familiar

Time had come to September 1989, half a year after Touko had departed for her search in Europe.

Touko's growth in Net Magic was significant. In two years, she had raised her Wizard level to 8, gaining two Level 4 Spell Slots. Her Intelligence had increased by two points, reaching 20.

However, Touko harbored doubts about whether her growth system perfectly matched the player class manuals released in her "previous life." This was because before reaching Level 8, she had already acquired the "Spell Mastery" feat through daily meditation and research. This feat allowed her to prepare spells via Quick Meditation without a spellbook, preparing a number of spells equal to her Intelligence modifier ( (20-10) * 2 = 5), which greatly sped up her spell preparation each morning.

Upon reaching Level 8, she hadn't received an additional two points of Intelligence through a choice. It now seemed that even if she didn't actively choose Intelligence, it would increase with her growth. Furthermore, feats gained through personal effort and talent would replace the bonus feats awarded upon reaching corresponding levels. Therefore, class levels served as a safety net for Touko; as long as she was smart enough and possessed sufficient physical potential, she could acquire certain class abilities ahead of time.

In game rules, such limitations were set to balance character abilities, but it appeared that wasn't the case in the real world. Just like when Touko chose Alertness as her first bonus feat, her base Intelligence still grew by two points.

Based on Touko's current understanding, "classes" were essentially a form of human comprehension and application of universal rules. However, at this moment, Touko was not in the Forgotten Realms, so her class origin could only come from the "Weave Fragment" within her body, as this universe fundamentally had no concept of "classes."

In terms of spell acquisition, Touko had learned three Level 4 spells: Dimensional Anchor, Ice Storm, and Dimension Door, along with several lower-level spells like Nondetection, Protection from Energy, Greater Mage Armor, and Dimensional Prison. These spells were all very useful, but they required the right situation to achieve maximum effect, which greatly tested a Wizard's experience and wisdom.

Because Touko had a strong science background in her "previous life," she was very proficient in mathematics. This advantage allowed her to progress exceptionally quickly when learning the "Number Magecraft" of this world's mages. Even Alice Kuonji, with her reserved and aloof personality, had praised Touko's talent in Number Magecraft several times.

The reason Touko sought to learn Number Magecraft from Alice was that this type of magecraft enhanced the efficiency of magic operation. Touko already possessed superhumanly efficient mana circulation, so she wanted to capitalize on this strength, specialize in it, and push it to its absolute limit.

Through Number Magecraft, Touko had already elevated her signature Magic Bullet Projection to a level that would elicit a gasp of "Beast!" from even a Lord of the Clock Tower, fully embodying her destructive nature.

Simultaneously, Number Magecraft also served as an auxiliary magecraft for mages constructing incantations and magic formations. Improving this skill was entirely beneficial, and even Alice, her current magical mentor, couldn't find fault with it.

In addition to Touko's personal improvements, last year she had also spent a considerable sum of money to purchase a young New Caledonian Crow from abroad and transform it into her familiar. These intelligent birds were already paragons of avian intelligence, and New Caledonian Crows were particularly known for their cleverness among ravens.

After being transformed into a familiar, this little New Caledonian Crow gained a special supernatural ability in a language designated by Touko. Considering the breadth of language usage, Touko set this language to English.

Based on Touko's own Intelligence and level attributes, this New Caledonian Crow familiar now possessed 10 Intelligence, meaning it had reached the passing standard of an average human. Touko often chatted with it when she was bored, and the bond between the human and the crow was quite good.

Touko had given this clever little crow a name: "Dazhuang." She hoped this adorable little bird would grow stronger every day. Dazhuang was smart and obedient, deeply grateful for Touko transforming it from an ordinary crow into a highly intelligent Wizard's familiar, and cherished its current status.

It diligently completed every task Touko assigned, subconsciously worried that if it didn't perform well, Touko might get a different familiar, and it would revert to its previous state of a dull, ordinary animal.

Don't let that happen! Dazhuang thought. At least wait until the end of my crow life, right?

In reality, Dazhuang's worries were completely unnecessary because, in Touko's opinion, the New Caledonian Crow Dazhuang was absolutely the best choice for a familiar. Not only was its innate intelligence slightly higher than other crows, but Dazhuang's linguistic ability after becoming a familiar was also more convenient than other familiars.

Moreover, Touko liked Dazhuang's feather color, which, up close, was a smooth, "colorful black" that exuded a sense of luxury.

Touko had also spent a lot of money to buy Dazhuang various imported nuts and specialized health supplements for pet crows. For the young Dazhuang, these nutrient-rich foods allowed it to grow better, faster, and healthier than its peers.

Alice also had a robin, Robin, left by her mother, as a companion for casual conversation. Of course, it could also speak, but it was, after all, an artificial Familiar. The robin's language logic followed the mage's settings. Outsiders might not notice, but Alice, as its master, understood that the robin's "personality" was actually limited. Compared to Dazhuang, it fell far short.

Furthermore, Dazhuang was a Wizard's familiar that could share Touko's spellcasting abilities to a certain extent, something the robin couldn't compare to, no matter what.

Alice Kuonji was a lonely girl. Seeing the interaction between Touko and Dazhuang, she outwardly said nothing, but deep down, she was very envious.

Touko had discovered more than once that Alice would secretly leave snacks for Dazhuang in obvious places. Touko didn't expose her, only telling Dazhuang that it could eat any snacks Alice left for it.

Of course, Alice wasn't without her complaints about Dazhuang. However, these complaints weren't directed at Dazhuang but at Touko. Alice Kuonji was a girl who placed great importance on taste and style. When she first learned that Touko had given her important familiar a strange name like "Dazhuang," she almost argued with Touko. However, Touko had been evasive at the time, deflecting and changing the subject, making Alice's punch land on cotton. The issue of Dazhuang's name was thus left unresolved and abandoned.

Perhaps Touko would give Dazhuang a new name in the future, but for now, she was too lazy to think about it. Dazhuang was fine; a simple name meant it would be easy to raise.