Reforged Chapter 49: Showing Off His Own Skills

He had seen extravagance before, but never like this!

Not only was it extravagant, but it was also somewhat ridiculous.

The librarian was an elderly man who seemed to be on the verge of death. Despite his wrinkled face and a resemblance to a Shar-Pei dog, Duke could clearly sense the abundant arcane energy within the old man.

The system's sprite also ranked the old man's strength as a 'Crimson Skull,' meaning that this seemingly frail old man was actually a boss-level being with far greater strength than Duke.

Duke's face expressed embarrassment.

It could be said that Stormwind City was truly the second most powerful human center of magic after Dalaran.

"Young man, I know you have exceptional talent, but even with the best of talents, it's impossible to master the entire ocean of magic. The magic here can be categorized into nine major schools, such as protection, curses, divination, enchantment, and energy shaping. Take your most proficient school, energy shaping, which is the shaping of energy and includes subcategories like fire, frost, and arcane."

"Uh, I know that."

"Then knowing that there are so many schools, you still wish to study them all? Do you realize that even if you could learn all the Level 2 spells available to Earth Mages, doing so would make your beard grow at least an inch longer?"

"It can't be that exaggerated!" Duke said, not caring about the Level 2 magic, insisting that magic was easy to learn, and arrogantly claiming to be a ninth-rank genius.

In reality, he was just trying to cover up the fact that he had a system that allowed him to learn magic instantly.

To prove that he wasn't lying, Duke casually demonstrated a Level 2 spell, Frost Armor, to the old man.

Instantly connecting with the realm of frost elements, a large amount of cold air was summoned from the void, converging on Duke's body. A cold white light emerged from his arm, rapidly covering his entire body at a visible speed.

Not only his arms but also his legs and torso were covered in a cold white light. The white light took on a streamlined form, enveloping Duke's entire body and limbs.

For an ordinary mage, learning a spell formula instantly upon contact was practically impossible. Even for a skilled mage like the Sun Mage, learning and applying an unfamiliar Level 2 spell on the spot wasn't something everyone could achieve.

A typical Frost Armor spell might form the shape of armor, protecting the mage's vital areas.

But Duke?

He had turned a simple Frost Armor spell into something extraordinary.

A suit of plate armor fit for a king, or rather, a full set of Stormwind City Guard armor, appeared before the old man.

Layered shoulder plates, bright chest armor, and sturdy waist skirts... it was impressive enough to create all of these with the Frost Armor spell.

But do you know what Duke had created?

He had even made chainmail for the upper arm area, with small iron rings linked together. As for the majestic lion head carvings on the belt and armguards, they were not left out either.

Aside from the lack of color and the fact that it was made of ice, it looked exactly like a standard suit of armor for a Stormwind City soldier!

Upon seeing this, the old man had no more doubts about Duke's talent and ability.

He was left with only shock... and resentment.

Was magic really that easy to master?

If it were truly that easy to practice, the Stormwind Royal Academy of Magic wouldn't need to send out so many people each year to scout for apprentices across the entire kingdom and even the seven human nations. Tens of thousands, or at least a few thousand young people would participate in the tests each year. Yet, only a few dozen would be identified as having magical aptitude.

Among these few dozen, the vast majority lacked sufficient talent. They were reluctantly admitted into the academy with the mindset that even if they couldn't be trained as official mages, they could still be useful as apprentices for menial tasks.

With time and effort, those who could become official Earth Mages before the age of 40 would be incorporated into the Mage Corps as combat forces.

And yet, Duke, with his extraordinary talent and the help of his mysterious system, defied all conventional wisdom, leaving the old man amazed and envious of his abilities. Little did he know that Duke's journey was just beginning, and his path would lead to greater challenges and adventures in the vast world of Azeroth. The story of Duke, the unconventional mage, was far from over.

...

Thus, in the Academy of Magic, it was not uncommon to see apprentices in their forties or fifties. So Duke's age, let alone among official mages, even among the apprentices, was extremely young.

When Duke gave up on becoming Medivh's disciple, the old man harbored some resentment, thinking that a promising seedling had been wasted.

But how long had it been?

Only a month.

In just a month, Duke's power had advanced from a Rank 1 Earth Mage to Rank 5.

For other mages, such rapid progress would have led to disarray in their magical circuits or overdevelopment causing damage and reduced potential.

Duke, however?

He could clearly sense the elemental forces flowing slowly and orderly within his body. The incredibly gentle elements hid unimaginable violence, ready to be transformed into the fiercest flames or frost to strike Duke's enemies at his command.

This was only a month's time!

Was a month enough?

Even if Duke had been taken as Medivh's core disciple from the beginning, a month's time wouldn't have allowed for such terrifying and solid progress.

Even Medivh, the Guardian praised for having the greatest talent, had only progressed at this rate in his early days. It was important to remember that as a child, Medivh was under the careful guidance of Aegwynn, the strongest mage in Azeroth at the time and his own mother!

As for the old man himself, it took him a year and a half to advance from a Rank 1 Earth Master to Rank 5.

This was in Stormwind, the second strongest human mage nation, only surpassed by Dalaran.

For wandering mages from small places unable to receive a proper magical education, anyone who could make such progress within five years would be cause for the entire town to celebrate.

Facing Duke, the old man was at a loss for words.

With such rapid progress in a month and such a solid foundation, it was not only shocking to him, but also a blow to his pride!

Comparing oneself to others could truly be disheartening!

Was a Rank 9 talent really that terrifying and astounding?

The old man's heart had been deeply struck.

Glancing again at Duke, who seemed to take everything in stride without a trace of smugness, the old man secretly muttered to himself: "Even among the high elves, this kid would be a monstrous figure."

Duke had no time to care about the old man's thoughts.

He was astonished by the spell list of the Royal Academy of Magic.

He couldn't figure out whether it was the original game that deliberately reduced the number of mage spells, turning them into a purely offensive and crowd-control profession, or if Azeroth truly had so many spells.

The Curse spell school's Grease and Obscuring Mist...

The Divination spell school's Identify...

The Enchantment spell school's Hypnotize...

When the old man brought a huge stack of individual spellbooks, as high as a small hill, and revealed a teasing expression, Duke felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

However, since he had boasted, he had to learn!

He had to keep up the act, even if it brought him to tears.

...