[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-19":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257023,4404,"Chapter 19: Amy","above-the-mage-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>In the quiet workspace, the candlelight flickered dimly and brightened intermittently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De sat motionless for a long while, then suddenly raised his right hand, extending his index finger to point diagonally forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just watching this gesture seemed bizarre and mystic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after Gao De made this motion, a strange energy fluctuation emerged at his fingertip, shooting out a blue-white beam of light into thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beam itself was not thick, yet it carried an inexplicable chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, the cold beam shot forth like a flying dagger, striking directly at the dead gray mouse Gao De had placed ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the beam touched the gray mouse, a faint sound of ice cracking could be heard in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thin layer of ice instantly formed on the mouse’s fur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice remained for about twenty seconds before dissipating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty seconds on a dead gray mouse—if the target were Master Seda, three seconds would be impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De calculated silently in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he exhaled deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six days—mastered all three cantrips!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After fully refining his new method for constructing spell models, he pressed forward and successfully constructed the Acid Splash spell model.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the main reason was that his construction method was vastly more efficient than the traditional one, a bit of luck was still involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps there really is a beginner’s bonus in spell study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, for the next two spell models—“Resist Energy” and “Freezing Ray”—Gao De did not continue his good fortune from day one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both spells failed after exhausting his mental energy, requiring him to wait until the next day, when his mental energy recovered, to attempt a second or even third time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six days had passed since he purchased the three spell formulas from Yom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, Gao De finally succeeded in constructing the Freezing Ray spell model.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant he had mastered all three new spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A first-rank apprentice, six days, mastering three cantrips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one in the world would believe it if they heard it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the advantage of Gao De’s current method for constructing spell models.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gao De did not consider himself a genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly understood that the reason he achieved this incredible transformation was simply because he stood on the shoulders of giants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he was merely picking up the crumbs left by predecessors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the people of this world:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must first abandon the fixed notion of the traditional method—linking star tracks while determining star positions—and switch to a new method: first determine star positions, then connect the star tracks; further, use analytical geometry to establish a coordinate system to pinpoint star positions, which requires both the courage to question authority and the knowledge to solve the new method’s problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, one must have a “Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The traditional method of constructing spell models had been passed down for countless years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stronger the mage, the longer they had trained under the traditional method, and the more deeply ingrained their habitual thinking became, making it harder to question or change it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, weaker mages would never even entertain such a fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like heliocentrism: today, it seems obvious, but back then, geocentrism was considered sacred, inviolable truth, beyond question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Gao De, a traveler from another world, he had no such rigid notions of truth or dogma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still a brand-new, utterly new apprentice, his thinking about spells not yet fixed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, as an excellent math student, daring to question and daring to change were fundamental qualities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the teacher’s method was wrong or inefficient, one simply used one’s own method to solve the problem—that was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the people of this world, analytical geometry and Cartesian coordinates were entirely new knowledge, opening a new conceptual frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Gao De, they were merely retrieving a practical method from his own knowledge base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Gao De’s past life, analytical geometry and Cartesian coordinates were not advanced knowledge; any ordinary middle school student encountering this situation could have thought of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for the people of this world, conceiving a coordinate system was as difficult as climbing to heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some things, once thought of, seem simple in principle—but reaching that thought can stall countless people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not thinking is not thinking. Apples fell countless times; only Newton thought of gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the seemingly simple Cartesian coordinate system was only born in the seventeenth century; before that, no one had ever thought of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now that I’ve mastered five spells, my mana is just enough to cast all five cantrips.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De rubbed his slightly swollen temples, murmuring to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are shortcuts to constructing spell models, but increasing mental energy and mana requires steady, grounded effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had tested it: after casting five 0-level spells, his mana would be completely drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Go through all five cantrips once, and your mana bar is empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This awkward situation could be summed up by a common saying: “A mage in full gear with no mana is still trash.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De had no solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana growth cannot be rushed; at least this awkward state would persist for some time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Money, and essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since mana growth was unrealistic in the short term, he needed to find ways to do more with limited mana—like enhancing spell effectiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For others, this was impossible; for Gao De, however, there was a path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he had Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, which allowed him to “allocate points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But allocating points consumed essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Gao De felt a pang of regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouldn’t have so easily used the little essence from the gray-eyed mouse on Repair+.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Repair+ was excellent, it couldn’t be used in combat or killing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell issue was temporarily resolved; the next focus was acquiring new essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the commercial district again and see if I can find any leads,” Gao De mused in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eleven days had passed since he arrived in this world, and as time slipped away, his anxiety grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if there were leads, they required money—and after purchasing the three spell formulas, his savings had shrunk to thirty silver and eight copper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Gao De sighed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, in any place, in any world, having no money was utterly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De left the workspace and returned to his small bedroom, where his roommate Amy was already asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These days, he had been absorbed in constructing spell models and returned very late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De quietly took off his outer clothes, lay down, and prepared to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gao De, you’re back?” came Amy’s voice from the dark, quiet room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De froze, then softly hummed an affirmation, apologizing: “I’ve been training longer these days, so I came back late. Did I disturb you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I came back late too—I just got into bed and haven’t fallen asleep yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amy’s voice was quiet, hesitant; after a moment of struggle, he finally spoke carefully: “Gao De, are you planning to confront Master Seda?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, Gao De’s expression changed, his heart jolted—he instinctively feared he had been exposed these past days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know. Long ago, you told me: if we don’t do something, we’ll both die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amy took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision: “Master Seda is too powerful. I always thought no matter what we did, nothing would change.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Seda is indeed powerful,” Gao De replied ambiguously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You asked me that day,” Amy imitated Gao De’s tone from that day, repeating his exact words: “If someone wanted to kill you, what would you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I couldn’t answer then, but I’ve been thinking about it these past days,” he nodded firmly in the dark, saying: “At least we can’t do nothing, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will never sit and wait to die,” Gao De declared his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Seda specializes in necromancy. One of his spells—I don’t know its name—but I know that if he touches a target, the target becomes powerless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De remained silent, offering no reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amy added: “I heard Yilan say one of the three mage principles is ‘Never let others know your spells.’ I don’t know exactly what it means, but I think it might help you a little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1375,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6959feb40e48f7d14186b8181a7e7ee815cc70f82389f2ce114bf5837577c1c3","above-the-mage-chapter-20","above-the-mage-chapter-18",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]