Chapter 22: I Am a Spellcaster (Part Two)

“The simple runes discovered so far are three: the Mana Rune, the Acid Rune, and the Projection Rune. The Mana Rune is the most fundamental and decisive rune; only it can communicate with Magic to bring Mana. This rune is provisionally defined as a Foundation Rune. The Acid Rune can convert sulfur into corrosive acid liquid under the influence of Mana. The Projection Rune can project an object weighing no more than 5 kilograms under the influence of Mana. These two runes have a functional purpose and are provisionally defined as Tool Runes.”

“Hypothesis 1: These three runes are likely relatively primary runes because their source is a low-level Monster. More advanced Monsters may have more powerful runes.”

“Hypothesis 2: Divine Descendants and even the Deities may have runes or rune-like structures to invoke supernatural power.”

“Hypothesis 3: There should be many types of runes, as the powers of supernatural creatures like Monsters, Heroes, Demons, and Devils are varied and mysterious in reality. Only multiple types of runes can account for this phenomenon.”

Boom! Lightning flashed and thunder rolled outside the estate. The world seemed like a lady whose skirt had been lifted by a mischievous child, showing some anger and shame.

“The Foundation Rune can work independently. The Tool Runes must be combined with the Foundation Rune to work, thereby achieving a certain magical effect and producing a supernatural phenomenon. Whether single or combined, the author names a working rune structure a Spell Model. The achieved magical effect is named a Spell.”

“Inference: A Spell Model must be composed of at least one Foundation Rune, because Tool Runes cannot communicate Mana.”

“Based on the three current runes, four types of Spell Models can be constructed: the Mana Spell Model, the Acid Conversion Spell Model, the Projection Spell Model, and the Acid Splash Spell Model.”

“The Mana Spell Model is the most fundamental and important. According to the experiment, this model can not only be combined with other models to provide the Mana necessary for them to complete but can also be used independently. There are two ways to use it independently: on oneself and on others. Using it on oneself can effectively increase mental power. The author names this method Mana Meditation. Using it on other objects can temporarily imbue them with Mana, allowing them to carry Magic.”

Crash! Torrential rain poured down from the sky. The wind outside the window directly extinguished the oil lamp. It seemed Demons were whispering, Give up. If you write any further, your soul will be harvested and tortured forever in the Abyss.

Ace remained unfazed. He slammed the window shut, relit the oil lamp, and continued writing.

“Inference: If Mana is directed using the Mana Spell Model to ‘contaminate’ ordinary objects over the long term, it may permanently alter their attributes, allowing them to carry Magic permanently. This would explain why the living blood and fur from the Corrosion Jackal’s throat can hold the runes without disappearing, and why the personal items of Heroes suddenly transform into Wonders. Mana may possess a ‘contaminating’ power similar to radiation.”

“Other Spell Models are functional. The Acid Conversion Spell Model and the Acid Splash Spell Model require sulfur. The Projection Model requires any throwable item. The author classifies sulfur and throwable items as Casting Materials. The spells cast by these three Spell Models are called Casting with Materials.”

“Conclusion: There must also be Casting without Materials. The Mana Spell Model is the existing example. Inference: Functional Spell Models should also have casting without materials, as a Hero can, without materials, conjure a 40-meter-long giant sword of ice.”

Outside the window, countless black shadows seemed to be leaping. The Devils whispered temptations: Money, power, supernatural strength are all beckoning you. Stop now. You can continue later. Ace ignored the hallucinations and continued writing.

“Magic can be cast with the aid of objects ‘contaminated’ by Mana, which can greatly reduce mental power consumption. Some Wonders constantly cast a certain magical effect. The author names permanently ‘contaminated’ objects Magic Items, and temporarily ‘contaminated’ objects Limited-Time Magic Items.”

“For Magic Items that aid casting, the author crafts them into cards, called Magic Cards. An item that stores various Magic Cards is called a Spell Book. An ideal Spell Book should be able to automatically draw and retrieve Magic Cards to assist in combat, though this cannot be achieved yet and must be done manually.”

“The author compiles the runes that express single meanings into another book. Each page records one rune and its classification and function. This is called the Rune Book. The Spell Book and Rune Book will be the most important auxiliary Magic Items for studying and using Magic.”

“Finally, only today does the author believe he has found the correct path and truly stepped through the gate of the supernatural. The author is a person who studies Magic, Mana, Runes, Spell Models, and Spells. The purpose is to explore the secrets of this supernatural world.”

“The author formally names people like himself a Spellcaster, who can also be commonly referred to as a Magician (a scholar who studies Magic) or a Wizard (in homage to humanity’s pioneers). Considering that the current strength is only equivalent to a low-level Monster or a Noble with awakened bloodline power, the author can be called a Magic Apprentice or Wizard Apprentice.”

Outside the window, the rain had stopped. The world, washed clean by the heavy rain, had fresh air and rejuvenated life. Ace opened the window. The sun was rising, and the sunlight shone on him through the window.

The auditory and visual hallucinations had vanished without a trace. Ace felt that his spirit seemed to have been freed from some constraint and was exceptionally active. The Mana fluctuations in nature were clearly visible. Following his perception, a large amount of Mana rushed into his body, greatly boosting his mental power and strengthening his body.

Ace walked out the door and sensed the natural world on the estate. Even without activating the Mana Rune, his active mental power could sense the Mana pulsating in nature. He used his mental power to trace the Mana Spell Model in the air. The spell activated, acting on himself. After about half an hour, Ace withdrew from this state.

Based on multiple experiments, if he meditated for half an hour each day, his mental power growth would start to plateau. Even if he continued to meditate with the Mana Spell Model, it would not increase and he would have to wait until the next day.

Of course, activating the Mana Spell Model whenever his mental power was near exhaustion could also accelerate mental power recovery, which also took about half an hour.

A few days later, Ace finished crafting the Spell Book and Rune Book he had defined. The main materials for the Spell Book and Rune Book came from the Corrosion Jackal: their throats, which naturally hold the runes, and the nearby living blood, bones, and fur, which are all good materials.

The entire Spell Book was about the size of a palm, with a ring binding the spine. The cover was wrapped in ordinary calfskin parchment, on which a hexagram pattern was drawn. The hexagram had no magical effect, but in Ace’s past life, it represented mystery and magic, so he used it on the Spell Book.

Inside the book, small mechanisms were designed with iron pieces, allowing cards to be inserted and retrieved freely. The card representing Acid Splash was placed at the very top, as his strongest attack method currently, ready to be used at any time. Projection and Acid Conversion were in the middle, and the rune representing Mana was at the very bottom, which could be used to assist in meditation and enchanting items.

The Rune Book was about the size of a regular book. The new word Ace coined—Rune—was written on the cover. The book contained many pages, but only the first three pages had runes drawn on them, meticulously noting the rune’s name, attribute, and function. The rest of the pages were temporarily blank.

Ace cryptically encrypted his magic diary using the script of his past life. It contained his records of magic experiments and his magic thesis. The magic diary was both a summary of his experiments and essential data.

Ace believed these three books were the indispensable tools of a Wizard and could be called the Three Wizard Treasures. The Spell Book represents application, the Rune Book represents theory, and the Magic Diary represents research. The Wizard’s process of exploring the secrets of the supernatural is a spiraling, upward process of continuous research, discovery of theory, application of theory, and feedback into research.

“Exploring the secrets of the supernatural certainly cannot be done alone. One person’s strength is limited. Monsters are infinite, and runes are infinite. It is difficult for a finite individual to conquer infinite mystery.”

“In scientific research, which advisor doesn’t have a group of students working under them? Once I achieve power comparable to a Hero, which I provisionally define as a Formal Wizard, I will establish my own Wizard organization, develop students, and use collective wisdom to support my path to the supernatural.”

Ace whispered.