Spellwrights

Sorin sat in the lecture hall, attentively listening to the professor as they delved into the basics of the spellwright occupation.

Around 40 minutes into the lecture, the professor was guiding the students through fundamental concepts and terminology.

Words like "runes," "magic instruments," "cosmic affinity," and "imprinting" flowed through the air, creating an atmosphere of mystery and profound knowledge. 

Sorin's eyes remained focused on the professor, absorbing the knowledge being shared.

Sorin frowned slightly trying to comprehend everything the professor was saying. After having spent more than a month in this Academy, the topic of spellwrights remained difficult to comprehend.

However, Sorin kept his complete attention on the lecture and kept creating notes, as he needed it for his future plans.

Spellwrights, just like alchemists, were a prestigious occupation amongst Arcanists.

In the realm of Arcanists, where one tries to unravel the mysteries of the world, there exists a specialised group known as spellwrights.

They are similar to artisans or inventors, skilled in crafting magical items then etching complex runes into the object to give various abilities and effects.

Much like how Arcanists weave symbols to form spells, spellwrights inscribe runes that have the laws of the universe onto objects.

This requires the use of arcane crystals that are used as a medium to imprint objects with the runes.

To create a magic instrument requires the special energy of arcane crystals as well as various other materials. 

Powerful magic instruments requires powerful laws to be inscribed onto the object.

Though, as a novice, the runes you can inscribe would only be mediocre. At best, it could perhaps boost someone's spell power by 10 percent for example.

However, even with such a slight boost, many Arcanists would pay a large sum of arcane crystals just for this kind of item.

Spellwrights garnered prestige thanks to their rarity and their crucial contributions to Arcanists in various ways.

They were rare due to the existance of cosmic affinities.

The occupation requires you to be very wealthy or have a high cosmic affinity before you can even hope of imprinting runes onto objects. Much like an elemental affinity, a good cosmic affinity is what a spellwright needed.

A cosmic affinity is your instincts and abilities to adapt the laws of the universe into your very own runes.

Unlike elemental symbols, where knowledge had already been recorded over time, runes represented the fundamental laws that governed the universe.

It would be impossible to comprehend every rune that exists. 

These runes are solely drawn from someone's instincts towards the laws of the universe using the energy from arcane crystals.

The universe is ever-changing, and so too are the runes that are inscribed onto the magic instruments.

Once you successfully create a magic instrument, it would be very difficult to replicate it using the same runes.

You would have to find a different solution using similar runes if you wanted to try and replicate the same magic instrument.

Many people that are interested in the spellwright occupation would study other magic instruments and their unique runes to take inspiration from.

This further increased the rarity of the spellwright occupation. Individuals needed either a strong cosmic affinity or the means to invest in other magical instruments for their studies, enabling them to create their own unique magical tools.

Spellwrights can create magical items that can do various things or accessories like rings and amulets, each imbued with unique abilities.

For instance, an amulet might amplify a spellcaster's magic, while a ring could hold a storage space within it. It could also be used for various other things to make someone's life more convenient such as the Arcom every student has.

Magical instruments also possessed the capability to cast spells, albeit not as effectively or powerfully as an Arcanist.

Many rich families would give these magic instruments to their children for protection.

A cosmic affinity is what's needed for spellwrights. However, it cannot be measured like the affinity of an element.

One can only guess their talent after trying to create a magic instrument themselves.

-

An hour had quickly slipped away as the lecture drew to a close.

In this world, lectures didn't have a fixed duration. They could span anywhere from 30 minutes to a lengthy 4 hours, all depending on the professor's chosen subject and teaching style.

As Sorin gathered his notes and prepared to leave the lecture hall, a voice called his name. Turning toward the source of the sound, he noticed a group of fellow students approaching him.

Their voices held a mix of excitement and curiosity as they came closer, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. It had seemed that Sorin had garnered some attention for his capabilites of becoming a Tier 1 Arcanist.

The group's spokesperson, a young man with an eager expression, stepped forward and introduced himself, "Hey, Sorin, I'm Alex, and these are my friends. We've heard a lot about your skills and achievements, and we think you'd be a valuable addition to our team for the Academy missions. They're a great way to earn contribution points."

Sorin looked at them with a cool, detached demeanor, betraying none of the disinterest he felt. "I appreciate the offer," he replied, his voice carrying a tone of reluctance. "But right now, I'm busy in mastering a complex spell formula, and it's costing me a fortune for every day I don't get it right."

"I see. That's unfortunate." Alex sighed. Alex knew the difficulties of mastering a spell and accepted Sorin's response.

The group members gave nods of understanding, their expressions filled with regret. They realised the gravity of Sorin's situation, and while they were disappointed he couldn't join their missions, they couldn't ignore the costly predicament he was in.

With a heavy heart, they wished him success in his endeavors, not wanting to burden him further. Sorin turned away, maintaining his facade, while the group couldn't help but feel somewhat disheartened.

Sorin had an indifferent expression as he returned to his room. Sorin knew what that group of students were going through.

With the learning of spells being extremely expensive, many students were forced to do the missions the Academy issued out.

However, most students would find that the majority of missions were very difficult. The more easier and safer missions would be quickly taken by other students leaving the rest with dangerous or difficult missions.

As a result, students would band together in groups to tackle these missions, dividing the contribution points amongst themselves.

The group that invited Sorin was most likely a group of Tier 0 Arcanists that, at most, mastered a single spell.

Sorin deduced they most likely took a mana beast elimination mission which is why they sought out a Tier 1 Arcanist such as Sorin.

Sorin couldn't help but find their situation somewhat pitiable. These missions involving the hunting of mana beasts are very dangerous.

Even when a group of Tier 1 Arcanists such as the one Sorin had been in, had found hunting the mana beasts to be extremely challenging.

Sorin had noticed that with every week that passes, a few students that were in his lectures had disappeared. 

Sorin certainly didn't believe they had just quit the magic Academy, especially given the substantial price their family had paid to secure their admission in the first place.

They had mostly likely perished, being devoured by those mana beasts.

This had been why Sorin wanted to promote to a Tier 1 Arcanist first before going into the forest.

Moreover, they had the protection of a Tier 2 Arcanist which practically guaranteed their safety if it wasn't for the ambush of those Dark Arcanists.

Even if Sorin had free time, he would have promptly came up with an excuse or flatly rejected their request.

Sorin doesn't want unnessary trouble and to seem impolite, so he gave the group a reasonable excuse.

Well, it wouldn't have even mattered. With their funds and talents, they wouldn't get very far as an Arcanist.

Concluding his thoughts, Sorin wanted to continue with the mastering of his spell formula as he had no other lectures he was interested in today.

-

Two days had quickly passed.

Within a dimly lit room, a person stood at the centre completely still. He extended his hand, before symbols began to materialise. These strange symbols stirred the surrounding mana in his room before slowly harmonising together.

As the symbols danced in the air, Sorin's concentration was unwavering.

These different symbols that have been created out of Sorin's will, weaved together. The room's ambient mana surged in response, drawn to the creation of a spell Sorin was performing.

The symbols began to merge, causing a mesmerising pattern of green energy to form. They wove themselves into a cohesive whole, as if the very laws of spellcasting were converging under his control. It was a delicate and intricate process, and one wrong move could disrupt the entire spell.

As he continued to guide the symbols, a soft, almost musical hum filled the room. A gentle breeze started to circulate around him, growing in intensity. Sorin's concentration deepened as the sphere of zephyrs formed, swirling gracefully around his body.

The once still air was now in motion, creating a mesmerising dance of wind. The casting of this spell had caused the paper to flutter around his room and small items to become repulsed and drop to the floor.

Sorin wore an expression of satisfaction as he watched the intricate symphony of wind and elemental magic come to life around him.

The zephyrs danced gracefully, swirling with newfound power and having the ability to repel.

A subtle smile adorned Sorin's face as he knew he had mastered the spell.

All the symbols had harmonised seamlessly.

Sorin could feel the difference in the spell's power compared to his previous attempts. It was more refined and his control over the zephyrs had become much smoother.

"I've finally mastered this spell." Sorin sighed.

This spell had been more complex than Wind Formation which meant he had to spend a few more days to master.

"I should go return this spell formula now, else I might have to pay 8 more arcane crystals by delaying it." Sorin spoke.

Sorin cancelled the spell as he began tidying up his room.

It was simply a defensive spell so Sorin wasn't too worried about it destroying his room, however all the paper Sorin had used were scattered on the floor.

As he swiftly cleaned his room, he left and headed to the magic library.

-

Encountering the elderly lady once more, Sorin returned the spellbook, leaving her visibly surprised. She recognized Sorin easily. Arcanists like her possessed an impressive memory.

"I'm impressed. You've mastered that spell quite swiftly. Your learning speed even rivals some with high affinities," the old woman remarked as she took the book from Sorin.

Sorin chuckled, though his expression held a hint of bitterness. "Well, I didn't get much sleep these last two weeks."

"Haha! Indeed! Every Arcanist has likely endured sleepless nights in pursuit of mastering a spell formula." The old woman laughed lightly, finding Sorin's reply amusing. 

"Well, that will be 80 medium grade crystals." The woman spoke.

Sorin handed her two high grade arcane crystals, before receiving back 20 medium grade crystals.

After the brief interaction with the elderly woman, Sorin left the library, not intending on picking out anymore spells.

Sorin was planning on refining his Mana Cube to the next stage whilst conditioning his muscles. Having a strong body held a lot of advantages for Arcanists and Sorin definitely wouldn't waste his Tier 4 treasure he obtained.

On the topic of treasures, Sorin should try finding information on the time element now. Sorin had somewhat neglected this despite it being the most important aspect to his journey as an Arcanist.

Sorin planned to visit the regular library today.

However, he quickly decided against going to the lower library, Sorin doubts it would contain information about the time element or the Cerulean Cube.

This left Sorin with the core library as his only choice. But gaining access to it required special privileges or a significant number of arcane crystals for just a few hours.

Sorin didn't have enough crystals to spare for information that might not exist, so he considered obtaining those special privileges.

Fortunately, Sorin knew someone who could help him with this.