20demayo Chapter 28 Exercises
Chapter 28 Exercises
The carriage bumped along the cobblestone streets of western Ryan, its wheels making a dull thud as they rolled over potholes.
The carriage was crammed with goods. Fafnir leaned against the corner of the carriage, with two dockworkers sitting next to him, who had just finished their shift and smelled of sweat and cheap tobacco.
He didn't care about that—a similar smell sometimes permeated the basement of Lorraine Manor.
The carriage stopped in front of the grammar school. Fafnir jumped off, thanked the driver, and walked towards the faculty dormitory with his cloth bag.
Night had fallen, and the campus was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Fafnir arrived at the first floor of the dormitory building and walked quietly, afraid that his footsteps would wake Martha and Allen from their sleep.
He pushed open the door to his room, threw the cloth bag in the corner, and sat on the bed for a while.
So much happened today—the ceramic pipes in the wool pile, dinner at the Golden Anchor Restaurant, a walk in the harbor…
He touched the forty copper coins in his pocket; they felt heavy.
Fafnir did not rush to sleep, but instead closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
The ledgers came to light.
Name: Fafner Beckett
Bloodline: Ratman (Basic Night Vision)
Total: 1. Bookkeeping (full) (100/100)
2. Common Elvish (Max) (100/100)
3. Basic Meditation Method (Church of the God of Death) (89/100)
4. Visionary (Church of the God of Death) (89/100)
5. Fireball (Tier 1) (84/100)
6. Spirit Language (1/100)
7. Water Ball (Tier 1) (69/100)
8. Wind Blade (Tier 1) (19/100)
Owner: Viktor Zaitsev
Basic Meditation Method (Church of the God of Death) (89/100)
Visionary (Church of the God of Death) (89/100)
Fireball (Tier 1) (84/100)
Water Ball (Tier 1) (69/100)
Wind Blade (Tier 1) (19/100)
Although my progress in Vision and Meditation is already at level 89, and Fireball is at level 84, for some reason, the improvement slows down as I progress.
Water Ball and Wind Blade were taught to him later by Mr. Victor through guided spells; the progress was slower, but still steady.
Fafnir ended his meditation and went to sleep.
The next morning, Fafnir was awakened by the sound of bells.
It's not the six o'clock prayer bell, but the nine o'clock hour chime.
He lay in bed staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before remembering that school was out for break and he didn't need to get up early to mop the floor.
Fafnir got up, quickly washed up, and changed into an old robe—the priest's robe was too conspicuous and not suitable for everyday wear, and deep down he felt it wasn't his.
Fafnir went out the door.
The campus was deserted, with only one or two faculty members occasionally hurrying by. He stood in the open space behind the teaching building; there was no one around, making it a perfect place to practice.
He took a deep breath and entered a meditative state.
The spiritual threads appeared in my mind; they were much thicker than they had been a few months ago, and their silvery-white luster was more stable.
He began constructing the runes for the Water Ball spell—
It is said to be one of the more practical first-order spells, which can be used for extinguishing fires, irrigation, and even washing one's face.
Fafnir thought Mr. Victor was joking.
A bud-like structure took shape in my mind, somewhat similar to the structure of the Fireball spell, but the core runes were reversed.
He infused his spirituality into it, silently reciting incantations in the language of spirits.
A fist-sized ball of water condensed in the palm of the hand. It was transparent, slightly cool, and floated above the palm, slowly rotating.
Fafnir aimed at a rock in the center of the open space and gently pushed it.
The water balloon flew out, exploded on the rocks, and splashed water all over the ground.
If the force isn't strong enough, hitting someone will at most just soak them.
Fafner mentally assessed the situation and began the second construction.
This time, he infused it with more spiritual energy, making the water sphere larger than before and causing it to fly much faster.
"boom--"
Water splashed everywhere, and the stone was flipped over by the water.
Fafner nodded with slight satisfaction.
He practiced several more times until his spiritual energy was almost depleted before stopping.
"Water Ball (Tier 1) (70/100), Change: Water Ball +1."
Fafnir looked at the changes in the ledger and was in a good mood. After resting for a while, he began to practice his Wind Blade technique.
Wind Blade is the most difficult of the three.
The characteristic of the wind element is "formless", so the rune structure is more complex than that of fire and water, requiring the simultaneous completion of three steps: condensation, compression, and orientation at the spiritual level.
Fafnir closed his eyes and tried to build.
The spiritual threads began to wrap around, but they unraveled after only two turns.
Come again.
The second time, they dispersed.
The third attempt barely took shape, but the structure was unstable and collapsed as soon as spiritual energy was infused into it.
Fafnir took a deep breath and slowed down.
the fourth time.
The runes slowly took shape, floating in his consciousness. Fafnir carefully infused them with spirituality, silently reciting incantations.
A faint wisp of air shot from his fingertips, leaving a shallow mark on the ground before dissipating.
It's too weak, about the same as fanning yourself.
But at least it's taken shape.
Fafnir practiced twice more, until his spiritual energy was completely depleted and his temples began to throb.
"Wind Blade (Tier 1) (21/100), Change: Wind Blade +2."
He put away the panel and decided to go to the library.
The library doors were open.
Sister Fanning sat behind the reception desk, a thick book still open in front of her, and a dark drink beside her.
"Hello, Sister Fanning."
She glanced up at Fafnir: "Mouseman, you're on vacation and still here?"
"Hello, I'm here to borrow a book," Fafnir said.
"Okay, go ahead."
Fafnir did not move.
Sister Fanning put down her book: "Is there anything else?"
"I'd like to ask you a few questions," Fafnir hesitated for a moment, "about spirituality."
Sister Fanning stared at him for two seconds, then picked up her glass and took a sip: "Ask away."
"Regarding magic, my current spiritual energy is insufficient, making it difficult to improve. What should I focus on practicing right now?"
She paused, her blue eyes sweeping over Fafnir:
"You've built a solid foundation; now you should focus on practicing meditation," Sister Fanning said without hesitation.
"No matter how many spells you learn now, your total spiritual energy is only so much. You can use it up by casting a few fireballs. What's the use?"
Meditation can slightly increase the rate at which you generate spirituality and also slightly expand the upper limit of spirituality you can draw upon.
Fafnir nodded: "May I ask, what is the relationship between total spirituality and rank? For example, the preparatory rank, the enlightened one, and so on?"
"This is very important," Sister Fanning said, closing her book and leaning back in her chair. "If your total spiritual energy doesn't reach a certain threshold, you won't even be able to construct runes for high-level spells, let alone cast them."
Sister Fanning said, "You are now at the preparatory stage—although the academics won't acknowledge it, I think mastering meditation and clairvoyance qualifies you as a preparatory stage person."
Once you've mastered the first-tier spells of the five different elements and your total spiritual energy has increased to a certain level, you'll be able to attempt to become an Enlightened One.
"I understand, thank you."
"Alright, go borrow the book." Sister Fanning opened the book again.