Chapter 20: Special Talent (II)

Is an extraordinary recovery ability considered one’s talent?
Indeed, as Scott said, he could maintain the fireball spell for a long time without feeling any loss of magic power. In other words, if he wanted to, could he keep using this spell 24/7?
But such a thing…
“Thors, are you saying that any experienced magician can do this?” Scott asked, leaning against the headboard while reading.
Jiang Zhe turned to look at Scott in confusion and said oddly, “You know that too? Can you read minds?”
“Hey,” Scott clearly found it amusing. He flipped a page and said self-mockingly, “That’s an advanced mental magic spell. Even those in the sixth grade might not learn it. Do you really think I can?”
“Then how do you know?”
“It’s simple!” Scott closed the book and said with a strange expression, “Since this morning, you’ve been muttering to that fireball. From such close range, how could I not hear it?”
“I said those things myself?” Jiang Zhe was speechless. He rested his forehead and sighed. Just as he was about to say something, Scott hurriedly added, “Control the fireball! Damn it, I don’t want to get blown up again!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Remembering what happened that morning, Jiang Zhe felt a bit embarrassed.
Standing up and sitting on the edge of the bed, Scott examined the fireball Jiang Zhe had cast and frowned. “Indeed, if it were an experienced magician, they could indeed maintain this spell 24/7. After all, it’s just a second-level spell that doesn’t consume much magic power. Of course, that’s for those magicians… But Thors, I don’t think a first-year freshman could maintain this spell for a long time!”
“You’re right…” Jiang Zhe then remembered that he was still just a first-year freshman.

“I remember in Archmage Murphy Donald’s ‘On Magic and Meditation’ it was mentioned that the recovery of magic power during meditation is a completely different concept from its usual recovery! During meditation, an archmage absorbs far more magic power from the outside world than a magic apprentice, mainly due to differences in mental strength and control. But in normal times, a magician’s magic power also gradually recovers, which has little to do with their mental strength or control—instead, it depends on the capacity of their ‘container’! And you, Thos, are still just an apprentice, not even considered a trainee magician. Your physical magic power is only enough to cast one or two fireballs. Yet such a small ‘container’ can sustain a second-level spell for as long as an experienced magician can— isn’t that a kind of talent?”

“You mean…” Jiang Zhe stared at Scott absentmindedly, rubbing his chin before speaking in a deep voice, “if we expand our own ‘container,’ the recovery speed will be even faster…”

“Very likely!” Scott nodded, then joked, “Maybe in the future, you’ll be able to sustain a sixth-level spell for a long time… That’s something even archmages might not be able to do!”

“How then can we expand this container?”

Scott was momentarily stunned before shrugging helplessly and saying, “Thos, I’m just a first-year freshman like you. Don’t think I know everything, okay?” He tapped his forehead and added thoughtfully, “The best way to expand the ‘container’ is through meditation, but it’s not very useful for you…”

Indeed! Jiang Zhe smiled bitterly. For him, meditation was no different from sleeping—both ended in sleep anyway. There was no point in talking about difficulty; he simply couldn’t achieve ‘absolute mental stillness’ during meditation.

Those who can’t learn meditation can never become magicians!

Tch!

Is exhausting magic power really the only way?

But if so, isn’t that going back to square one?

Jiang Zhe felt like a low-level apprentice in a game—having only 20 points of magic power, with each fireball spell costing 10 points, leaving him completely drained after just two spells. Yet this low-level apprentice had a talent: regaining 1 point of magic power per second, just enough to match the amount spent on maintaining a fireball…

No matter how enviable this talent might become in the future, right now it was utterly useless!

Some might say, isn’t that great? You can cast a fireball every ten seconds.

But come on, that’s just an analogy using borrowed data. According to Professor Hode, an element’s affinity isn’t determined by the number of times a spell is cast, but rather by the time spent with that element. Just like Jiang Zhe can maintain the Fireball spell for a long time, over time his affinity for the fire element will far exceed that of others. Of course, the benefits are also most obvious—faster gathering of fire elements, reduced damage from fire-based attacks, and even the possibility of achieving instant casting… But what can be cast instantly? A Fireball? That’s not what Jiang Zhe wants! For Jiang Zhe, who can’t meditate, the only way to expand his “container” might be through exhausting his magic power, but… Should he choose element affinity or the “container” itself? Jiang Zhe was troubled. Suddenly, he froze—he realized a misconception in his thinking. Why try to cancel the previous Fireball and cast it again just to exhaust his magic power? Right, why cancel it at all? “Fai Eireo Beiala!” “Huh!” Another fist-sized Fireball appeared. “Hey!” All of this left Scott stunned. “Sos… Sos?!” As expected! Controlling two Fireballs was indeed extremely difficult! After the second Fireball appeared, Jiang Zhe could clearly feel the drain on his magic power, but more than that, the mental strain was overwhelming. “Dual casting?” Scott pushed up his glasses and murmured, “Sos, how do you feel?” “It’s very difficult!” Jiang Zhe’s breathing became rapid, and the symptoms Scott mentioned—exhaustion from magic power—began to show: dizziness and nausea. “Calm down! Stay calm, buddy!” Usually so calm, Scott acted as if he’d seen a miracle, pacing around Jiang Zhe and saying, “Don’t worry about the loss of magic power. Adjust your breathing, calm your mind… No, no! Don’t let these two Fireballs get too close—they’ll explode!” “It’s easy for you to say,” Jiang Zhe said with a bitter smile, sweating profusely. “The problem is I can’t calm down…” As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed—he suddenly felt a gentle fluctuation of magic power within him, very soothing, like a light rain on a scorching day, instantly calming his restless heart. “Huh… I’ve got it under control. What do I do now?”

“Take it easy, take it easy,” Scott pushed up his glasses and stared intently at the two fireballs in mid-air, speaking slowly. “Separate them slowly… Yes! Um, try to make them spin… That’s it… It’s incredible!”
“Phew!” Watching the two fireballs drift slowly in the air, Jiang Zhe wiped the sweat from his forehead. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, he was filled with joy: Hey! So what if he couldn’t meditate?
Jiang Zhe carefully controlled the two fireballs, making them spin above his palms. The faint white light emitted from them from time to time was a sign of danger, but it was this new excitement and sense of achievement that thrilled him.
Compared to the relatively ‘crazy’ Jiang Zhe, Scott was much more cautious. Holding a thick book in front of him, he said, “Focus, Thors. The one on the left is about to explode… Good. The one on the right! Phew…”
“Can you stop talking…?” Jiang Zhe said with a wry smile.
It took five full minutes before Jiang Zhe gradually got used to controlling the two fireballs. After all, dividing his attention and managing two fireballs at once was extremely difficult for a beginner like him.
“I really don’t know what words to use,” Scott said, shaking his head as he watched Jiang Zhe pull back his right hand and rely solely on mental power to keep the two fireballs floating unsteadily beside him. He pushed up his glasses and added, “If there were more fireballs, it would be similar to the fourth-level spell [Fire Shield]… Hey, I’m just saying!”
“Don’t worry!” Jiang Zhe said with a slight smile. “I’m already finding it very hard right now. How could I have the energy to summon another fireball?”
Only then did Scott relax. Looking at the two fireballs floating beside Jiang Zhe, he said earnestly, “Whether it’s [Fire Shield] or [Fireball Barrage], they can essentially be seen as combinations of multiple [Fireballs] with reduced power. If you can keep this up, you won’t even need to learn those two spells… Although the casting speed is much slower, in terms of power…”
Before he could finish speaking, the door of the dormitory was pushed open. Allen rushed in like the wind, grabbed Jiang Zhe without hesitation, and said urgently, “Guys, we have a class on Black Magic Defense today. Professor Amix isn’t someone to mess with. Hurry…” As he spoke, his eyes widened suddenly, and his fingers trembled as he pointed behind Jiang Zhe.
“You idiot!” Scott snapped through his teeth.
“Boom! Boom!”
※※※

Defense Against Dark Magic is one of the required courses at the Rexox Academy, a subject that every student is mandated to master. Unlike Jiang Zhe’s Fire Magic course, which had only a few dozen students, the Defense Against Dark Magic class enrolled all the first-year students. The course was taught by an old magician—a stubborn and punctual man named Salter Amix. Professor Amix wasn’t a grand magician, but rumors claimed he possessed the strength of one. He had a peculiar personality, was quiet, and was said to be a very strict man. Notably, Professor Amix had written a book titled “The Extraction of Dark Energy,” which discussed how to extract the energy from the dark side of elements. It received high praise from magicians in the industry, but the Magic Association ruled that only those with grand magician-level skills were allowed to read it. To this day, the book remains locked in both the Royal Magic Library and the sixth floor of the Rexox Library. Enough about that. By the time Jiang Zhe and his two companions rushed to the Defense Against Dark Magic classroom, the class had already started. Professor Amix was standing in the dimly lit room, speaking eloquently… “A few days ago, I said that Defense Against Dark Magic involves using external elements to achieve purposes such as neutralization, absorption, defense, and reflection. You can also use this skill to bind your enemies’ magic. A magician with bound magic is almost entirely harmless. I hope everyone understands this…” Just then, the door to the classroom creaked open. The students inside glanced in surprise at the door, followed by bursts of laughter. There, standing at the door, were Jiang Zhe and his two companions in dirty magic robes. Allen, the leader, had his face covered in soot and said pitifully, “I’m sorry, Professor. We…” Professor Amix turned around, sizing up the three of them, especially the traces of elements still on their bodies. He sniffed. Such amounts… Has someone already learned [Fireball]? “Professor?” Allen asked timidly. Glancing at his pocket watch, Professor Amix stared at the three kids at the door and said sternly, “If you have something more important than this class, I’m willing to hear your explanation!” He paused then continued coldly, “If not, don’t let this happen again. Otherwise, you won’t need to take the final exam!”

“Yes, Professor Amix!” Allen shrunk back, and the three kids slunk to the back of the classroom to sit down. As the three kids passed by, Professor Amix glanced at Jiang Zhe; he could clearly sense the fire elements surrounding that kid… It seems to be that kid… An interesting kid! A cough interrupted the laughter of the new students in the classroom. Professor Amix said with a stern face, “What’s there to laugh about? In my class, other than answering my questions, keep your mouths shut the rest of the time!” As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom fell dead silent. “Very good,” Professor Amix nodded in satisfaction. He walked to the blackboard and tapped it, and a series of symbols appeared on it. “Before learning the magic of shorthand, you’d better write down everything I say. Don’t skimp on ink or effort—in my opinion, they’re worthless! Remember, Black Magic Defense differs from Blue Magic Defense; there’s a fundamental difference between the two. Generally, Black Magic Defense relies on distortion, absorption, and reflection, and it doesn’t depend on external elements. Its power depends on an individual’s magical fluctuations, which means it can be cast very quickly. I hope you remember the incantations well, otherwise, when in danger, you’ll only be able to pray to the gods for help!” A faint laugh arose in the classroom. Professor Amix scanned the room with a cold expression and pointed at a chubby child, saying, “I ask you, is it funny?” “It’s not funny, Professor…” The child lowered his head timidly. “Then shut your mouth!” With that, Professor Amix turned around and continued teaching. “You should understand that Black Magic Defense is a mage’s last line of defense. When your fireballs can’t defeat your opponent, when the boulders you summon are destroyed by them, as long as you master this art, you can use Black Magic Defense to protect yourself or buy time to prepare another spell. If your opponent is extremely powerful, you can also choose to run away—it’s not shameful! Of course, I’m talking about when you’re alone. Abandoning your companions isn’t something to be praised; it means you’ll also be abandoned in the future… Alright, turn to page 96. Besides relying on magical fluctuations, Black Magic Defense also uses the pentagram. You need to be extremely careful when using this kind of magic, because it belongs to the power of demons, just like curses…”

“That old man over there is really under a lot of pressure…” Allen said in a low voice, head hung low at the back of the classroom.
“Hmph!” Scott gave him a cold glance and sneered, “You should be grateful that the magic robes we’re wearing have magic arrays that reduce magical damage…”
“Hey, it’s not all my fault,” Allen protested, “It’s Sos’s fault—why did he…?”
“He already had those two fireballs under control. If not for you…” Remembering being covered in dust from the explosion, Scott was furious.
“Okay, okay,” Allen surrendered, shrugging, “It’s all my fault, right?”
“Of course!” Seeing him give in, Scott didn’t press further and continued taking notes. After all, there was a lot of knowledge from black magic defense that could be applied to curses, which was the field Scott planned to specialize in.
“Scott, what was that dual casting you mentioned?” Jiang Zhe asked as Scott was taking notes.
Glancing quietly at Professor Amix at the front of the classroom, Scott replied in a low voice, “Dual casting… It’s a technique unique to magicians that requires a certain level of control. I read about it in books. Powerful black magicians can do it. Generally, the spells used are the same or from the same element. Only great magicians can cast two spells from different elements at once—meaning they can use two different elements together, even combine them to create another element, like mixing fire and water to create lightning.
In short, dual casting is something every great magician must master—it’s a prerequisite for using composite spells…”
“Composite spells?” Jiang Zhe was stunned. Just as he was about to say something, Scott added with a playful expression, “That requires strong magic power and control…”
Tch! He already found it hard to cast two fireballs! Jiang Zhe shook his head self-mockingly.
“How do you feel now, Sos?”
“It’s okay. My head still feels a bit dizzy, but it’s much better…”
“Can you feel your magic power recovering?”
“I guess so, but it seems very slow…”
Slow? Scott paused, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
It’s not like you’re restoring your magic power through meditation. Since you can feel it recovering, that’s already amazing. And yet you still…
With a wry smile, Scott sighed, “What an enviable talent…”
“Hah,” Jiang Zhe smiled slightly, “A magician’s strength depends on their knowledge, right?”

Scott smiled and shrugged dismissively.
Before the ancient magic history exam, this guy, just like Jiang Zhe, who hadn’t learned the “memory magic,” managed to memorize those thick books in just one day, leaving Jiang Zhe and Allen stunned and envious.
The about-hour-long course on dark magic defense ended quickly. Of the three, only Scott paid full attention throughout the class. The other two—Allen, as usual, fell asleep with his book covering his head, while Jiang Zhe stared out the window, his expression changing as he made various gestures with his right hand, clearly reflecting on the feeling of controlling those two fireballs earlier.
“Well, that’s all for today’s class,” said Professor Amix at the front of the classroom, tidying up his things. “In the next class, I’ll ask a few of you to demonstrate dark magic defense. So, it’s best if you remember the spells I taught well—this is related to your end-of-year exam. That’s it!”
“There’s still an exam…” Jiang Zhe said weakly, pouting.
“Who said it’s not a required course?” Scott said, nudging Jiang Zhe with his elbow teasingly. “You know, Thos, that girl from the Fahlavia family glanced at you several times. You should feel honored…”
“I don’t see anything honorable about it!” Jiang Zhe was both amused and annoyed by the disdain in the red-haired girl’s eyes.
It was actually Professor Hode’s fault—why did he keep asking Jiang Zhe questions in class? If Jiang Zhe couldn’t answer, the next person called upon would definitely be that girl named Ravia Fahlavia.
Obviously, Professor Hode was using this to motivate Jiang Zhe, to get this troublemaker who kept sleeping and daydreaming in class to pay attention. But the result…
Other than arousing the hostility of that top-performing girl, Professor Hode achieved nothing.
Of course, it wasn’t just that red-haired girl who was hostile toward Jiang Zhe. Many first-year students distrusted him, but rather than truly hating him, they seemed to look down on “commoners.”
Rioks wasn’t only open to nobles, but the ratio of nobles to commoners among students was still extremely skewed. Anyway, it was indeed easier for nobles to become magicians, probably due to genetics.
Since ancient times, it’s been common for children of magicians to be born with extraordinary talents.
Take the Royal Chief Mage Veston, for example—he came from a noble mage family and possessed extraordinary talent.

Isn’t there a saying that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, but that 1% of inspiration is the most important, even more so than those 99% of perspiration? This saying fits wizards perfectly! But Rexox didn’t abandon ordinary people, because among them too, there can be geniuses who surpass ordinary folks! Just like Jiang Zhe… As days passed, Professor Hodde could clearly sense the fire element surrounding this child and grew to value him more and more. Yet still, he didn’t teach Jiang Zhe any new magic. While other children were already trying to cast various second-level spells, Professor Hodde still had Jiang Zhe focus on getting to know the fire element—affinity and elemental arrangement were his most frequent phrases. But lately, some new terms have emerged from his mouth. Such as… compression.