Weaving Magic

In the instant the spell kicked in, Kilian closed his eyes. Overdrive lasted only for 72 hours, a time he split into two. First, studying the Compendiums of Technology and Species as well as the first chapter of the Compendium of Spellcrafting.

According to Kilian's calculation, this would take him 20 hours. He could then use the remaining 52 to experiment with dra and the learned principles. The sky blue whirlpool shrank around Kilina's form, turning into four flame arrows that dived into his brain. Immediately, Kilian felt as if the world around him moved at a tortoise pace, his reaction speed, thinking speed, all his senses rose to extreme heights, giving him the misconception that perhaps he could now grasp the root of all existence.

Not letting the new surge of sensations get over his head, Kilian wasted no time and dove into the Hellforge. Returning to the laboratory, he strode toward the bookshelf, first pulling out the Compendium of Technology to start his studies. But though he couldn't sense it, even his movement speed had exponentially risen.

As a book gathering knowledge on various technologies, the available parts in the system and how they functioned, and the fundamentals of Technomancy. The Compendium of Technology was a wealth of complex information that'd left most non-magi peeling off their skin in frustration.

Kilian, however, breezed through it as if it were the Weekly Shonen Jump. With his own foundation and the Overdrive spell powering him, it couldn't be simpler. And if the detailed concepts of nanotechnology, supramolecular chemistry, and the like were startling enough, when Kilian reached the process of creating artificial stars and turning them into power sources, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Whoever wrote this book undoubtedly stood at the summit of the technological world—unrivaled in the past or present. But though the author seemed to crave anonymity, Kilian could guess that besides the system's creator, no one else could possess this level of technological knowledge. Again, the name of Arkhan echoed within his mind, and Kilian resolved to find out more about the man from Jezebel.

Meanwhile, hours succeeded one another, and from the various principles of technology, Kilian moved on to the fundamentals of technomancy.

"Conception, Change, and Creation, those are the building blocks of technomancy, the creed all technomancers should live by. Technomancy doesn't know right or wrong and transcends lesser concepts of good and evil.

Understand this truth, and the door to limitless knowledge shall open to you. In the pursuit of endless breakthroughs, the only limit is the self." Those were the final chapter's first words, words that gave Kilian a glimpse into Arkhan's mind.

In the following pages, Kilian discovered the elementary principles of transmutation magic, but more importantly, principles of dra manipulation. Traditionally, spells were either whispered, sung, danced, drawn, screamed, or played. Humans typically stuck to incantation whispering, using them to shape dra and form magical circles.

Incantation-free dra manipulations in human society, especially below Archon level, were restricted to body strengthening and abilities such as Arcane Sight or Dra Wards. This book took it to another level, revealing ways to turn dra into pure energy to fire beams and the like without incantations. Better, only technomancers possessed the required knowledge and foundation to utilize the method.

Once they mastered that step, technomancers could bring transmutation magic to unprecedented heights. The fallen Technocracy would kill for such knowledge. The book even featured several Meditation Chants.

Though useless to Archon and above, Meditation Chants were of vital importance to lower level magi, enabling them to connect to and absorb the dra within the atmosphere. Without them, even gifted aspiring magi stood no chance to connect to dra.

After careful deliberation, Kilian picked a high-grade Meditation Chant: The Gospel of Pandemonium. Memorizing it, Kilian finished the remainder of the book and moved on to the Compendium of Species.

"Congratulations, master, for completing the Compendium of Technology. Reward: 500 k.p."

"Congratulations, master, for completing the Compendium of Species. Reward: 500 k.p."

By the time his self-imposed deadline of 20 hours neared the end, Kilian had completed the first chapter of the Compendium of Spellcrafting. Returning the books to the shelf, he stood up and returned to the outside world. With a k.p. count of 1243 and the proper knowledge to use the parts, Kilian could directly produce his first chips and constructs. However, he first needed to practice his understanding.

All along, Jezebel stood beside him, experiencing his mental fluctuations without a word. As Kilian's eyes opened, Jezebel's lips curled into a smile.

"News of the former residents' sudden disappearance spread, luring in a few curious eyes. I dealt with them," Jezebel began, but knowing the daemoness was always up to mischief, Kilian spread his senses toward the outside.

There, a towering billboard stood, showcasing a flawless picture of Kilian ripping the former gang leader's head off with a horrific grin fit for a cartoon villain. Four words crowned it all:

"Lukas owns this turf!"

Black lines formed on Kilian's forehead, and he firmly believed that from now on, he could no longer appear in public.

"When your best friend saw this, he gave six nods of approval and seven thumbs up. I counted. How are you going to reward me?" Jezebel purred and laid on Kilian's lap. Pulling in a deep breath, Kilian restrained his murder urges and ran his hand through her lustrous hair.

"Of all the women of this world, I had to stumble on a goat. God, who did I offend?" Kilian sighed. In desperate times, men often turned to God. And though he never in three lives knelt in a church, Kilian didn't know who else to blame. But hearing this, Jezebel made a mental note of adding goat horns to her fehl form. She'd proudly wear them for the rest of her life.

…

For the next 48 hours, Kilian practiced dra manipulations.

In five hours, he learned how to channel outer dra, and flawlessly make the source of all magic circulate within his body. In the following 10 hours, he mastered the art of infusing dra with his flesh, muscles, organs, and bones. Another 15 hours, and his dra control reached such an altitude that Kilian could now weave energy wards. Thus, in merely 30 hours, Kilian saved himself a year of training, reaching the threshold of High Emissary in dra control.

Of course, as a magus, he remained far from that level, not even qualifying as a Lesser Emissary.

Upon learning his first spell, he could fully claim the Lesser Emissary title.

Sky blue light rays swirled around Kilian's form, dancing as he materialized and bent the dra within the atmosphere in various shapes. Prisms, cats, swans, bulls, and many other energy constructs succeeded one another under Kilian's command.

The final shape, a python, burst into energy particles, becoming a myriad of palm-sized energy orbs rippling with destructive power.

Kilian joined his hands, and the myriad of orbs merged into a single, human-sized ball ready to fire a berserk energy beam.

Kilian's closed eyes opened, awakening to floating dra particles and a new world of arcane splendor—the orb vanished in swirling light.

"Now, you're ready," Jezebel declared, for once speaking with utmost seriousness.

Standing up, she pressed her right index against Kilian's forehead, flooding his mind with the basics and casting process of fehl magic.

One Third Circle Spell also appeared in Kilian's mind: Profane Allure.