusting the oscillation frequency of ether is completely unimaginable to those without spellcasting experience, but for a mage, it's like a singer performing a song, except this time it might require "dolphin voice," which not everyone can do.

Fortunately, his "Magic Control" is at the orange proficiency level, and in terms of skill alone, he might be considered the Vitas among spellcasters.

The experiment was repeated, and this time, as Rorschach had predicted, the target was first instantly dispelled by the enchantment of [Featherfall], and then the target shattered around the point of impact, with the fragments becoming smaller the closer they were to the point of impact.

Success! Although it was a ray, both effects seemed to be emitted forward in the form of light points within the "ether pillar" controlled by Rorschach. The ray he constructed was more like a conduit or a string, transmitting and conducting the spell, which would then explode upon contact with the target and loss of restraint.

Since "dissociation" and "frequency vibration" are no longer in conflict, can they be placed in a ring? Rorschach tried to restore the four-ring structure of core-"dissociation"-"vibration"-"ray" to three layers, and then in the experiment he clearly perceived that the emission speed of the "light spots" in the rays had increased.

It seems that the distance between the character and the spell's starting "Magic Control" in the panel affects the magic allocation of the attribute.

They placed the "ray" on the second layer as well. It failed, as expected! It's not always true that the closer the better!

Finally, he tried replacing the "ray" with a "missile," but the result was unsatisfactory. It seemed that the energy was dispersed. On the one hand, the magical aura of the [Feather Fall] first experienced fluctuations before collapsing, which was slower than the ray. On the other hand, the effect of "dissociation" was also very weak, only shattering the surface of the new target.

It seems a ray is the right form. Rorschach looked at the panel; the final spell was named "Rorschach's Minor Disintegration Spell," with the note: "Due to the young caster's insufficient output power, the effect on magic and physical entities is only mediocre." But that's alright; small is cute, and it might come in handy at a crucial moment.

I shouldn't have read the annotations! Also, Rorschach removed the word "small" from the name; it's not small, it just has a promising future!

The boy then adjusted the ratio of magic power allocated to vibration and decomposition, and finally succeeded in completely blasting the target imbued with the [Feather Fall] spell into fragments.

However, Rorschach could roughly deduce that if the etheric movement of the enchanted item was more orderly, such as if it had been enchanted with multiple spells or given specialized protective spells, his current level of "etheric tremor" should be unable to interfere with or break through it.

Similarly, this vibration might slightly interfere with the spellcaster's chanting and charging, but the optimal state is clearly that the "magic explosion" generated by the oscillating quartz after charging completely shields and suppresses the spellcasting process.

However, Rorschach had other plans—a large portion of his spells were based on "magic drive" or "magic control," since no mage could cast all magic using only their own ether.

If he could apply targeted interference to the step of driving the external ether, then he could achieve [Anti-Magic Scream] without relying on oscillating quartz, which would be effective against many spells.

When Luo Xia came out of the practice room, he was even more dizzy and disoriented. He wanted to go back to his dormitory and take a nap, but he was stopped by Tarling. It turned out that Poincaré was looking for him.

"This is a pre-designed magic circle, but you should be able to make it yourself now." After auditing the course for a month, Rorschach still asked Professor Poincaré questions, from the very basics to the cutting edge of magic circle design. The professor was well aware of Rorschach's current level.

"If you encounter any further difficulties, you can continue to consult me, but for simple questions, ask your own mentor first."

"Thank you so much!" But Luo Xia only said thank you verbally. He offered to treat the professor to dinner, but the offer was declined. As for the paper, he would talk about it later. Luo Xia felt that it was still a long way from practical application.

"Don't say that. The elven totem you brought is very interesting. It has benefited both me and my student greatly." The professor handed the manuscript that he and his student had copied to Rorschach: "You have talent. Don't waste it like someone else on alcohol, cards, and social gatherings."

"." Rorschach didn't know how to respond to that.

"However, Master Kano has coordinated many relationships between our Star Tower and the guilds, the kingdom, and even the church. These past few years have been the best time for the research environment of the magic tower. Your mentor has made great contributions, and it is only right that he becomes the chief."

My mentor is still in good health; there's no need for you to give your final verdict, is there? Rorschach resigned from Poincaré's office.

The next day, at the research building, Rorschach went to the research lab to find Cano.

"Aaaaah, haha!" Cano couldn't help but sneeze in front of Rorschach.

Even a high-ranking monk can sneeze: "Do you have a cold?"

"No, if I catch a cold, I can just go to the Alchemy Department for medicine or have a spell cast. I don't know why, but I get like this every spring, and I see quite a few people have this problem."

It's very likely pollen allergy. Is there any cure, no magic cure, that can help? First, pollen is everywhere in the air this season; the greenery around the research building and Stella's Garden at the entrance to the Tower of Stars are full of allergens. Second, strictly speaking, allergies aren't even a disease; they're just an overreaction of the immune system.

"You can wear a mask."

Clearly, Kano had confused the mask with the face shield Rorschach had mentioned. "I'd rather wear an 'air filter bubble' than wear the plague doctor's beak," the archmage said. A burst of light enveloped his head, and when the light faded, it was impossible to tell whether the "air bubble" was there or not.

"This is my initial design draft. Who should I contact if I want to order a custom-made one? Should I contact the workshop myself?" Rorschach decided to first make a brass cylinder, flatten it, engrave his magic circle on the inside, and then surround it, welding it with [Melting Ray]. He should still remember the skills he learned during his metalworking internship.

"Don't rush, the funding won't be approved until the thesis proposal is approved. The High Master of Valuwana is already preparing to open a preparatory class. You might be going there later this month to teach basic alchemy. Have you chosen the textbooks yet? Let me see them first; they can't contain anything related to magic."

Holy crap! Rorschach, who hadn't sworn in the original world for ages, had completely forgotten about it for the past month.

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This cold is worse than the last one (even though it's only been a week, where are the antibodies I was promised?) (TT)

(End of this chapter)