Chapter 158: Difficult Decision
2015-05-05
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
Finally obtained it.
When the data prompt for mastering the specialty appeared in front of Soren, he surprisingly felt a sense of bittersweet nostalgia.
The difficulty of mastering spellcasting specialties is much greater than that of other specialties. Many basic melee specialties can be grasped in a year or so, but even the simplest spellcasting specialties require a lot of time. From the moment Soren took on the part-time wizard role, his specialty of [Mastery of Spellcasting] began to accumulate proficiency, but it wasn’t until now that he truly mastered it. Additionally, with the enhancements from [Photographic Memory] and [Scholar], it still took a long time.
“[Mastery of Spellcasting] (Spell Specialty): With repeated casting, your ability to master spells gradually increases, enhancing your capacity to grasp any spell. When you cast any spell, you can reduce the casting time by 1. If you are casting a spell that only requires one second of casting time, you can make it an instantaneous spell. This time reduction effect can stack with other equipment that provides casting speed enhancements.”
………………
——“Arcane Missile!”
Soren lightly raised his finger, casting without any incantation as if he were already very familiar with it, completing the spell seamlessly. A series of arcane missiles shot out, thoroughly piercing the target in front of him. Mastery of Spellcasting is the core specialty of a wizard; many future powerful specialties will be built upon this foundation.
Since he has already mastered [Mastery of Spellcasting], Soren did not need to continue holding onto the Killing Experience.
A row of data floated in front of him:
“Wizard class has been raised to level 10.”
“Gained 27 (Intelligence 21 + (Intelligence 21 – 10) * 0.5) skill points, HP increased by 10 (Class HP 4 + (Constitution 22 – 10) * 0.5).”
“Gained one free attribute point.”
“Gained one specialty point.”
Soren allocated the skill points to Knowledge and Focus. He has always struggled to quickly master [Combat Spellcasting] due to insufficient focus skills, making it easy to be interrupted during spells in combat. The ability to focus for wizards is broadly applicable, whether learning spells or in combat spellcasting. A focus check is required, and pure-class wizards generally have high focus levels. The specialty that tests focus the most is [Mobile Spellcasting], which requires a focus check while casting while moving.
The free attribute point was allocated to Intelligence since a higher intelligence will naturally be better for mastering legendary spells in the future.
Next is the very important specialty point.
“[Spell Amplification] (Meta-specialty): This meta-specialty maximizes the power of spells at the cost of raising the spell level by two, increasing the damage of a specific spell by 100%. For instance, a first-level spell like Arcane Missile will become a third-level spell when using the Spell Amplification memory and the damage dealt to enemies will increase by 100%. (Note: [Spell Amplification] is a prerequisite specialty.)”
“[Spell Silence] (Meta-specialty): This meta-specialty allows spells to be cast silently at the cost of raising a spell level, enabling a spell to be cast without any casting action or incantation. Casting in silent mode bypasses any silence spells, and enemies find it hard to detect a wizard casting. Silent casting can be disguised under any action, only potentially detectable at the moment the spell is completed. (Note: [Epic Specialty: Silent Casting] is a prerequisite.)”
“[Spell Instantaneous] (Meta-specialty): This meta-specialty allows a spell to be cast instantaneously at the cost of raising the spell level by three. It turns a specific spell into an instant-cast spell. Instant-cast spells cannot be interrupted by any conventional means and are immune to any silence spells and counterspells. (Note: [Epic Specialty: Instantaneous Spell] is a prerequisite.)”
………………
Soren looked at the three options presented before him and fell into contemplation.
Among these, Spell Amplification is an output-type specialty. It can greatly enhance the power of spells, making it quite useful if he wants to fully commit to an unending stream of arcane missiles. Then there is Spell Silence, which is particularly effective for ambushing enemies. The Eye of the North used this specialty during the Astral Realm battle, as no one noticed she was preparing a legendary spell until it was completed. This specialty was once very popular among trickster mages because it allowed for surprising attacks on enemies.
Lastly, there’s the well-known Spell Instantaneous, which lets a specific spell become instantaneous at the cost of raising the spell level by three.
A very useful but costly meta-specialty!
Both Spell Silence and Spell Instantaneous are prerequisites for future epic specialties. Once mastered, an advanced legendary wizard can subsequently grasp skills like Instantaneous Spell (Silent, Level 0), Instantaneous Spell (Silent, Level 1), Instantaneous Spell (Silent, Level 2), and so on.
As long as this epic specialty is mastered, corresponding levels of spells will not require an extra increase in spell level.
For example, a first-level spell will automatically turn into an instant-cast spell if the epic specialty Instantaneous Spell Level 1 is mastered without needing to memorize it with a higher spell slot like fourth-level.
This epic specialty can be raised all the way to ninth level. When mastering the epic specialty Instantaneous Spell Level 9, any ninth-level spell becomes instant-cast without needing a higher spell slot for memorization.
Thus, many wizards have aimed to master the Spell Instantaneous specialty early.
The goal is to save specialty points and charge into all the instant-cast epic specialties after entering the Legendary Domain!
Unfortunately.
Soren hasn’t seen anyone who has succeeded.
He could say the most powerful spellcaster he has ever seen is the princess of Arendelle, and she probably hasn’t mastered the epic specialty Instantaneous Spell Level 9—at most, she would have instant-cast sixth-level spells.
This is a decision!
It determines whether a spellcaster will become the most powerful one or give up the pursuit of ultimate strength in favor of mastering other more practical and easier specialties, such as Spell Fixation, Spell Silence, Spell Delay, and so on.
The Eye of the North chose Spell Silence.
This means she is unlikely to pursue the path of becoming the strongest wizard, only walking further down the road of Spell Silence. (Silent legendary spells!)
The princess of Arendelle and now Vivian are both following the path of the strongest wizards.
Soren is certain of one thing.
That is, Vivian must have mastered the Spell Instantaneous specialty, otherwise her casting speed wouldn’t be so fast, and many low-level spells don’t even require incantations.
However!
Now faced with the choice, Soren is unsure of which path he should take.
Choosing Spell Amplification will lead him to pursue the most powerful spell damage, potentially unleashing astounding destructive power in conjunction with [Epic Spell Penetration] in the future.
But if he chooses Spell Instantaneous, he could possibly step into the realm of the strongest wizards!
This is a difficult decision.
………………(To be continued ~^~)
