Chapter 191: 191
Draco went to the courtyard first thing in the morning after making breakfast for Zaine, Happy Saint, Riveting Night and Hikari .
The succubus had been enraptured by his culinary might and had been unable to stop chewing, despite the fact that her kind hardly needed nourishment from such mundane food .
Happy Saint had been very pleased by the taste, but was even more so shocked by the effects . He once again remembered that his Guildmaster was the pinnacle of pinnacles . After almost 2 months in the game, he could make Legendary dishes .
As if that was not impressive enough, he didn't forget that Draco had become famous for his Blacksmithing, and more recently, for his Enchanting . In other words, Cooking was a sub-Tradeskill for him at best . . .
Hikari and Riveting Night had already gotten their first taste the day prior, so they didn't make such a fuss about it . Happy Saint went over to the Rank 7 Castle's forge while Draco and his posse of beauties arrived before Richmond .
The old mage looked healthy and happy . His face was red and his energy seemed endless . However, one would notice that the maids who were shuffling about looked drained .
Riveting Night and Zaine noticed this, while Hikari only felt like something was wrong . Draco though, paid it no heed . He had more important tasks at hand .
"Well, you have grasped your cause and effect theory . We shall resume attempting to master it to a basic degree . Let's begin . " Richmond stated while gesturing to Draco .
Draco nodded and began . His ability to implement cause and effect took but a few seconds to initiate . Soon, a small ball of Worldly Energy hovered before him, and his brows creased as he tried his hardest to maintain it for the required 5 minutes' worth of time .
After slightly more than three minutes, Draco was sweating and panting . Richmond immediately restored him to full vitality, allowing him to give it another go without taking a break .
Every new attempt allowed Draco to last longer and maintain the Worldly Energy in a more stable manner .
Another unintended consequence - or it might have been intended by Richmond - was that the amount of time it took him to implement his cause and effect theory became shorter and shorter .
By the time it was noon, Draco was able to use 1 second to implement his cause and effect theory, while he could maintain it for 5 minutes and 30 seconds before releasing it, this time without collapsing .
Draco let out a light breath and wiped the sweat off his brow . His chest heaved up and down, but he was relatively stable . Richmond looked at him with praise and commendation .
"That concludes the practical test for the Theory of Cause and Effect . You've done a great job!"
「Congratulations on completing: Richmond's Theory of Cause and Effect Practicals
Reward:
Draco nodded and waited for Richmond . The old mage simply scrutinized Draco with a cryptic smile, gently caressing his beard as he did so .
After more than 10 minutes of scrutiny, Richmond nodded . "So, as you already possess the knowledge of the elements, and you know the theory of cause and effect, it is time to learn the theory of magic in full . "
Richmond sat on the earth and Draco did the same . "I have already shown you the Sphere . Now, I will teach you the Box before we move onto the practicals . Are you ready?"
Draco's expression became firm . "Please teach me . "
Richmond began to doodle the shape of a box on the earth . "The Sphere exists to contain and incarnate offensive or destabilizing magic, or what you Immortal Adventurers call 'debuffs' . "
"The Sphere is easier to cast than the Box, because the runes needed for it are simple . You just write the functions of the spell in runes and fill it with enough resources to power it . Then you use your will to manage how the spell works . "
"However, the Box is more complex . A defensive or support spell is much more versatile than offensive or destabilizing magic . Just like how Creation Energy is more versatile than Destruction Energy . "
Richmond tapped on the diagram of the Box with his stick . "The Box requires more control than the Sphere, but fewer initial resources . An offensive spell is simple, it is sent out to attack in order to deal damage . "
"A defensive spell stays with you and protects you from damage . For example, if you create a fireball, it is the fire element compressed into the form of a ball . If you create a wind blade, it is the wind compressed into a blade shape . "
"When an offensive spell is fired out, you retain some control over it . You can slow its speed, or rapidly increase it, make it dive or rise, etc . These actions will tax on your willpower itself, which you have tempered enough to be able to control them for the simplest maneuvers . "
"If you create a defensive spell, however, you are required to do more . If we take a mana shield, you could go for something simple and make it natureless . "
"However, it would be weak and susceptible to all forms of damage . As such, it is advised that one should use an element to power the mana shield in order to give it more effectiveness . "
Richmond raised one finger up . "Now, here come the parts that make the Box more difficult than the Sphere . "
"As stated earlier, the Sphere is fired out and has minimal requirement towards your control once it's gone . All it needs is a hefty amount of resources and the relevant knowledge over the element you use to do its job . "
"Spells used by the Box method are usually on a continuous cast, like the mana shield . If you're going to maintain it against - say - an opposing fireball, you'll want to engrave water runes on it to make it into a water shield . "
"You will then have to manually control every aspect of the spell to defend against the fireball, which would shake your will itself . After all, it is still attached to the spell, and you have placed most of your focus onto it . "
"This means that you will directly feel whatever pain or rebound there is from the attack hitting the shield . Even worse, you might lose all concentration if the shield gets broken, or is hit by an attack that is too heavy . "
Richmond wagged his upraised finger with a slight smirk . "But let's assume you are able to perfectly defend against the fireball with your water shield . In response, the opposing mage fires out an earth spike to counter the water element of your shield . What do you do?"
Draco answered without thinking . "The ignorant and naive answer would be to cancel the water shield and try to craft a new shield while the earth spike is rushing towards you . The more astute answer would be to strengthen your water shield with more resources . "
"However, I think the best - yet most difficult - response would be to alter the runes on your Box, changing the element of the spell just like how you made the fireball into a fire elemental . "
Richmond clapped with happiness . "Great! That is exactly it . You took the words right out of my mouth!"
"To try and craft a new shield is the most foolish response . Putting aside everything, we shall assume that you and the opposing mage both have the same knowledge in regards to subjective magic . "
"As such, you both take the same amount of time to go through all the processes of creating a spell . Since the enemy has fired the spell and you are responding to it, how can you finish casting before it reaches you? You will just get skewered by their earth spike . "
"Trying to strengthen the water shield with more resources to resist the unfavorable elemental matchup was what I had told my own master, and he laughed . He demonstrated how futile that would be, due to one simple fact . "
"Willpower is limited . It isn't quantifiable by the system or by any measurement really, but empirical data proves that it is not infinite . It can be linked to one's mental and physical stamina in a way, so every one normally uses that as a gauge . "
"If you try to pull more resources into your spell, it becomes stronger, but commanding extra resources takes willpower . Assuming that summoning resources doesn't tax willpower, the increased strength of the spell will . "
"After all, the stronger the spell, the more Control required . If you decide to do this, the enemy could keep bombarding you with earth spikes till you reach your limit, then you are free for the killing . "
Richmond tapped on the diagram of the Box again . "As such, the only method is to alter the inscribed runes on the spell as that takes effect instantly . But as you said, doing this requires finesse and skill . "
"Let me show you the process for creating the Box . "
Draco nodded and activated the Eyes of Caelo . He saw that a transparent and ethereal box shape form in front of Richmond .
"The Box . "
Then, Draco saw the runes being inscribed on it, which loosely translated to 'a spherical shield of water surrounds me' .
"The knowledge of the elements . "
A grayish light surrounded the box with much more fluidity and thickness than it did when Richmond used attack spells .
"The will . "
Then, Worldly Energy rushed to the box and filled it to the brim before it was closed off, allowing the spell to form .
"The resource . "
Once it was completed, a water shield that looked like an ever-flowing wave on the sea covered Richmond's form, with only a small segment free to display his face .
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