CH47

Macken turned his head just in time to see a gleaming longsword swing towards him. He clutched his neck, unable to speak as blood gushed out like a waterfall. Blood bubbles formed in his mouth as he looked at Helag, who was fully shielded, and collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with confusion.

[Remaining magic power: 3%] Deep Blue warned.

Helag felt mentally exhausted. "Blink consumes too much magic; using it once took 49% of my magic."

The moment the ice spike rushed towards him, he decisively used Blink to appear behind Macken and then swiftly killed him with a single strike.

Caught off guard and with little magic left, Macken had no time to react and died instantly.

"I need to leave quickly." Helag searched Macken and Sunny's bodies, finding a ring and four magic stones before swiftly leaving Moonlight Forest.

With his magic depleted, he couldn't even cast a single Corrosive Arrow and would have to rely on physical combat if he encountered danger.

After returning to the station, Helag didn't have to wait long for the Hellfoot carriage, which was empty.

The journey was smooth, and once he entered the Northern Forest District, he felt much safer and relaxed a bit.

If Macken and Sunny's bodies weren't discovered in time, they would soon be dragged away and eaten by the wild beasts and magical creatures of Moonlight Forest.

Even if discovered, it had nothing to do with him. The Woodland would just record it, as such incidents were common.

During his time in Moonlight Woodland, Helag realized it was more of a platform for wizards to learn and exchange resources, where everything required an equivalent exchange, rather than a school with strict management.

Freedom also meant disorder.

[Wind Spirit's Ring: Enchanted with the Level 0 spell Blessing of the Wind Spirit.]

Helag examined the green ring he had taken from Sunny. The spell seemed to increase agility, but he would need to test it once his magic recovered to know the exact effect.

"I'll wait a few days before going back to Moonlight Forest for mushrooms," Helag decided, wanting to avoid any more trouble for now.

***

Two days later.

Helag pulled a chair onto the balcony and lay down, studying the spell model for Blink.

A small stove beside him burned brightly, with a kettle of coffee brewing on top, filling the air with its pleasant aroma.

"Blink has high practical value but consumes too much magic…"

Helag paused and then instructed Deep Blue, "Deep Blue, can you optimize Blink to reduce magic consumption?"

[Analyzing data…]

[Data analysis complete. Calculation complete. Blink can be optimized to reduce magic consumption. After optimization, the estimated magic consumption per use is 37%.]

"From 49% to 37%, that's a significant improvement," Helag thought, pleased with the result, which would reduce his magic burden considerably.

He continued, "Deep Blue, can you optimize Blink to increase the blink distance?"

[Analyzing data…]

[Lack of sufficient spatial spell data. Recommend providing more spatial spell foundational principles.]

"As expected…"

Just as Helag thought, increasing the blink range wasn't possible yet.

He had little understanding of spatial spell principles, and Deep Blue's calculations required data as a foundation.

Sufficient input was needed for calculation and output.

"Deep Blue, start optimizing Blink to reduce magic consumption."

[Task logged. Estimated time remaining: twenty-six minutes. Estimated magic consumption: 31%.]

.

.

[Level 0 spell Blink optimization complete.]

Helag noticed some changes in the spell model in his mind, with subtle adjustments that allowed the spell to save more magic without affecting its original effect.

"Deep Blue, optimize Mana Shield.

Three optimization methods:

1. Increase shield defense;

2. Reduce magic consumption;

3. Increase shield defense while reducing magic consumption."

Helag provided three optimization options for Mana Shield, curious to see what Deep Blue could achieve.

[Analyzing data…]

[Analysis complete. All three optimization methods are feasible.]

Seeing this, Helag asked about optimization options for Ice Shield and Dark Energy Shield.

Ice Shield could enhance defense and reduce magic consumption, while Dark Energy Shield could only reduce magic consumption due to a lack of relevant data for enhancing defense.

Helag figured it was due to a lack of knowledge about elemental spells, which he would need to supplement later.

He then inquired about optimizing Corrosive Arrow: "Deep Blue, how can Corrosive Arrow be optimized?"

[Analyzing data…]

[Level 0 spell Corrosive Arrow can be optimized to reduce magic consumption and enhance corrosive effect.]

With the results in, Helag began planning the optimization of his Level 0 spells.

 Optimizing spells with Deep Blue required magic, and Helag had limited magic. It took him four days to optimize all his spells.

Even Partial Petrification had its magic consumption reduced.

"Ice Shield!"

"Mana Shield!"

"Dark Energy Shield!"

Helag cast the three shield spells on himself and checked his remaining magic: "68%."

Before Deep Blue's optimization, casting the three shields would consume half his magic. Now, it only used 32%.

In terms of Starry Sky Meditation, the fifth star was halfway solidified. Helag estimated he could complete the meditation within a month.

Once the star was fully formed, he would be close to becoming a second-class apprentice and could start preparing the Dawn Potion needed for the promotion.

"Hmm? A message." The rune stone flashed green.

Helag opened it to find a message from Larry: "I've opened registration for the potion course. If you're interested, you can sign up."

"I'll sign up right away," Helag replied, then opened the course section and found Larry's "Introduction to Potions."

The course cost twenty gold coins, which wasn't too expensive.

"You don't need to buy books. Use my old ones; they have notes that will help you learn," Larry added.

"Thank you, Mr. Larry!" Helag felt Larry valued him more, likely recognizing his potential.

Helag knew he would have to repay these favors in the future.

As he grew stronger, Larry would likely ask for his help with various tasks.

Equivalent exchange was always the guiding principle for wizards.