Chapter 9: Arcane Class Advancement and the Blue Orb Spell
[Your proficiency in one-handed swords has increased to Beginner]
[Beginner One-Handed Sword Mastery: You have acquired a foundational understanding of one-handed swords; the effectiveness of your attacks increases slightly when using them.]
Lis looked at the new entry for one-handed sword mastery appearing beneath his Intermediate Staff Mastery. It was easy to reach the beginner and intermediate levels for any weapon, but progressing further was extremely difficult. Take his predecessor, for example: after over a decade of studying and practicing magic, his staff mastery was still only at the intermediate level, with a lingering gap before reaching the advanced tier, and he had no idea when he might break through.
At the same time, Lis discovered that although his weapon proficiency improved steadily under Welf’s guidance—much like how an NPC in a game could teach a skill that one could learn instantly with a click—the speed of his proficiency growth increased significantly if he truly focused his heart and mind on learning. After all, this was a real world, and his system differed slightly from those in games. The knowledge and power he possessed were no longer mere game data, but tangible things residing within his mind and body.
This was far more satisfying than grinding away in a game!
Although Welf and the others were careful, how could one avoid a few bumps and bruises during training? Yet, feeling the tangible growth of his strength, Lis could not possibly give up; he threw himself into the training, finding joy amidst the pain.
The following days were incredibly fulfilling for Lis. By day, he followed Welf and several guards at Belle Street to learn the techniques and methods of using various weapons. By night, he returned to the basement of the estate to continue his "bang, bang, bang" exploration of arcane arts. His only leisure time was occasionally letting the little maid, Rosie, give him a massage to help him relax.
Don't get any ideas; it was strictly professional!
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The sixth day of training.
Caine family estate, underground laboratory.
Lis, his face smudged with soot, used a "Breeze" spell to disperse the thick smoke caused by yet another failure, but there was no sign of discouragement on his face.
"I was too impatient. The nature of fire elements is inherently more explosive and volatile; an overly stable magic pattern combination actually lowers the power of the Fireball spell. However, this elemental model finally feels somewhat in sync with my mana."
After pondering for a moment, Lis began adjusting the elemental model architecture he had constructed on the nearby magic pattern engraver.
"Let's try this: adjust the angle between the third long magic pattern and the keystone pattern and see the effect."
Summoning the arcane subsystem, he carefully modified the Fireball elemental model once more. Lis took a deep breath—success or failure rested on this attempt!
Just as Lis channeled his mana into the Fireball elemental model—the nth one he had constructed—a strange sensation suddenly welled up in his heart. It felt as if the bright red elemental model floating in the air before him had suddenly become a part of his own body. The mana flowing through his veins seemed to resonate with the newly constructed model, pouring into it incessantly.
The replenished elemental model floated silently before Lis. Before he could even examine it closely, it suddenly began to glow and spin, eventually manifesting as a pale blue fireball the size of a fist right before his eyes.
Looking at the fireball in his hand, Lis examined it with great interest. His intuition told him he had fully mastered this fireball; it would no longer suddenly explode like the previous ones. After satisfying his curiosity, Lis turned his attention back to the system panel. Just as he had successfully condensed this fireball, a flurry of system notifications had popped up in the bottom left of his vision that he hadn't yet had the chance to read.
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[You have successfully improved the Fireball spell model.]
[You have mastered the unique arcane spell: "Fireball (Customizable Name)"]
[Arcanist class advancement assessment beginning.]
[Assessment (1/3): Mage as primary class... Assessment passed.]
[Assessment (2/3): Intelligence attribute exceeds 50... Assessment passed.]
[Assessment (3/3): Mastery of a unique arcane spell... Assessment passed.]
[All assessments passed. You may choose to advance to Arcanist.]
[Yes/No]
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After struggling for a long time, since its final form was a blue fireball, he would call it... Blue Ball!
Lis, who had been terrible at naming things in his past life, named his first arcane spell "Blue Ball," though he felt as if some figure was dancing before his eyes. Shaking his head, he looked back at the Arcanist advancement prompt.
Advancing to Arcanist was different from other professions; it didn't require a special ceremony. As long as the requirements were met, one could promote on the spot.
As for whether to advance to Arcanist?
Don't be ridiculous—why else would he have gone through all that "blood, sweat, and tears" to acquire the "Arcane Thinking" trait?
Lis decisively selected "Yes."
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[You have chosen to advance to Arcanist.]
[Advancing............ Advancement successful.]
[Your primary class "Mage" has been promoted to "Arcanist."]
[You have earned a new milestone: "First Step of the Strong (Silver Rank)."]
[You have earned a new trait: "Tier Suppression."]
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Lis suddenly felt his mind clear, his speed of thought significantly increased, and he seemed to have gained new insights into various elemental models and their properties. Shaking his head, he brought up his attribute panel.
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Name: Lis Caine
Race: Human
Level: 30
Health: 900/1050
Mana: 666/2040
Status: Normal
Experience: 4396/170000 (Unallocated XP: 216,820 points)
Primary Class: Arcanist (Beginner)
Secondary Class: None
Talent: Omnipotent
Attributes:
Strength 35
Agility 36
Intelligence 68 (Attribute bonus applied)
Charisma 38
Mysticism 33
Endurance 35
Luck 3
Free Attribute Points: 10
Traits:
[Arcane Thinking] — Intelligence attribute receives a 2x multiplier; Elemental Affinity +100%; Arcane sub-module unlocked.
[Advanced Fatigue Resistance] — Reduces the negative impact of fatigue on the body; Stamina recovery speed +50%.
[Tier Suppression] — Gain an additional power bonus against lower-tier professionals. Current bonus: 10%.
Skills: Cantrips (Mage Hand, Cleanse, Flash, etc.), 1st Circle Spells (Fireball, Ice Arrow, Charm Person, etc.), 2nd Circle Spells (Ice Blade, Wind Walk, Earth Evasion), 3rd Circle Spells (Chain Fireball), 3rd Circle Arcane Spell (Blue Ball), Warrior Techniques (Charge, Shield Bash, Haste, etc.).
Milestones: [Beginner Mage (Bronze Rank)], [First Step of the Strong (Silver Rank)].
Legendary Rating: 10 (Kingdom Level - Court Viscount legendary status +10).
Equipment: Emerald Staff, Emerald Amulet, Ring of Focus.
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Lis looked over the gains of the past few days and felt very satisfied. He knew that the [Tier Suppression] trait and the [First Step of the Strong] milestone were automatically granted upon advancing to a higher-tier class, and their effects were decent. [Tier Suppression] was a fantastic tool for cutting down enemies, providing higher damage bonuses against opponents of lower tiers. [First Step of the Strong] was standard; most milestones simply granted free attribute points. Furthermore, through his [Omnipotent] talent, he had secretly learned several martial techniques from the guards. It had been a bountiful harvest.
Lis added the 10 newly acquired free attribute points to Intelligence, cleaned up the laboratory with a sense of contentment, and prepared to reward himself with an early rest. The prospect of his future as cannon fodder had always left him with a heavy sense of crisis, and only when his strength progressed did he feel a bit more at ease.
Hopefully, he could eventually escape his doomed fate.
Lying on his bed, Lis sighed softly, closed his eyes, and entered a state of meditation.