"We're here!" Zach said happily,
Zorian surveyed the grass in front of him, his eyes full of suspicion. At first glance, this area is just a large grassland, surrounded by a circle of trees. The grass is too wild and tall, and the gaps between the trees are full of saplings. This is a good place to practice combat magic and hide corpses. place. Even under normal circumstances, Zorian would not follow a complete stranger into such a creepy, isolated place. Oh, what a shift in his perspective…
"This meadow should be a forest now."
Zach blinked. "I never thought about it," he admits. "You've noticed the strangest things, Zorian."
"I also wonder how such a place could possibly exist," Zorian continued. And they let this place deteriorate like this? "
"Oh, that's easy," Zach said. "This is my land. It's part of the Novida family estate. Private gardens, so no one can use it without my express permission."
"Yeah," Zorian agreed. "Is your home very close to here?"
"You know where I live?" Zach asked, surprise evident in his tone.
nonsense. "Of course I know where you live," Zorian said, looking at Zach, idiot. "Who doesn't know where Novida Manor is?"
"Haha. I'm famous, aren't I?" Zach said with a smile.
Note to self: Zach is easily distracted by appealing to his ego.
Zach snapped his fingers, obviously remembering why they were here. His hands made a vague series of gestures, and several humanoid creatures made of dirt rose from the ground on the other side of the clearing.
Zorian was speechless. Now that's impressive. Zach doesn't even have to chant any incantations to cast the spell, he moves so fast they move. (Extremely good mage, ha)
"Wow," he exclaimed.
"They're great targets, they're very resilient, they reform every time you screw them up."
Zack demonstrated by launching a rapid magic missile at one of the statues, hitting the statue in the chest. The earthen structure took a step back due to the force of the bolt, and cracks erupted at the point of impact, but the cracks quickly closed on their own, and the structure completely ignored the attack.
"I can't believe it!" Zorian said in disbelief.
"What do you mean?" Zach asked. "They're just animated globes, so it-"
"Not them," Zorian protested. "Magic Missile! No spells, no gestures, nothing! You just pointed your finger at the target and created a magic missile!"
"Oh, that," Zach said, waving his hand dismissively. "It's nothing special. It's just reflected magic. When you cast the spell enough times—"
"Mana shaping is instinctive, you can omit spell components," Zorian concluded for him. Any serious mage has at least a few familiar spells that they can omit a few words and gestures and still work. “But it will take years!”
Zach just grinned from ear to ear.
"Well, I guess you already did," Zorian concluded, feeling stupid. "This time travel thing is really convenient, isn't it? How many reflection spells do you have?"
"Shield, Throw, Recall, Flamer, and some other simple combat spells. There are many spells I'm familiar with, but I'm not yet proficient at throwing fireballs."
"Okay," Zorian said sourly. "So where do we start?"
"Kyron gave you a magic wand to practice magic missiles, right?" Zach asked.
"Yes," Zorian confirmed.
"Okay, fire a few missiles at the clay men."
"Mud man?" Zorian asked in disbelief. "that's it-"
"He pointed his spell rod at the nearest... 'mud figure'... and fired. He was a little surprised when the construct tried to dodge his magic missiles, but Zorian was undeterred and kept firing. His next shot was Aiming the piercer at the construct's head, it managed to hit it in the forehead, but failed to actually penetrate the animated earth. He tried to shape the next bolt into a cutter, but all he got was a diffuse blob of color Balls of light, like soap bubbles, suddenly burst on their way to their target. The next two were regular Smashers, one of which missed at the last moment before the lightning struck him, as the target tilted to one side.
Zach clapped exaggeratedly, completely ignoring the gentle look Zorian was sending him.
"How many days have you been practicing?" Zach asked. Zorian nodded. "Have you got control of your bolt yet? You're much better than I thought."
"Let me ask you a question: How many magic missiles can you fire before you run out of mana?" Zach asked.
"Ten," Zorian answered. "Yes! The bigger your mana reserves are, the longer you can train each day," Zach confirmed. "This means that mages with greater reserves tend to learn faster than their less gifted compatriots."
Do you know how many magic missiles I can fire before I run out of magic? "
Zorian had not forgotten the seemingly inexhaustible reserves of mana Zac had displayed during the invasion, and knew the number must be quite high. Still, your mana reserves are limited. The pamphlet Karen gave him said that an average mage could fire 8 to 12 magic missiles before running out of mana, while a very talented mage could fire as many as 20 to 30. Furthermore, while mana reserves increase with age and practice, they do not increase. The potential is endless - most people's max mana reserves are about 4x their starting mana reserves, assuming Zack is in an above average range and he maxes out due to the time loop...
"Fifty?" he tried.
"232," Zach said proudly.
Zorian was so shocked that he almost dropped his magic wand, 232? What the hell! ?
"There's no denying that I'm on the very high end as far as mana reserves go," Zach said. Understatement of the century! "Unlike you, I spent years building them, so they have reached unprecedented heights. However, even if you practice for a lifetime, you may never get over 40. This will make my reserves Almost 6 times as big as yours. That’s a big shortcoming that needs to be made up for.”
"Don't be ridiculous," Zorian agreed. "I guess this is where you come in. Unless you brought me here just to tell me how bad I am compared to you?"
"Ha! I admit the look on your face when you realize how awesome I am is absolutely priceless, but that's just an added bonus," Zach said.
He motioned for Zorian to come closer, and Zorian agreed, allowing Zach to cast a completely unfamiliar spell on him.
Zorian felt the spell seep into his eyes, the foreign magic fighting against the innate resistance to magic possessed by every creature, and he briefly considered destroying the spell before it took hold. Not because he thought the spell was harmful, mind you, but out of principle. Zack cast the spell on him without asking for permission or explaining what the spell did, which is a major violation of magical etiquette no matter how you look at it. Finally he decided not to be so vicious and just put away his magical resistance and let the spell work without any hindrance.
"Have you got your magic resistance under control?" Zach asked. "Sweet! I usually have to teach people how to do it first. Man, I don't know how to do it until I recover."
Zorian frowned, ignoring Zack's comment and instead trying to figure out what exactly the spell did. It's focused in his eyes, so he should... see...
oh.
A luminous, incredibly massive pillar rises into the sky, twisting and undulating like a living thing, occasionally producing brief swirls of luminous material along its length. It only took Zorian a moment to realize what he was looking at.
"Is this what the hole looks like under the mage's sight?" he asked, focusing his attention on Zach again.
"That's great, isn't it?" Zach said. “Watching that giant mana geyser rising into the sky always puts things into perspective for me.”
"But the mage's sight is on Cyo
ia shouldn't work," Zorian commented. "Too much ambient mana saturates everything. Why wasn't I blinded by the painful glow of everything I saw? "
"This is an experimental variant that attempts to filter out this 'noise' and only show the important stuff," Zucker said. "It's not very reliable, but it serves our purposes."
"Those beings?" Zorian asked.
"I'll cast Magic Missile over and over, and you'll watch what I'm doing before you try to copy me," Zach said. "I'm going to use the proper summoning this time and do it as slowly as possible. Try to remember the words and gestures because you'll be using them instead of the stick Karen gave you. The spell stick is more useful in combat, but out of For training purposes, it's best to use actual spells."
Zorian was totally on board with the idea - he'd been trying to find the invocation of the combat spell for some time, anyway. Zach underestimated him, though. "Try" memory? Zorian may not have Zach's ridiculous reserves of mana, but he has a pretty good memory. It only took Zac the right casting once and Zorian had the casting process ingrained in his memory.
Unfortunately, the rest of the session was less impressive. Zach continued to cast the spell a few more times before instructing Zorian to give it a try, and he found that casting combat magic with the classic spell was not only slower than using a spell wand, but also much more difficult. Thankfully, during Zach's demonstration, he did get to see how mana is formed, which greatly increased his learning rate, so he eventually managed to fire a passable magic missile. However, by then his mana was completely depleted and Zack decided it was a good time to stop for the day.
Zorian walked back to his apartment, lost in thought. Zach's comment about the giant mana pillar also seems oddly applicable to his situation. Time loop or not, he would never beat Zack and people like him at their own game. Apparently, Zorian couldn't force his way through with battle magic like Zach wanted. No, if he wanted to get out of this situation in a favorable way, he would have to forge his own path.
But if only he knew what that path was. At this point, figuring out the origins of the time loop and how the damn thing worked seemed to be the only thing he could help himself to do. This is unfortunate because he is incapable of solving the mystery. It looks like he still has to spend some time improving his magical abilities. At least, he still has plenty of time. perhaps. He could never be sure that the time loop would continue to occur, but Zach certainly didn't act like it would end anytime soon, and Zorian decided to follow Zach's lead in that regard.
He really wishes someone other than Zach could look to him for advice on how to continue to improve. Normally, that's what a student instructor is for, but he already knows what Xvim will tell him: more sculpting exercises. Then he would throw marbles at him.
Although... Ilsa did offer to take over his guidance after a few reboots, didn't she? Well.
- rest -
Although Zorian was eager to get some extra help, he put off contacting Ilsa until he actually had a few sessions with Xvim. It's a long wait, but it makes it easier to complain about Xvim's coaching methods since he doesn't have to explain how he knows so much about the guy. It wasn't like he didn't have anything to entertain himself during this time - if anything, Zack was even more enthusiastic than Zorian about their combat magic practice sessions, insisting on meeting every day after school. After two weeks of practice, Zorian was not only able to weave a proper homing function into the magic missile spell, he also learned how to cast shield and firearm spells. He was acutely aware that his ability to cast such spells was nil compared to human battle mages, but he also knew that they were not the only threat he faced. These spells might buy him a second or two against a winter wolf or troll, which could be the difference between life and death.
Zach returned to class the day after his first practice, apparently fully recovered. For a man who has lost most of his memory, he is surprisingly cheerful. Zorian admires his fellow time traveler for his ability to maintain a good mood in harsh circumstances, but Zach's compelling behavior only makes his inexplicable advancement in skills more noticeable. This was pretty much the first time he'd experienced a replay of the month, except instead of hanging out with Neolu and another mystery girl, Zach was hanging out with him. Of course, this makes Zorian the target of every curious classmate who wants to know how Zach suddenly became so good.
"What should I tell them?" he asked Zach. They were all in the cafeteria, and he noticed a few students glancing at him frequently, no doubt waiting for a chance to talk to Zach as he left. "I can't exactly tell them you're a time traveler."
"Why not?" Zach asked. "Time travel. That's what I say every time they ask me how I achieve such great results."
"Did you really tell them you were a time traveler?" Zorian asked in disbelief. He didn't know whether to laugh or bang his head on the table.
"Yes," Zach confirmed. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Zorian feels a phantom pain in his chest, and in an alternate timeline, a masked assassin impales him and kills him. Honestly, Zack has never experienced consequences like this when trying to convince people to believe his story? Then again, he said he was trying to make them believe he was a time traveler instead of telling them about the invasion. In fact, he didn't really tell Zorian that either - he danced around the topic every time Zorian tried to steer the conversation in a particular direction.
"All of this could have been avoided if you had exercised a little more restraint in class," Zorian sighed.
“I kind of like the attention,” Zach admits.
"Really?" Zorian asked. "I've only experienced it once, but I'm tired of it. You're telling me, more than a decade later, the novelty of all this attention still hasn't worn off?"
"Oh, come on, do you really think I'm going to spend these returnees in class?" Zack scoffed. "After the third recovery, it got really old. I was doing my own thing most of the time. Gosh, usually I'm not at Cyo
ia nearby! I only take classes when I want to relax or feel nostalgic. The only reason I'm here now is because I got a little rough on my last return and I'm still trying to sort out the holes in my memory. Oh, because you piqued my interest. "
"But why have I aroused your interest?" Zorian asked. "I'm not complaining, but why are you willing to invest so much time in me? Won't it all be useless when you come back next time?"
"It's a very cold way of thinking," Zucker said. "I really don't think so. I try to get to know all of our classmates in these recoveries, even though some of them are very uncooperative with the idea, and I never think it's a waste of time. This is the first time I've ever been to you So friendly, I don't know what I did to cause this. Best to take advantage of it while I still can."
Now he was starting to feel bad. Not only did he never try to get to know any of his classmates during his return to school, the idea never even entered his mind. This isn't the first time Zach has hinted that Zorian is a jerk to him. What happened between Zach and ex-Zorion that left such a lasting impression on people?
"I see," Zorian said uncertainly, not sure how to respond.
"I really want to know about you, though," Zach continued. "You are so different from the Zorian I know that I'm starting to wonder if you are really the same person."
"Who else would I be?" Zorian asked, honestly not knowing what Zach was going to do next. As he puts it, he doesn't seem to realize that Zorian is "returning," so what exactly is he trying to say?
"I think I might have changed the schedule, or something," Zach said.
Zorian gave him a look of disbelief. Timeline changed? Is this his explanation? Really? Really Really? He almost exposed himself right then and there, just to show him how stupid that was. almost.
"Or something," Zorian deadpanned.
"What?" Zach protested. "It could happen. Do you know how the mechanics of time work? No? Didn't think so."
"After we first met, I did check out a few books about time travel," Zorian said. It's a lie, of course, but a small one - he's already sifted through time travel-related texts, just not in this particular reboot.
“But nothing was learned,” Zach concluded. "It was a complete wasteland. They were writing about all kinds of moral dilemmas and time paradoxes and all that. That was the first and last time I ever set foot in an academy library, let me tell you."
Zorian gave him a strange look. "That's a joke, right?"
"Which part?" Zach asked.
"The part where you've only been to the academy library once," Zorian clarified.
"Uh, okay..." Zach laughed nervously. "What can I say? I don't really like reading..."
Zorian stared at Zach, wondering if the boy was joking. If the old Zack he knew before the time loop told him he'd never set foot in a library, he'd understand completely. He's not particularly unique in that regard—many students never visit the library before third grade because they don't have access to the spell repository until they're certified anyway. But this Zach has experienced this over 200 times this month and is able to use spells buried deep within him. He never tried to find it. Because he doesn't like reading.
My mind was in turmoil. Well, Zorian's mind was in turmoil.
"You clearly read our textbooks," Zorian pointed out. "You can't be as good as you are if you don't do that."
"Yeah, well, I didn't say I didn't read at all," Zach countered. "It's just that I'd rather avoid it if I could. I learn better by example, anyway."
Interestingly, the opposite is true for Zorian - he tends to learn better when he has the opportunity to research the topic himself before trying it. He still believed that it was a rather serious flaw for a mage to avoid books, but Zorian had to remind himself that Zach had clearly achieved results in some way. Think about it, there is a severe shortage of dangerous items in the Academy's magic collection, so a wizard primarily interested in more limited areas of magic would find the library to be of very limited use.
"So you learn mainly through instruction?" Zorian guessed. "I'm surprised you were able to convince a mage to teach you in less than a month. Don't they all need years of study before they agree to teach you anything useful?"
"Well, that's usually the case," Zach said. "But I'm the last Novidar, you know? I've had some very respected mages who have gone out of their way to teach me my whole life. Usually I just have to show up and tell them who I am, and they're all happy to help me. "
Zorian fought back the wave of jealousy that came over him. Zach simply made the best of his unique situation, just like Zorian did in his position. Still, it bothered him, reminding him of how Daimen and Fortoff had asked for and received various favors and concessions from their teachers, but Zorian had been unable to obtain the same favors and concessions for himself. His parents had taught him endlessly that the difference lay in their attitudes - if Zorian was more sociable, more polite, more of everything... he would enjoy the same benefits. To Zorian, his brothers always had some kind of invisible tattoo on their foreheads that only mages could see, a sign that they were somehow more special than him.
Still, Zach wasn't his brother, and he shouldn't be the target of Zorian's personal frustration.
"Convenient," Zorian exclaimed, giving his fellow time traveler a somewhat forced smile. Zach didn't seem to notice.
Jealousy aside, he was really starting to wonder if there was any truth to his assumption that Zack was an accidental stowaway like him. Zach possesses an extremely large reserve of mana, possibly the largest of any student currently enrolled in the Academy. The last member of a famous noble family, he enjoys all the prestige that comes with it without having to deal with nosy parents who might be horrified by Zach's sudden transformation. In addition to the power inherent in the name, the boy is also quite charming and outgoing, which further increases his chances of receiving help from other inaccessible High Circle mages. He's not your average spoiled prince by any means - the boy has a lot of potential, if only he's given enough time to realize it. Zach has time now. This is so...convenient. A little too convenient,
That's why even though Zach seemed friendly, Zorian felt uncomfortable around the boy. In any case, not enough to reveal himself as a stowaway. Now, his main advantage is that he's a peripheral element in the game Zach plays. Variables not considered. He intends to exploit and abuse this advantage.
Whatever force is behind Zach, Zorian doesn't plan on revealing his identity anytime soon.
- rest -
"Please take a seat, Mr. Kaczynski," Ilsa said. "I kind of doubt I'll be seeing you anytime soon."
"You did it?" Zorian asked.
"Oh, yes," said Ilsa. "Typically, after a session in Xvim, students will be knocking on my door right away. You're waiting until the second one, so be patient."
"Okay," Zorian said sourly.
"I can't transfer you to another tutor now, though, so I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with him for now," she said.
"I kind of expected this," Zorian said. Why was her answer different from the last time he asked her? "That's not what I'm here for."
"No?" Ilsa asked, raising her eyebrows.
"No," Zorian confirmed. "Since everything I've heard and experienced about Xvim suggests that we'll never get beyond the basic three, I've decided to be proactive and educate myself. I've been hoping to get some pointers from you - where should I start? , what should I pay attention to, that kind of thing.”
Ilsa sighed heavily. "It's hard to give that kind of advice, Mr. Kaczynski. That's why the College provides mentors to students - because there's no one-size-fits-all solution. However, I thought I could give you some advice on my own subject. You How are your three basic scores?"
"Depends on who you ask," Zorian said. "Most of my teachers in second year told me I had mastered them. Xvim said I was a disgrace to mages everywhere."
She snorted and handed him a pen. Actually handed to him, not thrown to him like Xvim. Ah, the joy of interacting with a sensible teacher…
"Let it levitate," Ilsa said.
Before she could finish her words, the pen was already spinning above his outstretched palm.
"Oh, so you can already spin levitating objects?" Ilsa said, sounding delighted. "I bet Xvim is pretty happy with that." No, not really. "Do you know of any other variations?"
"No," Zorian said. "Is it standard procedure to learn this?"
"Not like Xvim taught them," Ilsa said. "But yes, most instructors will give their students variations on the basic three to improve their shaping skills."
"How many variations are there?" Zorian asked.
"Oh, thousands," Ilsa said, confirming Zorian's suspicions. "But most students only take about six by the end of their third year. Here."
She thrust a rather heavy book into his hands and waited patiently for him to flip through it. This is apparently a book that describes 15 "particularly interesting" variations of three basic exercises, 5 of each.
"Let me guess: you want me to learn everything in this book," Zorian sighed.
"That would be a very neat trick," snorted Ilsa. "Didn't you hear what I said? Most people study 6 or less in a year.... By the time you've studied everything in this book, you'll probably be done with the academy. Assuming of course If you want – I won’t force you to do anything.”
"Six times a year, huh?" Zorian asked cautiously, an idea forming in his mind.
"That's right," Ilsa confirmed.
"What if I can master all 15 before the month is over?" Zorian asked.
Ilsa stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter. It took her a few seconds to calm down.
"Oh, aren't you the confident one?" Ilsa chuckled. "If you are really that good, I will fill out the transfer form now, regardless of the regulations, and accept you as my apprentice. I will never give up the opportunity to teach such a rising legend. Please note that I do not think you can do it."
Zorian just gave her a wicked smile.
- rest -
Of course, there's absolutely no chance Zorian will master all 15 exercises in this particular reboot, but that's not the point. Thanks to the wonders of time loops, he had far more than a few weeks to learn the contents of this book. It's even available in the college library, so you don't have to go to Ilsa to get it next time you restart. Who knows, maybe if he learns this, he can get Xvim to cut him some slack too. One can dream.
Also, this book is actually quite interesting. It not only explains in detail how to perform each variation, it also explains the reasons for including each specific exercise and provides the context for understanding why the basic three exercises are taught to students in the first place. Zorian briefly familiarized himself with each version and then began to read carefully from the beginning.
Make objects glow, levitate or burn... these are very simple effects that require only basic shaping skills. For example, the levitation technique is just the repulsive force emanating from the mage's palm. It doesn't get any simpler than this. There are actually many such simple effects, certainly more than the three they teach, but these three are considered priority. The generation of light, heat, or kinetic energy is a common component of many spells, giving the basic three spells a universal utility that most other simple exercises lack.
The variations listed in the book do not fall into the same category as these simple or introductory exercises. Although Xvim, Ilsa, and the book itself refer to them as "variants", Zo
ia
Realize that they are more like "upgrades", or maybe "premium versions". He didn't realize it at the time, but the twirling pen exercise—the first variation outlined in the book, albeit with a fancier name—was an entirely different level of difficulty than simply levitating the pen above the palm of your hand. category. Not only did he have to maintain the levitation effect of the pen, he also had to create an additional effect of making the pen spin. This change is intended to teach mages how to multitask, allowing them to maintain two effects at the same time.
While Xvim may disagree, Zo
ia
Thinks he has mastered the pen-turning exercise, and the guidelines in the book seem to agree with him. So he started looking at 4 other variations of the suspension exercise, trying to figure out which one was the easiest. He soon realized that not only were they arranged in ascending order of difficulty, but that mastering later variations might require mastering earlier ones first.
Vertical levitation requires him to use attraction to stick the object to his palm, place the palm vertically, and then separate the object from the palm without falling. The sticking part was easy, Zorian could already do it, but making the object float off his palm without falling down required him to balance the attractive forces that bound the object to his palm with the repulsive forces that separated it from it. Without the multitasking skills he gained from pen-twisting practice, it might have taken him a long time to master this task.
Next is fixed-position levitation, which requires the ability to maintain the position of a suspended object in space despite disturbances and changes in initial conditions. In other words, he must be able to move his hand up, down, left, and right while keeping the suspended object stationary in space. This requires him to acquire the ability to balance attraction and repulsion during vertical levitation exercises, but this time he must constantly adjust his balance according to changes.
etc. After seeing that there was only one correct order to learn these exercises, Zorian began practicing vertical levitation. Unfortunately, he didn't accomplish much in this particular reboot.
The summer festival is coming.
