Chapter 25: Level Up! [1]
Jaden sat bare at the centre of the boundary in a lotus position, his coat and shirt removed, hung on the nearby shelf as sweat glistened across his lean body.
His brows were arched up as he forced every bit of mana within himself to finish the last 1-star spell. A few moments later, he opened his eyes, which glinted with a slight blue glow before reverting to their usual dullness.
As he opened his mouth, steam came out of it because of the constant circulation of mana and elementals running throughout his mana veins and elemental points.
Right then, a blue screen appeared before him, notifying him of his success once again.
[Congratulations, you have learned a 1-star spell: Fear Flicker]
[Experience +15 (Spell Learned)]
Jaden looked at the message without changing his expression and called out.
"System."
————[System]————
Host: Jaden Cross
Job: The Shutter Summoner
Level: 3
Experience: 80/100
Mark: [Shadow]
Grimoire: Platinum (Bound – 0/7)
Skills:
[Capture] – Seal targets into pictures using Slots (Film).
[Picturebook] – Codex of Summons, Spells, and Arts.
[Summon] – Manifest sealed creatures temporarily.
[Binding Codex] – Synchronise growth with bound Grimoires.
Available Features:
[Profile] – Status overview.
[Epiphany Zone] – Training & comprehension mind space.
[Picturebook] – Codex of Summons, Spells, Arts.
Slots: 8
————[System]————
Jaden read the screen before him and muttered.
"Level 3... 7 more to go."
His expression stayed indifferent as if it was no big deal.
"Picturebook."
Another screen appeared before him.
————[Picturebook]————
Entries Catalogued: 1
Sections: [Summons] [Spells] [Arts]
[Summons]
Mistwraith – [E]
Description: A being of flowing mist and a glass-like body.
Abilities: Mist Form, Wraith Claw
Summon Cost: 30 Mana
[Spells]
[Fireball ★], [Ember Flick ★], [Flame Veil ★], [Water Bullet ★], [Mistrise ★], [Minor Heal ★], [Stone Shard ★], [Earthen Grip ★], [Soil Harden ★], [Gust Step ★], [Gale Push ★], [Wind Blade ★], [Spark Jolt ★], [Static Grasp ★], [Surge Line ★], [Frost Needle ★], [Ice Patch ★], [Chill Touch ★], [Radiant Spark ★], [Guidelight ★], [Soothing Ray ★], [Gloom Orb ★], [Dusk Shroud ★], [Fear Flicker ★]
[Arts]
None
————[Picturebook]————
Jaden read the names of spells listed on the screen before dismissing it and standing up.
’Time for 2-star spell.’
"I wonder... how long would that take..."
He muttered while walking towards the room with spell books.
’Profile.’
————[Profile]————
Host: Jaden Cross
Age: 18
Job: The Shutter Summoner [SSS]
Job Description: You can capture and summon anything using your camera and grimoire.
Rank: Initiate [3] → Adept [10]
Enhanced Stats:
Strength: 3 (3↑)
Agility: 3 (3↑)
Intelligence: 8 (3↑)
Spirit: 8 (3↑)
Charisma: 3 (3↑)
Affinity:
Elemental: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice, Lightning, Darkness, Light.
Mark: Shadow, Soul, Death.
————[Profile]————
His profile screen had also changed after the upgrade, and now it included all the affinities he had.
"Each level up grants me one enhanced stat..."
He muttered while clenching his fists.
"I feel much stronger than before... but I do not know if this will be enough, better to continue levelling up than ending up in some kind of trouble."
He soon reached the room with the spell books, and just as he did so, a message appeared before him.
[Found learnable magic spells [9] within the vicinity.]
————[System]————
Learnable Spells:
Fire + wind
• Firestorm Slash – arcing flame slash. ★★
• Blazing Cyclone – fiery whirlwind, burns and pulls. ★★
Fire + Earth
• Lava Burst – molten stone explosion.★★
Water + Lightning
• Storm Splash – electrified water burst. ★★
• Thundercurrent – lingering electric current in water. ★★
Earth + wind
• Dust Cyclone – miniature sandstorm. ★★
• Earthen Wall – compact defence wall. ★★
Ice + Wind
• Shard Barrage – wind storm with icicles. ★★
Light + Darkness
• Twilight Veil – merges light/dark for concealment. ★★
————[System]————
Jaden’s lips arched up upon seeing the message before him. Because the screen saved him a lot of time, Jaden, being an Initiate, could only master 1-star spells and learn 2-star spells to use as his strongest spells... he, however, could not master them, and to list spells within his grimoire, he needed to master them.
Mastering a spell meant that they could be saved in his grimoire; however, if he only learned it, then he would have to circulate his mana on his own to use the spells each time until he mastered them.
But if he cannot even master them, why waste time on them? Well... an Initiate could indeed not master 2-star spells, but Jaden was no ordinary Initiate... His grimoire was platinum—A rank never seen before. He also had the [Epiphany Zone], where his understanding becomes far more potent and due to the slow flow of time within the [Epiphany Zone]... he could take much more time than the mayor allotted him.
He also had a hunch that the system would reward him exp just by learning the spell... it was never said that he had to master it after all.
However, he could not learn or understand spells above the rank of 2-star... it was basically impossible.
Jaden shook his head, and then his eyes fell on a table with a plate covered with a cloche. He stepped towards the table and removed the cloche, and just as he did so, a heavy aroma filled the room.
He looked at the meal in front of him with sparkling eyes as water dripped out of his mouth... The constant training had made him quite hungry.
He picked up the cutlery placed beside the table and began eating. He took large mouthfuls of it so he could continue learning more spells... he didn’t want to waste time eating as his very survival depended on how much he could get from here.
A few moments later, Jaden finished eating and drank water from a glass jug placed beside the plate. A faint smile appeared on his face before it fell into a frown as he mumbled.
"One day has already passed... I need to increase the pace."
Just as he said, a blue screen appeared before him.
[Execute [Epiphany Zone] with the listed spells?]
[Confirm | Deny]
Jaden, however, ignored it one more time before returning to the training room. He sat at the centre in lotus position and began absorbing mana... a few moments later, he let out a heavy breath and his eyes turned determined as he mumbled.
"Confirm."
The world turned white again.