Chapter 189 - 188: You Just Had to Go for the Face?
This required an extremely high level of Magic Manipulation.
Finally, both circuit planes were completely drawn.
They lit up simultaneously within Zelir’s sea of consciousness. The complex patterns intertwined along their predetermined paths, creating a marvelous resonance.
Simultaneously, a change occurred around Zelir.
A circular Domain expanded outward from him.
The Domain was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but the flow of Magic within it could be felt.
Whispering Barrier!
A Domain-type alert Magic.
Its effect was that any life form not previously marked by the caster would immediately trigger the caster’s Perception upon entering the Whispering Barrier’s range.
The duration depended on the amount of Magic Power the caster infused into it, with a maximum of one day.
"Not bad..."
Zelir nodded in satisfaction.
A very practical spell.
’At least now when I’m camping in the wild, I won’t have to worry about being ambushed in my sleep. Otherwise, having to constantly arrange for someone to keep watch at night is a hassle, and it affects everyone’s alertness the next day.’
Zelir then began to try another spell he had finished analyzing: Purification Aura.
Once the drawing was complete, he gave a light tap of his Night Peace Magic Wand.
An emerald-green ring of pure Life Energy spread out rapidly from the Night Peace Magic Wand like a ripple!
Wherever the aura passed, the air filled with a refreshing, invigorating scent.
Within the area covered by the Purification Aura, it could effectively dispel miasmas, neutralize most toxins, and even soothe negative spiritual interference.
This spell would be miraculously effective against special Demons that excelled at using poison fog or other underhanded tricks.
But... it was incredibly draining!
After activating the Purification Aura, Zelir could practically feel his Magic Power reserves plummeting.
He hastily canceled the Purification Aura, and the emerald light vanished.
’Who could possibly sustain this...? No wonder Instructor Manlin had to hold a Source Energy Crystal Stone to maintain the spell. Empowerment Magic really is a huge drain on one’s reserves.’
Having experimented with the new spells, Zelir turned his attention to another goal.
With his increased Intelligence, the problem that had been troubling him might finally be solvable.
Namely, the Domain construction required for casting a Trigger Skill.
His previous failures at constructing the Domain were due to an insufficient Intelligence Attribute. Now that it had increased by eight points, Zelir decided to try again.
After a session of Shallow Meditation to recover his energy, Zelir began the construction.
He summoned a stream of Magic Power, carefully guiding it until it seeped out of his body.
Next, Zelir tried to weave this ambient Magic Power together, enveloping his entire body.
The sight was marvelous. Within Zelir’s Perception, countless invisible threads crisscrossed around him, weaving themselves together.
It was like a silkworm weaving a transparent cocoon for itself.
The entire process went much more smoothly than before.
However, just as the cocoon was about to form, an infinitesimal fluctuation in his Spiritual Power caused the entire structure to instantly lose its balance.
"VMMMM..."
The entire Magic Power Domain collapsed instantly, like a popped soap bubble.
The first attempt was a failure.
Zelir, unwilling to give up, tried twice more, but still failed.
He frowned, lost in thought.
’What exactly is going wrong? I understand the theory, and my Intelligence Attribute should be high enough. So why can’t I stabilize this Domain?’
Suddenly, Zelir recalled casting the Whispering Barrier.
That marvelous sensation of constructing a multi-layered Technique!
The principles behind the Domain and the Whispering Barrier were remarkably similar.
’In fact, the Domain could be seen as a kind of miniature Whispering Barrier. As soon as a threatening attack entered its range, it would instantly trigger the preset Magic.’
Zelir recalled the process of drawing the Whispering Barrier.
’When casting the Whispering Barrier, it wasn’t formed all at once. After I finished drawing the first circuit layer, I had to continuously and stably channel a portion of Magic Power to maintain its form before inscribing the second layer. So, constructing the Domain... should follow the same steps, right?’
Zelir tried again.
This time, he focused solely on constructing the Domain’s outer shell.
Once the Domain was formed around him, Zelir expended more Magic Power to stabilize it before slowly proceeding to the next step: instilling it with the magical Perception needed to detect external threats.
Little by little, Zelir slowly filled the Domain’s interior with Magic Power.
Finally, the two elements achieved equilibrium. The Domain was complete!
Zelir looked around excitedly.
Although he couldn’t perceive any difference with the naked eye, he could definitely feel an invisible Force Field protecting him.
Even if an attack came from a blind spot he couldn’t see, it would instantly trigger the Domain and activate his Fog Flowing Gauze!
However, his understanding of the Trigger Skill was still too shallow. The Domain could only be maintained for a short time; he couldn’t keep it up twenty-four hours a day.
He would need continuous practice and further increases to his Intelligence to achieve a state of round-the-clock readiness.
Furthermore, as Zelir grew stronger, he could link even more powerful Defensive Magic to the trigger.
For example, the Blazing Flame Shield and the Ring of Resistance.
Only then would his safety be truly guaranteed.
"Whew..."
Zelir clenched his fists.
’Now that I’ve learned the Trigger Skill, I should find someone to practice on and see how it performs in actual combat.’
Zelir left the riverbank and headed to the inn where Gray was staying.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK..."
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK..."
Zelir stood before the door, knocking for quite a while, but there was still no response.
He knocked harder.
"BANG BANG BANG...!"
Still no answer.
’Strange...’
Zelir frowned slightly.
’He’s not at the inn? Usually at this hour, Gray should be fast asleep. He couldn’t have gone out drinking this early, could he?’
Zelir checked a few taverns that were open during the day. As expected, the owners all knew Gray, but none of them had seen him.
...
「Swordsmanship Training Ground.」
"CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK."
The crisp sound of Wooden Sabers clashing.
Gray parried high and low, struggling to fend off Maki’s assault.
The effortless ease he’d shown against Zelir was completely gone. The pressure from Maki was immense.
Gray was using all his strength just to barely hold his ground.
Maki, on the other hand, looked far more relaxed.
With a heavy horizontal slash, he broke through Gray’s defensive stance, then pressed forward with his Wooden Saber and struck again!
"CLATTER!"
Gray’s Wooden Saber fell to the ground.
"Did you have to aim for my face?" Gray protested, clutching his reddened cheek.
"Well now..." Maki smirked. "In a real fight, your enemy isn’t going to promise not to attack certain spots."
"Even if you’re going for a kill shot, you’d aim for the neck! Who goes for the face!" Gray protested angrily.