Chương 90: Fourth-Tier Magic

But now... Mana flowed out from the Source Seed. Zeliel carefully guided the mana, allowing it to follow the predetermined pathways and construct the Spell Matrix. The mana was no longer as difficult to control as before. It flowed smoothly through the countless intertwined circuits, racing along the complex pathways with perfect precision. As more and more sections of the Spell Matrix were activated, the scenery around Zeliel began to undergo a visible transformation.

Strands of translucent mana, thin like drifting mist, slowly seeped out from his body. But instead of dispersing into the air, they gathered under Zeliel's will. Around his body, they began weaving together in an orderly, high-speed formation. Finally— When the mana completed one full cycle through the Spell Matrix inside his Sea of Consciousness...

"Hmm..." A faint resonance echoed. A hazy layer of mist-like light enveloped Zeliel's entire body. [Mist Veil] — Successfully Cast! Excellent! Zeliel clenched his fist in excitement. This protective field was not a tangible object. It appeared ethereal and almost unreal, yet it did not obstruct his vision in the slightest. Zeliel drew his rapier and slowly pressed the blade toward his forearm. Something miraculous happened.

The moment the blade touched the protective field, it felt as if it had plunged into thick mud. The force that should have pushed straight downward was scattered and redirected in countless different directions by the Mist Veil, causing the blade to continuously shift away. Furthermore, the harder Zeliel pushed, the stronger the force-dispersing effect became. The blade and the protective field entered a direct struggle.

"So this is the deflection and dissipation of physical kinetic energy..." Zeliel withdrew his rapier, filled with amazement. This layer of seemingly fragile mist-like fabric could truly render physical attacks ineffective. His confidence immediately increased. Back when he fought Drake's team... If he had possessed this protective field at that time, he wouldn't have needed to suffer even a single injury. He could have wiped them out even faster. However, maintaining this field also consumed mana.

It wasn't a one-time shield that could simply be created and left alone. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! He needed to continuously supply it with mana. During battle, he still had to be careful. Zeliel dismissed the spell. The mist-like glow surrounding his body faded away. Regardless... His ability to survive had improved tremendously. After testing Mist Veil, there was still one thing Zeliel was extremely curious about.

The Heal Spell he had learned from Instructor Manlin. Like Extraction Spell, Heal Spell was also an Empowering-type spell. Furthermore, Zeliel had personally tested it before. He truly could not learn Heal Spell through a spell scroll. But now... His Intelligence was already high enough to support Fourth-Tier Magic. So... Could he actually cast it? Zeliel closed his eyes. The Spell Matrix of Heal Spell appeared clearly within his mind. He began guiding mana through its pathways.

The result completely exceeded his expectations. The process was incredibly smooth. There was not even the slightest sense of rejection. As mana flowed through this brand-new circuit, it was even easier than casting Mist Veil. A gentle green sphere of light appeared in Zeliel's palm. His guess had been correct. Talent: Spell Genesis truly possessed a unique mechanism that allowed him to bypass spell scroll restrictions and become an all-element mage! Zeliel opened his eyes.

The surprise and excitement within them could no longer be hidden. He made up his mind. Once again, he drew his rapier. After preparing himself mentally, he placed the blade against his forearm and sliced downward.

"Hiss..." A sharp pain shot through him. A cut appeared on his arm, and fresh blood slowly trickled down. Zeliel immediately threw aside the rapier and endured the pain as he began charging Heal Spell. A gentle green glow illuminated his palm once again. It carried a pure aura of life energy. The sphere of light merged into his wound. Just like when Instructor Manlin healed him before, the pain immediately faded away, replaced by a comfortable warmth spreading throughout his body. The bleeding stopped instantly.

The damaged muscle tissue began regenerating. The split skin slowly closed from both sides. The entire process lasted less than ten seconds. A wound that would normally require several days to fully heal had completely disappeared. Zeliel rubbed his arm firmly. Everything was exactly as it had been before.

"Ha..." He could barely suppress the smile spreading across his face. This advancement into a Lower-Tier Mage... Calling it a doubling of his combat power would actually be an understatement. His casting speed had increased dramatically. His mana intensity had increased dramatically. His maximum mana pool and mana regeneration speed had both improved. Combined with the effects of Mana Bond, his physical abilities had also become far stronger than before. And with Mist Veil and Heal Spell...

His ability to stay alive had been raised to an entirely different level. This feels incredible. Furthermore, Zeliel remembered something else. If he could pass the Mage Guild's Lower-Tier Mage evaluation, his monthly stipend would increase from one gold coin to twenty gold coins! Today was the twenty-seventh day of the Month of Harvest. The month had not yet ended. If he passed the evaluation before the end of Harvest, he would immediately receive twenty gold coins.

Then, when the next month arrived a few days later, he would receive another twenty gold coins. That meant... Without doing anything. Just sitting around. He could earn forty gold coins. Adding his current savings... He was already very close to his goal of one hundred gold coins. Zeliel looked down at the whitewood wand in his hand. Finally... He could afford a proper finished magic wand.... Mage Guild.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches of the Silverleaf Trees, scattering fragmented patches of light across the stone pathway. Zeliel was in an exceptionally good mood today. Even his footsteps felt lighter. While passing the circular stone building that served as the library, he noticed a familiar figure. It was Bev. She was carrying several thick ancient books in her arms, apparently preparing to take them home for research.

"Hey, Zeliel!" Bev noticed him at the same time. Her hands were full, so she couldn't wave. Instead, she simply puffed out her cheeks and made a cute expression.

"Bev." Zeliel smiled and walked over naturally. He took half of the books from her arms, helping share the weight. The two walked side by side along the tree-lined path.

"Are you planning to move the entire library back home?"

"I don't have a choice." Bev sighed.

"My teacher assigned me a lot of homework about rune circuits. I need to look up more information..."

"You really are planning to become a research mage, huh?" Zeliel said.

"Of course." Bev smiled.

"I told you before. One day, I'm going to let you use the magic I create." She shook her sore hand slightly.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen you around the guild for quite a while. Did you go adventuring again?"

"Ahaha... I've just been busy completing requests." Zeliel replied.

"I already heard about it." Bev blinked her sapphire-blue eyes, her voice filled with admiration.

"When Instructor Marven conducted Riely's Lower-Tier Mage evaluation last time, he also gave you some guidance."

"And then you suddenly achieved enlightenment."