Matthew sighed softly, accepting the fact that these iron items were indeed just useless junk randomly scavenged by the kobolds.
He then prepared to begin tonight's meditation. However, he couldn't go to the cave. After all, Rivera had just died, and before his death, he had threatened that his father would track Matthew down.
Whether this threat was true or false, Matthew would not go back to the forest to meditate anytime soon.
He gathered the rusted scrap iron into the corner of the room, then carefully checked the doors and windows again to make sure they were all securely shut.
Then, he blew out the oil lamp, sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, and closed his eyes.
The room plunged into darkness, with only the faint starlight from outside filtering through the cracks, casting a few blurry lines of light onto the floor.
Matthew breathed in and out slowly, calming his mind, and began to guide his Spirit to draw in energy particles within the wooden cabin.
Time passed quietly in the silence.
Occasionally, the wailing of the night wind came from outside, or the brief howling of some unknown beast in the distant forest.
Matthew's breathing gradually became long and deep, his consciousness sinking into a clear, tranquil sea of inner vision.
...
A few days later, in the early morning.
The training ground on the east side of Stone Mill Village was shrouded in a thin mist, with dewdrops clinging to the blades of grass, while the distant Shadow Forest remained enveloped in a hazy fog.
A few crude wooden posts and archery targets stood on the training ground, and the ground was messy with trampled footprints.
A brown-haired youth stood in the center of the field, wearing a short robe, the scabbard at his waist swaying slightly with his movements.
Not far away, a crude wooden post stood quietly.
The youth stared intently at the wooden post, his lips moving slightly as he chanted a spell in a low voice.
“Flames consume, burn...”
Amidst the chanting, Matthew's Spirit quietly spread out, stirring the surrounding airflow.
He focused his mind on the gradually forming energy in his palm.
A cool breeze silently gathered and blew toward him—this was the result of him using his Spirit to draw in the surrounding energy particles.
The time had come.
Matthew suddenly raised his right palm.
A faint reddish light flickered in his palm, hazy at first, but it quickly condensed and heated up, turning into a stable and scorching ball of energy.
At the same time, fine beads of sweat broke out on his temples, but his breathing remained as steady as ever, his entire mind focused on the gradually shaping fire in his palm.
The next moment, he thrust his arm forward!
The scorching fireball shot out from his hand, slicing through the damp morning air and trailing a brief red glow before striking the exact center of the wooden post!
“Boom!”
With a muffled explosion, the surface of the wooden post instantly blackened and ruptured, sending wood chips and sparks flying in all directions.
A wave of heat rippled outward, dispersing some of the surrounding mist, while the dewdrops on the grass sizzled and turned into wisps of white steam.
The fire continued to burn on the post for a few seconds before slowly dying out, leaving behind a charred, coal-like mark as a faint burnt smell filled the air.
【Fireball spell proficiency +1】
【Fireball spell: Mastered (3/30)】
Matthew slowly withdrew his palm and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. A spell of this Mastered Rank was no longer a heavy burden for him.
His gaze fell upon the center of the wooden post—
The charred mark was clear and striking, the wood at the edges carbonized and cracked. The depth and scope of the destruction were almost identical to the damage caused by his Mastered Rank 【Energy Missile】.
Although the power was comparable, Matthew knew in his heart that the effort required behind them was completely different.
After practicing repeatedly over the past few days, he had clearly sensed his own deficiency in fire attribute affinity.
The most direct manifestation of this was that his efficiency in mobilizing fire-attribute energy particles from the environment was far less smooth than drawing in non-attributed white energy particles.
Consequently, the 【Fireball spell】 he released was only barely on par with his initial 【Energy Missile】 in terms of power.
And that was exactly where the problem lay.
After all, Matthew's current Spirit value was many times stronger than when he first started practicing 【Energy Missile】.
By all logic, the power of this Fireball spell should have been somewhat higher than the Energy Missile.
But magic did not always follow logic...
After several months of practice, Matthew's understanding of spells had deepened significantly.
According to his speculation, the effect of a spell's release primarily depended on three core elements:
First was the strength of one's own Spirit, which determined the caster's precision in controlling energy and the stability of the spell's formation.
Second was the range of the Spirit's coverage, which directly related to how many energy particles could be gathered from the external environment, thereby affecting the final power of the spell.
Lastly was the degree of affinity for elements, which affected the efficiency of drawing in energy particles of different attributes.
Environmental influence was crucial to the effectiveness of spellcasting.
For instance, casting a Fireball spell in the blessed land cave where energy particles were dense would significantly increase its power, as the abundance of fire elemental particles in the surroundings allowed the spell to draw in more energy.
Conversely, if one were in an environment where energy was sparse and difficult to mobilize, the power of the spell would naturally be compromised.
In short:
One's own Spirit was the baseline for power;
The external environment provided the extra amplification;
And elemental affinity determined the strength of that extra amplification.
“Still, this is normal. After all, my affinity talent for the fire element isn't particularly outstanding to begin with,” Matthew thought to himself. There was no reason to feel discouraged. Rather than complaining, it was better to accept the reality first.
The power and stability of the Fireball spell had already met the standard; he just needed more practice and adaptation regarding spellcasting efficiency.
If he were in a place rich in fire attributes, the power of this Fireball spell might even exceed that of the Energy Missile.
“After all, I have my panel to increase spell power. No one else can do that.”
Matthew knew that this kind of improvement could not be achieved solely by strengthening his Spirit.
According to his guess, while spell power was certainly closely related to Spirit strength, the surrounding environment, and elemental affinity, the boost the panel provided to his spells was much more unique—it was more like a comprehensive “optimization” of the spell's own structure, including its power and casting speed.
This was something ordinary people could never achieve.
Thinking of this, Matthew let out a soft sigh of relief.
The path of magic was long, and taking it one step at a time was the most solid way forward. With the panel's support, he just needed to focus on improving in peace.
Just as Matthew was lost in thought, a subtle yet clear fluctuation came from not far away—
This was a tripwire he had set up using the 【Detection Spell】, and its setup was extremely simple.
By using the spell structure of the 【Detection Spell】, he attached his own Spirit to specific objects in the environment, forming a hidden grid.
This grid would connect to his Spirit, and once there was an abnormal disturbance, it would transmit a warning fluctuation to him.
Its effect was highly efficient; once anything triggered the warning within his range of Perception, it would send him an alert.
Rate on N.U.
