Chapter 451 – A Surprise

‘System, status.’ Damion mentally said after reading the notification about his new spell a dozen times. He had managed to create a passive spell, which was impressive, but the cost was half as much as all his other passive spells combined. There was no danger of exceeding his mana regeneration rate, but such a sudden increase in demand was going to be taxing for a while, at least until his body got used to it.

The other complicating factor was, what would happen if he suffered from mana exhaustion? Usually, his passive spells were shut down, to give his body time to recover. But could he shut down this pet space? And if he did so while one of his familiars were inside, what would happen to them?”

Each time Damion learned a new spell it came with new questions about how to use it and what its limitations were. However, seldom did he have as many questions and doubts about a spell as he did now.

[Magic System]

[System Level: 4]

[User: Damion Wells]

[Age: 20]

[Magic Talent: EX]

[Magic Affinity: Ice EX, Water E, Poison D, Spatial EX, Fire EX, Earth EX, Shadow EX, Holy C, Light E, Wood A, Wind A]

[Mana: 42,182/36,680] (15%) - 42,182

[Magic Power: 173,554] (15%) - 199,587

[Mana Recovery: 382 P/S] (15%) - 439

[Strength: 235]

[Dexterity: 222] (15%) - 248

[Vitality: 581]

[Intelligence: 153]

[Experience: 7,400/50,000]

[Store Credits: 8,438,350]

His progress towards S Rank was remarkable, but he still had a long way to go. Part of him wished he could see the full attributes of other people, assuming the Magic System could quantify them, then he would be able to better understand his progress. Did he need to work more on his physical training? Or could he still focus primarily on his Magic Power? Knowing how much strength his body needed to contain S Rank magic power would be great to know. While he could now see the magic power of people with True Sight, he could not see a breakdown of all their stats like he could for himself.

Closing down the Magic System status screen, Damion focused on his new spell. He activated Familiar Space and felt the drain of the spell against his mana regeneration. While he was still regenerating more mana than all of his passives used combined, the mana was still being used and it added a slight strain on his body. He just hoped that his body would once again increase in strength faster with the additional strain.

‘Nyx, why don’t you go in first,’ Damion thought towards his Shadow Cat familiar.

The Demonic Beast slinked out of his shadow and considered what Damion meant for a moment before vanishing. The next instant, he could feel the Shadow Cat inside the Familiar Space. The area inside was not large, he could fit both of his bound companions inside, but it would not be a pleasant place for either of them.

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'Are you able to move in and out freely?’ Damion asked.

A moment later, the Shadow Cat reappeared in the room and then vanished again, answering Damion’s question.

‘Limited, but safe,’ Nyx informed him after a few moments.

‘Stay inside there for now. As the spell Ranks up, it should grow larger, but it needs to be used for it to grow. ‘When we go into the labyrinth, for floors that are tight, Phil will go in, and you can hide in my shadow again.’

Nyx did not respond, but he felt a general sense of agreement from both the Shadow Cat and the Blizzard King. He had no idea how long it would take for the spell to begin to Rank up, but he hoped it would be soon. If he wanted to continue to expand the number of familiars he had, he would need more room to keep them.

To that end, Damion decided to begin working on another spell while he waited for the arrival of Magic Absorbing Crystals. As far as he knew, he was still the only person with a bound familiar. Even though his Ice Familiar spell had been around for a while now, no one had been able to actually get a Ferocious Beast or a Demonic Beast to accept the bond. If he wanted to start selling alternative versions of the spell, he needed to show the world that it was possible for people other than him to make it work.

For now, he had no desire to add a third familiar, but that did not mean he did not want his family to be left without a Demonic Beast protector. To that end, he began modifying the spell for the Wind affinity. Having already altered the spell for Shadow, making the adjustment to Wind was much simpler.

Over the next two days, Damion worked on the spell and was rewarded with a notification from the Magic System once he was finished.

*Ding*

{Quest Completed}

[Quest: Learn a Tier 2 Magic Spell – Status: Complete – Reward: 100 Experience, 500 Store Credit.]

Even though he knew what the spell would say, he still pulled it up in the Magic System to take a look.

[Wind Familiar - Active Permanent - (F Rank 250 Mana) You have modified the Ice Familiar spell to allow yourself to bond to a creature with a Wind affinity. As the Rank increases the bond with your familiar will increase and you will be able to share more than just concepts and emotions.]

With another spell added to his arsenal he was once again approaching his spell limit. He still had room to learn more but now was a better time to increase his limit than when he was in a desperate situation or low on credits.

‘System, purchase Increase Spell Slots.’

{Affirmative.}

{Increase Spell Slots purchased for 25,624 Credits.}

‘System, purchase it again.’

{Affirmative.}

{Increase Spell Slots purchased for 38,436Credits.}

Boosting his spell limit by ten meant he could now learn up to eighty spells. Fifty from the increases he had purchased from the Magic System and thirty from being an A Rank mage. Far more than any other mage on their own could learn but considering what the grimoires would be able to offer people he was not sure how the amount would hold up in the future. Of course, the lesson Mage Teft had taught him long ago about quality over quantity still rang true. As long as he truly mastered his spells, it would not matter how many others had.

“Elicia,” Damion called out after finishing with the Magic System. “I have a surprise for you.”

A moment later Elicia came into the room in their home used for training. She carried Helge with her, eager to see what Damion had in store.

“Is it an invisible surprise?” Elicia asked. She had expected him to have an artifact in his hands to offer her.

“A new spell for your grimoire, unless you think you can memorize it directly.” Damion held his palm out and the Wind Familiar magic seal sprang to life.

Elicia set Helge down, who stumbled over to his father and asked to be picked up, and took out her tablet to record the magic seal. Once the seal was recorded, she pocketed her tablet and looked at Damion suspiciously.

“That is a Wind affinity spell. When did you get the Wind affinity?”

“Not too long ago,” Damion answered sheepishly. “The spell is Wind Familiar; it should let you bond with a Ferocious Beast or a Demonic Beast like I have with Phil and Nyx.”

“Do you think I should use it through the grimoire? Or try and learn it myself.?”

“That is up to you, but I am not sure what the consequences of having the bond through a grimoire would be if the grimoire were destroyed.”

“I think, then, I will endeavor to memorize the magic seal myself. It is only tier 2, so I should be able to. What type of beast do you recommend?” Elicia asked.

“Something that compliments your fighting style. Phil aides me in the air and since I was able to fly even before bonding with him it has been a good match. Nyx, while the Shadow Cat can’t fly, can hide in my shadow and can ambush anything trying to attack me. You just have to figure out what type of beast will best suit you. Then we can go into the labyrinth and hopefully find one for you.”