Book 3: Chapter 74: Analysis and Reforging |
The Pander family, one of the prestigious houses within the Mage Alliance, had once been a ducal family in a kingdom that was later annexed by the Mage Alliance. The family aligned itself with the mage system and, over time, produced many high-ranking mages. As the Mage Alliance expanded, the Pander family’s influence and strength grew alongside it.
By noble convention, only families above the rank of kingdom rulers could use flowers as a family crest. Although the Pander family started as dukes, their power has long since eclipsed ordinary royal houses. They later adopted the dragon-lily as their crest, and it was accepted without ridicule or dispute.
Even as a child, Spencer showed signs of intelligence. He had an excellent memory and picked up various secret-history knowledge very quickly. Because of this, the family favored him and invested abundant resources in his training. At nine years old, elders of the family even presented him with the Harp Flower Union’s precious relic, the Windweeper’s Tear, to purify his inner Aspect and make it more suitable for cultivation.
Because the family’s inherited esoteric arts and knowledge were largely tied to the Castle Aspect, even though Spencer had chosen the Secret Word Aspect as his core, he still mastered many spells related to Castle Aspect. The Gate of Rodri he used now was one such spell.
Compared to other Aspects, Secret Word is weak in direct offense and defense. Its advantage lies in its aptitude for rituals and runes, allowing the reproduction of various effects and abilities, albeit at significantly reduced power.
This characteristic meshes very well with the Mage Alliance’s spellcraft system, so most mages choose Secret Word or Gold Steam as their early core. To bring out the best of Secret Word’s nature requires deep study of written symbols.
In other words, the smarter and more erudite someone is, the stronger they can be with this Aspect. If a fool tried to cultivate it, the results would be awful—sometimes worse than relying purely on physical strength and armor.
Within such an environment, the Mage Alliance revered “knowledge,” “wisdom,” and “erudition.” Those who relied on brute-force Aspect power to drive spells were looked down upon as rash and short-sighted, destined to suffer later.
Unluckily for Hedra, Sylutia’s defeat of Moria using the Phantom Flying Sword was seen as sheer numerical brute force. Rumors and images about this girl in the Asra District had reached their ears, and the consensus was simple:
“Isn’t Spencer’s Gate of Rodri also a Third Tier spell?” someone in the audience asked curiously during the idle chatter.
“Spencer’s Gate of Rodri is indeed a Third Tier spell, but it’s from his family’s tradition. He grew up familiar with it, traced the ancient gate’s intricate sacred structure, redrew the diagrams himself, and gradually reproduced it. He finally mastered the spell. It’s a genuine crystallization of wisdom,” said a student from Ximilye District, offering his opinion.
“I remember most students admitted into Tetis College already have at least some ability comparable to Third Tier opponents. If what you say is true—that Spencer spent many years learning the spell—that seems a bit much,” replied a student from Gemor District, unimpressed.
“Heh. There are distinctions even among Third Tier spells. Could you penetrate his defenses if you took the stage?” the Ximilye student asked with a hint of mockery.
“Well… probably not?” The Gemor student scratched his head, estimating his own capabilities.
“Exactly. That’s why I say it’s the product of wisdom and erudition. You Gemor folks only know how to swing hammers and play with gunpowder.” The other student shook his head, clearly finding the Gemor student hard to relate to.
“You’re wrong. We also learn to understand complex mechanical structures. I don’t think you can compare to me in that area.”
The other student made no reply, and their conversation ended there.
One match followed another in the arena, and soon it was time for the second round. Spencer’s opponent this time was another student from Ximilye District.
“Number 3 Spencer Pander, versus number 20 Uriel.”
A thin, undersupplied-looking student with dull gray-blue eyes stood behind Liao Jianjia. Hedra barely registered him as familiar and nodded slightly before indicating the bout should begin.
Spencer said nothing flowery. He slipped on a thick pair of glasses, pressed his hands together, and a faint violet phantom blade appeared in his hand.
[Spell · Marked Blade]
“One of the Mithril Clock school’s foundational spells. It etches traces into real and illusory matter, serving as a precursor for various secret arts and rituals.”
Hedra waved her hand again, and a giant projection of a castle gate rose between them, blocking the space like a miniature wall.
This kind of magic was not new to Liao Jianjia. Using the analytical structure afforded by his glasses, he inspected the projection’s inner construction and detected its fine-threaded patterns. Then he ceased his action.
The faint violet phantom blade in Spencer’s hand served like a drafting tool, sketching lines under that gate projection. Hedra did not interrupt; she merely watched without attacking as he worked.
About eight minutes later, Spencer retracted and dispersed the violet blade. He raised his hand toward the gate covered in traced lines and called out.
“Your true name has been written for me. Open, Gate of Kings!”
The lines flared a bright purple. Complex, beautiful patterns flashed across the door, and the tall gate slowly opened. The surrounding projected walls fractured and dissipated.
[Art of Analysis]
“By analyzing an opponent’s spell, one can reverse-engineer and trace its internal runic network, causing the original spell to dissipate.”
With the projection gone, Spencer smiled and applauded. “Improved, Uriel. Remember last time you took nearly six minutes to unravel one?”
After saying that, Spencer lifted his left hand. The dragon-lily on his sleeve rippled with layered afterimages before he brought his hand down.
[Spell · Bitter Words of the Dragon-lily]
Those layered phantom images surged at Uriel, etching the dragon-lily pattern onto his body. Pain followed instantly, forcing Uriel to yield and concede defeat.
Watching the duel, Sylutia tilted her head slightly and recalled the spell Scholar Seraph once taught her, False Bouquet. This seemed to operate on a similar principle: using the dragon-lily to inflict a painful curse. That thought then made her recall an even more terrible curse—the Black Quis curse.
Curse spells are powerful because they are hard to defend against and usually require the victim to brute-force through them. They often come with particular prerequisites and are not as potent as same-tier offensive spells, so relatively few truly study them.
From the looks of it, the Pander family must have deeply researched the dragon-lily, squeezing the flower’s curse potency to the maximum.
After several more matches, it was Hedra’s turn.
“Number 12 Hedra versus number 71 Imei.”
On the opposite side of the arena, a short, delicately featured girl took the stage. Her deep chestnut hair was neatly tied at the back, a few locks left to frame her face. She cradled a copper-bound book, her eyes like yellow topaz, and the hem of her school robe revealed a portion of her calves, lending her a fresh, charming look.
“Greetings, Chief.” She stepped up and bowed slightly to the girl, then gave a brief self-introduction.
“My name is Imei, and I specialize in rune spells.” At Tetis College, the title of ‘chief’ seemed important. This was the second time the girl had been greeted so politely by a fellow student.
“Understood. Begin.” Sylutia nodded.
The poised girl on the opposite side opened her book. Her fingers flipped through the pages rapidly and stopped on a page. Brilliant light burst from the leafing pages, and a bright star leaped out and ascended into the air—its dazzling radiance made many in the audience squint.
[Spell · Shining Star]
The star rose, its light piercing the night.
Such intense light disrupted students’ vision and disabled many analytical spells, especially ocular techniques from the Hundred-Eyes style.
Seeing this, Sylutia closed her eyes slightly and thought.
She really was observant. Imei’s strength lies not in general spells but in the penetrating power granted by her ocular gifts.
She felt a slight shift in the airflow on her right as a brilliant beam flashed by and grazed Sylutia’s shoulder.
Of course, the girl hadn’t been merciful; Sylutia had simply adjusted her stance in time to dodge.
Even with her eyes closed, the flow of the Alien Star Aspect was so distinct Sylutia could sense it clearly without sight. If the opponent were a Mist Shadow Transcendent, a sneak attack might have worked better.
In the next ten seconds, several more brilliant beams streaked across the arena, but Sylutia easily avoided each one, her footwork so light it seemed like she was strolling in place.
When the beams subsided, Sylutia decided it was time to counterattack. She splayed and flicked her fingers; the girl attempting to reposition had her limbs ensnared by dozens of silken threads, controlled like a marionette.
No fancy techniques—pure string hard-control. The girl could not move and was forced to surrender.
After the match, more students realized this girl was not as feeble as she appeared.
“Of course she’s the chief. She’d have some strength.”
“Her spells seem simple except for that Thread Bird thing. The rest are basic, right?”
“Maybe she’s a specialized talent—she should join the Puppetry School. She handles threads very well.” Some students were still unwilling to accept it.
The subsequent rounds proceeded without interruption. Hedra remained undefeated, winning every match until the first phase of competition ended.
“Congratulations to the following five students who won five matches. The college will award each of you three bottles of Memory Water. This is a Third Tier specialty potion that aids the practice of intermediate Meditation Method and can be used to quickly memorize important experiences and information.”
Students with four wins received one bottle of Memory Water. Three-win students got a piece of Second Tier Mithril, usable for crafting artifacts and tools. Two-win students received a Second Tier Contemplation Incense, which boosts Mental Power during meditation. One-win students were awarded a small vial of Clearmind Drops containing five doses, used to invigorate the mind and enhance resistance to sleep and illusion.
Students with zero wins received a bottle of Healing Blood Wine to recuperate their bodies, restore quickly, and slightly boost physical strength.
Sylutia couldn’t help snorting at that last reward. It felt like a faint insult—after all, mages live off their brains, and the zero-win reward fortifies the body. It was almost like saying, “You’re not cut out for this field; change tracks early.”
Fortunately, most students won one or two matches. Only two were completely defeated. They were still elites compared to many Sylutia knew from the Asra District, but among the prodigies at Tetis College, they looked lacking.
After the first phase, the students with four and five wins moved to the second phase. There were seventeen of them, which meant one student would sit out each round.
“In that case, Hedra will sit out the first round and participate directly in the next round,” the professor announced.
Sylutia returned to the stands to watch the other bouts.
In the following matches, a few standout talents emerged. Besides Spencer, Imei—whom Hedra had earlier defeated—advanced to the second phase and easily won her match.
Her command of rune spells was excellent. The book she used served as a lower-tier substitute for the core ability Spell Frontispiece; she could quickly flip to runes she had inscribed, and the spellbook would activate them. This saved positioning time and reduced Mental Power expenditure.
With such a rich spell toolkit, she easily found opponents’ weaknesses and exploited them decisively.
Another student from Gemor District also drew much attention.
[Construct Spell · Crossbow]
Construct spells project corresponding modules that, once assembled and stabilized, form the intended creation.
Two faint blue crossbow projections materialized by his side. He raised a shield to block incoming attacks and continued to reposition to evade.
After ten seconds, the two crossbow projections completed. He drew the string, and lethal bolts sliced through the air toward the opponent.
With those two crossbows, his situation improved considerably. He then spent more energy to conjure new projected constructs. Soon a cannon, an arm-thick barrel, took shape and condensed into a more solid form.
[Construct Spell · Cannon]
With a muffled boom, a stone shell launched and shattered the opponent’s defense, sending them coughing blood and collapsing off the stage.
“Congratulations to student number 44, Stuka, on your victory!”
This was a new discovery for Sylutia: construct spells. Their principle is to use Gold Steam’s recasting property to temporarily convert intangible Aspect force into a tangible entity, creating various weapons or tools.