Chapter 213 - 212: Flame Thunder Spear
’Besides... this month is almost over.’
’Once it is, I’ll just need to complete one mandatory commission to receive another subsidy of twenty Gold Coins.’
’I don’t have to worry about money for the time being...’
After considering his finances, Zelir’s thoughts turned to another equally important matter.
’And there’s still the Heart Sleep technique Mage Haddley is supposed to teach me...’
’I’m still young, only sixteen.’
’Even if the Heart Sleep technique’s effect is minuscule, increasing my attribute value by only one point per month, that’s still twelve points over the course of a year.’
’Even if I did nothing but eat, drink, and fool around for ten years, I’d still bank a hundred and twenty attribute points. I could probably slack my way into becoming a Middle Level Mage.’
’A Middle Level Mage at twenty-six would still be considered a young prodigy.’
Of course, Zelir definitely wouldn’t do that.
In his view, Heart Sleep was, at best, just a supplementary method for increasing his power.
True power, in the end, had to be earned through combat and experience.
’Ah... with a schedule like this, I’m going to be really busy.’
Zelir let out a long breath and stopped thinking about other things.
He let the warmth seep into his bones, washing away his fatigue.
...
Night Flower Inn.
The main hall was brightly lit, filled with the aroma of food. The fire in the hearth blazed merrily.
"Good evening, Zelir."
Aurora greeted Zelir with a cheerful voice the moment he pushed the door open.
Then, her eyes lit up. "Oh! You’re wearing new clothes."
"Ah... yeah, I bought a few new sets."
Zelir walked to the counter.
Then, as if he’d remembered something important, he leaned forward, getting a little closer. "Aurora, smell this."
"Huh?"
Hearing this so suddenly, Aurora froze for a moment, her heart inexplicably starting to beat a little faster.
"Why would you say that all of a sudden... What am I supposed to be smelling?"
"See if you can smell anything strange on me."
"Oh... okay..."
Aurora placed her hands on the counter, rising onto her tiptoes to lean forward. Her nostrils twitched as she took a sniff.
"I don’t smell anything strange... In fact, you smell very nice."
"That’s good." Zelir was relieved.
’Finally, the stench of the Life-Devouring Blood Boil is gone.’
After ordering his favorite Minotaur leg meat with red wine sauce, Zelir sat down at his usual spot by the window.
Before long, Aurora came over with the dish.
"Zelir, I have some bad news for you... the Minotaur Leg Meat you’ve been storing here is all gone."
"This is the last of it," Aurora reminded him.
"Huh...? Already?" Zelir paused, his knife hovering over the meat, and frowned slightly.
"Of course, you’ve ordered it for every meal these past few days."
Aurora counted on her fingers.
"Besides the Minotaur leg meat with red wine sauce, there was the beef soup, the beef stew, the smoked beef jerky... In short, you’ve eaten it all."
"Alright..."
Zelir regretfully sliced off a piece of the Minotaur Leg Meat and popped it into his mouth.
’Looks like I’ll have to find an opportunity to kill a few more Minotaurs.’
...
「Early the next morning.」
Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting a patch of light on the floor.
Zelir’s eyelids twitched, and then he slowly opened his eyes.
’Autumn mornings are a bit chilly...’
After huddling under the covers for a while longer, he finally sat up with a lazy yawn.
Suddenly, Zelir’s eyes widened, and most of his sleepiness instantly dissipated.
A notification had appeared on the data panel that materialized before him.
[Flame Thunder Spear, Analysis Complete]
Zelir rubbed his eyes hard. After confirming he wasn’t mistaken, he felt a surge of excitement.
’Finally! I can try casting a Level Four Multi-layered Spell Structure Magic!’
’I’m about to find out just how high the barrier to becoming a Middle Level Mage really is!’
After quickly washing up, Zelir grabbed a piece of bread and headed straight for the riverside where he usually practiced magic.
The outskirts of town were tranquil in the morning, and a fine mist still clung to the air, not yet burned off by the sun.
After a session of focused Shallow Meditation, Zelir began to examine the Spell Structure for the Flame Thunder Spear within his sea of consciousness.
He immersed his consciousness.
In the next moment, the grand runic framework of the Flame Thunder Spear slowly unfolded, its complexity as vast and intricate as a field of stars.
’It’s truly... a work of art!’
Zelir couldn’t help but marvel.
The Whispering Barrier also used a Multi-layered Spell Structure, but it was formed by the interweaving of two planes.
The Flame Thunder Spear, however, involved three interwoven planes!
Furthermore, the Spell Structure on each plane was incredibly complex. It was easy to imagine how demanding the required Magic Manipulation Level must be.
First, right from the start of the Technique, the Magic Power had to be split into two separate streams.
One stream of Magic Power would travel along the main channel to the first core region—a cluster of runic structures that required a massive convergence of Magic Power.
Zelir could sense it was filled with pure commands for channeling the Flame Element—fierce and violent.
Then, from this Flame rune structure, an exquisite arrangement of nodes extended out to form the first interwoven plane of the Technique.
On this new plane was another runic structure, also requiring a massive convergence of Magic Power.
However, this one was filled not with Flame, but with runes that channeled lightning.
The two planes were interwoven perpendicularly. Just simulating it in his sea of consciousness was enough to make his heart pound with apprehension.
’To mix such immense quantities of flame and lightning... The required Magic Manipulation Level for the caster must be astonishingly high...’
Just from a rough overview of the Flame Thunder Spear’s Spell Structure, Zelir already felt mentally drained.
"Hooo..."
Zelir calmed his mind.
He channeled his Magic Power and attempted to cast the Flame Thunder Spear.
His Magic Power circulated, beginning to trace the patterns of the Spell Structure.
The process was far more difficult than he’d imagined. The initial casting alone felt more complex to Zelir than a Level Five Magic.
He had to control multiple streams of Magic Power simultaneously, guiding them all forward at once.
Even with an Intelligence Attribute of 134, he felt stretched to his limit.
With great difficulty, Zelir finally reached the stage of channeling the lightning and flame.
At the tip of the Night Peace Staff, a deep red ball of light symbolizing flame appeared.
In the palm of his left hand, a blue ball of light symbolizing lightning appeared.
The most critical step of the Flame Thunder Spear was to merge these two incredibly destructive forces into a stable balance.
Zelir took a deep breath, trying his best to keep his mind steady.
He slowly brought the two forces closer.
An intense repulsive force erupted instantly!
The instant the flame and lightning touched, they instinctively began to clash.
The surfaces of the two orbs of light roiled like boiling water, continuously erupting with blinding flashes and electric arcs, looking as if they could explode at any second!
’Steady!’
Zelir immediately mobilized his Magic Power, forcing it to intervene. He attempted to quell their mutual repulsion and build a framework for them to coexist.
Through his efforts, the violent clash of energies was finally suppressed slightly.
The two orbs of light trembled violently and struggled, but they began to slowly merge nonetheless.
Their colors also began to shift from pure red and blue into a magnificent, blended hue.