Varocia : From Gamer to Mentor

Waking up in the morning, they prepared simple sandwiches for breakfast before readying up for another long walk back to the Magect Dukedom.

Olgan had anticipated monster attacks during their journey, but surprisingly, the trip had been quite peaceful so far.

With his recent mastery of four Basic Elements Control, all achieved at Level 5, his own level had increased to 14. He allocated the four Attribute Points he gained entirely to INT.

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INT: [14] x [5.23] x [105%] = 76

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Thanks to the efficiency of learning these Basic Element Controls, Olgan's potential INT had significantly increased.

He had decided to invest his Attribute Points into INT because he had already discussed with Edith the importance of high INT for offensive magic skills. Since most of these skills relied heavily on having high INT to deal more damage, he has no reason not to increase his INT.

It would be great to learn something like Mana Shield... maybe I can try that later after improving my mana control, he mused while playing with various basic elements in his palms.

From his experiments, he found that conjuring a single element didn't cost any MP. However, maintaining two flames at once drained about 0.5 MP per second. By the time he conjured a third flame, the cost increased to around 1 MP per second, and with a fourth, it shot up to 1.5 MP per second. Although not excessive, it was still draining. His base MP regeneration seemed to hover around 1 MP per 10 seconds, not too high, but not too low either.

He discovered that maintaining both water and fire simultaneously drained him 2 MP per second, akin to maintaining five flames. Other elements didn't conflict and had similar costs to keeping up two flames.

Having pushed his experiments as far as he wanted for now, he turned his attention to Edith, who was continuing from where they left off yesterday.

"Throughout history, our ancestors endured countless trials and errors to learn and perfect Skills, paving the way for us descendants to acquire what was once rough and difficult for them.

"I will be teaching you [Fire Ball], one of the most basic offensive fire spells. It's easy to learn but hard to master. Most Fire Mages switch to more efficient fire spells, or their [Fire Ball] evolves into something else before it reached Level 10. In the known record, there's no mage who has maxed out any basic offensive elemental spells, though I highly doubt that's true. There has to be someone who has done so before. It's just never been recorded.

"Anyways, there are two ways to learn spells: one is the brute-force method, and the other is using a magic circle—a system developed by our ancestors to lessen the energy, time, and effort required to learn and cast spells.

"However, perspectives differ. Some believe relying on magic circles hinders growth, opting instead for the brute-force method, known as Ancient Magic.

"Ancient Magic is far more powerful than our current Circle Magic, but it's extremely unstable and has claimed many ancient mages' lives, according to historical records.

"So, which path would you like to choose? Ancient Magic or Circle Magic?"

Olgan listened intently, but confusion creased his brow. "If Ancient Magic is so dangerous, why offer me a choice?"

Edith replied, "While it is dangerous, our ancestors developed Circle Magic from the trials involving Ancient Magic, creating a sort of fail-safe for magic backlash. As long as you wear this," she handed him a silver ring engraved with intricate magic circles, "you can attempt to cast Ancient Magic without fear of catastrophic failure."

"This is the Priasia Magic Ring," she continued, her voice tinged with reverence when she mentioned Priasia, the name of a legendary mage.

Olgan examined the ring, then slipped it onto his finger. "Thank you."

"Inspect," he commanded, looking at the ring's details.

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Name: Priasia Magic Ring (Mass-produced)

Grade: Uncommon

Description: Crafted from enchanted silver, the Priasia Magic Ring is adorned with intricate engravings of overlapping magic circles that pulse faintly with a soft azure light. Each symbol is meticulously etched, representing the profound knowledge of the legendary mage Priasia, who harnessed the chaotic forces of Ancient Magic. This ring holds Priasia's extraordinary efforts, paving the way for future generations who have yet to master Circle Magic, allowing them to explore the mysteries of magic.

Effect: While wearing the ring, the bearer can attempt to cast magic without fear of catastrophic backlash. Should a casting fail, the ring absorbs and expels the purified chaotic energy, allowing the user to escape unscathed.

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"What a legend..." Olgan sighed, feeling a deep respect for someone he had never met.

"Priasia is admired by all mages. While not many wear this ring anymore since the advancement of magic circles, many still do out of respect for Priasia," Edith explained, her eyes shining with admiration.

Curious, Olgan asked, "What about you? Which path did you choose between Ancient Magic and Circle Magic?"

Edith smiled wryly. "Deep down, I wanted to pursue Ancient Magic, but I also needed to train in swordsmanship. It's more efficient to choose Circle Magic; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to keep up with others."

Olgan nodded, understanding her pragmatic choice. Time had forced her hand toward Circle Magic, which was more efficient and yielded better short-term results.

"So, which path will you choose?" she asked.

After a moment's thought, Olgan replied, "I choose both... was what I wanted to say, but for now, I'll choose Circle Magic."

"Can you give me a reason?" Edith inquired curiously.

"Well, Circle Magic is currently trending. As a Mentor, I have to keep up with the trends and teach what my students wants to learn, right?" he smiled at her.

It would be quite awkward if his first student on the Mage path, eager to learn magic, requested that he teach them Ancient Magic instead...