I stood facing the augita target, the room around silent and expectant. My back remained straight, and I closed my eyes for a mont, allowing the process of casting the Solar Light Arc spell to flow through my mind. I recalled every step of the ritual—the channeling of spiritual energy, the way gestures and voice intertwine to create the magical construct. The precision, the fluidity. The connection with the essence of the spell.
With a deep breath, I opened my eyes and said in a firm and solemn voice, with the determination of a master: "Virtual Lab. Pay close attention to the entire process. Correct imdiately if you think I made the slightest mistake!"
The response ca instantly, with the efficiency I had expected.
["Beep!"]
["New task established!"]
["Starting real-ti monitoring…"]
The blue light, in a quick blink, filled my vision. The world before seed to change. The practice room was now digitized, and before my eyes, a precise three-dinsional projection appeared. Countless blue node points were scattered throughout the room, as if dividing the space into ticulously detailed regions. Every movent I needed to make was broken down into a series of virtual images, each in a precise order. It was like a perfect dance, a set of algorithmic instructions projected directly onto my retina.
"I don’t need this." I said quietly, impatiently waving my hand upward, making the tutorial hologram disappear before . I trusted that the artificial experience I had absorbed was more than enough for what I needed to do.
I closed my eyes for a brief mont, and the decision was made. "Before casting spells, let’s try a physical attack first!" I exclaid ntally.
With a fluid and natural movent, I stepped forward. The muscles in my right arm flexed, the strength of the tension building, and then, in a single motion, I advanced toward the augita target.
"Pow!"
The percussion of my punch echoed through the room as my fist t the hard surface of the humanoid target. A slight indentation, almost imperceptible, remained on the sturdy material—but still, it was sothing. I could feel the resistance of the stone, which had partially repelled the force of my strike.
Instantly, the virtual lab screen flickered, and words began to form in the digitized view.
["Classification: Physical Attack."]
["Power Level: 2."]
["Damage to target: Minimal."]
"Power level." I repeated in thought. This is the official standard used by Mages to asure the extent of their power. One unit is equivalent to the amount of energy that can be released by 1 gram of magical crystal. In other words, it’s an efficient way to quantify strength…but, as always, not the most accurate.
"This thod of asurent isn’t bad, but…" A spark of self-sufficiency ignited within . "My Virtual Lab is much more accurate!"
With a quick movent, I took the hamr I had projected and attached to my waist. The weight of the heavy tal in my hand was comfortable, almost like an extension of my own arm. The hamr, a substitute for the large axe I used to carry, was perfect for the tests I planned to conduct. I ran my fingers along the handle, firm and cold, then bent my knees, preparing for the strike.
"Jump~~"
With a controlled leap, I stepped forward and, with all the strength concentrated in my muscles, struck the augita target with an impetuous movent. The energy in my body transford into a wave of pure force as the hamr descended. The impact was resounding, reverberating through the floor of the room.
"Bang!"
A small crack appeared on the stone surface, so insignificant it almost went unnoticed. Frustration began to grow inside , but I still knew I needed more data to understand how to increase the power.
The screen of my virtual lab flickered, bringing up the results:
["Classification: Physical Attack."]
["Power Level: 3."]
["Damage to target: Light."]
I looked at the screen and then nodded thoughtfully.
"I used all my power to strike with the hamr, but the damage was like this…" I murmured to myself. "How pathetic. Without a doubt, the magic I will cast on this target will have much more effect. In other words, in the magical world, physical strength will only be useful if it’s sothing completely inhuman."
With that, I turned my back to the target and stepped away, my focus now shifting to what really mattered: testing the spells.
"Ti to see what magic can do."
With my thoughts focused and spiritual energy pulsing through my body, I took a deep breath and began reciting the magical words firmly, letting them intertwine with the quick movents of my hands. Each gesture was a precise dance, a fluid sequence of symbols that only I could understand.
"Solar Light Arc! Obey my command. Co and burn the darkness!" My voice was low and controlled, but filled with authority.
As the words were spoken, my body began to shine in shades of yellow, a sign that the energy of the light elent was being summoned. The amount of power concentrating within was absurd, but controlled.
My fingers moved with impressive speed, tracing symbols in the air, compressing the light and directing it to form. The light arc appeared before . Along with it, a vibrant, almost ethereal light arrow began to form in my hands, ready to be shot.
When the magical construct was complete, and the light arrow was firmly in my hands, I pushed both palms forward, urging the spell to follow the command given.
The arrow shot forward at an absurd speed, buzzing through the air like a lightning bolt, and then struck the augita target with a deafening impact.
"Buzz~~"
The light arrow exploded as it hit the target’s chest.
"BOOM~~"
A lon-sized ball of light ford at the impact, releasing a violent shockwave. The temperature in the surroundings rose rapidly, heating everything to an almost unbearable level within a 5-ter radius. The augita target was imdiately carbonized, and in the center of the explosion, a small hole the size of a fingernail was left in the stone.
The smoke and debris began to dissipate, and I could see the damage caused. The target was destroyed in a way no physical force could ever achieve.
The screen of my virtual lab flickered and displayed the spell evaluation:
["Spell Evaluation"]
["Damage Caused"]
["Physical Damage: 5 points"]
["Light Damage: 16 points"]
["Characteristic"]
["Attack Range: 120 ters"]
["Area of Effect: 5 ters"]
["Solar Light Arc: Rank 0 magic."]
["Casting Ti: 3 seconds."]
["Consumption: 1 spiritual force."]
Smiling, I read the report. As I had predicted, the spell was imnsely more powerful than any physical attack.
"I knew it..." I murmured, satisfied. "A spell is undoubtedly much more powerful."
But, as always, my interest wasn’t just in destruction. I was learning, adjusting each piece of my understanding.
"Lab, what is the average ti for an Acolyte to cast a spell? Take out of the equation."
["Beep!"]
["Without artificial experience, an Acolyte, after months of practice, will need to chant for at least 10 seconds before casting the spell. Otherwise, it’s highly likely that the spell will destabilize and end up exploding in the Acolyte’s hands."]
I nodded, reflecting on the information. This was the difference between and an average Acolyte. They were much slower, lacking the mastery I already possessed.
"I suppose this also applies to the spiritual energy expended, right?" I asked, with a satisfied smile.
["Yes! Without experience, an average Acolyte expends about 2 points of energy per spell."]
I clenched my fists with a satisfied smile, my ego fed by the information. "I’m amazing! I think, at level 2, in a duel, maybe I’m one of the strongest. Well... at least in theory."
But, even with this confidence, I knew theory and practice were different. "In a real fight, there are always unforeseen factors, like an Acolyte using a magical item. Destruction potions, traps… and so on."
The reality of duels was full of nuances, but at least I had the advantage of being in full control of my energy.
My destiny is surely one of infinite greatness. If I’m so superior to an average Acolyte, that will surely apply when I beco a mage, right? After all, it makes sense. Also, I will only use my magical energy as a last resort, when all my options as an engineer have been exhausted.
I’m certain that, before I cast my lethal Solar Light Arc, my enemies will already be exhausted from fighting all of my devices.
I shake my head and push these arrogant thoughts to the back of my mind. Ti to test my other spell.
...
1492 Words
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