Chapter 102: The Basics of Arcane Magic (Part 1)

Chapter 102: The Basics of Arcane Magic (Part 1)

Rex was a man of action. That very afternoon, he took Alex and Ikaros out of the temple and, through a mage's teleportation array, brought them to a somewhat run-down mage tower.

"From now on, the two of you will be staying here."

Though the room looked a bit old, it was at least clean. Rex didn't seem to care about these "minor details." He clapped his hands in satisfaction, then casually pulled out a book as thick as an encyclopedia and tossed it in front of Alex.

"Start by reading this. Once you're done, begin practicing. How much you can learn depends on your own ability. If you don't understand something, come upstairs and ask me. But remember, if you see a sign on my door, don't come in! If you get turned into charcoal, it'll be your own fault, and no one will save you!"

With that, Rex turned and left, leaving Alex and Ikaros behind.

"Mages really are just as difficult to deal with as the rumors say."

Alex picked up the heavy "encyclopedia" and glanced out the window. The bustling cityscape of the northern capital was now gone. Instead, he saw a vast sea of snowy forests outside. It was clear that this mage tower was built in some remote, desolate place… which seemed to be the typical setting for mages.

"Ugh, that guy! How dare he speak so rudely to Master!"

Ikaros was clearly more upset than Alex. If it hadn't been for Alex telling her to stay calm, the little angel would have likely jumped up and fought Rex already.

"He's just a mere worm…"

"It's not that big of a deal, really," Alex said, flipping through the "encyclopedia" and then sitting down on a nearby chair. Rex had been very clear—there was only one month. If Alex couldn't earn Rex's approval within that month, he would have no chance of entering the White Tower, which meant returning to the temple. Alex wasn't eager to do that. Even though it hadn't been explicitly said, both sides knew that Alex didn't have a strong sense of belonging to the temple. The only thing left was for it to be openly acknowledged. If he returned, where would his dignity go?

For the sake of his pride, Alex couldn't let this opportunity slip by!

With that in mind, Alex began to carefully study the "encyclopedia" in front of him. Ikaros, after watching him for a while, sat down on another chair nearby, her eyes fixed on the man before her.

Despite his sharp tongue, Rex clearly had a solid teaching method. After skimming the introduction, Alex quickly realized that this book was essentially a beginner's guide to magic.

According to the book, Alex finally understood how mages used their soul power in battle.

Unlike knights or other melee professions that directly channel their soul power into weapons or physical attacks, mages primarily used their soul power to condense magic runes. As described in The Guide to Magic, there were 69 magic runes in the world. These runes were akin to the periodic table of elements, each possessing unique properties and meanings. The process of casting spells involved mages condensing these runes with their soul power, combining them into incantations, and then releasing them as spells.

To Alex, it felt a bit like a mix between Tetris and Scrabble. If magic runes were like different colored blocks, then a mage's task was to line them up in matching patterns and clear them all at once.

And as everyone knows, the more blocks you clear in one go, the higher your score.

Similarly, the more magic runes a mage resonated with, the more powerful their spells would be.

However, this didn't mean mages could leisurely take their time and stack up as many runes as they wanted. On the contrary, using soul power to condense magic runes was time-sensitive—each rune only lasted for a few seconds. This meant that a mage had to construct a spell's incantation quickly and fluidly. Otherwise, the spell could collapse, causing a backlash, or simply fail.

Alex now understood why Charles' spellcasting speed had been so quick during their fight. Of course, if mages were slow at casting spells, they'd be dead long before they finished.

The book also went into detail about spell properties, spellcasting schools, and other related topics… All in all, as a primer on magic, it was a well-crafted guide.

And so, Alex threw himself into learning magic without hesitation.

Fortunately, thanks to the enhancements from the Zerg-restructured body, Alex had an abundance of energy. He could go without sleep for three days straight without the slightest hint of fatigue. Plus, with Ikaros by his side, it made things even easier. According to Ikaros, as an artificial angel, she had her own power source and didn't require rest or sleep either.

Although The Guide to Magic was complex, Alex managed to thoroughly study it over two days. Once he had finished, he headed back up to the top of the tower where Rex resided and knocked on the door. Soon, Rex's voice echoed from within.

"The door's unlocked, come in."

"Sorry to bother you."

As Alex pushed open the door and walked into the room, he saw Rex sitting casually in a chair, his eyes fixed on a boiling flask in front of him. When Rex noticed Alex entering, he glanced at him and spoke indifferently.

"What, finding it too hard and want to quit? If you don't want to learn anymore, just leave. I can tell that old geezer, and we'll be done here."

"Actually, Mr. Rex…"

Hearing Rex's words, Alex rolled his eyes and pulled out the book that Rex had given him earlier.

"I've pretty much mastered everything in this book. I wanted to ask what I should do next…"

"What?"

Before Alex could finish, Rex turned toward him with a mocking and surprised expression.

"You've mastered it? Kid, do you think this is just a book you can memorize like the brainwashing junk they use in the temple? You need to understand—being a mage is…"

Rex's sentence was abruptly cut short as his eyes widened, staring at something in front of him—specifically, the glowing orb floating above Alex's hand.

It was a zero-level spell, Light. For Rex, this spell was nothing remarkable; any apprentice mage could easily master it. But the issue wasn't the spell—it was the fact that Alex had cast it! And from the moment Alex started learning magic, it had been less than three days!

"A Light spell? Looks like you've been working hard… but…"

Rex trailed off as Alex calmly pointed his finger. The next moment, a cold white beam shot from his fingertip and struck a nearby table, freezing the candlestick on it in a layer of frost.

Ray of Frost!

Rex was stunned, his mouth hanging open, speechless. After a long pause, Rex finally turned to Alex and asked slowly.

"How many of the cantrips in that book have you mastered?"

"I've learned all of them."

This was precisely why Alex had come to see Rex. To him, the contents of the book were just the basics, and the spells recorded in it were all low-level cantrips—practically harmless and not even considered true spells.

Surely, now he could start learning some real magic.

However, Alex was surprised to see that Rex's expression was far from pleased. In fact, it looked rather grim. This made Alex worry. Had he done something wrong? After all, it was his first time learning magic, so he had been cautious. Even though it only took him a day to grasp the material, Alex had asked Ikaros to help him review everything one more time. Only after ensuring that he hadn't missed anything did he come to Rex. But judging by Rex's reaction… had he made a mistake?

(End of the Chapter)

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