Chapter 26: Loophole
Ethan watched Cole search the bandits’ bloodied bodies without dirtying his clothes.
Although Cole did not show it on his face, from the inside he was grinning from ear to ear.
Mana stones... just what I needed...
Just as expected, every single one of these bandits was loaded with money. It seemed their strategy of luring travelers by imitating guards indeed had some benefits.
Cole searched through the bandit boss’s body last, saving the best for the last. And indeed, he was not wrong. Other than finding a pouch filled with mana stones, he also found an old-looking booklet.
Feeling anticipation rising in his heart, Cole flipped through the pages.
Lightning Web, a first-rank spell!
Hmm... so this is what he used during the fight...
For a brief moment, Cole remembered the instant chains spreading from the bloodied bandit. If it had not been for the lightning woman bloodline flowing through his veins, he might have found it difficult to survive the situation.
After flipping a couple of other pages, he could not make sense of them, so he could only shake his head in disdain. The spell seemed genuine, as just a brief look had started giving him a headache.
Just at this time, Ethan’s voice also came from atop the chariot.
"Respected customer, let’s hurry. This commotion is bound to have attracted the attention of others. If we want to stay out of further trouble, it would be wiser to leave now."
Ethan said this while looking around carefully. He could feel mysterious shadows moving closer every moment.
Cole also nodded, not insisting on staying. With a light tap on the ground, he directly jumped on top of the chariot.
Ethan looked at this scene and frowned. For a merchant’s chariot, climbing on top was greatly frowned upon. Still, the scene of Cole tearing through the bodies of bandits flashed through his head. The words Ethan was about to say came to his throat, but he did not dare let them leave his mouth.
Jessica just gave Cole a look and did not comment, as if what was happening around her had nothing to do with her. Ethan was already used to this elder sister’s attitude. As long as it did not involve formations, his elder sister would not care even if the sky collapsed and the earth roared.
What kind of sins did I commit in my past life...?
In the end, Ethan could only blame his bad luck for being stuck in this situation.
The chariot continued to move through the forest, slowly making its way closer to the Thunder Domain.
Cole sat cross-legged, reading through the pages of the newly acquired manual, not understanding a single thing.
The feeling was similar to when he first came in contact with calculus for the first time.
Still, he did not give up. Cole sighed while turning to the A.I. chip again.
"A.I. chip, create a new file titled: The Fitting of Spells."
[Process received! Recording the data...]
While mana beasts and other creatures of this world were born with the innate ability to cast magical spells, humans had no such ability. It was through years of training and practice that they were able to barely replicate the abilities of other creatures in the form of spells.
This Lightning Web spell was one such high-level first-rank spell, capable of casting a wide net that prevented others from getting close.
"A.I. chip, run a simulation of me learning the spell and find all the inefficiencies holding back this spell."
[Starting simulation! Warning! Simulation failed. Not enough data to start simulation.]
[Please update the library...]
Hmm... this data problem is really holding back the A.I. chip...
Cole felt the urgency to increase the data reserves of the A.I. as much as possible, but it was not a problem that would just automatically disappear. It would need some time.
Still, that did not mean he would stop.
"Now onto something else."
"A.I. chip, use natural logic to find everything about the Lightning Web spell and also create a simplified version of the spell that is easy to use."
[Starting process... Time left: three hours and three minutes.]
During these three hours, there were no further disturbances. Cole was able to meditate in silence.
He only woke up when the three hours passed and the A.I. chip had finished simulating.
[After a million different simulations, a few defects in the spell architecture had been identified.]
Cole briefly glanced at the rest of the message before saying in a cold tone,
"Start a simulation of me practicing the spell for a hundred years and upload the data into my brain."
Other than the reason that the mage path was very expensive to pursue, the other reason why few chose the mage path was also simple. Even after saving a ton of money and being able to purchase a spell module, mastering the spell to perfection would require not just years, but also spending more money.
After all, each use required a prior bottle of mana potion.
All in all, pursuing the mage path was just plain stupid, not worth it at all.
Cole glanced at the A.I. chip impatiently to see how much time it would take to finish the simulation.
[Time needed to simulate the host practicing the Lightning Web spell a million times: one day and two hours.]
Cole looked at this message, and a smile appeared on his face.
The biggest obstacle that was holding the mage aspect back could be removed with the help of the A.I. chip.
Not only did he not need to train personally for dozens of days in a row, but he also did not need to waste the resources.
Time continued to flow like water. The chariot moved through the forest, destroying small saplings in its path. A few wild animals who saw the thing from afar moved away into hiding.
By the afternoon, the scene around them had changed. The road was not as smooth as before, but filled with mud and water, greatly reducing the chariot’s speed.
Cole looked at the sinking earth below the carriage wheels and muttered in disdain,
"At this rate, reaching the Thunder Domain in time will be difficult."
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