Chapter 262: In Reality, You Have Nothing Since Enrollment
When the magic source is limited and cannot be restored infinitely, facing a vast and relentless stream of enemies presents two choices.
Either do more with very little energy, or quickly eliminate more enemies in an instant to create a deterrent effect.
Both choices revolve around a concept: the efficiency of energy utilization.
When it comes to efficiency, without any magical alterations, the transformation spell and summoning spells are naturally the best options. At this moment, I chose summoning, but not the Shadow Legion Summoning Spell; instead, I opted for another spell.
Excluding the newly acquired spellbooks, my increasingly robust spell repository contains two summoning spells that I haven’t used in a long time: the Spirit Cat Summoning Spell and the Falcon Summoning Spell.
I have always slightly underestimated the Spirit Cat Summoning Spell. Once the Spirit Cat enters battle mode, its attack power is astonishing; with the support of extraordinary power, a single strike from its claws can subdue an undead.
I still remember when I attempted to use a Fireball Spell that couldn’t k*ll an undead, highlighting the vast difference between the Spirit Cat’s precise kills and the effects of the thrown Fireball Spell.
At this moment in the trial secret realm, undead continuously emerge, differing somewhat from my expected scene of a “sea of skeletons.” Instead, skeletons intermittently burst forth from the ground at a certain spawn speed.
Theoretically, as long as my k*ll rate exceeds the spawn rate of the monsters, I am safe, regardless of consumption concerns.
By using the summoning spell right now, I am also buying myself time.
As time gradually passes, I can feel the speed at which skeletons appear gradually increasing. Even with infinite magic, there will come a moment when I am overwhelmed by undead.
Thus, I must continually refine my means and skills to counteract the enemies; this has been my initial thought.
Having fully mastered Fireball Spell, I stepped further into the realm of rune rituals, experiencing a broader territory beyond the Fireball Spell.
However, facing such a significant leap, I felt a sense of powerlessness; this broader territory was supposed to offer me a new method to master the Fireball Spell, but I face an insurmountable flaw.
That is, my mental power cannot control magic.
At this stage, my various usages of magic through spellbooks, whether resonance or conversion rates, rely on the structure of the spellbook as a platform.
Right now, I feel as if I have reached a realm where the sky is the limit, only to realize I am not a bird and lack wings to fly; it’s rather awkward.
But whether or not one has wings, there are ways to play without them. Mental power is not something that can be hastened; whether through potions or magic elixirs, mental enhancement cannot be achieved overnight. It’s like childbirth; you can’t have ten women produce a baby in a month, can you?
I continuously fought using Fireball as an example, while my long-unused Earth Vein System was also activated.
Now, I aim to construct a new model for the previous Fireball Spell spellbook. No longer focusing on the structural modeling, I will base it on rune rituals for reconstruction.
This means many previous elements must be overturned and rebuilt, but I have no regrets because I understand that these previous elements are obsolete to me.
Although it is a bit frantic to engage in such activities during battle, it is also a moment to fully mobilize my body and attention.
This state is also the easiest one to spark inspiration.
“The gap between a single spell and those within the spellbook is so vast…”
At this moment, I recalled my previous attempts to construct a spell ritual independently without a spellbook. Although the Fireball Spell only produced a few sparks when released, at least it proved the method was correct.
However, it was clear that the spells constructed through rune rituals within the spellbook were much more complex than mere spells.
From the beginning until now, aside from the insufficient energy supply, I have always thought this was another reason why spellbooks can cast normal spells.
But when I began to reconstruct on the Earth Vein System and isolated it, I discovered something was amiss.
It seemed like a “restrictor” wrapped in layers of runes on the spellbook!
At least such a rune ritual could not be resisted by my Floating World-level Spirit Vision, yet I couldn’t unlock it.
It seemed it constituted a ritual requiring me to meet certain conditions to unlock.
This thing, which I could see yet couldn’t touch, was a slap in the face for someone who considers themselves to have fully understood the Fireball Spell spellbook.
Is it true that the Fireball Spell spellbook I have been using is incomplete?
Yet, with my rudimentary understanding of runes at this stage, this combined ritual seemed quite different from a restrictor. But the existence of something in the spellbook that I completely cannot utilize right now couldn’t possibly be a tumor, right?
Or was the one who created the spellbook lacking in common sense?
No one is a fool; the creators of the spellbook were certainly not naive.
So, the fool must be myself.
At this moment, I realized something far more important than just continuously killing enemies and sparking inspiration: attempting to break this ritual rune to see what secrets lie within this spellbook.
This was something I had never encountered before and was worth a try; after all, it was just a fundamental consumption-based spellbook.
With that thought in mind, I decided not to do anything else and directly began to intervene using my mental power. However, everything ultimately ended in failure, even my guiding Floating World-level Spirit Vision had no effect.
It wasn’t until I infused magic that the rune finally reacted.
As long as there is a reaction, it means I was on the right path. But soon, I was struck again; continuous energy supply could indeed activate this rune, but the spellbook couldn’t withstand such torment.
The last Fireball Spell spellbook I broke remained fresh in my memory, yet I refused to give up. I pushed the Fireball Spell to its ultimate limit, and the rune seemed to reach its last thread of limit as well.
It seemed that if I crossed this limit, I could unlock the rune.
What a joke!
If I advanced further, the spellbook might explode, which means the rune wouldn’t need to be unlocked. So was this still a dead end?
As I found myself in a dead end, I quickly realized that usually, at this point, one must break and then rebuild.
But… I didn’t have the capability to destroy the spellbook and restore it to its original state…
Abandoning that thought, I transformed my wasted magic into the explosive power of the Fireball Spell and threw it directly into the pile of skeleton monsters. The terrifying Fireball exploded, instantly blasting apart several undead; let this be my final gift to those undead before I prepared to leave—one giant Fireball Spell.
And I also prepared to exit the trial secret realm.
After all, I didn’t forget why I came to the trial secret realm; it was to “stretch my limbs” and to see if understanding runes would spark new fire in the magic alteration techniques of spellbooks.
There is a saying that Teacher Ji always quoted: if I discover something more important than what I am currently doing, then I should go for it and not look back.
Just like this past week of my disappearance, who could have guessed that I simply went through the basics of rune studies?
And now, I seemed to be probing the door that could make spellbooks much more powerful, yet I lacked the key.
Now… perhaps only Teacher Ji could answer this doubt for me?
Before exiting, I also wanted to take some loot.
Of course, the so-called loot was not those bones or decayed wooden shields and rusted swords, but rather stone tablets.
Unlike gravestones planted in the wilderness, these stone tablets have unknown notes and records inscribed on them.
After taking all the magic from the trial secret realm, it wouldn’t produce magic sources anymore this week but instead offer other rewards, and these recorded texts are one such reward.
After taking pictures with my phone, I left without a second thought.
I glanced at the time; it was already late. After spending most of the day reading in the library and lingering in the trial secret realm, I hoped that Teacher Ji was still around.
If not, I wouldn’t mind messaging her on my phone, though asking like this wouldn’t be as clear as asking in person.
Soon, I arrived at the teaching building on my broomstick.
“Oh? You finally came to find me? You’ve been missing for days. How was your harvest in the library?” Teacher Ji asked as I pushed open her office door, casually as if chatting about daily life.
“The harvest was pretty good. At least now, when I see common runes, I can generally recognize them and can also identify many combination patterns,” I briefly replied.
After all, I hadn’t sought Teacher Ji out during these days, and I didn’t know if she had missed me. Her Great Spellbook plan still hadn’t moved because of me until now.
But perhaps because Teacher Ji is an extraordinary witch and a long-lived species, she really isn’t in a hurry?
“Really? But I still have to say, some knowledge must be learned by yourself to be truly yours. So, what do you need me for this time?” Teacher Ji tossed her pen aside and leaned back lazily in her office chair, looking over at me.
“Um… actually, I’d like to ask about something related to spellbooks.”
“Spellbooks again? You didn’t suddenly get some new idea, did you? Just to be clear, your Memory Shelf spellbook was a special case. I won’t help you complete any other spellbooks unless you have a legitimate reason,” Teacher Ji stated earnestly, not wanting to end up as Xiao Han’s errand worker. If it was for power enhancement, she definitely wouldn’t help out.
“No, it’s not that I want you to help me modify any spellbook. I have a serious question to ask, but it is also related to the Fireball Spell spellbook.” I quickly shook my hands.
“Fireball Spell?”
Hearing this answer, Teacher Ji became curious. Didn’t she remember that Xiao Han had already played the Fireball Spell spellbook to the point of mastery? Why was she bringing up the Fireball Spell spellbook again?
“Go ahead; your time is limited. It’s already this late, and I am supposed to get off work or rather, I already am off work. You understand, right?” Teacher Ji checked the time on her phone and spoke to me.
“Understood, understood… it’s like this.” I nodded quickly and began to explain my previous findings in the secret realm to Teacher Ji.
However, as Teacher Ji listened to my description, her expression darkened before turning into a strange gaze.
“Alright, hold on a second. I got the gist,” Teacher Ji gestured to stop me.
“Got it?” I immediately halted, feeling delighted upon hearing Teacher Ji’s words. Indeed, it was right to seek help from the teacher when encountering problems!
“First, I must correct one thing: this is not what you guessed; it’s not a restrictor. Spellbooks do not contain such things unless used for special purposes,” Teacher Ji began.
“Secondly, congratulations on touching upon a concept you currently do not have the qualifications to access.”
“You now have two choices. One is to ignore it as if nothing has happened, just like back when you encountered the concept of [Field]. The second is that I will discuss it with you and quench your curiosity. Since I am offering you the second choice, it’s because I think it’s not surprising to tell you now.”
“Uh… since you said that, I will definitely choose the second one,” I helplessly stated. Given the opportunity to understand, of course, I wanted to delve into it.
“Alright, I guess you would choose that… Before discussing this, let’s lay a bit of groundwork first,” Teacher Ji cleared her throat and faced me seriously.
“How do you think the extraordinary powers you’ve encountered at the Witch Academy should be categorized?”
“Categorized?” I fell into contemplation over Teacher Ji’s question.
Because I had no idea how to categorize. Should it be based on the number of magic sources? But that only represents the magic power, not strength. If level doesn’t represent strength or other divisions, then mere number stacking and tiering would make such levels meaningless, at least in my opinion.
“I saw the answer in your troubled eyes. One magic source is the entry-level witch, ten points are for a junior witch, a hundred points for the intermediate witch, a thousand points for the advanced witch, and ten thousand points for the quasi-witch. This is the widely accepted level categorization within the academy.”
“Ah? It truly is based on the number of magic sources… wait, widely accepted?” I was astounded by Teacher Ji’s words, but amidst my shock, I caught the keyword. Teacher Ji never spoke loosely.
“A tradition that has been passed down for a long time, but the academy adopted this categorization because it is convenient for management. Regardless of the number of magic sources, all students are regarded as preparatory witches in our eyes.”
“So, it’s meaningless, right?” I confirmed.
“Yes, it has no significance for us, but it is meaningful for managing the academy. You don’t need to worry about it; it’s just something for students to show off among themselves. We teachers can distinguish between important and trivial matters.”
“Mm.”
I nodded; Teacher Ji’s explanation relaxed me. At least this issue felt random and absurd.
“Seeing you breathe a sigh of relief, what are you afraid of? Does the classification of extraordinary levels require your approval? You don’t have that capability yet,” Teacher Ji lectured me slightly before continuing, “However, upon reaching the extraordinary level, or in the void beyond the world, the categorization of levels does relate directly to the amount of control over energy one possesses. This energy refers not only to magic sources but many other factors.”
“Bu… the magnitude of energy doesn’t determine strength, right?”
“Influence, certainly—it greatly impacts. But that refers to qualitative change, whereas before the qualitative change, the number does not impact anything.”
“So don’t let the number of magic sources you currently possess cloud your judgment! I should have mentioned this to you before: spellbooks do not belong to you, and neither do magic sources. Because at this moment, they are merely exchangeable items to you and not powers you command. They are just useful tools for you,” Teacher Ji said sternly at this point.
“Things that are not yours will ultimately just be external objects. When magic sources were first introduced into teaching by the Witch Academy, they were merely tools for witch transformation. Only later were they applied to spellbooks, allowing students to have their spell-casting capabilities. Eventually, this led to students holding multiple magic sources. From start to finish, magic sources and spellbooks are not powers you control but educational tools necessary for your ascension to extraordinary witches.”
“Mm.”
“By your demeanor, even if I don’t say anything more, you have likely grasped the key in this regard, so I won’t spend more time talking about this,” Teacher Ji glanced at me before returning to the main topic.
“Back to what you said about the spellbook. I didn’t expect that after your understanding of runes, you would discover this aspect of the spellbook so quickly. Ordinarily, this is something even few extraordinary witches understand.”
“Then, Teacher, you…”
“I am a theoretical witch, so I naturally know,” Teacher Ji’s tone was filled with an indescribable confidence as she said this.
“In short, if I had to describe this thing to you abstractly, it would be the seed of the spellbook.”
“Seed?”
“Yes, this explanation is convenient for your understanding. Take Fireball Spell, for example. When you become very powerful, do you think Fireball Spell is an ineffective spell?” Teacher Ji asked.
“Um… kind of. It does have a limit; too much energy could destroy the Fireball Spell spellbook,” I answered honestly, and Teacher Ji seemed satisfied with this answer.
“However, in reality, it is not so. The transformation from a preparatory witch to an extraordinary witch is called ascension. It represents an elevation to another level—a qualitative change. The same goes for spellbooks; this construct is key to the ascension of spellbooks.”
“Ascension of spellbooks!” I was shocked to accept such a concept; spellbooks can… ascend?
“Yes, spellbooks are like seeds, and the power you possess makes them sprout.”
“But even with my Floating World-level Spirit Vision, I’m unable to make it ascend… is it that difficult?” I asked again.
“You’re partly correct. Ascending is indeed challenging, but also, you genuinely cannot make it ascend because the spellbook is not yours, and the magic source is not yours. You don’t have command over the spellbook and possess no power; how could you make it ascend? Using empty hands to catch a wolf? Even if it’s within your innate body, it… ultimately isn’t yours,” Teacher Ji continued, reaching out her hand toward my chest.
I instinctively tried to block her, but Teacher Ji’s hand didn’t grasp anything. However, I felt something pulling away from me; it was an unknown power driving my spellbook away.
“Do you see?” Teacher Ji picked up a spellbook in her hand, and it was my Fireball Spell spellbook!
“It doesn’t belong to you, and you never truly owned it. This situation will continue until you achieve the extraordinary witch status. During that time, your spellbook will undergo a transformation. Only then will you be qualified to possess the spellbook and the magic source, not while in the current state,” Teacher Ji explained as she returned the spellbook, even placing it back in its original position on my Memory Shelf.
At this moment, I was astounded to the point of being dazed… I still hadn’t wrapped my head around it.
It turns out that from the beginning of the semester until now, I have never truly owned…
Just now… Teacher Ji… so easily took away my spellbook.
This was the first time I truly felt how easily one could lose something that doesn’t belong to them!
