Mage? Magic Engineer!

Three days after Rorschach’s visit to the Tower of Secret Techniques, Feuerbach had a very important meeting on his schedule.

He had canceled his discussions with the Tower’s teachers and declined meeting requests from apprentices to focus on preparing for the meeting. His work wrapped up faster than he’d anticipated, however, granting him a brief moment of leisure.

During this rare free time, Feuerbach picked up the Developer’s Manual he was halfway through reading. He was also learning the Spell Cloud, but unlike the apprentices and regular mages, he was trying to deduce the underlying principles behind the tutorial’s surface-level instructions.

Even so, he was well aware that only Rorschach understood the fundamental basis of the Spell Cloud.

As Feuerbach read, he began to tap on his desk. With each touch of his fingertip, the magic power in the environment would tremble in response. He would always pause just before the final step—if he were to complete it, the Spell Cloud would respond and help the Great Mage complete the casting.

Indeed, he was completing the tutorial’s examples as he read. What other apprentices had to rack their brains to understand, the Master could grasp with a casual browse, as if reading a newspaper. A simple tap of his fingers could replace all the assistance from rituals, spells, and magic arrays.

There was a prerequisite for this, of course: the Spell Cloud greatly simplified Low Tier and Middle Tier magic.

Even so, Feuerbach’s actions would have been considered incredible by most casters. The Master finished another Chapter just as it was about time for his meeting. He set the book down and commented, "Compiled to be simple and easy to understand. Not bad."

If the contestants from the design competition heard that, they would have coughed up blood in frustration, mourning all the hair they lost while teaching themselves during the event.

By the time he was most of the way through, Feuerbach had already mastered the use of all the Descriptors. After mentally matching the principles of the spells he knew with the Feature Symbol system, he suddenly realized he could now construct a Ninth Ring Spell from the existing Spell Cloud framework.

’The only question is whether the Spell Cloud can even support it.’

He considered the Rainbow Light Magical Wall—a "perfectly ordinary" Ninth Ring protective magic. To breach the barrier, one had to pass through seven different colored wards. Each colored wall would inflict a corresponding effect: red for burning, orange for corrosion, yellow for lightning, green for poison... as well as freezing, binding, and blindness.

All of the above effects had corresponding Descriptors. Feuerbach just had to arrange them, and soon, a version compatible with the Spell Cloud was complete. This was merely a pastime for the Great Mage, a temporary mental exercise.

He didn’t expect it to succeed. After all, Rorschach had just come to see him yesterday. The young man was still a Middle Level Mage, lost and unable to cross the threshold for promotion. He figured that, by extension, the level of magic the Tree of Law could support probably wasn’t very high either.

’But I’ve already completed all the steps. I might as well give it a try.’

Without much hope, Feuerbach continued to tap on the desk. But casting a Ninth Ring Spell was far more difficult. By the end, he had unconsciously stood up, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

’Is it because the casting is difficult?’ Not exactly. On the contrary, it was going too smoothly. To his utter astonishment, the magic power in the environment was changing correctly, its influence no less than Rorschach’s had been the day before. The magic power began to boil and leap with excitement as a rainbow-colored light descended from the sky. It pierced the dome of the Tower of Secret Techniques and solidified before the Great Mage, unfurling into a barrier made of seven curtains of light.

Although he ultimately dispelled the magic, the afterimage of the rainbow light had yet to dissipate, and the energies of the seven wards were still faintly discernible.

There was no doubt about it: the Spell Cloud could now support Ninth Ring Spells!

’And Rorschach... whether he’s personally been promoted to Great Mage or not, as the master of the Spell Cloud, he has to be considered a caster capable of using Ninth Ring Spells...’

At this thought, Feuerbach lost all interest in the meeting. He directly opened a Teleportation Gate to the Lansite Guild’s office...

"Rorschach, Master Feuerbach is looking for you." Caroline was very happy. ’I didn’t want to disturb Rorschach while he was holed up doing research, but this time he hasn’t come out for over a day, not even to eat. It’s worrying. The Great Mage’s visit is the perfect excuse to get him to open the door.’

Feuerbach stood before the workshop door. He recognized the permanent Teleportation Technique enchanted upon it and glanced at Caroline. "You are Kano’s student?"

"Yes..."

Before Caroline could say more, the door opened. Rorschach didn’t look tired and disheveled as she had expected. On the contrary, the young man was full of spirit, and his entire body seemed to be emitting a faint, fluorescent glow.

"Teacher Caroline... Huh? And Master Feuerbach..."

"I came to deliver something." Feuerbach’s opening words were baffling, but he immediately handed a new badge to Rorschach.

Rorschach took it unsuspectingly. An immediate urge to ascend washed over him, a feeling of his spirit body about to detach from his physical one, exactly like when he had registered as a Middle Level Mage at the Guild. This time, however, he focused his mind slightly and actually managed to resist the pull of the ascension, avoiding being summoned by the Secret Seal to the foot of the Supreme Heaven.

When he came to his senses, the badge in Rorschach’s hand was already emitting a crimson glow.

Was this a result of his power overflowing? The fluorescent glow around Rorschach was not Caroline’s imagination or some flattering illusion; it was real. Because his absorption of Red Robed Rorschach and subsequent promotion had occurred entirely within the Boundary Land, he had accepted all that power in his spirit body. When he returned to his physical body, an incomplete match occurred.

At this moment, Rorschach didn’t need to exert any conscious control to naturally inhale magic power from the environment. During this process, he used the power of a Great Mage to wash over and stimulate his body’s magic circuits, promoting their growth and evolution. The excess power then overflowed as he exhaled, which was why the badge had activated the moment he touched it.

"Just as I thought..." Feuerbach gave the young man a deep look. He showed no emotion, merely saying flatly, "This new badge is a gift for you. Within the next few days, an Elder from the Aurora Elder Council will contact you. Before then, please remain calm and don’t... Actually, never mind. I have a very important meeting to attend. Allow me to take my leave."

Before turning to leave, the head of the Tower of Secret Techniques added, "Congratulations on your promotion, Master Rorschach."

"Thank you..." Rorschach toyed with the red badge. ’Feuerbach is a bit neurotic,’ he thought. It took Caroline a good while to process Rorschach’s new title. "Huh?"

After confirming what he needed to, Feuerbach returned to the Lansite Magic Guild office and teleported again. This time, he arrived at the edge of the Black Forest. After exiting the building, his form flickered, and he transformed into an owl, flying deep into the Black Forest.

Ever since the Elder Council’s leadership lost their Meeting Room, the Great Mages had been struggling to find a place for their assemblies. The Tower of Forest was hosting this meeting, and they had chosen to gather in the depths of the Black Forest.

Feuerbach flapped his wings, mentally drafting a new speech. ’My entire agenda for this meeting will have to be scrapped and redone,’ he thought, ’both my report on the "Spell Cloud" and my report on Rorschach himself.’

The owl’s face twisted into a human-like expression as it ground its beak, as though clenching teeth it didn’t have. ’Kano,’ it thought, ’you really raised one hell of a student.’