Chapter 8: Holiness and Stench

Luge felt his Spiritual Power rapidly depleting; in his Spiritual Space, it was as if an invisible brush was sketching a wondrous Spell Model high above, his Spiritual Power serving as the driving force of the brush, while also being the equally invisible ink forcibly dipped into it. Now he only needed to ensure the ink flowed without ceasing, flowing slowly so his Spiritual Power would not fluctuate too greatly.

Zero-Ring Spell Models generally had only twenty Nodes.

Foul Skin had nineteen; when he began to feel a hint of fatigue, the Spell Model was finally constructed, like a strange kite constantly flipping and drifting in his Spiritual Power Space.

Observing closely, the Spell Model also changed constantly within a certain range like those Runes; or rather, the Spell Model was a kind of alternative Rune, more complex, but not a strange artifact created by human intervention in a complex direction.

Luge stared at it for a long time before breaking out of his Meditation state.

Rapidly constructed Spell Models would quickly consume Spiritual Power; the Scroll had warned early on that before unfolding a Scroll, one must ensure oneself was in the best condition.

After resting sufficiently, he impatiently began Meditating on the Runes.

Six Runes were sketched in sequence, with extreme familiarity, his Spiritual Power steady as a gentle stream.

His sketching speed grew faster and faster, entering a state of self-forgetfulness; before the first Rune showed signs of dissipating, the sixth Rune was perfectly sketched.

His Spiritual Power Space seemed to freeze for an instant, then began to expand outward; an invisible repulsion existed between the six Runes, their power expanding the Spiritual Power Space, while the resistance and constraints of the Spiritual Power Space squeezed them toward the center. The six little cuties drew ever closer, beautiful Light Silk began to radiate between the Runes, and when the Light Silk touched, they intertwined with each other.

The entire Spiritual Power Space trembled with it.

Invisible ripples spread outward with the formation of the Magic Mark, all the way until the expansion and trembling of the Spiritual Power Space stopped.

A dark red Magic Mark rested peacefully at the exact center of his Spiritual Power Space, like a wound left by a claw tearing through flesh and blood; upon close inspection, it was composed of countless small Runes, constantly changing yet maintaining its overall form unchanged, as if those six Runes had been disassembled into countless small things in that instant.

He opened his eyes, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and a smile uncontrollably crept onto his face.

The Spiritual Power Space that had just stabilized was now surging with an indescribable sense of emptiness, a strange feeling of loss, as if a person's Soul was no longer whole.

Like hunger coming from the Soul.

Once this feeling surged forth, he knew the anticipated event had come to pass.

It was the Zero-Ring Spell Slot shaped by the Meditation Method as the Spiritual Power Space expanded, located at the very Peak of the Spiritual Power Space; once the selected Spell Model was embedded, the whole person would become whole, shedding that sense of loss.

It was precisely for this reason that Fixed Spells were so special, even reaching an instinctive level.

He Calmed himself and entered the Meditation state once more.

The Spell Model of Foul Skin had already been drawn to float upward.

The process went surprisingly smoothly, indicating the Spell was extremely Suitable for him.

At the moment the Spell completed its Solidification, he fell into a momentary daze.

In that instant, his vision crossed an unimaginable Distance and saw an extremely distant place where a pure white giant tree stood alone, with five thick branches on the tree and not a single leaf; the white great tree gave a feeling of supreme holiness at a single glance, and he inexplicably felt it was the purest and most sacred thing in the world.

He returned to his senses in an Instant.

The completed Spell Model was embedded into the invisible place of loss; a sense of completeness from the Soul surged through his body and mind in an instant with an indescribable comfort.

On the Dome of the Spiritual Power Space, it was as if a star had been added.

He Raised His Head and gazed, feeling as if he were creating an illusory world, with that Magic Mark being a canyon under the starry sky.

He broke out of the Meditation state.

He Rose and moved his Wrists while impatiently beginning to attempt his first Casting in life.

Only a thought stirred in his heart.

The Zero-Circle Spell Foul Skin immediately acted like an instinct, Casting successfully and smoothly; everything was natural, as if breathing, and High Compatibility combined with the Solidified Spell Slot made him feel not a bit of awkwardness or Casting consumption.

After the Foul Skin Spell Casting succeeded, it entered the stage of being maintained by consuming Spiritual Power; he closed his eyes to feel for a moment, feeling as if he could keep the Spell Operating forever.

He grinned, twitching his Nose twice.

He gradually furrowed his brow, his movements growing larger, and the fine hair on his face was shaken off in succession.

In this strange place, even if the Dog-headed Race's sense of smell was not the strongest, it was definitely among the foremost outstanding races.

"Is it because of Spell Compatibility?" He could only guess so.

He felt none of the torment described in the Foul Skin Spell, the side the Caster needed to endure.

There was only a faint, indescribable smell.

Not stinky and not fragrant, not pungent yet able to make people notice it at all times; its special quality, wanting to describe it accurately, wasted many of his brain cells without success; it seemed that feeling was not limited to the olfactory level.

Perhaps very few people would Solidify this Spell, he thought.

Few people meant few records; the Inheritance Scroll did not mention special changes after Solidification like Spiritual Boiling did, and his special situation—Spell Slot Solidification was one aspect, High Compatibility might also play a role; these two points overlapping gave him a deeper mastery of this Spell.

He thought again of the tree he saw when Solidifying the Spell.

A so-called evil and stinking Spell, why did he see a holy strange tree from who knows where?

He gritted his teeth, paced in place, and kicked away two eyesore small Stones.

After much thought, he was still somewhat uneasy about the Spell's effect.

He wanted to go out and try it, finding a strong enough Kobold as a comparison, such as Dasha who had already become a Shouwei Shou Shou Shou.

Before that, he decided to resolve the Storage Bag first.

He rested for a moment, and after judging his condition, he picked up the Inheritance Scroll of the Secret Technique Mark and slowly unfolded it.

With an invisible fluctuation perceptible only by Spiritual Power, another Inheritance Scroll turned into Gray Dust and fell down rustling.

He, who had officially become a first-rank Wizard Apprentice, had a more stable Spiritual Space and more solid Spiritual Power; the Spell Model of the Secret Technique Mark had only fifteen Nodes, so the process naturally went without a hitch.

The successfully constructed Spell Model floated and drifted in the air above the Spiritual Power Sea, circling around that Magic Mark in the Void.

For normal non-Fixed Spell Models, each Casting required Spiritual Power Empowerment; gestures and Incantations could help adjust the Spiritual Power, making its fluctuations closer to those of the Spell Model, and speeding up the efficiency of Spiritual Power filling.

He felt the consumption of Spiritual Power and chose to generate his Secret Technique Mark on the back of his hand.

Zero-Circle Spell, Secret Technique Mark.

The Secret Technique Mark generated by each Caster was unique, accompanying them for life like their own name.

This Spell could, by the Caster's will, engrave a personal mark visible or invisible to others on the target's surface; it could be used to crack small conspiracies of deception and substitution, and could also be used to track the target, with the Mark allowing the Caster to sense the general direction within a certain range.

The more common use of the Secret Technique Mark was in facing various Contracts.

Contracts between Wizards, or Contracts when making Familiars, all required the Secret Technique Mark; a Wizard would not casually leave his name, basically using the Secret Technique Mark to sign Contracts, and this would also be recognized by the laws.

Therefore, this Spell was also included as one of the three Spells to be mastered first.

During the formation of the Mark/Imprint, the specific pattern cannot be interfered with by the Caster, nor can it be actively changed afterward; that thing is like an abstract portrait of the Caster in this world.

"You absolutely must not Dig up a Bone, and don't you Dig up a mark that looks like a dog's face for me……"

He stared eagerly at the Mark/Imprint forming, only letting out a slight sigh of relief when it was more than halfway done; he pushed aside the sparse hair on the back of his hand, revealing two interlocking circular Marks/Imprints, with crisscrossing lines in the middle, using the blank spaces between the intersecting lines to sketch a flower not yet fully bloomed.

Chapter End