Chapter 428
Analysis and Reforging
Chapter 428 Analysis and Reforging
The Pendor family, one of the prestigious families within the Mage Alliance, was originally a ducal family of a kingdom. Later, the kingdom was annexed by the Mage Alliance, and the family moved closer to the mage system. Subsequently, the family produced many high-level mages, and its strength increased along with the expansion of the Mage Alliance.
According to the conventions of the aristocratic system, only families above the level of the ruler of a kingdom can use flowers as their family crest. Although the Pendor family was only a ducal family in its early years, its current strength far exceeds that of ordinary royal families. Therefore, their later adoption of 'gentian' as their family crest was accepted, and no one ridiculed or questioned it.
Even in his childhood, Spencer showed signs of intelligence. He had an excellent memory and learned various secret histories very quickly. As a result, he was valued by his family from a young age and given a lot of resources. When he was nine years old, his elders even found him the precious secret treasure "Tears of the Wind" from the "Harp Flower Union" to purify his physical attributes and make them more suitable for cultivation.
Because most of the secret arts and knowledge passed down in his family are related to the 'castle' attribute, although he chose the 'secret language' attribute as the core, he still mastered many spells related to the 'castle' attribute, and the 'Rhodri Gate' he is casting now is one of them.
Compared to other aspects, 'Secret Words' is not good at attacking or defending, but its advantage is that it can use its proficiency in rituals and runes to reproduce various effects and abilities, although the power will be much weaker.
This property is very compatible with the spell system of the Mage Alliance, so most mages choose 'Secret Words' or 'Golden Steam' as their early core spells. To perfectly bring out the properties of 'Secret Words', it is very challenging for the caster to study and research.
In other words, the more intelligent, knowledgeable, and wise a person is, the stronger their ability to use this 'attribute' will be. However, if a fool practices this 'attribute', the result will be very bad, and sometimes it is not as convenient and powerful as fighting with one's physical body and armor.
In this environment, the entire Mage Alliance reveres qualities such as 'knowledge,' 'wisdom,' and 'erudition,' while they look down on those who rely solely on the power of their physical attributes to drive magic, considering it the work of a reckless fool who will suffer losses in the future.
Unfortunately, the 'Phantom Sword' spell that Hilti used to defeat Muria was seen by them as simply brute force due to its high numerical value. In addition, some rumors and images about this girl in the 'Asura District' had also reached their ears. All things considered,
This girl named 'Hedra' probably relied on her excellent talent. At the second level, she had a powerful 'sexual force' that allowed her to drive spells similar to those of the third level, and defeated her fellow apprentices of the same level through brute force.
"Um, isn't Spencer's 'Rhodes Gate' also a third-tier spell?" A student asked curiously to the person next to him during casual conversations in the audience.
"The 'Gate of Rhodes' that Spencer used is indeed a third-tier spell, but it's something he learned from his family. He gradually became familiar with it from a young age, and then by drawing the blueprints of the 'Gate of Rhodes,' he became familiar with the complex and sacred structure of this ancient door, and then gradually reproduced it, finally mastering this spell. It's a pure crystallization of wisdom." The student from the 'Milne District' shared his evaluation and thoughts.
“I remember that students who can get into ‘Tethys Academy’ have more or less mastered some abilities that can rival ‘third-tier’ opponents. According to you, Spencer spent several years learning such a spell. Isn’t that a bit embarrassing?” This student from ‘Gammosh District’ felt that it was nothing special.
"Heh, even third-tier spells have different levels. If you go up there, can you break through his defenses?" the other party replied with a hint of mockery.
"This... I probably can't break through it?" He scratched his head, assessing his various abilities and methods.
“That explains it. That’s why I said it’s the culmination of wisdom and erudition. You people from the Gemosh region only know how to swing hammers and play with gunpowder.” The other person shook his head, looking like he was difficult to get along with.
“You’re wrong about that. We also need to learn and understand complex mechanical structures. I don’t think you can compare to me in that area.”
"Tsk." The other party remained noncommittal, and the conversation ended there.
The matches on the battlefield continued one after another, and soon it was time for the second round. This time, Spencer faced students who were also from the 'Milne District'.
"Number 3 Spencer Pander vs. Number 20 Uriel."
The student who came to Spencer was tall and thin. He seemed somewhat malnourished, but his gray-blue eyes were very bright.
"Oh, it's you." Spencer seemed to know this person well, nodded slightly, and then gestured for them to begin.
Uriel didn't say anything polite. He put on a pair of thick glasses, then clasped his hands together, and a pale purple illusory sword appeared in his hand.
[Spell: Carved Blade]
'One of the fundamental spells of the Mithril Clock school, it can inscribe marks on both real and illusory objects for use in subsequent arcane arts and rituals.'
Spencer waved his hand again, and the projection of the huge city gate appeared, blocking the two of them.
This wasn't the first time Uriel had seen such magic. Using the analytical features attached to his glasses, he continuously analyzed the interior of the projected door, noticing the fine lines and textures within. Then he began to act.
The pale purple, illusory sword blade in his hand was like a compass and ruler, constantly drawing lines on the door. Spencer neither stopped this attack nor launched any additional attacks; he simply watched quietly.
About three minutes later, Uriel retreated, then dismissed the pale purple blade in his hand, raised his hand, and shouted at the door covered with lines.
"Your true name has been written for me; open the gates of the king!"
Then the lines lit up with a bright purple, and intricate and beautiful patterns flashed across the door. Then the tall door slowly opened, and the projection of the surrounding city walls collapsed and disappeared.
The Art of Analysis
'By analyzing the opponent's spell and reversing the flow of its internal runes, the original spell dissipates.'
Seeing the door in front of him disintegrate, Spencer smiled and clapped his hands: "You've improved, Uriel. Remember the last time we competed, it took you almost six minutes to solve it."
After saying this, Spencer raised his left hand, and the gentian flower on his sleeve appeared in layers of shadows, then he waved it down.
[Spell: The Bitter Words of the Gentian Flower]
These double images rushed towards Uriel, etching gentian flower patterns onto his body, and excruciating pain followed, causing Uriel to quickly surrender.
After watching the competition, Hilti tilted her head slightly, and couldn't help but think of the spell 'False Bouquet' that Scholar Serofi had taught her. This should be a spell with a similar principle, using 'Gentian Flower' to cast a painful curse. Speaking of curses, she also thought of the even more terrifying 'Blackquis Curse'.
The power of curse spells lies in their difficulty to defend against, often requiring one to withstand them head-on. However, these spells often have various requirements and are not as powerful as spells of the same rank, so there are actually not many people who truly learn them.
It seems that the Spencer family has a deep understanding of 'gentian' and can maximize the curse power of this flower.
After several more rounds of competition, it was Hilti's turn.
"Number 12, Hedra, versus number 71, Imé."
On the other side of the battlefield, a girl of short stature with delicate features walked onto the stage. Her hair was dark chestnut and neatly tied up at the back of her head, with only a few strands of hair showing at her ears.
The girl held a copper-covered book in one hand, her eyes were like topaz, and part of her calves were exposed under her school uniform robe, making her look bright and charming.
"Hello, Chief."
She walked onto the stage, nodded slightly to the girl, and then briefly introduced herself. "My name is Imé, and I specialize in runic magic." At Tethys Academy, the position of chief seemed to be very important; this was the second time the girl had encountered a classmate who greeted her so politely.
“I understand, let’s begin.” Hiltiya nodded.
Then the graceful young woman opposite her stood up, holding the spine of the book in one hand and opening it with the other, flipping through the pages quickly before settling on one particular page.
A dazzling light burst forth from the pages of the book, and a bright star leaped out and rose into the sky, its blinding brilliance causing many in the audience to squint.
[Spell: Shining Star]
The stars rise, their light piercing the darkness.
The bright light interfered with the students' vision and rendered many analytical spells ineffective, especially various 'eye techniques', which were all affected by the light.
Seeing this, Hilti closed her eyes slightly and thought to herself.
She has such keen observation skills; she knows that her greatest strength is not actually various spells, but the powerful penetrating ability granted by her eyes.
Then she felt a slight movement in the airflow on her right, and a dazzling ray of light shot out, grazing past Silti's shoulder.
This was certainly not because the other party showed mercy, but because Hiltiah temporarily changed her stance to avoid the attack.
There was nothing she could do. Even though she had her eyes closed, the flow of power from that 'alien' aspect was so clear that she could sense it perfectly even without looking.
If the opponent is a transcendent being with the 'Mist Shadow' attribute, a sneak attack might be more effective.
In the next ten seconds or so, several more dazzling rays of light were unleashed on the battlefield, but unfortunately, Hilti easily dodged them all, her light steps making it seem as if she were taking a stroll in place.
When the rays stopped, Hilti thought it was about time to retaliate. So she spread her fingers and flicked them gently. The girl opposite her, who was trying to change position, was controlled by threads, her hands and feet restrained, and she was controlled like a puppet.
Without much skill, just pure control of the silk threads rendered the girl unable to move, leaving her no choice but to surrender.
After the competition ended, many people began to realize that the girl was not as weak as she appeared.
"After all, he's the top student, so he must have some ability."
"However, apart from the 'Silk Bird' spell which was a bit complicated, the other spells she used seemed relatively simple?"
"She might be some kind of 'special talent' student. I feel she should go to the 'Phantom School,' she's really good at playing with threads." Some students were still unconvinced.
The following rounds of matches continued, and Hiltiya maintained a perfect record until the end of the first stage of the competition.
"Congratulations to the following five students for achieving five victories. The academy will give each of you three bottles of 'Memory Water,' a special 'Tier 3' potion that can assist in the practice of intermediate-level 'meditation techniques' and can also be used to quickly memorize important experiences and information."
The reward for a student who wins four times is a bottle of 'Water of Memory'. The reward for a student who wins three times is a piece of 'Chromium Silver' of Tier 2, which can be used to create artifacts and props. The reward for a student who wins two times is a 'Meditation Incense' of Tier 2, which can be used to enhance mental strength during meditation. The reward for a student who wins one time is a small bottle of 'Awakening Drops' containing five drops of potion, which can be used to invigorate the mind and enhance resistance to sleep and hallucinations.
As for the students who didn't win a single game, the reward was a bottle of 'Healing Blood Wine', which could be used to nourish the body, recover quickly, and slightly enhance physical strength.
After reading the rewards, Hilti couldn't help but think to herself, "The reward for students who didn't win any matches has a subtle mockery to it. After all, mages rely on their brains to make a living, and the reward for not winning any matches is to enhance one's physique. It's like they're not cut out for this and they should switch tracks early."
Fortunately, most students won one or two matches, with only two losing all of them. They were actually elites, at least stronger than many of the Asura students that Hilti knew, but unfortunately, they were not good enough in the Tethys Academy where geniuses were rampant.
The first stage has ended, and the students with four or five wins have entered the second stage of the competition. There are a total of seventeen of them, which means that one person will have a bye in each round of the next competition.
"In that case, Hedra will receive a bye in the first round and will directly participate in the next round," the professor announced.
After that, Hilti had no choice but to return to the audience seats to see how the others competed.
In the following matches, several outstanding talents emerged. Apart from Spencer, Imé, who had been defeated by Hilti, not only entered the second stage of the competition this time, but also easily defeated his opponent.
She indeed had a very good grasp of runic magic. The book in her hand was a lower-level substitute for the core ability 'Spell Pages'. She could quickly find the runes she had inscribed and recorded, and then activate them with the help of the spellbook. This saved her from having to use a slot and also reduced the mental strain.
With her extensive magical abilities, she can easily find her opponent's weaknesses and then use targeted spells to defeat them with decisive action.
Besides her, another student from the 'Gammosh district' also attracted a lot of attention.
[Construction Spell - Bow and Crossbow]
'Construction-type spells, when cast, project corresponding modules. Once these modules are assembled and stabilized, they can form the corresponding creation.'
Two pale blue crossbows projected onto his side. He then raised his shield to block the opponent's attack, constantly dodging and weaving.
Ten seconds later, the projection of the two crossbows was completed. Then the bowstrings were drawn, and the sharp crossbows pierced the air and shot towards the opponent.
With these two crossbows, his situation improved significantly. He then devoted his energy to constructing new projected objects, and soon a cannon as thick as a bowl appeared, gradually solidifying into a physical form.
[Construction Spell - Cannon]
With a muffled thud, a cannonball made of pebbles shot out, shattering the opponent's defenses, causing him to vomit blood and fall off the stage.
Congratulations to player number 44, Stuka, for winning!
Another new discovery! This is the first time Hilti has seen 'Construction Magic'. Its principle is to use the recasting properties of 'Golden Steam' to temporarily transform intangible spiritual power into a certain entity, creating various weapons or props.
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The nature of metal is described as "metal steaming": the hammering of metal and the roar of steam, representing the scalding power that reshapes the world.
(End of this chapter)