Chapter 39: Chapter 039 The Magic System
Editor: Atlas Studios
The current world was a truly existing world, and the wizard magic system was also an actual existing system, having undergone a series of processes: birth, development, maturity, and change.
According to the Monroe Chapter, the magic system originated from the ancient wizard civilization.
Long ago, the earliest group of wizards, through their wisdom and abilities, created the initial spells, forming the rudimentary outline of a system.
Later on, over long epochs, the rudimentary system gradually evolved into a mature and vast system, complex and intricate, through the improvement and development by numerous outstanding wizards.
Meanwhile, the entire ancient wizard civilization had reached its peak, establishing inexhaustible energy sources, the sky-piercing Babel Wizard Tower, and a floating city accommodating hundreds of thousands, even venturing beyond their origin to explore a greater world and universe.
However, one day, a catastrophe suddenly struck. There were no records indicating what the catastrophe was or how it occurred. It was only known that it had destroyed the entire ancient wizard civilization at an unimaginable speed.
After that came an extended dark age, an era without any historical record.
Perhaps hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years passed before the remnants of the ancient civilization gradually developed into a new civilization. The new generation of wizards, relying on fragments of transmitted knowledge, began the arduous task of reviving the former magic system.
During this process, inevitably, many spells were lost. Perhaps, with prolonged development, they could all be recovered, or maybe not. But, regardless, the eventual restoration resulted in a fragmented magic system, the present-day system.
According to the Monroe Chapter, this system has five levels: the overall magic system, primary magic categories, magic series, magic branches, and magic schools.
Primary magic categories are the starting point for classifying the magic system, with nine currently restored categories: Shape-shifting Magic, Spiritual Magic, Transformation Magic, Prophecy Magic, Summoning Magic, Space Magic, Time Magic, Magic Rune Magic, and Other Magic.
Shape-shifting Magic, as implied, involves shaping, controlling, and utilizing energy. Fireballs, ice cones, wind blades, and lightning can all be included in this category, which is the most common, practical, and currently the largest magic category.
This category is further subdivided into nine series: Water Element, Wind Element, Fire Element, Earth Element, Wood Element, Thunder Element, Dark Energy, Light Energy, and Pure Energy.
Some series have only one branch, while others have multiple. For example, the Water Element series includes the water, ice, and acid branches.
If a wizard makes significant contributions to a branch, creating a series of related spells, it can develop into a school.
For instance, in the ice branch, there is the “Nockno School,” created by a wizard named Skeeno, containing a series of spells: Skeeno’s Snowball (Zero-Circle), Skeeno’s Ice Cone (Zero-Circle), Skeeno’s Ice Rain (Zero-Circle), Skeeno’s Ice Storm (First Circle), Skeeno’s Extreme Cold (Second Circle).
Following Shape-shifting Magic, we have Spiritual Magic.
Spiritual Magic, as the name suggests, affects a person’s brain, spirit, or consciousness. It comprises five series: attack, defense, illusion technique, control, and soul, with one to three branches each, making it the second-largest magic category.
Attack, defense, and illusion technique series are relatively normal, but control series spells can directly alter a person’s mind, transforming someone into a completely obedient slave. Some lascivious wizards even use spells of this series to control groups of young, beautiful women as their private possession for personal enjoyment, night and day. These might include pairs of twin sisters and mother-daughter combinations, leading to condemnation from many righteous wizards.
Next is Transformation Magic.
Transformation Magic allows for temporary or permanent changes to the whole or parts of a life form, currently the third-largest magic category.
Many spells in this category are bizarre and evil, possessing immense power while challenging morality and even humanity itself. For example, the spell “Corpse Attachment” requires a wizard to couple with a corpse to absorb terrifying attack, defensive, and recovery powers, transforming into a humanoid battle machine, capable of fighting for three days and nights without rest.
Another spell, the “Black Death Wave,” can spread a plague across an entire kingdom in just a few days and extend to neighboring territories, directly obliterating an entire region. Its effects are impressive, yet if it spirals out of control, it could potentially destroy the entire world. Consequently, even the most reckless wizards dare not delve deeply into this category of spells.
Next are Prophecy Magic spells.
Prophecy Magic employs mysterious mechanisms to insight, alter, and utilize certain information to achieve the spellcaster’s objectives. Because much of this series is lost, only a few series like Detect, Mislead, and Judgement have been restored, along with several branches.
Then there are the Summoning, Space, and Time magic categories.
Summoning involves calling life forms from unknown realms for the spellcaster’s use. Space magic alters spatial dimensions to create certain effects. Time magic modifies the flow of time to produce specific outcomes.
Similar to Prophecy Magic, these three magic categories have lost much of their content, resulting in only a few series and branches remaining. Moreover, a knowledge gap exists within them, making it challenging for the new generation of wizards to comprehend the inherited elements, leading to their inevitable decline.
Aside from these, we have Magic Rune Magic.
Magic Rune Magic employs special runes to produce specific spell effects. This type of magic, when applied to some swords, can enhance their durability and sharpness, thus called enchantment. When used within a building, it can endow the entire structure with formidable attack or defense capabilities, therefore known as an array.
In simple terms, Magic Rune Magic has numerous applications and extensive functionality; it is theoretically a standalone magic category but can replace all other magic categories because it can use runes to perfectly reproduce the effects of other spells. Of course, this requires the rune carvings to be absolutely meticulous and precise; a slightest error results in failure.
For this reason, Magic Rune Magic is no less difficult than Summoning, Space, and Time magic categories. Hence, when Richard announced he could comprehend Magic Rune Magic, the Giant Dragon Gregory was suddenly silent, followed by a series of unusual expressions.
However, in Richard’s view, Magic Rune Magic was not very difficult. In a sense, it was somewhat akin to modern Earth circuits, with the only difference being the incorporation of the current world’s wizard traits.
A circuit is simultaneously simple and complex, simple to the extent that a conducting wire and an energy source form a circuit, yet so complex that Earth’s most advanced technology—computers, rockets, satellites—are just manifestations of abundant circuits.
Evidently, magic runes are both simple and complex. Simple enough to follow a prescribed carving routine, yet constructing each mark into a whole to achieve spell effects requires extraordinary wisdom. It’s akin to modern Earth’s computer languages that, using just “0” and “1,” can create an entire virtual world.
The night was deep, the forest was tranquil like a sea. Large tracts of branches swayed under the moonlight, creating sounds akin to waves as they rose and fell.
In the middle of the forest, the terrain was slightly undulating, with several peaks standing still, like several adjacent islands in the ocean.
On the smallest “island” stood a black castle. A faint light emanated from a room within the castle, resembling a lighthouse guiding maritime ships.
In a castle room, Richard held a piece of white jade that broke in half, igniting a phantom blue flame that burned quietly. Richard knew his attempt at “Magic Rune Spell” had succeeded.
This was the simplest spell—”Phosphorus Candle”—but being able to cast this spell meant being able to cast others as well.
With the aid of magic runes, the time to cast spells could be significantly reduced. In this way, ensuring within one spell’s casting time, multiple even dozens of spells could be cast simultaneously, unleashing power that breaks the limits of magic circles.
In doing so, even a First-level Apprentice could, in a short time, contend with Second-level Apprentices, Third-level Apprentices, and even First-level Wizards.
This was Richard’s objective, the first small goal he set in researching the entire Wizard Magic System.
For now, achieving this objective still posed certain difficulties, yet…it could still be accomplished.
He waved to extinguish the flame and put away the broken white jade plate. Richard stretched his slightly stiff body and began crafting the second Magic Rune White Jade, engaging in more experiments.
Then came the third, fourth…
The night grew deeper, yet the light in the castle room remained bright, much like a lighthouse intending to persist all night…