Chapter 76: First Spellcasting

Night had deepened, the body was weary, yet Li En's spirit was strangely exhilarated.

"This potion, is there something wrong with it? Can you tell me exactly what the ingredients are?" The potion, carrying a fishy scent and the taste of grass roots, nearly made Li En vomit outright.

"If you knew the ingredients, ga, that would be the real problem!"

Very well, Li En dared not ask further.

He could not understand why Lord Lord Kuku kept seizing every moment to make him start learning magic now (Lord Lord Kuku: Take advantage of the "Snake" buff before it fades; hurry to get him through the door).

Clearly, one more day or one less day made no difference; wouldn't starting studies when the state was a bit better be more efficient?

"Eh, did it succeed?"

Li En had tried "Spell Focus" several times before, and basically all had failed.

This time he tried and succeeded; when he easily entered the spellcasting state, he was somewhat stunned.

Is the potion Lord Lord Kuku brewed, so unpleasant to drink, really that powerful?

But the abnormally fluctuating spirit truly made him begin his first spellcasting.

【Temporary Class Level: First-Rank Alchemist, First-Rank Sage, First-Rank Draconic Sorcerer (these temporary classes will vanish in 11 days and 20 hours)】

Logically, Li En, who possessed a Spellcaster Level, should have been able to cast spells long ago.

But reality was as Lord Lord Kuku said: spellcasting by a mage is a technical skill; even with the Heroine's assistance, Li En could not perform precise spellcasting.

"First, construct a spell model... Firebolt, it shall be you."

Li En's target for this spellcasting was the cantrip Firebolt of the zero ring; its standard killing power was probably inferior to Li En's single sword strike, and it was the simplest fire spell.

For an ordinary mage to cast it was a matter of pointing a finger casually, but at this moment Li En was drenched in sweat, his hands moving ceaselessly, daring not to stop even for an instant.

"... It collapsed again, so hard to control."

Not even a flame was produced; the spell model collapsed directly.

Li En checked his status panel.

【Creature Level: Raw Stone, Status: Strength 8, Constitution 9, Agility 6, Spirit 8 (22)】

As the primary attribute for a spellcaster, the Spirit used to transform and produce mana, due to the Heroine Lord Lord Kuku's possession, was four points higher than Sul's peak period; considering the diminishing returns of attribute points, the actual gap in Spirit might be several times greater.

With such strong Spirit, could he not even use a single cantrip properly?

But this was already far better than before; previously Li En could not even enter the spellcasting state.

"Is it a problem with Mana Projection (Non-Elemental)?"

Mana Projection is the basic ability of a spellcaster; literally, it is transforming Spirit into Mana and then placing it outside the body.

This is the foundation for many supernatural abilities; Li En, as a Paladin, possessed Mana Projection (Positive Energy) and Mana Projection (Radiance), while as a Red Dragonborn he also had Mana Projection (Fire).

The former allowed Li En to use healing spells (although he did not know them) and Evil-Cleaving Slash, while the latter was various enchanted flames and fire-breathing.

The Holy Fire Halo, for which he had previously earned great merit, also relied on Mana Projection (Flame) to attach the Dragon Fire.

And mages require pure mana to craft spells bit by bit; what they naturally need is Mana Projection (Non-Elemental).

Li En himself did not possess it, but the three spellcasting classes he obtained from Lord Lord Kuku all had this most basic ability.

He was now trying to mobilize his Spirit, transform it into pure Mana, and use it to construct a "spell model."

This feeling was completely different from that of a Paladin or a Sorcerer; for those two classes, spellcasting was foolproof and automatic, similar to shouting once and the Mana moving on its own.

But a mage must meticulously control every drop of Mana, crafting their own spells from scratch.

"It looks very simple, just an 'arrowhead' plus a 'Fire Elemental Plane Mana Mark'... why does it always explode in my hand?"

This was like a "bullet" about to be fired; Li En was shaping it, but each time it collapsed on its own.

"Is the force too great, or is the control insufficient?" Li En compared the models and diagrams in the book, then input Mana to shape it; copying the drawing still resulted in constant failure.

He felt a bit anxious and his gaze unconsciously turned toward Lord Lord Kuku.

Lord Lord Kuku clearly sensed it, yet continued to read silently, showing no intention of offering guidance.

Li En took a deep breath and abandoned the idea of seeking help.

He understood the logic; some skills could only be figured out through one's own exploration, just like riding a bicycle or swimming; once you know it, you know it.

For now, he could only explore slowly... the invisible tendrils of Spirit coiled between his hands, attempting to pinch out a complete spell model.

Li En could feel progress being made every moment; today his state was indeed good.

It was just that he did not know how many times he would have to fail before advancing further; this uncertainty was the ultimate test of will...

"Done!" After failing at least a hundred times, Li En finally crossed the first step.

Finally, after Lord Lord Kuku on the side changed to another book, the colorless and transparent "arrowhead model" stabilized in Li En's hand.

Soaked in sweat from head to toe, he did not stop there; he began the next step of spellcasting.

"Infuse Mana to mature the spell model..."

"Boom!" This time, it exploded in his hand again.

Li En took a deep breath, did not look at anyone else, and simply strove to calm his mind.

Once, again, although still failing, the progress was indeed moving forward... after succeeding once, shaping the Firebolt spell model seemed to become much simpler.

Basically, he could succeed once every two or three tries, then explode during the stage of inputting Mana.

Li En was beginning to understand; the key was not the strength of the Spirit at all, but stability and precision.

A precise and stable Mana model; even a tiny flaw would cause it to explode right in front of your eyes once Mana was infused.

"Tsk, feels like it also requires examining spatial imagination and spatial geometry."

The model became more and more complete and refined; finally, this time, after infusing Mana, it remained stable.

Li En smiled; perhaps it was still not perfect, but it could be called complete and qualified.

"... Next, is to introduce the Fire Element."

Li En could ignite it with a mere thought; the Dragon Fire from Mana Projection could guarantee the power, but ordinary mage apprentices did not have this ability; they could not "spit fire" on their own.

Most basic spell flames are actually the product of "Mana Exchange," summoned from the Elemental Plane via the "Fire Elemental Plane Mana Mark."

At this moment, that magic arrowhead began to "dye," gradually ignited by fire elements drawn in by the magic marking.

"Boom!"

This time, Li En was blown flying directly!

"Cough, cough." Li En lay on the ground coughing for a long time before slowly sitting up.

It wasn't that he was injured; as a red dragon descendant, his fire resistance was not low. This level of magic flame explosion couldn't hurt him, but rather

"Is this power a bit off?" He found it somewhat incomprehensible.

Considering he was a red dragon descendant, Li En had chosen Fire Bolt as his first cantrip.

And as far as he knew, the power of this cantrip was very subtle, very subtle.

"Idiot! You have red dragon bloodlines! Innate elemental affinity! They (fire elements) like you! You need to reduce the magic power fed to them! The fire elements obtained from a dragon's standard amount of magic power will surely burst the spell model!"

Finally, Kukku spoke up.

"Uh, how much should I reduce it?"

This time, there was no answer, but Li En understood; he would have to try it himself.

Seventy percent, sixty, fifty... Somewhere between forty and fifty, it finally stabilized!

During this process, Li En's magic shaping technique also became stable and proficient.

This time, between Li En's hands, a small flame arrowhead was vaguely visible.

Next, it was just guiding it with hand gestures (the incantation was already used during the shaping phase; cantrip incantations are extremely brief) to let it shoot toward the target; this shouldn't be too difficult.

"Bang!"

Li En directly shattered the teacup on the table, while over there, Kukku also closed his book.

"Not bad! Faster than expected! At least a dozen times! I thought you would..."

Li En smiled. He had actually aimed at that cheap pencil drawing on the wall.

He made a silent resolve to secretly practice his accuracy whenever he had free time; reality didn't have teammates who took no damage.

At this moment, it was probably three or four in the morning, yet Li En, having successfully cast a spell for the first time, was very excited.

He mastered a zero-ring spell so easily; did that mean his talent was quite good? He had heard that mage teachers would judge an apprentice's potential based on the speed at which they mastered low-level spells.

"Below average. At this level, under normal circumstances, you'll never become a Grand Mage in your lifetime." Kukku, in teaching mode, was exceptionally cold and realistic.

"Cantrips aren't difficult; a normal apprentice takes about the same time as you, but you actually have my profession assisting you; other apprentices still have to practice the most difficult part: magic release..." Li En's dream of being a genius mage shattered!

Actually, Kukku had been lenient with his words; currently, Li En still had Grand Mage-level spiritual power support, plus the "Snake" buff.

Cantrips aren't even considered formal spells; even street bards and thieves can master some.

Li En's casting talent as a mage should be considered low.

"Snap." Kukku, closing his book, looked perfectly calm; he actually already knew this would be the result.

Li Ensu Dar was never a casting genius; his adaptability to most professions was even below average. But what ultimately determines how far a person can go isn't just talent.

However bad it is, is it worse than Kobold Kukku, whose intelligence is lower than an ordinary person's?

"With talent like yours, if you went to the Mage Tower, they would make you an apprentice for half a year and then dismiss you. I can give you the progress of a 'mage genius'; it just depends on whether you are willing to pay the price." Perhaps this was the real reason Kukku was summoned.

(End of this chapter)