Chương 79: A Hasty Decision

These two talents left Zelier in a difficult position. The first one, [Source Overload], was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful enhancement skill. It could drastically increase his strength for a short period, allowing him to drown his enemies beneath an overwhelming torrent of magic. Whether used as an opening burst to overwhelm opponents or as a desperate trump card in a life-or-death situation, it was an extremely valuable ability. And the most important part— Source Overload had no side effects.

After using it, all he needed was a good night's sleep to fully recover. Even overclocking potions with similar effects would leave the user suffering through a period of weakness afterward. Where else could you find a skill this considerate? Then there was the second one... [Mana Compact]. Its effect was much simpler, yet it tempted Zelier even more. It would instantly increase his Strength, Agility, and Constitution by an amount equal to 25% of his Spirit attribute.

With his current 71 points of Spirit, choosing Mana Compact would immediately grant him an 18-point boost across his physical attributes. Afterward, every time his Spirit increased by 4 points, Strength, Agility, and Constitution would each gain another point through the talent's enhancement effect. And even more ridiculously— Mana Compact had an additional effect. Every 4 points of Spirit gained would provide 2 extra free attribute points that could be invested into Strength, Agility, or Constitution.

This essentially created an extremely strong connection between his Spirit and physical attributes. As long as he increased his Spirit, his physical body would continue growing stronger alongside it. The greatest weakness of a mage would be completely eliminated. Furthermore, Strength, Agility, and Constitution already had their own interconnected systems and could receive additional growth through free attribute points. Both talents were so powerful that choosing between them was genuinely painful...

Zelier let out a quiet sigh. If only he could choose both. At range, he could activate Source Overload and sweep the battlefield with overwhelming magic. At close range, he could roll up his sleeves and throw punches with his enemies. Unfortunately, that was nothing more than a fantasy. Regardless, he had already firmly touched the threshold of becoming a Lower Mage. The next stage of his growth was right around the corner. Now, all that remained was the final push!

Zelier flipped himself upright and continued practicing magic. Source Guidance. Mana Accumulation. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. A water blade as thin as a cicada's wing slowly extended from Zelier's palm before gradually taking shape. It looked like a sky-blue blade frozen in midair. But that appearance was merely an illusion caused by extreme mana compression.

The moment someone dared touch even the slightest edge of it, their flesh would be instantly sliced apart. Cutting Water! Zelier rotated his wrist. The water blade swept horizontally with his movement. He aimed at the massive boulder he had previously used to practice Arcane Missile and cut straight through it! Whoosh! Unlike Arcane Missile, which created a violent explosion, Cutting Water moved silently. Yet the destruction it caused was no less terrifying.

The compressed water blade pierced straight through the massive rock, slicing across it in a single flash. Its cutting force was brutally efficient. However, because Zelier stopped supplying mana to maintain the spell, Cutting Water quickly dissipated afterward, breaking apart into countless droplets that splashed across the ground. The power behind that single strike was something a Lower Warrior could never achieve. It might already rival the full-power attack of a Mid-Rank Warrior.

After resting briefly, Zelier continued practicing Cutting Water. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. The faint slicing sounds never stopped. The massive boulder was cut apart from countless different angles, as easily as if it were a block of tofu. Piece after piece broke away and tumbled onto the ground. Through repeated casting, Zelier gradually understood the true characteristics of Cutting Water. Although it and Flame Breath were both Elemental spells, their mana consumption worked completely differently.

Fire itself possessed considerable destructive power as an element. For Flame Breath, most of the mana expenditure was used to guide and manipulate the surrounding fire element. Cutting Water was different. Water itself had almost no offensive power. Throughout the entire casting process, the mage had to continuously pour a massive amount of mana into the spell. While guiding the water element, they also had to use their mana to compress it to an extremely high density. Naturally, this consumed far more mana.

However, the terrifying cutting ability it produced was something Flame Breath simply could not compare with. One water blade after another flashed through the air. The boulder that had accompanied Zelier for more than a month was finally reduced to fragments, each piece rolling into the river below. It had served its purpose and reached the end of its journey. Besides Cutting Water, Zelier had also finished analyzing and mastering every other spell Riely had cast that day.

His skill list was now overflowing with variety. Tier-2 Spells: Fireball, Wind Blade, Light Spell, Water Orb, Gravity Crush, Ice Lance, Malicious Speech, Rock Bullet, Stone Wall, Gale Step, Vine Bind, Frost Spell, Cloud & Mist. Tier-3 Spells: Flame Breath, Arcane Missile, Cutting Water. Tier-4 Spells: Healing Spell, Extraction Spell, Fog Veil Embrace. With such a wide collection of spells, Zelier had saved himself at least several hundred gold coins! Matrix Deduction truly had been the right choice...

Zelier shook his head with a sigh. Moreover, while training, he discovered many hidden benefits brought by Matrix Deduction. It was not merely a skill that could analyze spells. It also dramatically increased his learning speed. For an ordinary mage, learning a spell like the Gravity Crush spell that Zelier had studied before would never be as simple as taking one glance and mastering it. They would need several days at minimum.

They would have to repeatedly use their mental power to memorize, replicate, and stabilize the spell circuit inside their Mindscape step by step. But Zelier was different. All he needed to do was send his mental power into a spell scroll. Matrix Deduction would immediately display the clearest possible spell structure before him with perfect accuracy. Even incomplete spell circuits inside the scroll could be automatically reconstructed. The difference between the two methods was obvious.

It saved him an unimaginable amount of time.

"Phew..." After finishing his practice, Zelier released a long breath. The final trace of mana faded from his fingertips. He leaned back on the grass, supporting himself with both hands. The sun slowly sank toward the horizon. The sky looked like a canvas soaked in layers of oil paint. The sunset glow spilled through gaps between the clouds, coating the river with warm orange light. The rippling water shimmered like fragments of broken silk. Zelier gently closed his eyes.

The soft breeze brushed against his face, lifting strands of his hair. Ever since arriving on the Candia Continent, he had been constantly busy. Leveling up. Earning money. Hunting monsters. Learning new spells. It felt as though something invisible was always pushing him forward from behind. But at this moment... Watching the aquatic plants sway gently beneath the water and the distant migratory birds drifting across the sky, Zelier suddenly felt his heart become completely calm.

He remained sitting beside the river for a long time before finally standing up reluctantly. Instead of taking his usual route home, Zelier chose an unfamiliar path. He slowly wandered forward, enjoying the peaceful walk. Autumn had already arrived. The weather was refreshingly cool, resting at the most comfortable temperature of the year. A thick layer of fallen leaves covered the birch forest. Every step produced a soft rustling sound beneath his feet.

From the distant farms came the constant barking of dogs and the drawn-out voices of mothers calling their children home. Beside the fields, endless golden waves of wheat stretched beyond sight. Layer upon layer, they rolled gently in the wind, rising and falling like a golden ocean that disappeared into the distance.