Beginner's Guide to Fireball
[[Guide] A miracle for non-caster classes: introductory theory and applications of Fireball—the lighting revolution from scratch]
[Posted by: Su Luo]
[Foreword: good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, fellow survivors]
[I'm Su Luo. I'm sure that after three days of struggling, you've all come to understand that "darkness" is one of our greatest enemies. A stable light source means more time to explore, a safer environment for combat, and, more importantly, hope of keeping our sanity]
[This post offers a way to learn how to create a sustainable, controllable source of light]
[This post aims to guide survivors with a certain Talent (a Magic Power attribute of 4 or higher) in attempting to cross the "class barrier" and master [Fireball], an initial skill that may belong to mage-type classes]
[Please note: this post is not a quick-use guide for a system skill, but a path to self-study based on the Skill Book's body of knowledge. [Fireball] mastered this way cannot be quick-cast through the system interface]
[But the value of the stable, controllable lighting it provides during the early stages of exploration goes without saying]
[Key terms: Magic Power, will, Fire Element, shaping, simplified spell model...]
[Part one: core theory—understanding the essence of a "fireball"]
[The system-defined [Fireball] is not simply the combustion of matter. Its essence is: "Using one's will to guide the Magic Power generated within the body into resonance with the Fire Element in the atmosphere, constraining and shaping it and imparting instantaneous kinetic energy to it, ultimately forming a mass of plasma energy with basic energy-shaping properties."]
[...]
Su Luo spent half an hour putting together a detailed post on his understanding of [Fireball], from its theoretical core to the basics of putting it into practice, then clicked publish.
Afterward, he casually used Gathering on the three Wooden Chests, instantly breaking them down into six units of standard wooden planks. As for the Iron Chest, he planned to save it for use as a bucket the next time he entered a Dungeon.
With all that done, he stretched contentedly, opened the pictures of the Skill Books Qin Lang had sent him once more, and immersed himself in a sea of knowledge.
His plan was perfect and efficient: when his digestion was going well and his energy was plentiful, he would tackle [Meditation] and the [Basic Visualization Method]. In between, he would study the deeper applications of [Fireball].
A perfect arrangement...
[...You guys go ahead and learn it! I'm a martial general!]
[What the heck is Magic Power?]
[It's so hard! I don't understand it...]
[Pretty useful. My experience reached (25/50) in half a day]
[Why not just use a Skill Book? What a pathetic attempt to get attention]
[LOL, the clown upstairs. Do you have a Skill Book? Do you have a class?]
[Did Su Luo find his Sanctuary again? Why's he suddenly doing research?]
[Super useful! But I have too little Magic Power to keep it up for long. Expert, could you make a beginner's guide to [Meditation]?]
The fourth day was coming to an end. Su Luo looked up from his absorbed study and glanced at the forum replies.
"A Meditation guide? Sure, I'll get around to it later," Su Luo said to himself.
He looked at his skill interface:
[Meditation Level 9 (0/900)]
[Basic Visualization Method Level 9 (0/900)]
[Fireball Level 6 (57/600)]
The leap in his Spirit attribute had brought a corresponding increase in the efficiency of his learning and comprehension.
[Spirit: 8.0 (↑0.8)]
[Magic Power: 13 (↑4)]
The effect of diminishing returns was still there. Although the two skills had gained a total of six levels, his Magic Power had only risen by four points.
Yet his Spirit had increased by 0.8. Going from Level 8 to Level 9 had raised the attribute by 0.2 in one go!
So... could leveling up high-level skills "make up the shortfall"?
For example, when someone with two points of Constitution leveled up the [Basic Body-Strengthening Technique], it might increase by 0.3 or even 0.4 points in one go.
Su Luo rubbed his chin, wanting to churn out another post about the compensation mechanism by which leveling up high-level skills made up for low attributes.
His high-level skills had now surpassed his Spirit attribute, so each level gained could grant him more attribute points to "make up the shortfall."
But Su Luo put all that aside for now. He had other important things to do.
Facing the boundless darkness, Su Luo remained perfectly composed. He held his left hand behind his back, extended two fingers of his right hand like a sword, and pressed downward at the air. Magic Power surged through his body like a flood released from a dam, and a complex spell model took shape in his mind in an instant!
"Hummm—!"
A huge fireball flickering with dark red light slowly emerged from thin air, hovering in midair and radiating waves of searing heat.
He tapped lightly with his fingertips, and the fireball suddenly split as though it were alive! One became two, two became four...
After a few seconds, dozens of fireballs, each the size of a human head, were packed together in front of him, lighting up the surroundings!
With another shift of his thoughts, all the fireballs rapidly merged again. The flames compressed inward, their color changing from dark red to crimson and then gradually growing brighter, radiating a terrifying, heart-stopping heat!
Su Luo nodded in satisfaction and blasted the fireball away, setting a large tree that stood silent in the darkness ablaze.
"Just as I thought! I'm ahead of the version!" A delighted smile appeared on Su Luo's face.
Elemental attacks were a power survivors should only have been able to master after changing classes, yet he had forcibly mastered them through sheer knowledge and understanding!
Thirteen points of Magic Power were more than enough. The growth of the Magic Power attribute was also nonlinear, and every point of growth contained power far beyond imagination.
He casually flicked an improved little fireball above his head. It shone brilliantly, like a suspended incandescent light bulb, yet cleverly contained the vast majority of its heat, casting only a soft, steady light around him.
The cost of maintaining it was exactly equal to his own Magic Power recovery rate.
He compared it against the information in the forum's monster compendium and estimated the power of his fireballs.
"Heh, looks like wiping out Level 0 and Level 1 mobs is a piece of cake now."
After his brief excitement, Su Luo quickly calmed down. He still had no intention of going out to kill monsters and level up.
"Keeping a low profile and developing my strength is the way to go."
[Survival Log updated: day four]
[Current area (Zone 76) survival rate: 71.54%]
[Based on an assessment of survival data from the past four days, deeper adaptation of regional rules is complete]
[Class System unlock preview: after reaching Level 5 (100%), the path to leveling up will be temporarily locked. A [Class Change Certificate] must be used to complete a Class Change before levels can be increased further. A [Class Change Certificate] has a chance of being obtained by clearing a Dungeon]
[Title System preload: actions such as continued exploration, killing Elite units, being the first to clear a Dungeon, and ranking near the top of leaderboards will accumulate hidden "regional reputation." Title levels will unlock certain functions in a later version, and some titles have special buff effects]
[Monster ecology enhancement: the chance of "Elite" monsters appearing has increased slightly, the spawn rate of Level "2–3" monsters has increased, and higher-level monsters will soon appear...]
[Party function preload: after the "Monster Tide" event, the party function will be loaded. Survivors will then be permitted to teleport between Sanctuaries]
[Regional event warning: a "Monster Tide" is gathering and is expected to arrive in 72 hours. During this period, monster activity and aggression will increase significantly, and a small number of "Elite monsters" may appear. Be sure to rely on your Sanctuaries for defense]
[Do everything you can to survive]