Chapter Twenty-Nine: Zero-Level Spell "Of course! I've always kept your teachings in mind!"
Leilin quickly nodded and unfastened the black leather pouch at his waist, pouring out twenty Magic Stones.
Twenty black crystals scattered across the table, each emanating a faint, dark luster.
"Excellent! This is a crystal ball containing the fundamental Spell Model structures. You may take it back to study, but you must not attempt any practical construction until after you've advanced in rank!"
Guofate retrieved a fist-sized crystal ball from a wooden shelf to one side. Golden characters seemed to swirl within it, and he handed it to Leilin.
Leilin bowed and accepted the crystal ball, then set it aside carefully.
This type of crystal ball was a knowledge-recording tool used by Wizards. It could store far more information than parchment, but was single-use — once someone had read its contents, the text inside would gradually fade, which made them quite expensive.
Late at night, in his dormitory room, Leilin sat down and set the crystal ball aside.
"Wizards refer to the spells that apprentices can use as Zero-level Spells, to distinguish them from the spells cast by full Wizards."
"Whether you're a Second-rank Apprentice or a Third-rank Apprentice, the only spells you can cast are Zero-level Spells! Being able to cast a First-level Spell without suffering harm — that is usually the mark of becoming a true
"The principle behind a Spell Model is to form a Spiritual Power construct within the mind, then leverage the properties of Spiritual Power to attract and manipulate external energy particles in complex ways, producing a spell!"
"In simple terms, Spiritual Power is the catalyst, and the Spell Model is the reagent. The catalyst is the same for everyone, but depending on the reagent used, different energy particles are attracted, forming different spells!"
Leilin summarized his understanding and carefully stored the crystal ball away.
"Constructing a Spell Model is an incredibly tedious process, and if you fail, it damages your Spiritual Power — it takes at least half a month to recover. This is a threshold that even fifth-grade talent can't easily cross, but with the Chip's assistance, I can minimize the failure rate as much as possible!"
"After I advance to Second-rank Apprentice and need to construct a Spell Model, I'll have to purchase basic Spell Model templates for various spells — and that's another enormous expense. If it weren't for the income from my potion sales, an ordinary apprentice would probably have to risk life and death multiple times just to earn enough Magic Stones!"
From all of this, Leilin felt the brutal reality of the law of the jungle.
A First-rank Apprentice risking life and death still wouldn't earn as many Magic Stones as he could make from casually selling a few potions.
"Monopoly is the most profitable game of all!"
"None of that matters to me. Right now, the only thing I need to do is advance to Second-rank Apprentice!"
A First-rank Apprentice only stored a small amount of energy particles within their body, granting them basic spell resistance. Their manipulation of energy particles was also crude, making it impossible to cast actual spells.
The greatest difference between a Second-rank and a First-rank Apprentice lay in the ability to cast Zero-level Spells.
A Zero-level Spell enhanced through a Spell Model was incomparably more destructive than the simple use of energy particles.
"I've already finished constructing nearly all twenty-four
A look of steely determination appeared on Leilin's face.
……
One night passed.
Inside his dormitory, Leilin opened his eyes.
"I've finally made it to Second-rank! The energy particles inside my body feel several times more abundant than when I was First-rank!"
"Ding! Spiritual Power database compilation complete. Would you like to proceed with datafication of Spiritual Power?" At that moment, the Chip's feedback came through.
"Hm? That's two days faster than expected. What happened?"
"The host's Spiritual Power has strengthened. The Chip has been affected by an unknown factor, increasing its processing speed!"
The Chip projected a luminous screen filled with dense curves and numbers. From these, Leilin could see that the increase in the Chip's processing power had occurred during the previous night.
"So the Chip really did undergo a qualitative transformation during the space-time transit. It fused with my soul, and the increase in Spiritual Power represents a strengthening of the soul — which in turn indirectly affected the Chip!"
Leilin speculated that the soul was the most mysterious and unfathomable aspect of all. Although Black Bones Forest was reputed to be far ahead in this field, they had only barely scratched the surface of the laws and patterns governing spiritual entity activity. Moreover, all of that knowledge was restricted to officially recognized Wizards, making it impossibly distant for someone in Leilin's position.
"That the Chip was able to complete the datafication ahead of schedule is good news. Pull up my current stats!"
"Leilin Farell — Second-rank Apprentice. Strength: 2.2. Agility: 2.4. Constitution: 2.7. Spirit: 4.1. Status: Healthy."
The Chip projected a three-dimensional image of Leilin's body before his eyes, clearly marked with each data point.
"So my Spiritual Power can finally be datafied now. Nearly four times the total Spiritual Power of an average person?"
Leilin stared at the image and asked, "Chip! Check the reason why attribute growth has been so slow after advancing to Second-rank Apprentice!"
"Task established. Scanning!"
"Reason detected: the subject's body has developed resistance!" The Chip's voice rang out.
"So it really is that way! Using radiation to enhance physical attributes does have its limits. I wonder what methods those official Wizards use to strengthen their bodies?"
Leilin stroked his chin.
Between the teaching district and the trading district, there was a small area that served as the academy's own premium shop. The items there were legitimate, but quite expensive, the service was poor, and it was usually rather deserted.
Leilin approached a counter. Behind the transparent cover sat a stern old woman with a hard expression on her face, looking as though Leilin owed her a fortune in Magic Stones.
"Excuse me, sorry to bother you!" Leilin gave a slight bow. From this old woman, he sensed the fluctuation of a Third-rank Apprentice.
"Chip! Scan!"
"What do you want?" The old woman's voice came, carrying a dark, icy tone that gave one the sensation of cold, smooth scales — the kind that easily raised goosebumps.
"Ding! Name: Unknown. Strength: 2.0. Agility: 2.1. Constitution: 3.5. Spirit: 7.6. Assessment: Third-rank Apprentice. Danger!!"
The Chip's information appeared before Leilin's eyes. This old woman was indeed a Third-rank Apprentice, though she appeared to have suffered some kind of damage — her Spirit was somewhat low. Still, dealing with Leilin wouldn't require any real effort on her part.
"The Chip can now scan the strength of apprentice-level organisms, but against Wizards with defensive Fields, it still won't work!"
Leilin tried his best to put the most radiant smile on his face. "Could you show me some basic Spell Models?"
"Take it!" The old woman tossed over a dusty large book with the kind of attitude that said take it or leave it.
"I'm not angry! I'm not angry!" Leilin hypnotized himself and opened the book.
One Spell Model after another, along with their corresponding descriptions, came into view.
"Minor Energy Fireball — Description: Conjures a fireball to attack the enemy. Highly destructive. Prerequisites: Negative Energy Fundamentals, Spell Model Construction."
"Shadow Orb — Description: Constructs an orb using shadow energy. Relatively stealthy. Prerequisites: Necrobiology, Mutationology."
"Acid Splash — Description: Forms a sphere of highly corrosive acid for attack. Trajectory can be slightly adjusted. Prerequisites: Negative Energy Fundamentals, Neurology."
......
"Shadow Hand — Description: Forms a palm out of Negative Energy, hidden within shadows to attack. Extremely stealthy. Prerequisites: Shadow Energy Studies, Evocation Fundamentals."
"These are all basic spell templates. Are there any advanced ones?" Leilin furrowed his brow slightly.
"No! Only basic templates here. Go buy the rest from your mentor!"
"Give me the spell templates for Acid Splash and Shadow Hand!" Leilin took a deep breath.
"Ten Magic Stones each!" The old woman looked somewhat impatient.
After handing over twenty Magic Stones to the old woman, Leilin received two thick, yellowed parchment books. On the cover of the top one, in Byron script, was written: Shadow Hand.
The counter was clearly designed so that the clerk inside sat higher than the customers outside, forcing the buyer to look up at the old woman from beginning to end, which irked Leilin a little.
Clutching the two books, Leilin turned and walked away. He didn't want to stay here a moment longer.
"Leilin!" As he walked along the road, a voice called out, making Leilin stop in his tracks.
A boy in leather armor jogged over. "I thought the figure ahead looked like you, and sure enough — we haven't seen each other in ages!"
The leather armor on him was somewhat battered, and he hadn't bothered to repair it, making him look rather shabby.
"Are you... buying spell models? You've advanced to Second-rank too?" Kreweir looked at the two spell books in Leilin's arms, somewhat surprised.
"Yep! Just advanced recently! Getting some preparation in first!" Leilin replied.
"Chip, scan!"
"Ding! Kreweir — Strength: 2.6, Agility: 2.8, Constitution: 3.1, Spirit: 4.1, Rating: Second-rank Apprentice."
"Looks like Kreweir hasn't been ahead of me by much. These stats are clearly from a recent advancement!"
Leilin compared silently.
"Our squad has barely gone out on missions since that incident last time. Recently Lannuo also advanced to Second-rank Apprentice and has been trying to construct spell models, but unfortunately he still hasn't passed one of the basic courses. He's already failed several times..."
Kreweir stuffed his hands into his pockets, clearly trying to make himself look a bit more suave.
He then eyed Leilin's brand-new grey robes. "As expected of a potionology apprentice — you really do have money to burn!"
Leilin smiled. The apprentice robes not only had a cleaning spell reinforced into the fabric but were also made from quality materials. Their defensive capability could rival leather armor, and the price was far from cheap — many apprentices simply couldn't afford to buy new ones once theirs wore out.
Leilin, of course, was not among them. He still had two spare sets sitting in his wardrobe.
"My success rate has gone up a bit lately, so I managed to save up some Magic Stones, but the moment I buy a Spell Model — they're all gone again!" Leilin said with a helpless expression.
"Yeah! The fees at Black Bone Forest are just way too high!" Kreweir's face fell. His family was absolutely among the top noble houses back in the Keli Archipelago, but after coming here, he had discovered that he was, in fact, thoroughly poor.
"Speaking of that — once we've both advanced to Second-rank Apprentice and mastered some spells, how about we take on missions together?"
Leilin asked.
"Really? That would be great!" Kreweir's face lit up with pleasant surprise — it was clear he had been considering the same idea for quite some time.