A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 180 Rorschach's Special Teaching

The mage tower had guest rooms and a storeroom for basic alchemy materials, so Rorschach naturally settled in. He spent the day preparing the scroll for the [Resurrection] spell.

The goal is to first teach Bart the standard version of the spell, and then try to teach him to add a "mapping" effect to the spell's original form, so that he can impose his will on the spell's target.

This technique was first demonstrated to others at a family dinner in Granollers, where Rorschach altered the color of the flowers. Accelerating vine growth is also the result of a combination of "activation" and "mapping"; Rorschach had a general memory of the plants before the fire and, during the regrowth process, tried to recreate their original appearance as much as possible.

If I understand the human body well enough to activate cells, could I further enhance the healing effects of the [Deryaz Forest]? Rorschach seems to have grasped a bit of the principles of nature-based healing magic. If he investigates further, could he bring back a recently deceased person?

However, Rorschach currently has no need or opportunity to experiment.

There was a knock on the guest room door, and after receiving permission, Bart poked his head in: "Millie asked if I could have dinner with her." It was closing time at the Mage Tower. Bart had his servants, similar to apprentices, but Rorschach hadn't seen them for the past few days. Bart's explanation was that the servants did all the errands.

"Didn't we meet during the day when we were discussing the wedding arrangements? That's no excuse!" Now Bart was facing an unyielding instructor. All friendship and bonds were gone; only magic and sweat mattered!

Rorschach drew another learning scroll. He was now quite adept at this kind of thing, because he was drawing his own modified magic. He knew exactly how the ether flowed and why it was driven in this way. Moreover, he had enough knowledge to translate into a pattern that was flattened on the scroll.

In the land of sand, the invisible god forbids believers from worshipping images, thus developing an art form with intricate combinations of lines, words, and patterns. Rorschach's current study scrolls may also be as pleasing to the eye as such works.

"You drew this scroll? You could live a life of ease with just this skill." Bart was surprised by the boy's skill as soon as he picked it up. He only glanced at it and realized that it was different from the mass-produced products that were never out of stock on the guild's shelves. The magic circuits were ingeniously connected, and the core pattern was surrounded by many standard graphics. Bart's temples throbbed slightly just from looking at it.

The feeling was familiar from my time in the academy; looking at it any longer will require me to use my brain.

Rorschach's attention was still focused on the scroll, and he didn't reply immediately. He finished outlining the last curve, making the pattern on the scroll form a perfect closed loop. At this moment, because the symbolic rune of Delyuaz was completed, even without activation, a very subtle blue light flowed through it.

It became.

Only after putting down the quill and capping the spiked alchemical ink did Rorschach finally have time to focus: "I've drawn three scrolls of [Resurrection Technique]. You can try to see if you can learn it."

Bartleby looked at the freshly printed scrolls and the ones he had just held: "Why are all three different? Is it the same spell?"

"I adjusted the loop shape and the resist concentration in the ink to make the magical flow speed within the roll different. Follow the numbers in the upper right corner; the three learning roll demonstrations progress from slow to fast."

"You can do that?" Bart exclaimed that the learning scrolls provided by the academy and guild were usually low-level spells with standardized drawings. It was the first time he had seen such a thing, and he was amazed by how advanced it was.

"You can activate scroll number one now," Rorschach ordered. Originally, he could teach Bart by demonstrating and guiding him, but now he could observe and record the scroll's movement and Bart's learning progress under the effects of Arcane Vision and Magic Control.

Bart finally got serious. He channeled his magic into the starting point of the scroll, and gradually the magic in the environment began to fluctuate. Rorschach, who was familiar enough with magic, could even sense which step it was at.

It can be used to revitalize and revive organisms.

"Is it over?" Bart scratched his head. Rorschach instructed him, "Don't talk. Quickly try to imitate it."

"How could it be possible to succeed on the first volume?" Bart himself had spent a lot of money learning scrolls at the academy. He tried to imitate it, while Rorschach watched from the side.

Bart's movements weren't much faster than the scroll, so the casting speed was definitely a failure, but Rorschach could still sense the ethereal frequency that oscillated in the environment.

Now Rorschach can interrupt the opponent's magic whenever he wants, anytime.

He slammed his cane on the floor, startling Bart, who was concentrating on casting a spell. Rorschach assessed, "The magic in the second step is off; also, the pace needs to be faster."

"You know that too?" Bart shrugged, took out the second reel, and examined it carefully before firing it.

Soon the second learning roll was released, and Rorschach had Bart try it again.

"Not everyone is suited to nature magic, is they?" Bart was a little frustrated after his second unsuccessful attempt.

But is "nature affinity" really necessary to cast this type of spell? Rorschach didn't think so. He acknowledged that affinity does exist, as evidenced by Tasia's existence, but whether it's affinity with nature or affinity with this type of spell is debatable.

In Rorschach's view, inheriting the "Druid" training method would allow them to better learn and cast nature-based spells. More likely, they would gain a deeper understanding of nature during their training, learn about the habits and physiological structures of plants and animals, and then, based on this deeper understanding, more easily comprehend and cast related magic.

This understanding is certainly not limited to scientific understanding, and one must have a degree in biology or something similar. Forest priests and druids can incorporate natural phenomena and organisms into their belief systems, which is also a kind of understanding. Perhaps understanding from a mystical perspective is even more conducive to spellcasting.

Conversely, Rorschach's high school biology and geography knowledge also allows him to perform some nature-based spells.

"Our current goal is not to perform some kind of miraculous resurrection or magical transformation, but simply to use the [Resurrection Technique] to stimulate the seed."

Rorschach took out some seeds he'd found in the warehouse; they were round and probably some kind of bean. He confirmed they were just dried, not cooked.

"Seeds that have matured and separated from the mother plant will generally enter a dormant state and begin to germinate when they encounter suitable water and heat conditions."

He began the "activation" process, with ether attaching to and entering the seed under his control. In Rorschach's imagination, every cell began to function, with magic acting as nutrients and plant pheromones, urging and nourishing the cells to unfold the blueprint carried in their genes, constantly differentiating and replicating.

But these concepts don't need to be imposed on Bart: "First, you need to concentrate your magic and let it seep into the whole seed. Imagine the bean is soaking in water, and now it's soaking in your magic. At the same time, you should learn what's shown in the scroll, how to transform magic into 'vitality' or 'life force' when it enters the organism."

What is life force? This vague energy, existing between the soul and the body, is widely believed to exist in past lives and other worlds, and in a world with magic and gods, it should indeed exist.

"And then it sprouted?" Under Bart's witness, the seed was awakened and swelled in Rorschach's hands. First, the radicle broke through the seed coat, followed by the plumule.

(End of this chapter)