Chapter 208: Chapter 207: Ordinary Blade
"Scribing Magic Scrolls is an extremely mentally taxing task. I guarantee it. After you finish just one Cantrips Scroll, you won’t be able to do even the slightest bit of Magic research or Casting training for several days. If you really try to make a living off this, your Magic will never improve.
You’re a human, with only a few decades to live. I’ve seen many exceptionally talented humans die of old age before their abilities could fully develop. How much time do you think you can afford to waste scribing scrolls?"
Donkexes sighed. "I’ve lived for several hundred years, and my mastery of Magic hasn’t improved in decades. That’s why I’m the one who’s suited to making money by scribing Magic Scrolls."
Colin started to lose interest as he listened to the man’s long-winded, earnest advice.
He had also heard that many unscrupulous Mages would take on apprentices, only to enslave them and force them to scribe Magic Scrolls for profit.
’There really is no need to waste my talent before I hit a point where I can’t learn anymore.’
’But with the Task Log, will that day ever really come for me?’
’Then again, I could probably get by indefinitely. I could scribe a Scroll for living expenses, rest for a few days, then go back to training to grind my Skill Level. When I run out of money, I’d just scribe another Scroll.’
’But doing that would mean I couldn’t go out on adventures anymore.’
’And that’s not even mentioning that I wouldn’t be able to get rewards from my Golden Finger.’
’If I stopped adventuring, Kase definitely couldn’t keep living this way with me, and Orelia would have no reason to stay on the team. All the connections I’ve built through adventuring would become useless.’
’After all, if I’m not adventuring, I can’t be considered a freelance operative for the City Guard, which means I’d have no reason to interact with Edwin and his people anymore.’
’At the same time, I wouldn’t be able to get monster materials, so Learning Magic from the Dwarves would be out of the question.’
Thinking it over, Colin suddenly realized he was like a veteran employee who had worked at the same company for decades. All his connections and the entire focus of his life were built on this one job; they were completely inseparable.
In other words, without realizing it, his life had become completely intertwined with "adventuring."
Just then, a calloused hand waved in front of his face.
"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Donkexes said. "Have you gotten the hang of the Magic yet? Go on, give it a try. Learning Magic from a Scroll still takes a lot of fine-tuning."
"Okay, I..."
"Wait." After speaking, Donkexes walked to the side, picked up a small, forked wooden stick, came back, and handed it to Colin. "This is the Casting Material. Now just pick an object to locate."
Colin picked up the wooden stick, his eyes fixed on his Spellbook.
Although he didn’t recognize the characters written in the book, a strange thing happened. As he looked at the Spellbook and thought about casting the spell, a few syllables in the Common Language and the corresponding hand gestures surfaced in his mind.
Colin clearly enunciated the syllables and performed the standard casting gestures one by one.
As he did, the Magic Net beside him began to weave together and thrum with power.
After finishing the spell, Colin threw the wooden stick to the ground.
However, the forked wooden stick just clattered to the ground and lay still. He could also clearly sense that the surrounding Magic Net was completely unchanged.
"It failed," Donkexes said. "Think carefully about the Spell and gestures you just felt. Record them in your Spellbook, then refine them step by step."
Colin nodded.
He did as he was told, recording the Spell and casting gestures in his Spellbook before trying to cast again.
Time ticked by. After numerous failures, Colin once again tossed the wooden stick to the ground.
This time, a silvery-white light glowed on the wooden stick’s surface.
It spun rapidly like a compass needle, its solid end pointing toward Colin. After a slight tremor, it slowly came to a rest.
At the same time, the words "half a meter" surfaced in Colin’s mind.
He was tracking his own clothes, and that was indeed the correct distance.
[Object Positioning Skill], a Tier Two Magic. You can locate a familiar object or a class of objects, such as clothing or furniture. As long as the object is within three hundred and thirty meters, you can sense its direction.
"I guess that counts as a success?" Colin said, catching his breath.
"More or less. It’s been about two hours since you started copying the spell, so you’re a pretty fast learner," Donkexes said with a nod.
Colin did a quick calculation.
’Learning Magic with Donkexes, with the daily training and explanations of the principles, seems to take about the same amount of time.’
"Lastly, let’s talk about ’Ritual Spellcasting.’ It’s considered fairly basic knowledge."
"I’ve read about that in a book," Colin explained. "Certain Magic can be cast over a longer period. This minimizes the consumption of Spiritual Power during Casting, and the Magic’s duration is extended as well."
"Exactly. It’s one of the greatest strengths of a Mage."
Donkexes continued, "Casters of Divine Art need long periods of prayer and preparation for the Gods to change the Divine Arts granted to them. Warlocks and other Casters of Arcane Magic need special training to do the same."
"For a Mage, this is just a fundamental skill. Any Magic recorded in our Spellbooks that can be performed as a ritual can be cast using Ritual Spellcasting."
"I’ve actually seen an Array used by the Frostland Druids before," Colin added. "They used it to summon a giant Ice Golem. As I recall, destroying the Array was enough to solve the problem, right?"
"Only for an Array that has already taken effect."
Donkexes said, "If you see an Array that has been activated but hasn’t yet taken full effect, never, ever approach it rashly. Getting blown away by the magical energy would be the *best*-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is being thrown into another world by the out-of-control Summoning Array, or even having your bloodline assimilated."
Colin already knew about being thrown into other worlds.
After all, Teleportation Magic existed in this world. However, even the most powerful Teleportation Magic could seemingly only reach places like Heaven, Hell, and the Elemental Planes. No one had discovered the existence of any other Otherworlds.
Colin asked, "What do you mean by ’having your bloodline assimilated’?"
"Suppose you disrupt a Teleportation Array connected to the Bottomless Abyss. The out-of-control Plane Energy would transform you into a Half-Demon!
At that point, your mind and body would slowly become like those of a true Demon. You might even kill your own family and friends without a second thought."
Donkexes’s expression was exceptionally grave. He jabbed a finger in the air for emphasis. "Don’t you ever be that stupid. I’ll say it again: if you know it’s a half-activated Teleportation Array, you’re better off turning tail and running than getting anywhere near it!"
"I understand," Colin said with a nod.
"Alright, that’s enough chit-chat, my esteemed Mages."
Langgrin walked over, interrupting their conversation.
Snapping out of it, Colin glanced over his shoulder. Orelia and Ale were sitting in a corner, chatting. It seemed they were waiting for him so they could all leave together.
"Right, I should probably get going too."
"You two done?" Langgrin came over, holding the Hand Half Sword Colin had given them. "Here’s that sword you gave us. It’s definitely not one of the Magic Items. You can take it back."
Before Colin could say anything, Donkexes, who was standing nearby, let out a mysterious chuckle. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I am," Langgrin said, baffled. "Are you questioning my skill?"
"Not at all. I don’t think it’s a Magic Item either." Donkexes narrowed his eyes, a punchable look on his face.
"I get it."
Colin stepped forward, took the Hand Half Sword, and walked over to the two women, telling them it was time to head home.
By the time they emerged from the sewers, dusk had fallen.
Orelia was still going on about "how delicious that cake at lunch was" all the way until they stepped into the Black Heart Tavern. The group chatted while they ate and finished their dinner.
That evening, an exhausted Colin returned to his little house. After washing up, he collapsed onto his bed. Between classes and Learning Magic all day, his brain felt fried, slow to process anything.
He settled into a comfortable position and closed his eyes...
’So, when I felt the hilt vibrating... was it really just my hand shaking?’
Just then, the matter of the Hand Half Sword popped back into his mind.
The moment the question surfaced, Colin knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he got to the bottom of it.
