Chapter 42: The Second Spell Model

Along a wide road, a cavalry unit of hundreds thundered forward, raising clouds of dust in their wake.

Inside a carriage within the formation, Merlin sat with his eyes closed, meditating.

"My mental energy should be sufficient now—enough to construct a second spell model!"

Merlin opened his eyes, ignoring the carriage's jostling as a slight smile appeared on his lips. He was currently following Wilson and his knights on their way back to Blackwater City.

Whatever Wilson had deduced from the captives' statements, Merlin wasn't sure, but he could tell from Wilson's solemn expression that he had learned something significant.

"It's only early afternoon now. At this pace, we should reach Blackwater City by morning. I might as well use this time to begin constructing the ice spell model in my mind," Merlin murmured as he glanced outside.

During his time in Blackwater City, Merlin had seized every opportunity to meditate, and now, over a month later, his mental energy had finally grown enough to support a second spell model.

Merlin reached into his cloak, retrieving a few yellowed sheets of paper. Each was marked with intricate spell diagrams—the ice spell he had acquired from Lorin.

He had long decided to make this ice spell his second spell model. Now that his mental energy had reached the necessary threshold, he was ready to proceed.

"Activate the Matrix!" Merlin commanded without hesitation. Constructing a spell model required the Matrix; without it, creating a stable spell model would have taken Merlin far too long.

"Matrix activated. Please specify task."

"Begin analysis of the ice spell model!"

"Task established. Commencing analysis!"

With the Matrix's formidable analytical capabilities, it could effortlessly deconstruct spell models. Merlin had already experienced this once before when analyzing the fireball spell.

About half an hour later, the familiar mechanical voice sounded in Merlin's mind.

"Analysis complete. A total of 126,541 spell models identified."

Merlin nodded. The result was as expected; his previous analysis of the fireball spell had produced over 180,000 potential models.

"Select the ten most stable ones, then compare each with the original ice spell model. Identify the model with the highest stability and potency."

Merlin gave the command and waited as the Matrix processed his request.

"Selection complete. Model six is optimal."

In his mind, Merlin visualized a highly complex spell model. For anyone without strong mental energy, even a glance at this model would be dizzying.

However, with his months of meditation, Merlin's mental energy had grown considerably, enough to manage two spell models at once. His mind was now ready for a second spell.

Wasting no time, Merlin closed his eyes, and with intense concentration, he began replicating the Matrix's selected model in his mental sea.

Constructing a spell model took hours, requiring undivided focus to accurately "carve" the intricate model into his mind.

Having done this once before, Merlin found it easier the second time. He gathered his mental energy, carefully tracing out the model step-by-step.

An hour passed, then two, then three…

Lost in concentration, Merlin remained oblivious to the bumps of the carriage, fully immersed in replicating the spell model.

Finally, his mind seemed to explode, filling with an icy sensation as a new spell model materialized in his mental sea.

"At last—the ice spell model!"

Merlin's eyes snapped open, a look of elation on his face. He could sense the ice spell model in his mental sea, slowly drawing in ice elements from the surroundings.

He shivered involuntarily, even under his thick cloak, feeling a slight chill.

With both the fireball and ice spell models coexisting peacefully in his mind, Merlin watched as each model rotated slowly, absorbing its respective elements.

He noted the strain that supporting two models put on his mental energy. It was manageable for now, and as he continued meditating, his mental energy would keep increasing until even this burden became negligible.

"Time to test the power of the ice spell."

He directed his mental energy to stimulate the ice spell model.

"Ice!"

A cluster of ice crystals appeared on a wooden support inside the carriage, quickly coating it in a layer of solid frost that radiated a palpable chill.

"Fireball!" Merlin followed up by summoning a small fireball, carefully guiding it under the ice crystal.

The crystal held its shape for a moment before melting under the intense heat, turning into droplets of water. Satisfied, Merlin smiled. The ice spell was not primarily for damage but for immobilizing opponents.

The crystal's resilience was impressive. Once trapped, even a third-level swordsman would struggle to break free.

"If only I'd had this ice spell during the last ambush, I could have easily finished off those three third-level Light Swordsmen."

Gazing at the melting ice, Merlin's eyes sparkled with a renewed confidence. With the addition of this binding spell, his power had effectively doubled. Now, even large numbers of lower-level swordsmen posed little threat to him.

For the moment, he was only able to cast the ice spell two or three times before his mental energy would be depleted, but that would improve with time.

Merlin retracted his focus, once again studying his mental sea and the new changes around the ice spell model.

"As expected, there's another gray progress bar, just like with the fireball spell!"

Merlin grinned. As he hoped, a gray progress bar appeared beside the ice spell model, just as it had for the fireball spell.

This meant that after casting the ice spell three times, he would unlock a stronger version—perhaps he could call it "Greater Ice."