Chapter 30: The Mark of Time

However, the Arcane Mark could be dispelled by certain spells, and Garon decided to improve it.

When casting the Arcane Mark, he infused it with a trace of the power of time.

It was just a slight trace, equivalent to the power of time Garon could absorb in one breath.

But even this small amount was enough to achieve the effect Garon desired.

Unless the opponent also possessed the power of time and could sense the existence of the River of Time, the mark would be indelible no matter what.

Moreover, due to Garon's sensitivity to the power of time and with the help of the mighty River of Time that surrounds all planes, he could faintly sense the location of the mark across different planes. The more power of time he infused, the clearer his perception became.

After mastering all the apprentice tricks, Garon turned his attention to "Compendium of Enchantment and Transmutation Spells."

This book contained over twenty spell models.

As the title indicated, these spell models belonged to the enchantment and transmutation schools.

Garon stroked his matte-textured chin scales and thought, "Dragon's Hand uses a lot of basic transmutation runes and belongs to the transmutation school."

"The mimic dragon breath used by the two-headed ogre is also from the transmutation school, while the summoned thunderstorm clouds belong to the enchantment school."

From the principles of spellcasting, Garon learned that there are eight academic schools of magic.

Abjuration, Enchantment, Divination, Illusion, Evocation, Necromancy, Transmutation, and Conjuration.

Each school of magic has unique effects and functions, with a set of fundamental runes and spells distinct from other schools.

The fundamental runes and spells of these eight schools are like eight profoundly deep languages that reach the essence of the world.

This results in most spellcasters spending their entire lives focusing on just one school of magic, as mastering just one is enough for a lifetime of study.

Even immortals would need extensive time to thoroughly master one school of magic, let alone ordinary beings with short lifespans.

The higher the rank of the spellcaster, the more specialized their path becomes.

Only exceptionally brilliant beings, favored by the elements, dare to study multiple schools of magic simultaneously.

With a physique akin to an elemental's favored child and a mindset of mastering all knowledge and truths, Garon would not limit himself to learning just one school of magic, nor would he limit himself to just spells, although he currently had access to limited resources.

"Most are first to third-level spells, with only a handful of fourth and fifth-level spells."

"Fourth-level transmutation spells include Dragon's Breath Imitation and Enlarge."

"Fourth-level enchantment spells include Orb of Fire and Orb of Cold."

"There is only one fifth-level spell, Storm Spell, from the enchantment school."

Thanks to his eidetic memory, the contents of "Compendium of Enchantment and Transmutation Spells" were already imprinted in Garon's mind, eliminating the need to open the book again.

Considering only their spellcasting abilities and not their physical and divine powers, the two-headed ogre qualifies as a mid-level mage.

Garon recalled the magical abilities the two-headed ogre displayed during their battle.

First to third-level spells are considered lower-level, and a mage who masters up to third-level spells is referred to as a lower-tier spellcaster or mage in the land of Noah.

Following this classification, fourth to sixth levels are mid-tier, and seventh to ninth levels are high-tier.

The higher the level of the spells, the greater the difference between each level.

Above the high-tier are legendary mages, who command at least ninth-level legendary spells.

Although ninth-level spells are powerful, most are not considered legendary; only a few specific ninth-level spells are.

Ninety percent of legendary spells are tenth level or higher.

Even if Garon and a white dragon fought together, they would likely not stand a chance against a legendary spellcaster, though such beings are rare to encounter.

Garon briefly considered the Dragon's Breath Imitation spell.

Another fourth-level transmutation spell, Enlarge, caught his interest.

Garon stretched his wings and flexed his body, his scales gleaming like mirrors, reflecting the various items inside the stone house.

He admired his own appearance, pleased with his dragon's handsome features, but not so happy with his current size.

"Enlarge should allow me to temporarily grow longer and thicker."

Garon thought of the phantom dragons sprawled across the River of Time and aspired to reach their mountainous size someday.

Taking a deep breath to steady his mind, Garon suppressed his excitement and turned his gaze to the frozen sculpture of the sun.

Before delving into the formal spells, he planned to deal with this eerie object.

In fact, while learning the cantrips, part of Garon's mind was already pondering how to handle the sun

 sculpture, somewhat indecisive.

The sculpture, a gift from a malevolent god, possessed a strange power that made him unwittingly addicted to it, but this very trait indicated it was a treasure, albeit a malevolent one.

The black mist's power to rapidly repair the flesh made Garon envious. Despite knowing the power was malevolent, his intense curiosity made him eager to study it.

Dragons naturally have good regenerative abilities, and minor injuries usually heal after a sleep, but achieving high-speed regeneration during battle was currently a challenge.

This prompted Garon to covet the sculpture.

However, wary of the sun sculpture, Garon thought it might be a trap designed to lure beings enchanted by power.

Studying the sun sculpture would inevitably expose him to its strange influence.

Garon didn't want to unwittingly become a follower of a malevolent god. After careful consideration, he decided, albeit reluctantly, to destroy it.

Craving power from a malevolent god and risking capsizing in a gutter was not what he wanted.

"Ugga, come here!"

Garon called out in Giant language, his voice booming.

Soon, accompanied by heavy footsteps, the figure of Ugga Bonecrusher appeared in Garon's field of view.

"Master, what do you need?" 

After bowing, Ugga Bonecrusher respectfully asked.

Garon extended his dragon claw and pointed at the sun sculpture, speaking in an even tone, "Take this sculpture outside and smash it."

He didn't want to handle it personally, nor did he want to use spells like Dragon's Hand to remotely touch it, for who knew what other strange abilities this malevolent god's sculpture might possess that could indirectly affect him.

Ugga Bonecrusher hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to ask why, but ultimately remained silent under Garon's calm gaze.

"As you command, great master."