Chương 106: No Wonder She’s a Genius

"Ah, it's not like I'm that amazing…" Bev coughed lightly twice, even though her vanity really wanted her to take the compliment.

"The main spell matrix for this festival firework magic has already been completed by Mage Hadley from the guild."

"But there are still some minor details that need to be refined. Basically, it's the part responsible for creating different shapes."

"Since I've been researching this kind of thing recently, Mage Hadley assigned me the task of designing part of the circuit structure. Think of it as a commissioned project without payment."

"I see…" Zelier nodded slightly.

"Then what effect does the circuit you're responsible for need to achieve?" Bev picked up the draft and pointed at a rough sketch on the page.

"To match the theme of the Autumn Harvest Festival, I need to create a spell circuit that forms a wheat-ear pattern after the fireworks explode."

"In that case…" Zelier thought for a moment.

"Doesn't sound too difficult, does it?" After all, it was just making a magic explosion turn into a wheat-ear shape.

"That's right. In theory, it shouldn't be difficult. And I already have a preliminary idea!" Bev clenched her fist, her entire body radiating enthusiasm.

"Later, I'll inscribe a temporary spell structure onto a scroll. Zelier, you'll be responsible for casting it. Then we'll test the actual effect together."

"If I had to do everything myself…"

"Designing the inscription and then testing the spell personally would be exhausting. I might even run out of mana before getting anywhere. With you here, I can save a lot of effort."

"Sure!" Zelier agreed immediately. He was actually quite curious about the process of creating magic. This was a perfect opportunity to see how it worked. Bev opened the books on the table: An Introduction to Elemental Effects and Basic Rune Logic Theory. She quickly flipped through the pages, searching for the information she needed. Her fingers danced across the books as she studied. Occasionally, her brows furrowed as she performed complex calculations and corrections on her notes.

That focused and serious expression actually gave her the air of a true research archmage. Finally, after a fierce mental brainstorming session, Bev confidently picked up a sheet of parchment and began engraving the first version of the spell structure using her mental energy. If she were creating a proper magic scroll meant to be preserved for years and studied by others, the mental energy required for inscription would be enormous.

A caster had to maintain absolute concentration, ensuring every mental imprint embedded into the scroll remained perfectly clear, preventing it from fading away over time. But for Bev's current purpose, she didn't care about long-term preservation. She only needed a temporary test version. The process was much simpler. Besides, this wasn't some complicated high-tier spell. The mental energy consumption was therefore far lower. Soon, Bev finished the inscription and handed the parchment over to Zelier.

"Here. Give it a try." Zelier accepted the scroll. Thanks to his astonishing 114 Intelligence stat and the extraordinary analytical ability granted by Talent: Spell Genesis, the moment his mental energy swept across the parchment, Bev's entire spell structure was instantly imprinted into his mind. Then he casually placed the scroll aside. Seeing him put the scroll down, Bev looked surprised.

"What's wrong…? Did I fail to inscribe something clearly? Is there somewhere you don't understand?"

"No, it's fine." Zelier blinked.

"I already memorized it."

"... Huh?" Bev froze. From the moment Zelier picked up the scroll to when he put it down… The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Had more than ten seconds even passed? He had already memorized the entire spell structure? That was way too ridiculous. A genius shouldn't be this outrageous! Bev screamed internally. Only now did she truly understand why someone could become a Junior Mage at the age of sixteen.

Zelier, however, had no idea what was going through her mind. He reviewed the spell structure once more inside his head. The difficulty wasn't particularly high. Judging by its complexity, it barely even met the standard for a Tier 2 spell. Then Zelier raised Nightfall Rest and began guiding mana according to Bev's design. With the wand's powerful amplification effect, the entire mana flow was completed almost instantly. At the tip of the wand, a brilliant golden light rapidly gathered. And then…

"BOOM!!!" Before the spell could even be launched, the ball of light exploded directly at the wand's tip like an overinflated balloon bursting apart.

"Ah!" Bev jumped at the sudden explosion. The blinding flash forced her to turn away and shut her eyes instinctively. A violent gust swept through the courtyard, scattering fallen leaves everywhere before slowly fading away. Once the disturbance settled, Bev turned back. She saw Zelier crouching on the ground, covering his face with both hands.

"Ugh… Zelier! Are you okay?" Bev hurried over to check on him.

"I think I'm blind…" Zelier kept his eyes shut, his voice filled with pain. After recovering for a while, he cautiously opened his eyes. Tears caused by the intense flash still lingered at the corners. Just before the spell was completed, when the mana flow reached a certain node, a violent collision had suddenly occurred. The entire spell structure immediately destabilized and exploded. Fortunately, this was only a decorative spell with almost no offensive power.

And Zelier's reaction speed had been extremely fast. He had closed his eyes the instant the explosion occurred. So nothing serious happened. He was just seeing stars from the flash.

"Ahhh! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Bev immediately understood what had gone wrong. She clasped her hands together, apologizing repeatedly, her face full of guilt.

"It must be because I didn't calculate the stabilization circuit properly! It's my fault! Give me… give me one more chance! I'll definitely get it right this time!"

"It's fine, it's fine…" Zelier stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"Just carefully revise the circuit structure again…" Only now did he truly experience the terror of theoretical magic researchers. Even a formally educated academy-style research mage like Bev could make mistakes during the design phase. He didn't even want to imagine what those freewheeling fantasy-school mages, who scribbled random ideas and followed inspiration wherever it led them, managed to create on a daily basis. Bev returned to the table and continued working.

Not long after, she confidently handed Zelier a second parchment.

"Done! This time I strengthened the mana output stabilization circuit and added an energy buffering structure. It definitely won't lose control again!"

"You're… sure?" Looking at her confident expression, Zelier suddenly felt uneasy.

"Absolutely!" Bev clenched her fist, encouraging herself. After memorizing the improved circuit, Zelier raised Nightfall Rest once again. However, he had learned his lesson. He turned his face away and practically cast the spell with his back half-turned. Mana flowed. The spell structure formed.

"Whoosh!" This time, the spell successfully activated. A crooked golden spark shot out from the tip of Nightfall Rest. But it didn't fly straight into the sky. The spark bounced twice along the ground, then shot around the courtyard like a runaway firework rocket. Finally, it plunged straight into the large wooden barrel used for watering flowers and extinguished itself completely. Zelier turned his head and looked at Bev.

"Oh…" Bev stared at the faint smoke rising from the barrel and awkwardly scratched her cheek.

"Looks like… I didn't set the trajectory direction rune correctly."

"Wait, wait. Let me try again."

"I remember you weren't exactly a fan of fantasy-school mages, right?" Zelier said.

"Ah! It was just a mistake!" Bev hurried back to the table.

"I'll definitely fix it!" She continued fiddling with her ancient books and draft papers. Soon, after countless revisions, the third design was finally completed. Zelier raised Nightfall Rest and guided mana according to the new spell structure. A soft glow appeared at the wand's tip. This time, it didn't explode. It didn't fly around randomly either. Instead, it obediently rose toward the clear blue sky. Success! Zelier and Bev looked upward together, filled with anticipation. They waited for the magic effect.

"…" The weather was beautiful today. A completely cloudless sky. Even a few lazy birds could be seen drifting across the heavens. The two of them continued staring upward in the exact same posture. And remained silent. After a long while, Bev stiffly turned her head.

"Did you see anything?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Zelier sighed.

"I thought maybe my eyes were still messed up from the flash earlier, so I couldn't see it."

"Alright…" Bev let out a long sigh.

"Looks like I added too much stabilization to the circuit this time. The mana output was restricted too heavily, which caused the visual effect to become almost nonexistent."

"Creating magic really is difficult." Looking at the messy drafts scattered across the table, Zelier felt a strange sense of understanding. This wasn't just simple trial and error. Mana intensity. Circuit pathways. Rune compatibility. Energy balance. A tiny mistake in any single component could completely ruin the final result. A mage had to walk a razor-thin line, precisely finding the perfect balance between every element, before they could successfully create a stable and practical new spell.

Zelier was about to comfort Bev. But then he realized she wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, the determination burning in her beautiful eyes had grown even stronger.

"I understand what I need to change now!"

"Zelier, let me try one more time!" The fourth attempt. Zelier cast the spell. This time, the light didn't lose control. It didn't become so dim that it vanished either. The glowing sphere left behind a brilliant trail before exploding in midair with a loud crack. Countless golden rays burst outward, finally forming a shape in the sky. A shape that was… Well… Very clear. Very angular.

"Is that a turtle?" Zelier stared at the pattern, trying his best to identify it.

"You said Mage Hadley wanted you to create what kind of pattern again?"

"Wheat ears…" Bev's face turned bright red. She wished she could dig a hole and hide inside.

"Ahhh! The rune section responsible for shaping the form must be wrong! Again!!" She rushed back to the table in frustration. For the rest of the afternoon, the courtyard became the exclusive fireworks testing ground for Zelier and Bev. Bev's inspiration came one wave after another. And Zelier, without complaint, served as the launch platform. One bizarre magical shape after another appeared above the Mage Guild. Many passing mages stopped and looked up.

They stared at the continuous bursts of magical light exploding above the courtyard, their expressions filled with confusion.

"What… exactly are they doing?"

"No idea. Looking at those chaotic mana fluctuations… it's probably some crazy fantasy-school mage experimenting inside."

"Let's keep our distance. I'd rather not get blown up."

"Someone should report this to the guild leadership. Why did those lunatics come here again?"