Chapter 4: The End of Magic Era!
After the collapse of the Magic Network.
Originally, wizards relied on the temporary memory of the Magic Network’s storage to preserve their spells, which must now become permanent memories, as there are no spell slots available to help them store the completed spell models.
It is essential to note a detail here.
In the past, when wizards memorized spell slots, the initial imprinting took the longest time, and once the memory of the spell slots was completed, casting the spell again only required a short time to refill the spell. Even a wizard with poor talent could completely memorize all the spells stored in their spell slots within at most eight hours. This was one of the greatest functions of the Magic Network; now that this function is lost, many wizards must independently construct these spell models.
The only silver lining is that these spellcasters still retain their strength.
That is, their basic mental power and the magical power accumulated through meditation are still intact. For example, Gloria showed Soren an example.
A mid-level wizard named Carola.
His talent is not high, and his intelligence, including occupational bonuses, is barely around 18-20 points. He originally had a spellcasting level of around level 8. After the collapse of the Magic Network, he completely lost all of his spells, but after undergoing tests in Modo and the Wizard Alliance, he managed to relearn the most fundamental first-circle spell, Arcane Missile, through continuous practice.
Currently, this is the only first-circle spell he can cast.
Under the condition that he can only memorize and cast this one spell, he surprisingly managed to cast Arcane Missile more than thirty times before exhausting his power.
This indicates that the abilities he trained in are not lost.
However, he has lost the auxiliary tool of the Magic Network, making it impossible for him to grasp other spells, and for a long time to come, he will likely only be able to cast some very low-level spells.
“What do you plan to do for now?”
Soren frowned as he looked at the testing results of Gloria and others and said slowly, “Now there are many wizards who cannot cast spells, and this issue must be resolved quickly, at least to let them be able to protect themselves.”
Upon hearing this, Gloria nodded and replied, “I understand.”
“So the current conclusion we have reached is to let them relearn those spells they are most familiar with and use most often. For now, we can only help them learn the techniques of sorcerers by repeatedly practicing to relearn the spells.”
“However.”
“These individuals will likely find it very hard to learn new spells in the future, and the number of spells they master might be even less than that of sorcerers.”
Sorcerers rely on talent to cast spells.
After the collapse of the Magic Network, the once high-and-mighty spellcasters may now only be able to master a very few spells through continuous practice, unless they meet the requirements to ascend to Archmage.
The Arcane Empire era also had the presence of the Magic Network.
A considerable number of low-level spellcasters relied on the Magic Network for casting spells, but typically, archmages would bypass the Magic Network, and if they advanced to Grand Archmage, the existence of the Magic Network would not be an issue.
“What about the Grand Mages?”
Soren thought for a moment and asked, “Has their spellcasting ability decreased?”
The response came from the Fallen Witch, who said slowly, “The abilities of the Grand Mages have not diminished significantly. Given their talent and understanding of spells, even without the Magic Network, they can still cast the vast majority of spells.”
“However, there are certainly some impacts.”
“Their effects should be similar to ours; they need to relearn all their spells.”
The Fallen Witch has remarkable talent.
She can disassemble and reassemble the complex Elemental Furnace using only her memory; her memorization and understanding abilities are reminiscent of a scientist. Grand Mages are spellcasters of legendary rank, and their talents are outstanding; even with the collapse of the Magic Network, they easily re-complete the memories of their spells.
This is perhaps the most fortunate aspect.
Although lower-tier wizards have been severely affected by the collapse of the Magic Network, those above the legendary rank have not suffered too greatly.
“What about your current strength?”
Soren pondered for a moment and asked, “Do you think your strengths have diminished or improved?”
Gloria frowned and hesitated for a moment before saying slowly, “I’m not too sure.”
“However, one thing can be confirmed: after the collapse of the Magic Network, the spells we can cast have become much more flexible. The original spell slots offered convenience to casters but also limited the performance of exceptionally talented individuals.”
“In the past, when casting spells, I had to be confined to the contents memorized in my spell slots.”
“But now we can freely cast all spells we are capable of mastering! The only things that measure our spellcasting ability are our mental power and magical power.”
“Before our magical and mental powers are exhausted, we can cast spells in any combination.”
“Currently, I haven’t done a practical test, so I’m not sure whether our strengths have diminished or improved!”
“And.”
“The convenience of the Magic Network made spells easier to cast. Once we are cut off from the Magic Network, based on our preliminary calculations, the total number of spells we can cast has likely decreased by about 30%.”
The Magic Network is a framework and a limitation.
A first-circle spell slot can only memorize first-circle spells; although the utility has been maximized, the framework is still there, and no one can break free from the rules imposed by the Goddess of Magic.
Now that the Magic Network has collapsed, the removal of this framework also removes its convenience.
Relying solely on personal abilities will inevitably be inferior to the vast Magic Network, so overall, the total spells available for casting has decreased.
Of course.
Unless you only memorize and cast first-circle spells, in which case your spellcasting rate will explode, because all past second-circle spell slots have turned into magical energy for casting first-circle spells.
“How long do you think these spellcasters will take to regain their combat power?”
Soren asked the key question.
Gloria pondered for a long time before responding, “It’s hard to say. Now we can only look at their individual talents. I estimate that in about a month, most spellcasters can regain some spells.”
“But some of them may only ever be able to cast some level 0 cantrips in the future.”
Without the Magic Network, reality is this cruel.
Those who are not academic-level or approaching academic-level spellcasters will be left with only level 0 cantrips to perform tricks.
The existence of the Magic Network certainly had its reasons. The Silver Era was magnificent, yet after the death of the first-generation Goddess of Magic, it also perished in history. An arcane civilization cannot solely rely on the talents at the very top; if magic is to be civil and widespread, it must leverage the power of the Magic Network. If the Magic Network cannot be restored, the current batch of spellcasters might be somewhat better off.
From now on, without the assistance of the Magic Network, the difficulty of anyone advancing to the rank of wizard will increase exponentially!
Soren conservatively estimates that 18 points of initial intelligence will be needed for them to advance to the rank of wizard apprentice, mastering the lowest-level level 0 cantrips, and then at around level 4 in occupational rank, they can begin learning first-circle spells. (Note: Because at level 4 in the wizard occupational rank, their intelligence can finally reach around 20 points.)
Currently, this batch of wizards has previous accumulations and training, and most of their intelligences have already risen above 20 points due to their occupational rank increases.
In the future, the number of wizards will sharply decline!
Having lost the Magic Network, if it cannot be restored or replaced, then the end of the magic era will gradually approach, and ultimately, the number of spellcasters will continue to dwindle!
……………………(To be continued ~^~.)
