Chapter 30. Spell Experiments Leilin discussed the exact timing with
Going out on missions with Kreweir's team was a decision Leilin had deliberated over for quite some time.
He still had plenty of potions on hand, but they couldn't see the light of day — he'd need to find outside channels for them.
Moreover, after learning spells, converting that knowledge into actual combat power required a process of constant battle.
From that perspective, Kreweir's team had an average strength roughly on par with his own, and they were all from the same area. Everyone had met before, so naturally they'd be a better choice than some group of strangers.
Besides, Kreweir had been through quite a bit over this long stretch of time and had accumulated considerable experience. Following him would give Leilin some peace of mind.
"Once I've mastered the Spell Model, I can go on missions with Kreweir's team, build up some experience first, and then try going out alone to find channels…"
Back in his dormitory, Leilin first picked up the spell book on Shadow Hand.
The spell book's yellow cover was remarkably sturdy, like cowhide, and when he touched it, faint patterns could be felt beneath his fingertips. A cool sensation traveled from between his fingers into his body.
A chain clasp held the book tightly shut, fastened to a button-like mechanism at the back.
"Learning Shadow Hand requires Shadow Energy Research and the Basics of Transmutation — two subjects I've already studied!"
Through selling potions, Leilin had continuously gathered advanced knowledge in the dark arts and studied it. At this point, he was even more knowledgeable than apprentices who had dark-art mentors.
"The activation phrase is — Mansidala!" Leilin's voice was low and deep.
The moment the incantation was heard, the book suddenly trembled. As it shook, the black chain unlocked on its own, and the pages began flipping one by one.
"Chip, begin recording the data!"
Leilin continuously flipped through the book detailing the Shadow Hand's Spell Model, skimming through it once. Only after hearing the confirmation that the Chip had finished recording everything did he set the book down.
"Constructing a Spell Model is the foundation that allows a wizard to cast spells. It involves a series of extremely intricate transformations and precise spell architecture. Learning a single spell — three months is the absolute minimum!"
Leilin sighed. From all of this, he could feel just how difficult it was for wizards to learn spells. Without the Chip, he'd have no choice but to practice through endless repetition, enduring countless failures before he could master a single spell.
"Data recording complete, analysis beginning now!" the Chip's voice rang out.
"How long will it take?"
"Estimated time: 106 hours and 32 minutes!"
"106 hours and 32 minutes! That's about four or five days — that's actually quite fast!" Leilin nodded.
He stood up, put away both spellbooks, and brushed off his clothes.
He walked over to a side room. It had originally been set aside as a reception area or for other purposes for the apprentices, but Leilin had converted it into a small potion laboratory.
While this was somewhat risky, with the Chip in hand, he could ensure nothing went wrong.
"I'll be going on a mission in a few months! Better to prepare some potions in advance to deal with unexpected situations!"
Leilin lit a candlestick and set to work on his potion brewing.
Black Bone Forest Academy's educational system was quite relaxed. In Leilin's view, it was more akin to the ancient model of one teacher and one student.
The Academy only provided the venue and the most basic services. All advanced knowledge had to be learned from one's own mentor, making the efficiency rather low.
Moreover, there were no mandatory tasks each year. As long as you could afford tuition and didn't end up with a bad teacher, you could coast through five years here.
Of course, with no obligations came reduced benefits. At the very least, Leilin had never heard of any wonderful perk like receiving a few free Magic Stones every month.
If you wanted to earn Magic Stones yourself, you had to take on missions and risk your life out in the field!
The
Over the next ten days or so, Leilin monitored the progress of the Spell Model analysis while purchasing supplies like fresh water and dried rations, preparing for the upcoming mission.
One afternoon, Leilin arrived at the Spell Experimentation Zone.
"The Spell Experimentation Zone is a dedicated area where the school lets apprentices and Wizards test the power of their spells. After all, various spells are far too powerful, and there are issues like energy contamination — if left unchecked, the whole Academy would be blown sky-high!"
The Spell Experimentation Zone was located on the far left side of the Academy, in a very remote position.
The area was entirely constructed from white marble, giving it a sturdy and solid appearance.
On the walls, there were various stabilization runes inscribed. Lin only recognized two of them — one for insulating against radiation contamination, and another for reinforcing the structural integrity of the walls.
"Want to test some spells?" A bald, burly man grinned as Lin approached the counter.
"I'd like to conduct a spell experiment. What kinds of spaces do you have?"
"We have two main areas — the Apprentice Zone and the Wizard Zone. You can only access the Apprentice Zone. Within that, there are communal rooms and private rooms. Communal rooms mean you'll be experimenting alongside others — there may be some disturbances, but they're much cheaper. As for the private suites, the cost is considerably higher!"
"How much for a private suite?" Lin asked.
The bald man's eyes lit up — this was clearly a serious customer. "One Magic Stone for three hours! Our private suites come with specialized testing equipment that can calculate the precise data of your spells. And we also have… it's absolutely worth every coin!"
"Give me one." Lin tossed a Magic Stone to the man.
"Alright! One moment!" The man quickly filled out a registration form, then handed Lin a small, black crystal-like card.
"This is your room card! Room 32!"
Lin nodded and stepped into the spell practice area.
Runes along the white marble walls on both sides glowed with a crystalline light. Some of the rooms clearly had occupants inside, yet not a single sound leaked through. The only footsteps echoing along the corridor were Lin's own.
"As expected! The isolation effect is excellent!"
Lin nodded in approval, found his room, and swiped the black crystal card across a raised black panel beside the door.
Click! The door swung open, and a woman's mechanical voice greeted him: "Welcome! You have a three-hour time limit. Please manage your time accordingly…"
The room inside was spacious — roughly the size of a basketball court from Lin's previous life.
In the center of the space stood several humanoid targets, draped in leather armor, plate mail, and beast hides.
On the rightmost wall, there was a display screen with usage instructions written below it.
Wizards could cast spells at the targets, and the screen would automatically record the spell's power output.
"The facilities here are remarkably advanced — they almost feel like an intelligent management system. It's a pity they're created through wizardry, which means they've taken an entirely different developmental path compared to my previous world!" Lin thought to himself.
"Let me start with a physical attack!"
Lin walked up to a white humanoid sculpture wearing leather armor, the muscles of his right arm bulging.
Boom!!! Lin moved, punching the center of the leather armor with a low shout, leaving a faint mark.
The screen on the right flickered and finally displayed several numbers.
"Type: Physical Attack Power: 2 Points Damage to Figure: Minimal"
"It seems this figure isn't made of ordinary material!" Lin muttered to himself.
"Points" was a standard wizards used to measure the range of power, with one point being the amount of energy completely released by one gram of Magic Stone.
"This measurement method is good. Chip, we can add content related to this in the future!"
"Recorded. Processing!" the Chip's voice responded.
"Hah!" Lin drew the Cross Sword from his waist and slashed down hard, bringing up a gust of wind.
Clang! A split opened in the leather armor, revealing a white cut underneath.
"Type: Physical Attack Power: 3 Points Damage to Figure: Minor"
Looking at the screen, Lin nodded: "My full-powered strike with the Cross Sword only caused this much damage to the figure! I can use spells with confidence now!"
"Chip, transmit the two Spell Models completely!" Through continuous research during this period, the Chip had completely analyzed the two spells. As long as the related memories were transmitted to Lin's memory center, he could instantly master both Zero-level Spells.
"Ding! Transmitting!" Following the Chip's mechanical voice, Lin felt as though many new memories had appeared in his mind, all concerning the casting steps for the two spells.
Each step felt as familiar as if he had practiced it tens of thousands of times.
"Digitize the data for the two Zero-level Spells!"
"Acid Splash: Zero-level Spell Casting
"Shadow Hand: Zero-level Spell Casting Time: 4 seconds Range: 10 meters Cost: 2 points Spiritual Power, 2 points Mana"
"Mana is the storage capacity of energy particles within the body, with the maximum limit determined by one's Spiritual Power ceiling!"
Casting spells required not only using one's own Spiritual Power as a guide but also consuming Mana from within the body.
Raylin suppressed his growing excitement. "Chip, carefully record my casting process!"
"Pandora–Greborel!"
As the ancient Daberonian syllables left Raylin's lips, a mass of dark green liquid suddenly materialized above his right hand, continuously belching out white bubbles.
"Go!" Raylin flung the acid sphere forward. The green glob traced an arc through the air and struck the leather-armored dummy.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The sound of corrosion rang out ceaselessly as the dummy melted away, belching thick white plumes while a pungent, acrid stench spread through the air.
After a few seconds, the dummy's upper body had been completely dissolved, leaving behind only a pair of white feet.
"Chip, estimate the power!"
"Ding! Power estimate: 5 degrees."
Raylin glanced at the screen to his right. At that moment, the text on the screen shifted, and a new record appeared.
"Category: Spell – Corrosion Attack. Power: 5 degrees. Dummy damage: Severe."
"Mm! Looks like the Chip and the screen are arriving at the same value. I won't need to come here anymore— the Chip alone is enough to estimate spell intensity."
Raylin nodded, then began attempting another spell.
"Shadow Hand!"
As Raylin's incantation rang out, a black hand suddenly emerged from beneath the shadow of another dummy clad in armor, seized it by the throat, and with a sharp crack, the dummy's head tumbled to the ground.
"Category: Energy Attack. Power: 4 degrees. Dummy damage: Severe."