Chapter 201: 201
When Draco reached the courtyard, Riveting Night didn't move over to sit in her usual seat, rather she continued to the exit of the Rank 7 Castle. Hikari watched Riveting Night leave with a puzzled expression, but she didn't follow.
Draco also watched her departure with a slight smile. He knew where she was headed to, and while he would have liked to join her, he had his training which was of unmatched importance.
Hikari sat aside and watched with a dreamy expression as Draco began casting without pause. Just like Riveting Night or Zaine, Hikari couldn't help but swoon secretly when Draco was so serious.
Today, Draco didn't try to double cast rarer elements spell anymore. Unless he dedicated months to it, it would be impossible for such a thing to happen. Instead, he began something more important.
That's right, Draco was going to try casting a spell with the Box, in other words, a support/defense spell. These kinds of spells were much more complex and demanding than offensive spells.
It required much less in terms of initial resources - depending on the type of spell - however, it required intense control. Luckily, this type of control fell under the Focus stat, so it wouldn't be too intense for him.
Draco began the process by forming the shape of the Box, then inscribed the runes on it. He chose 'a shield of fire forms around me', to create the same type of fire shield as Richmond.
When it came to the point where he needed to add his will, he had to consciously envelop the whole box in it, which naturally was much greater than the little wisp he had placed in the Sphere.
The 'will' here referred more to concentration than willpower. It was in the same field as Draco's Void of Perfection, which gave him an advantage.
Draco would naturally have an easier time if he used his Control as a foundation for the whole process of subjective magic, but he chose to follow the hard path.
He wanted to gain the ability to use spells like this without his Control. Naturally, if this was in battle, he wouldn't hold back, but it would be foolish to use it during training.
Draco consequently filled the box with Worldly Energy. It turned out to be far less in quantity compared to what he had to summon for offensive spells. He closed the spell off and let it take form.
A shield of fire emerged around Draco, covering his form protectively. It radiated an intense heat that repelled any living being, but Draco who was inside it felt only the calmest warmth, as if he were wrapped in a snug blanket.
Richmond nodded with satisfaction. Draco had succeeded on his first try, but then again, the creation of the spell wasn't the hard part for defense/support spells. The stability and control of it would be the challenge.
Richmond gave Draco five minutes to familiarise himself with the management of the spell.
He had never looked at the awe-inspiring side of magic like most players and gamers did. He simply regarded it as a means to an end, which was typical of most amoral/evil fellows.
However, that once lost boyish streak of wonder emerged in his heart as he felt the spell in its truest form. It wasn't like offensive spells that were fired out and left to their devices.
He controlled this spell in every means of the word, and he experienced just how wondrous the ability to manipulate the elements and the world around him was.
This was something only achievable in Boundless, and this was why it had such a strong attraction value to the common man. Who in the modern world didn't want to shoot out fireballs or fly in the sky if given the chance?
Even though Boundless had a great many detriments, it also had far too many strengths. As for the matter of the current upheaval, it was causing in the world, Draco had seen the news of the drama unfolding but paid it no mind.
It would all subside in time.
Draco felt like his mind had been broadened, and this would greatly help his spellcasting ability in battle. That was why Richmond had given him 5 minutes to feel the wonder of the spell.
Now, it was time to test its sturdiness.
Richmond sent out a fireball that was of the same power as a Rank 1 mage using objective magic. Basically, a fireball as powerful as an average Pyromancer's spell.
It hit Draco's fire shield and the fellow was wrenched from his wondrous contemplation as he felt his mind shake. It wasn't enough to completely rattle him, but he did feel a response from his spell when Richmond attacked it.
\"What is the difference between a shield created by objective magic and one by subjective magic? The answer is quite simple.\"
Richmond began explaining in a casual one as he spawned another fireball and flung it at Draco's shield.
\"A shield created by objective magic has nothing to do with your control. The process is handled by the system, and the resources are deducted from your mana reserves.\"
The fireball hit Draco's fire shield once again, causing his mind to shake and tremble. Yet, it still held firm, even under the bombardment of two spells.
\"A shield like that normally has either a threshold of damage it can absorb before shattering, a length of time it can be held before it would dissipate or - most commonly - both.\"
Richmond created a torrent of water and shot it at Draco.
\"Subjective magic allows us to create shields that have none of those limitations. As long as you can maintain concentration while also stably providing resources, your shield can be maintained for eternity and block any damage.\"
The water pump collided with Draco's spell and doused the fire shield, forcibly dispelling it and making Draco cough blood. His head pounded as if someone had used a sledgehammer to whack him.
\"However, it is not perfect. One must take over the system's role and handle the strength of the barrier. Instead of a numerical amount of damage threshold, it becomes attached to the strength of your mind, or put simpler, your concentration.\"
Richmond lowered his hands and cast a restoration spell on Draco, healing all the damage and fatigue. \"As such, it simultaneously better and worse than its objective counterpart. If you have a strong and well-trained mind, it is greater. If you have a weak one, perhaps you should not bother.\"
Draco nodded and took Richmond's lesson to heart. After feeling the barrier shatter, he was extremely clear that if he didn't chug an Angel's Kiss potion while in battle, even a level 1 goblin would be able to cut him to death in that condition.
Of course, he would respawn with 5 seconds invincibility and let the perpetrator feel the wrath of the gods, but it would still be detrimental.
Draco began to cast again, using more than 6 hours to work on the different normal element variations of the mana shield as it was the most basic defensive spell.
He also tried to cast a buff spell. It was supposed to increase the damage of his allies slightly, or putting it in numerical terms, it should be an increase of 1%. Draco was a Grandmaster Enchanter who understood how runes worked intimately.
During the 'Execution' section, the fewer runes used, the more powerful the spell. That was because one would leave it ambiguous and general, allowing many beneficial effects to spawn.
What Draco had done by using two runes like Reva Rowa (Eternal Growth) was unprecedentedly unwise and dangerous - putting aside the fact that the Eternal Rune itself was a taboo - because he would have to use more willpower to fuse the enchantment if it spawned stronger effects.
But that was jumping one stage ahead. First of all, how was he supposed to fuel it? With what energy and with which Soul Stones?
Sure, he was rich as hell now, but the supply of Soul Stones of higher qualities was not infinite. One shouldn't forget, Soul Stones were acquired through the use of the extremely hard to find Soul Trap skill.
After that, the quality of the entity killed decided the quality of the soul energy. To get top-grade ones, one had to kill a least a Major Rank Monster or a Rank 5 NPC.
Just how many top-grade Soul Stones could there be in existence? It was just as rare as Aether Crystals, only that its utility was nowhere near that of Aetheric Energy.
So naturally, when inscribing runes on the Box, Draco made sure to be as specific as possible. This would keep the spell simple and precise, so that the resources he would have to provide wouldn't be outrageous.
After casting the buff spell on Hikari, her face became colorful as she felt the energy empower her. Draco felt a bit taxed out, despite only providing a 1% increase in her damage.
No wonder buff spells had short durations and were extremely rare, while having low percentages. It was extremely hard to cast a spell that influenced reality as heavily as buff spells.
However, what almost made Draco go crazy was the fact that the buff spell he cast on Hikari had no duration. It would hold as long as he dedicated a tiny wisp of will on it and continued to supply the resources in the background.
How heaven defying was this?
Of course, the whole aspect of subjective magic was heaven-defying and overpowered, but due to the difficulties Draco had faced in the process of mastering it, he hadn't really felt it.
After all, he could currently use only the bottommost spells, and even then, he would get fatigued after casting merely a few. Compared to his outrageous skill in physical combat, it was natural that he would see the just acquired magic as a bit weaker.
He envisioned himself steadily growing stronger with subjective magic, becoming able to supply higher quantity and higher quality resources to his spells. He also saw his control growing to the point where he could double cast with ease, or even triple cast.
He would be able to use rarer element spells as well as the highest elements with ease all in due time, maybe when he reached Rank 4 or higher. Even though it would be great, would his swordsmanship halt?
Who said Draco had reached the cap? He was nowhere close. Especially now that he knew Titled Gods existed, Draco wanted to meet the Sword God and learn from him, if not usurp his position.
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