Chapter 217: Phantom Image Technique: The Unique Aspects of Power Gem Enhancement

【Phantom Image Technique】 as a seven‑circle illusion‑type spell is a very rare and high‑end spell. In the spell notes that Saifal gave to Naimi Xisi, the specific meaning of this spell is emphasized.

Phantom Image Technique can create a replica illusion of any creature. The copy is partially real, composed of ice and snow. It looks exactly like the original creature.

That's all; Phantom Image Technique merely creates a tangible illusion, which is not surprising.

But the spell's power lies in the fact that the illusion produced by Phantom Image Technique possesses half of the Spellcaster's strength.

In other words, a Phantom Image Technique created by a 20th‑level Mage is equivalent to that of a 10th‑level Mage!

This is extremely powerful; for a Mage, Spell Slots are the most precious combat resource, but with Phantom Image Technique, a 20th‑level Mage effectively has double the spell resources of the 5‑circle tier and below.

Of course, as a seven‑circle spell, Phantom Image Technique's effect is indeed strong, yet it has several fatal drawbacks.

The foremost drawback is that the material cost is extremely expensive.

Each phantom requires the Spellcaster to spend ruby powder worth 15,000 gold coins as material, making it almost the most costly condition for a Legendary spell, aside from Wish Spell.

Moreover, because ruby powder is the foundation that guarantees the phantom's Spellcasting Ability, the material becomes an indispensable condition that cannot be replaced by any casting technique.

Furthermore, the casting time of Phantom Image Technique is absurdly long; it requires twelve uninterrupted hours to complete one phantom, which led Naimi Xisi, after creating two phantoms, to abandon the idea of mass production due to the mental drain.

If Naimi Xisi advances to a 15th‑level Spellguard, gaining the ability to cast 8‑circle spells, he might consider mass production, because then he could rely on the Instant Spell technique to bypass Phantom Image Technique's casting time.

However, this is extremely difficult for the vast majority of ordinary people.

Super‑magic instant‑cast spells require raising four Spell Slots as a casting cost; since Phantom Image Technique is a seven‑circle spell, an instant‑cast version would require at least an 11‑circle Spell Slot to be released.

Spell Slots beyond the ninth circle are a privilege of Legendary Mages; unlike Legendary Spell Slots, these are jokingly called "Improved Spell Slots" by Mages, because their sole purpose is to release high‑circle spells via overmagic.

For example, if a powerful Legendary Mage needs to release a nine‑circle spell enhanced with "Extreme + Strong" overmagic, a 14‑circle Spell Slot is required, and in such cases, Improved Spell Slots become useful.

Thus, for Mages below Legendary rank, instant‑casting spells above the fifth circle is very difficult.

Just as Juan Ce Long, who possesses Improvised Overmagic—a unique existence that can greatly reduce overmagic cost throughout the Multiverse—Juan Ce Long is revered by Mages as the Arcane Dragon.

The casting conditions of Phantom Image Technique are already harsh, yet it has other fatal drawbacks.

The phantom cannot rest and cannot replenish Magic Net energy. This means that a phantom, after exhausting its own Spell Slots, becomes a useless husk with no power. Moreover, granting the phantom sentience requires the nine‑circle Wish Spell; before possessing Wish Spell, the Spellcaster can only project a portion of their Spiritual Power into the phantom for remote control, making it impossible to command many phantoms to attack simultaneously.

This also leads to the fact that, although phantoms have great strategic value, most Archmages only make one or two, using them as a last‑resort trump card when Spell Slots are depleted.

However, these drawbacks are not fatal for Naimi Xisi.

After Naimi Xisi successfully released the first Phantom Image Technique, he was astonished to discover that the Phantom Image Technique amplified tenfold by the Power Gem underwent an earth‑shattering transformation.

Actually, since entering the seven‑circle tier, Naimi Xisi has increasingly realized that his class talent Spiritual Resonance, which provides double spell effects, is fundamentally different from the tenfold boost granted by the Power Gem.

Spiritual Resonance, for the vast majority of spells, merely doubles damage, summon count, or duration. For example, with Phantom Image Technique, each time Naimi Xisi casts it, he can create two phantoms.

But that's all; Spiritual Resonance can only amplify those base spell numbers, and true mechanistic changes are impossible—only a mysterious treasure like the Infinite Gem can produce such incredible alterations.

The Power Gem's alteration of Phantom Image Technique does not simply increase quantity tenfold; instead, the created phantoms undergo a massive enhancement.

The phantom's Combat Power equals half of the Spellcaster's; in a true equal‑level battle, a phantom cannot lead the charge.

Yet the phantoms Naimi Xisi creates surprised him by perfectly inheriting his humanoid combat power.

Not only are attributes, level, and spell resources identical, they even inherit his class and race talents!

!

This is not a simple boost; a normal phantom is a blank slate, even the exemplary power an 11th‑level can possess cannot be inherited!

Aside from lacking the Mind Gem's tenfold spell‑point boost and the Power Gem's enhancement when casting, the phantom can be said to be indistinguishable from Naimi Xisi.

One should note that although Naimi Xisi's current great power largely depends on the Infinite Gem, even without it his strength still crushes same‑tier Spellcasters.

The terrifying intellect attribute provides Naimi Xisi with ample spell resources, and talents such as Improvised Overmagic and Spiritual Resonance further greatly strengthen his spell potency.

More importantly, Naimi Xisi discovered that the created phantoms actually possess the ability to recover Spell Slots!

He found that these phantoms, when resting naturally, have an extremely slow ability to absorb Magic Net energy; by his estimate, a phantom that has exhausted its Spell Slots can fully recover them after an entire month.

Although a phantom's Spell Slot recovery time is thirty times slower than that of a regular Mage, it is still orders of magnitude better than the wasteful discard‑after‑use of standard phantoms, making phantoms reusable tools!

Naimi Xisi dispatched two phantoms, not only because he cannot free himself, but also because he has ample confidence in the phantoms he created!

Greyro was baffled by the advantages of the two phantoms, but he had no choice but to follow his master's orders, taking the phantoms out of Duzula City. Since Naimi Xisi did not project his Spiritual Power, the phantoms were in a motionless wooden‑man state; Greyro carried one on each shoulder in an absurd manner, galloping furiously toward Pankuru City.

The entire Pankuru City has been under siege by the Kurtaka Kingdom's army for a night; the sudden arrival left the city severely lacking in fire‑oil bows and arrows, putting immense pressure on the defenders, and he must rush back to Pankuru while there is still time!

(End of Chapter)