Chương 115: Chapter 072 [Alarm Clock Rooster] (Part 1)

"That's another one done." Jack checked his System interface. [Class Screen-Internal View] Class: Novice Time Mage (1) Compatibility: 82% Novice Secondary Skills —Improve Memory (0) —Improve Intuition (0) —Improve Eyesight (0) After returning home with his father and eating lunch with his family, Jack headed to his room to register more Novice Mage Secondary Skills. After four hours of unbroken work, his fingers were cramped from using [Inscribe Spell], and the room smelled of ink and hard work.

Two new spells glimmered within his system display, and Jack couldn't stop smiling at what they signified: proof that the grind was worth it. He flexed his fingers.

"Perhaps I should prioritise some spells which aid my scribe work. I need a reduce cramp skill." It was a good idea; anything that would aid in making the scribe process more efficient would pay dividends on his mage levelling speed. Jack examined the unimbued [Improve Eyesight] scroll while that same spell improved his vision for the next hour.

"Interesting. I can see more details." His eyesight had improved by roughly ten per cent. Each level would add another ten per cent and extend the spell's duration by an hour. A minor miracle, but a practical one. Hmm… I should imbue these scrolls as well. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling tired from the long walk with his father. He smiled as he recalled the new memories he shared with his dad.

Every mage spell required the creation of an unimbued scroll before it could be registered, meaning he'd eventually craft hundreds of worthless spell scrolls. There was no market for scrolls that could remove creases or sharpen memory by ten per cent for a single hour. Only the most frivolous noble would pay 6 silver and 50 coppers for such petty conveniences. Still, they were perfect for practice, and the more often he cast a spell, the faster it would level.

The mana cost for each spell was trivial, and the cast time was short enough to level faster. He raised his hand and willed the words of each spell into the corresponding scroll. A soft pulse of blue light rippled across the desk as he imbued the five scrolls he'd already created.

"It's no wonder old mages are filthy rich." It took an experienced Apprentice Scribe almost half an hour to inscribe a simple spell on a scroll, yet a new Novice Mage could imbue that same spell scroll in seconds and earn the same amount of coin. The only limiting factor for Novice Mages was the lack of novice-level skills people would pay for. Almost all the valuable skills were only available at the Apprentice Mage level.

When he was done, he held them in his hands: [Remove Creases], [Improve Concentration], [Improve Memory], [Improve Intuition], and [Improve Eyesight].

"It's a shame I can't give them to my family." His thoughts darkened. The blood mages would kill for proof of such talent.

"I should destroy them… to be safe." Despite the risks of keeping them, he couldn't bring himself to destroy the spell scrolls. Even though he couldn't sell or give them away, he stored them inside a book and placed it on his bookshelf. I'll decide what to do with them later. He frowned as he noticed the chaos left by the inquisitors' earlier search of his bookshelf. Books half-pulled, spines crooked, scrolls stacked out of order.

"Damn." Jack spent the next fifteen minutes restoring order from chaos. The rhythm of sorting soothed him. By the time he finished, the shelves stood neat once more, and his mind felt steadier.

"That's better." He glanced at the time. It was just past eight in the evening. In the morning, he'd leave for the Academy, a place close enough to walk to in twenty minutes, yet distant enough to feel like another world. The thought settled in his chest; it felt like he was losing something important.

"I'm going to come home every single day," he said to the empty room. His mother's cooking alone made that vow worth keeping.

"Twice a day if I can find the time. That could be my exercise routine." He nodded at the great idea.

"I'd better prepare for tomorrow." Jack began adding the things he'd take to the Academy in a pile on his bed. I wonder what sort of room they'll give me? He'd be expected to stay on campus for most of the time, so he'd have a room.

"Damn. I hope it's not shared." He sat on his bed and flicked through the pages of one of his new books before stopping on a mage spell. It brought back an early memory of him sitting in his room over twenty years ago as he inscribed it for the first time to practice. It was the sort of spell an eccentric mage with too much time on their hands would invent. Jack jumped up from his bed.

"I'm such an idiot." He willed the mage spell through his right hand before checking his System interface. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. [Class Screen-Internal View] Class: Novice Time Mage (1) Compatibility: 82% Novice Secondary Skills —Improve Eyesight (0) —Alarm Clock Rooster (0) Jack chuckled. For practice, he'd inscribed dozens of interesting mage spells after reaching level 25 as a scribe.

By varying the spells he crafted with [Inscribe Spell], his levelling speed increased. He read the description for the spell. [Alarm Clock Rooster] Summon a spectral cockerel that crows or repeats a message at a designated time. The volume scales according to the alarm's perceived importance. Slap the cockerel on the head to silence it. Note: Small chance the cockerel may flee while increasing in volume. There were more practical alarm clock spells, but he'd inscribed this one because it was funny.

He picked up the mage spells book and began going through them one at a time while trying to recall if he'd ever inscribed the spell before. He might have the [Perfect Recall] skill at a high level now, but when he was first an Apprentice Scribe, it was level 0, so he couldn't remember all the spells he'd inscribed. A few pages in, he found another one. [Self-Folding Laundry] Clothes origami themselves into cranes. Jack laughed at the description before grabbing one of his shirts.

He willed the spell through his right hand into the shirt, and within seconds, his shirt looked like a crane.

"That's awesome." He checked his System interface and confirmed the new spell.

"Yes!" He continued paging through the spells.

"Oh Gods, I can't believe I inscribed that one." Jack tapped the page of the mage spell book, which read: [Perfume Cloud] Create a cloud of perfume around the user to attract the opposite sex. Duration: 15 minutes. Note: also attracts female trolls, use with caution. He chuckled as he willed the spell through his right hand. There shouldn't be any trolls within the city limits. Despite the faint scent of flowers, he still confirmed the new spell in his System interface. Jack continued flipping the book's pages.

"Ooh, that's a good one." He willed the spell through his right hand before confirming the new spell. [Silence Footsteps] No sound from feet. Duration: 1 hour. Note: stacks with some stealth skills. Half a dozen more pages. If only I had facial hair. He chuckled while willing the spell through his hand. He felt a tickle under his nose. He confirmed the new spell. [Moustache Curl] Facial hair twirls into chosen shape. Duration: 1 hour. Note: Couple with moustache styling mousse to extend the duration.

May cause uncontrollable itching. Jack scratched his upper lip.

"How many's that?" He counted his new spells.

"Three more and I should get a level." He grinned as he paged through a dozen more spells before finding another one he recognised from his early days levelling [Inscribe Spell]. He willed the new spell before confirming its registration. [Auto-Translate Cat] Understand feline speech. Duration: 15 minutes. Note: cats are dumb animals and talk nonsense most of the time.

"I think one of the neighbours has a few cats," Jack smirked.

"I'll have to test this one. See what they have to say." A few more pages later, and he was willing the next spell through his hand. There was no need to confirm this one via his interface. He coughed, and several small, colourful butterflies flew from his mouth.

"Cool." The illusions flew around his head for around five seconds before fading away to wispy smoke. [Butterfly Cough] Cough expels illusory butterflies. Duration: 3 minutes. Jack coughed again, and another set of illusory butterflies flew around him. Zia and Richard would love this spell. He felt disappointment rise that he couldn't rush to show his family his new spells. This sort of spell would take anywhere from a few weeks to months for a Novice Mage to learn.

Even if he waited a few months, he still couldn't show them everything; a couple of spells, yes, but not dozens. He continued searching for spells he'd already inscribed.

"Why did I inscribe this one?" He read the description aloud.

"[Sweat Sparkle] Sweat glistens like diamonds. Duration: 30 minutes. Note: Can temporarily stain clothing blue." Jack considered whether to cast the spell now or later.

"I'm not that sweaty, so I should be alright." He counted the spells he'd already registered.

"This should be the one." He willed the [Sweat Sparkle] spell through his hand and noted his hand did twinkle a little. Hmm… I'd rather not turn blue. He channelled mana again to activate his [Cleansing] spell, but the risk of turning blue couldn't drown the thrill building with every new spell registered. A system notification appeared. [System Message-Internal View] [Novice Time Mage Class Levelled] [Novice Time Mage (2)]"Hell yeah!" Jack dismissed the notification.

"I was right." He opened his System interface. [Class Screen-Internal View] Class: Novice Time Mage (2) Compatibility: 82% Novice Secondary Skills —Alarm Clock Rooster (0) —Self-Folding Laundry (0) —Perfume Cloud (0) —Silence Footsteps (0) —Moustache Curl (0) —Auto-Translate Cat (0) —Butterfly Cough (0) —Sweat Sparkle (0) Jack stood, stretching the stiffness from his shoulders. Every fifth registered skill counts as a full day's practice. His cheeks were getting a little strained from smiling so much.

From his window, the lights of Lundun shimmered through the night fog, and faint laughter drifted up from the street below. Downstairs, he heard Zia giggling, the soft sound pulling him back to the present. He used [Perfect Recall] to check his earlier calculations to determine how long it would take to reach level 3 if he registered five skills a day. Three days, so fifteen skills this time. A spectral cockerel appeared in front of his face as he closed the curtains.

"What the hell!" Jack jumped back and almost fell over his chair. Cock-a-doodle-doo… Cock-a-doodle-doo… Cock-a-doodle-doo…Cock-a…

"Stupid bird." Jack slapped the spectral chicken on the head to silence it and laughed. He'd forgotten he'd set the [Alarm Clock Rooster] to activate at half-past-seven. The sound wasn't too loud since the alarm call wasn't important. His laughter faded, leaving quiet pride and the ache of wanting to share it with people who could never know.