Chapter 76 : Chapter 76

Chapter 76. Fireball Spell Ring

Leiber’s spellcasting ability was not particularly impressive.

He was a new apprentice of the Elemental School. Unlike many other apprentices, however, he came from a well-off family.

Both of his parents were full-fledged mages of the Elemental School. Because of that, he had received generous financial support since childhood, allowing him to study spells and purchase equipment.

Unfortunately, there was one drawback: his parents had many children. If he failed to achieve results quickly, his monthly allowance might be reduced to a mere fifty silver coins—barely enough to cover basic living expenses.

His parents would simply redirect their support to the children with better performance. They would not waste time on him.

Because of this, ever since his first day in the City of Apprentices, he had lived with a constant sense of urgency, terrified that his parents might abandon him.

Yet his talent for magic was frustratingly mediocre. Among the apprentices of the Elemental School, his spellcasting ability could only barely rank around the middle.

On this day, Leiber walked into the “The Best Weapon Shop” society with his head hanging low and greeted Krich.

“Boss… has the craftsman who makes spell focus rings recovered yet? I’d like to place an order.”

Leiber had just lost a mage duel at the school’s residence. His opponent had cast spells quickly and precisely, leaving him deeply discouraged.

Compared with others, his own spellcasting was always a beat slower.

After thinking it over, he could only resort to his old method—buying equipment.

Unlike the highly talented apprentices who used their money to purchase knowledge and spells, Leiber knew his own limits. Buying those things would not help him much.

Instead, he had poured all his money into equipment. With high-grade gear, he could still secure a place among the apprentices of the Elemental School.

At this point, someone might ask: if he lacked magical talent, why buy so much equipment? If he could never become a full mage anyway, would it not be better to spend that money elsewhere?

But Leiber understood his parents well. They were extremely busy and only cared about results. If he managed to achieve a ranking in the assessments, their financial support would continue for another seven or eight years.

By then, with more money in hand, he would have plenty of options for how to use it.

At the same time, he had developed a deep understanding of equipment combinations and knew how to maximize his combat strength.

Now, the spell focus ring was one of the few pieces of equipment that could still greatly improve him. He came to ask about it once every week.

“That craftsman hasn’t come back to me yet, so I have no idea what happened,” Krich said, shaking his head.

Leiber sighed again and flipped through the list of craftsmen offering services, searching to see if any of them provided what he needed.

At that moment, Krich said cautiously,

“Leiber… you might want to check the first craftsman on page seven. They might be able to help you.”

Hearing this, Leiber immediately turned to page seven. He trusted the boss’s reputation.

But when he reached the page, he frowned in confusion.

“This person only makes basic equipment. I don’t see anything about equipment that assists with spellcasting. Why recommend this one?”

Krich quickly realized the mistake and corrected him.

“You’re looking at the second one. The first craftsman is still above it.”

Only then did Leiber notice that the first craftsman’s introduction was extremely short. Because it took up so little space on the page, he had mistaken the second entry for the first.

“This entry is tiny. The second one is four times longer…”

“My mistake. I’ll fix the layout later,” Krich said apologetically.

He had spent the entire night thinking about the commission for that spell ring and how it should be made. As a result, he had made a basic formatting error.

Leiber then read the description carefully. It was very brief, with most of the space dedicated to the detailed pricing.

“Accepts commissions to produce spell rings… spell rings?!” Leiber exclaimed in shock.

He immediately looked up at Krich and asked,

“Boss, are you sure this is real? Someone here can make spell rings?!”

Krich smiled.

“I did see her engrave a spell into a spell gemstone. As for whether it’s real or not, you can find out by trying.”

Leiber frowned and began to think.

Logically speaking, commissions for spell rings should not appear here. Those craftsmen monopolized the channels. Even if you had money, you still had to wait in line.

Because of that, Leiber had never even considered this option. He did not have the influence necessary to make those craftsmen move him ahead in line.

Perhaps his parents could arrange it after he achieved a good ranking. But by then, he might no longer need it.

Looking at the unusually low price on the list only deepened his suspicion. Could this be some kind of scam?

He looked up at Krich.

Krich simply nodded.

Leiber immediately dismissed his doubts.

He knew Krich’s character. If this attempt failed to produce results, Krich would definitely compensate him for the loss.

Then I’ll give it a try, he thought.

“The house across the street. The first room on the second floor. The craftsman rented it specifically. Go now—she should be there,” Krich said.

---

Leiber arrived at the door, knocked, and then pushed it open.

What he saw inside left him extremely confused.

A girl wearing a robe sat at a large table, writing and sketching nonstop. Papers covered the entire surface.

Nearly every sheet was filled with writing and scattered in a messy pile, making it hard to believe she could find the one she needed.

When Fulan saw him enter, she asked,

“Are you here to have a spell ring made?”

Leiber looked at Fulan, whose appearance did not resemble a craftsman in the slightest. He frowned and only replied after a moment.

“Yes. I want a ring with the Fireball spell. I don’t have the materials.”

Fulan clapped her hands.

“Alright. Stand here. Wait for my instruction, and then cast Fireball.”

Leiber followed the direction of her finger and looked at the circle drawn on the floor.

Although he had many doubts, he decided to keep them to himself for now and see what would happen first.

He watched as Fulan manipulated the spell gemstone in the air with Telekinetic Hand. After a while, she spoke again.

“Alright, cast the spell.”

Leiber began his somewhat clumsy casting process. A large fireball appeared in his hand.

However, it was clearly not a perfect sphere. The surface contained many dents and uneven sections.

After releasing the fireball, Leiber felt something tugging at his palm. He deliberately refrained from resisting with his mental power.

Three seconds later, the fireball in his hand disappeared.

When Leiber turned his head, he saw that Fulan had already tucked the ring into her robe.

“It failed. Try again.”

Leiber did not question it. Failure was normal. He had heard that craftsmen often failed during the crafting process.

They tried again twice more. During the second attempt, Fulan placed the ring on the table. On the third attempt, it finally succeeded.

The originally yellow spell crystal gradually turned red, bursting from the center and forming a beautiful gradient.