Chương 32: Perhaps female students simply possessed a higher tolerance for initiating conversations

[Tutorial Quest Received: Common Spell Acquisition] Objective: Learn or upgrade a Common spell using available Mastery Points Reward: +150 EXP Hold on. Any Common spell? He pulled up the acquisition interface, hoping for a sprawling catalogue. The list showed up. It was not sprawling. Skill Name Tier Sub-Affinity Description Cost Loamwake (Rank I) Common Earth Reinvigorates depleted soil by redistributing nutrients and latent aether to promote natural recovery.

5 Mastery Points (Earth) Rootsense (Rank I) Common Earth Grants low-level perception of root networks, burrowing life, and soil displacement within a short radius. 5 Mastery Points (Earth) Verdant Hold (Rank I) Common Earth Temporarily stabilizes living ground, preventing erosion, collapse, or nutrient loss in cultivated terrain. 5 Mastery Points (Earth) The spells were all Earth, and not only that, they were only ones he had seen.

Informally seen, to be exact, over Cakil's shoulder in the geological fields, absent-mindedly watched during maintenance rotations, absorbed in fragments while pretending not to stare. He knew the rough hand positions and the cadence style, but never enough to cast himself. Well, that sucked. Or it can upgrade existing spells... He switched tabs. Stonebound Synapse — Rank I Passive — Stone Current Effect: Increases the efficiency of all Stone spells by 5%.

Rank II Effect: Increases the efficiency of all Stone spells by 7%. Upgrade Cost: 10 Mastery Points (Stone) He had exactly ten, which was the reward from Stupenstone Fling. Right now, he was only gaining 7% progress a day towards his next level. There wasn' t even a decision to make. Upgrade Stonebound Synapse? [YES] He confirmed. [Stonebound Synapse — Rank II Acquired] Passive Effect Updated: Stone spell efficiency +5% → +7% At that moment, every single congratulatory message in existence flooded him at once.

[Stupenstone Fling – Progress to Rank II: 100%] This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. [Skill Rank Increased] Stupenstone Fling (Rank II) Expected Result: At maximum efficiency, manifested force slightly exceeds that of a healthy adult male throwing an equivalent stone manually.

New Effect: Trajectory Stabilization Minor corrections are automatically applied during flight QUEST COMPLETED: "Further Studies in Applied Lithics" Reward: 100 EXP [Tutorial Quest Completed: Basic Spell Acquisition] Reward: +150 EXP EXP: 2138/2100 [Congratulations! You have reached Level 6.] [You have gained 3 Attribute Points] [SYSTEM NOTICE: Tutorial privileges revoked. Good luck.] Yes! Fabrisse very nearly celebrated out loud. The universe had instead rewarded him for throwing rocks at a scarecrow.

In the past three days, he'd progressed more than he had done over the past seven years. It was an incredible feeling. He immediately spent one point on DEX to meet the requirement for Stupenstone Fling, and another 2 points on RES. DEX: 11 → 12 RES: 4 → 6 He didn't need more magic now, but surely there'd come a time where he must cast a spell he hadn't been able to before. Maybe he could even cast that Fire spell he'd been struggling immensely with— Something cold pressed against his cheek. Fabrisse jerked.

When he finally came to his sense, he saw Liene holding out a bottle of water.

"Easy." She laughed.

"You looked way too deep in your own head." He accepted the bottle.

"Just thought you should know," she said, nodding toward the academy buildings around them.

"We're back on campus." Fabrisse stared ahead. They were. He had apparently spent the entire walk home staring at floating windows only he could see. Liene smiled.

"So... you want a Logan Prime?" Fabrisse stared at the bottle Liene had produced like it was a cursed relic from a con artist's vault. The label pulsed with aether-laced ink. Beneath the logo, the slogan proudly declared: REJUVENATE YOUR CORE. REALIGN YOUR VIBE. How had she managed to keep it cold? She didn't have frost magic.

"I don't drink that."

"Why not?" Liene asked.

"It's good. This one's Prismberry."

"You know it's made by Logan Thaumwright, right?"

"The alchemy influencer?"

"The scammy one who got kicked from the Synod's apprentice track for selling fake runestones. Now he sponsors Tier-I duelists and says things like 'Drink Prime, get sublime.' There's no real berries in it." Liene looked down at the bottle.

"Huh." She considered this information for approximately two seconds, then unscrewed the cap and took a long drink anyway.

"... That explains the aggressive branding."

"You just learned it was a scam."

"It still tastes like berries, Fabri." She rummaged through the satchel slung over her shoulder and handed him a plain bottle of water. As she pulled it free, Fabrisse caught sight of several cloth-wrapped ice packs nestled inside. Ah. So not frost magic. Just preparedness.

"I got you the normal one," Liene said. Fabrisse accepted it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She looked him up and down.

"You also look like you've been hit by a cart. Let's find somewhere to sit." He nodded. They wandered toward the low stone wall overlooking one of the practice courtyards. Fabrisse followed without objection. Walking beside Liene required remarkably little attention. She had long since accepted that he occasionally disappeared into his own thoughts for entire conversations, and unlike Severa, rarely demanded an explanation for whatever occupied his mind. It made thinking... easier.

They finally found a courtyard wall to perch on. For a while, neither spoke. Then Liene tilted her head and peered at his face.

"So what's with the sudden interest in Thaumaturgy lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've voluntarily spent the last ten minutes throwing rocks at a dummy." She gestured toward the battered target.

"Is Montreal on your back again?"

"No." He frowned.

"Who told you that?"

"You two had a lover's quarrel in the Fire Wing corridor the other day. The whole wing's talking about it." He nearly choked on his drink.

"That is not what happened."

"I wonder what really happened. You two hardly even talk anymore." Fabrisse looked down at his water bottle. That part, at least, was true. Liene continued, slower, "Maybe you've made up? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! I was just curious."

"I don't think so."

"No?"

"I think she's still mad at me from before. She's just gotten madder at me now."

"Fabri, from where the rest of us were standing, Montreal practically pinned you to a wall and then cast a Fire spell before storming off. You understand how that sounds, right?"

"Academically productive?" Liene opened her mouth. Then stopped. Fabrisse was staring into his water bottle again.

"Okay, if you say so," she said. Fabrisse took another sip of water. He supposed he understood why people kept assuming things. There had been a time when he and Severa tended to appear together more often than not. He'd never quite understood how it happened. One day a fourteen-year-old Severa Montreal had simply decided to start talking to him and, despite every indication that she should have found better things to do with her time, continued doing so. Liene hadn't been much different.

One day she'd walked up to him. Then she'd kept doing that too. In hindsight, that was how he'd made most of his friends at the Synod. For some reason, they were almost always girls. The statistical imbalance was becoming difficult to ignore. The only male friend he'd acquired in the Synod was through Liene (Greg didn't count). Perhaps female students simply possessed a higher tolerance for initiating conversations with strangers.

"Do you still want cake?" Liene asked, breaking his train of thought.

"I don't think there are any mingleberry ones left anymore, but if we're lucky, the bakery near the Northern Gate should still have merryberry." He hesitated.

"With cream?" Liene's grin widened.

"With cream." He slowly nodded. Finally, something he didn't have to think too hard about. Tonight would be simple. Just him and sugar— Liene squawked. Wait. What? He turned around. It wasn't Liene squawking.