Chương 26: Such a Convenient Cheat

After finishing the mission, Zelier had no interest in wandering around outside. He headed straight back to the Nightflower Inn.

"Good evening, Mr. Zelier." Auro greeted him with her usual sweet smile.

"Good evening, Auro."

"What would you like to eat tonight?"

"Hmm..." Faced with the wide variety of dishes on the menu, Zelier didn't spend much time deciding.

"I'll have the red wine braised beef shank."

"Coming right up!" After a satisfying meal, Zelier leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach contentedly.

"Still the same familiar taste..." This time, Auro didn't bring him ale. Instead, she served Jasmine Infusion, and it was just as delicious. However, after accepting gifts from her several times in a row, Zelier started feeling a little embarrassed. So when he got up to return to his room, he deliberately left a Silver Coin on the table as a tip for Auro....

"For a mage, meditation is the foundation of all growth. It is an active and extremely demanding form of inner cultivation, the only method that connects one's surface consciousness with the subconscious Soul Space. During deep meditation, a mage must cast aside all distractions and focus on sensing the Fountain Seed floating at the center of their Soul Space. Through countless days of nourishment and refinement, a mage can achieve two forms of growth. First, the strengthening of the Fountain Seed.

Through deep meditation, the Fountain Seed becomes more condensed. Every strand of mana it produces becomes purer, and the spells cast through it become more powerful. Second, the expansion of the Soul Space. The rhythm emitted by a powerful Fountain Seed spreads outward like ripples, gradually expanding the Soul Space that contains it and increasing the mage's total mana capacity. However, one point must be emphasized again: Meditation is an extremely exhausting mental labor.

Many mages fall into the misconception that meditation can replace sleep. This is completely incorrect. On the contrary, after completing a successful meditation session, a mage will usually experience extreme mental exhaustion. It is similar to engaging in an intense magical duel within the Training Arena—perhaps even more draining. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Therefore, proper sleep is indispensable for mages.

It is an important method for restoring mental energy. Only through long-term meditation practice and gradually mastering the advanced technique known as [Mind Sleep] can one hope to combine meditation and sleep, improving daily efficiency." Inside the quiet Mage Guild library, Zelier closed the book 《Introduction to the Mana Source》. He rubbed his eyes and couldn't help muttering.

"Now that's some seriously academic writing..." The elegant cursive letters flowing across the pages looked graceful and artistic. But the actual content was profound and difficult to understand. Reading it word by word was enough to make anyone's head spin. To explore the magical system of this world, theoretical knowledge was unavoidable. Since he couldn't afford to hire an expensive magic tutor, his only option was to slowly chew through these obscure texts himself. Zelier shook his head.

Who would've thought that meditation was actually the main method ordinary mages used to become stronger... He reviewed the original owner's memories of meditation and compared them with the explanations in the book. Then he reached a conclusion. The process was painfully boring. It was both difficult and tedious. Unlike him, other mages didn't possess a quantifiable status panel. They had no idea how much they improved every day. And meditation consumed enormous amounts of mental energy.

After completing a session, most mages would be completely exhausted and could only sleep to recover. They couldn't even go to the Adventurer Association to accept quests. Some couldn't even handle physical labor. Without clear positive feedback, and without being able to combine training with actual combat, the two problems stacked together. It was not something ordinary people could endure. But Zelier was different. His method of growth was fighting to grow stronger.

While accepting quests and obtaining various resources, he could also gain experience and level up through combat. The difference in efficiency was like night and day.

"This cheat ability is really useful..." Zelier couldn't help sighing.

"What are you mumbling about?" A crisp voice suddenly interrupted him. Zelier turned around. A familiar face appeared before him. It was Bev.

"Nothing... Good afternoon, Miss Bev." Zelier waved.

"Drop the 'Miss.' There's no need to make things sound so formal." Bev wrinkled her delicate nose.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ze-li-er."

"What brings you to the library?" Zelier asked.

"Same as you. Looking for books." Bev bent slightly and leaned closer, glancing at the book in his hands.

"Ah... 《Introduction to the Mana Source》. Master Setia's work. It's a great book for understanding basic magical theory."

"What about yours?" Zelier glanced at the book Bev was holding. 《Analysis of Basic Spell Matrices》"Are you researching how to create spells?"

"I haven't reached that level yet." Bev waved her hand.

"This book only gives a basic introduction to different spell matrix structures. At most, it's considered beginner material."

"To truly create new spells, you need years of accumulated knowledge and experience."

"A few months of studying won't be enough."

"Are you not focusing on optimizing your spell matrices?" Zelier asked.

"The Novice Mage evaluation is extremely strict. Casting time has to be reduced below three seconds."

"Not every mage has to follow the combat route." Bev lifted her chin slightly.

"Research-oriented mages are also highly valued."

"Many mages have created completely new types of spells, founded their own schools of magic, and become famous throughout the continent."

"Maybe someday you'll use a spell I personally created."

"I'll look forward to that." Zelier smiled.

"By the way, how is your progress with learning new spells? You should be able to master two new spells within three months, right?" Bev suddenly remembered.

"Don't disappoint Instructor Marven. He's really kind."

"Don't worry. I've already learned one." Zelier replied.

"Already? That's pretty fast." Bev moved a little closer, curiosity filling her face.

"What spell? Tell me."

"Uh..." Zelier pressed his lips together and thought for a moment.

"Wind Blade."

"Eh? That's actually the spell I used before." Bev looked surprised.

"Because I thought you looked really impressive when casting it, so I specifically bought the same spell scroll." Zelier answered without hesitation, his expression completely calm.

"Hehe." Bev laughed.

"Good choice. At least you have good taste." There was no other option. Zelier couldn't just casually name some spell he had no idea about. What if Bev asked him to demonstrate it? Although he had already learned three new spells, Zelier wasn't in a hurry to return to Instructor Marven for a second evaluation. Improving too quickly might attract unnecessary attention... And who knew? He might even end up being taken apart and studied. Zelier had no desire to stand out too much.