noveltune Chapter 8: Increased Requirements, Learning New Spells
Chapter 8: Increased Requirements, Learning New Spells
Some formal wizards' laboratories or certain research projects will acquire specific processed magical plants or minerals on a long-term basis.
The prices are often higher than the instant missions in the mission lobby, but the requirements are also more stringent.
Luo Lin selected several commissions that required high precision but had low demand. With his superb processing skills, he successfully passed the sample tests and gained two stable sources of income from material processing.
These scattered tasks and commissions can bring him an extra hundred contribution points each week.
In this way, Rowling successfully bypassed Flac's blockade and established multiple slow-flowing and covert resource channels.
His contribution points have grown steadily again, and their sources are more diversified and less conspicuous.
Rowling invested most of his income in his own improvement.
In addition to his weekly 20 contribution points for food and herbal tea, he started buying incense that could slightly nourish his mental energy, consuming about 30 contribution points per week.
While its effects may be subtle when used during meditation, they can gradually accelerate progress over time.
He also purchased some copies of notes on spell model construction techniques to further optimize the construction efficiency of [Mage Hand], but the cost of about 100 contribution points made Rolin feel very distressed.
Time flew by amidst fulfilling research, practice, and accumulation.
The data on the panel continued to rise steadily, making steady progress toward the threshold of second-level apprenticeship.
Time slipped away quietly in Luo Lin's regular and efficient life, and another half month passed in the blink of an eye.
There are less than four weeks left until the final apprentice assessment.
Late that night, Luo Lin completed a long meditation and felt more energetic than ever before, with his magical power flowing smoothly through his body.
With a thought, he summoned the control panel and examined his current situation:
[Main Author: Luo Lin]
Race: Human
Status: Healthy
[Rank: First-Class Wizard Apprentice (Progress 99%)]
【property:
Physical condition: 1.0
Spirit: 2.1
Mana: 20/21
[Mastering Knowledge:]
Basic meditation techniques (5% proficient)
Basic Rune Identification (Beginner Level 22%)
Basic Magical Plant Science (38%)
Basic potion ingredient processing (professional 15%)
Analysis of Common Zero-Circle Spell Model Structure (Proficient 12%)
[Spell: Mage's Hand (Proficiency 55%)]
Specialty: Highly Effective Scholar (Passive)
The data on the panel has been improved.
The apprentice level has reached the limit of the first rank, and is just one step away from breaking through to the second rank.
The mental attribute has broken through to 2.0, and the maximum mana has reached 21 points.
He has reached the mastery level in the basic meditation method, which means that his understanding and application of this basic meditation method has reached a new level.
His proficiency with the [Mage's Hand] has also increased to over 50%. Now he can build models at an extremely fast speed. His energy palm is solid and stable, enough to grab objects weighing several kilograms, and he can perform some fine operations, such as turning pages and picking up small objects.
With continuous training and sufficient nutrition, his physical condition finally reached the standard 1.0 of an ordinary person, and he got rid of his weak state.
In terms of resources, through the stable supply of Gray Tower Grocery and by completing various miscellaneous material processing tasks and long-term commissions, he has accumulated nearly 1200 contribution points after deducting daily expenses.
This is a considerable sum of money, enough for him to purchase some truly useful resources.
With a breakthrough imminent, Luo Lin decided not to wait any longer.
He needs a push to help him break through the final barrier.
Rolin took out a [Secondary Spirit Boiling Potion] of good quality that he had kept for himself.
This potion can temporarily boost mental energy, making it perfect for breaking through bottlenecks.
He uncorked the bottle and drank the azure-blue potion in one gulp.
A cool, slightly tingling energy quickly surged into my mind, and my mental sea was like a lake tossed with a pebble, creating ripples that made my senses exceptionally sharp.
He immediately focused his mind and fully activated the [Basic Meditation Method], which he had mastered.
The mental energy was unusually active under the stimulation of the drug, and the previously obscure and difficult-to-understand cyclical paths became clearly visible.
He channeled his surging spiritual energy, charging towards the invisible barrier that hindered his advancement.
Once, twice, three times, four times...
The mental energy vibrated before the barrier, bringing waves of throbbing pain.
Luo Lin remained focused and unwavering, concentrating all his thoughts on one point.
After an unknown amount of time, it seemed as if a soft "pop" was heard, and the solid barrier was finally broken through.
In an instant, he felt his mental sea expand outwards, becoming wider and more stable.
Both the total amount and purity of spiritual power have significantly improved, and the magic power flowing within the body has become more abundant and dynamic.
That's right, he succeeded!
Second-class wizard apprentice!
[Level: Second-Class Wizard Apprentice - (Progress 1%)]
【Spirit: 2.5】
[Mana: 25/25]
The joy brought by the breakthrough was short-lived, and Rowling quickly calmed down.
Being a second-class apprentice is just the first step; the road ahead is much longer.
He needs to consolidate his skills before he can start planning his next move.
Becoming a second-class apprentice means that his access to the academy has been increased.
He can take on tasks that are relatively more lucrative but also more dangerous, and he can access more profound knowledge.
Most importantly, those who are eligible to apply for an independent stone house with basic protection and soundproofing magic arrays will have their living environment greatly improved.
Rolin immediately went to the Affairs Tower to register for a rank promotion and submitted an application to change his residence.
Replacing the stone house requires a one-time payment of 300 contribution points, plus a monthly maintenance fee of 50 contribution points.
He paid without hesitation.
His new residence is a detached stone house of about 20 square meters, located near the inner circle of the apprenticeship area.
Although still rudimentary, the stone walls are thick, and the doors and windows can effectively block the cold wind when closed.
Inside the room, there was a simple magic circle that condensed energy particles, making the meditation environment several times better than before, and there was also a designated washing area.
This is crucial for potion making, which requires a quiet environment and cleanliness.
After moving into his new home, Rowling began to consider learning new spells.
While the [Mage's Hand] is practical, it lacks direct offensive and defensive capabilities.
He needs to improve his immediate combat capabilities.
Returning to the spell section of the library, he browsed the list of zero-ring spells available for borrowing by second-class apprentices.
[Acid Splash]: Sprays out corrosive acid. The attack power is decent, but the range is short. Practice is needed to avoid accidental injury.
Borrowing fee: 40 contribution points.
[Weak Force Field Armor] forms a weak force field on the body surface, which can resist a small amount of physical attacks and energy impacts, but consumes a lot of mental energy.
Borrowing fee: 45 contribution points.
[Dizziness Spell]: Launches a mental shockwave that briefly dazzles nearby enemies. The effect depends on the difference in mental strength between the two sides.
Borrowing fee: 50 contribution points.
After careful consideration, Rowling chose [Acid Splash] and [Weak Force Field Armor].
One is the main attacker, and the other is the main defender.
[Dizziness Technique] Although its effect is unique, it relies on mental suppression and may not be very effective against enemies stronger than oneself.
After paying 85 contribution points, he received two crystal shards that recorded spell models.
Back in the stone house, he first began to learn about [acid splashing].
This spell model is more complex than [Hand of the Wizard], involving energy conversion and directional spraying, making it more difficult to construct.
However, with the experience of becoming a "highly efficient scholar" and learning "The Mage's Hand" and reading analytical books, he quickly grasped the memory model.
However, problems arose during the actual construction process.
This spell requires mana to simulate a corrosive energy property, which demands extremely high precision in mana manipulation.
On his first attempt, the model collapsed halfway through construction due to unstable energy characteristics. The backlash made Rolin feel a sweet taste in his throat and almost vomit blood.
Rowling did not rush into a second attempt.
He stopped, carefully reviewed the process of failure, and analyzed the key points of the energy characteristic simulation.
After resting and confirming that he was physically fit, he began the second construction.
This time, he was more careful, slowing down the simulation of energy properties to ensure accuracy.
Fail, adjust, try again...
It took him three whole days and dozens of failures before he finally succeeded in building a stable model of acid splashing for the first time.
With a thought, magical power was infused.
puff!