Spell-less Arc Light

Li Wen walked into the Bell Tower. Inside, it was a vast, empty square space. The only thing of note was a Twilight Stone hanging overhead, identical to the one in the Temple of Tyrion.

"Marsala, Iktul." Li Wen uttered the incantation that had inexplicably lodged itself in her mind once more. With a grinding sound, the floor began to move, just as it had in the temple before. This time, however, it ascended instead of descending.

While waiting to depart, Li Wen reflected on the words of the Giant Bell.

"Amber City is a city isolated from the world."

Much like its namesake, Amber City was enveloped by the power of twilight, detached from the world to become its own domain. The perpetual twilight sky of Amber City was the most direct manifestation of this power, and one of the reasons it was considered eternal.

The Fire Mage was dead. Although he had used his potions, there was nothing to be done about it. The commission from Priest Mog and the Moon Worshippers was considered mostly complete. She had also visited Amber City, obtained a "pass" for round trips, and received a quest from the Elders.

Her next priority was to rapidly increase her strength and obtain The Final Codex. This was paramount. Only then would she explore the outer districts of Amber City.

Li Wen opened her character panel.

[Mephisto - Terra Human - Overall Level 1]

[Class: Radiance Spectrum - Path of Light Chasing (Phase 1) - Supplicant Lv1]

[Health 37% - Seriously Wounded (Lose 1% Health every 2 hours, Stamina reduced by 50%)]

[Magic Power 0/10]

[Abilities: Radiance - Prayer Incantation Lv1 (8%), Radiance - Shelter of Refraction (11 hours remaining)]

[Knowledge: Basic Ritual Lv1 (30%)...]

[Traits (6/6): Retrograde in Shadow (Blue), Blood of Candlelight (Blue), Nimble Hands (White), Professional Pickpocket (White), Necessary Sacrifice (Red), Radiant Shadow Refraction (11 hours remaining)]

[Status: One-Eyed]

[Experience Pool: 260]

After this battle, Li Wen's health had dropped to 37%, putting her in the Seriously Wounded category. Her Magic Power was completely depleted, rendering her combat-incapable for a period. However, the rewards were substantial. Not only had she confiscated all the magical items from the Fire Mage, but her experience pool had also reached 260.

260 experience points were enough for Li Wen to level up Prayer Incantation or learn a new Supplicant spell.

Since the effectiveness of Prayer Incantation had a level multiplier, upgrading from Level 1 to Level 2 would nearly double its impact. However, the allure of a new ability was equally strong. The Supplicant's Phase 1 had four abilities, and besides Prayer Incantation, the other three were also powerful and useful.

After some thought, Li Wen decided to choose a new ability. The fight with the Fire Mage had clearly exposed her deficiencies in combat. While Dark Word Curse could deal damage, it was too slow and weak to be decisive in a true life-or-death battle. After all, Dark Word Curse relied more on its blindness effect for control.

Therefore, Li Wen resolutely spent 200 experience points to learn a new ability.

[Spell-less Arc Light Lv1]

[Radiance - Divine Art]

[Requirements: 2 Magic Power, 1 Quick Prayer]

[Projectile/Enchantment - Quantity 1]

[Templar knights would smear solidified light onto their blades to drive away demons. In later ages, this was called Arc Light Technique by believers, as the blade of light was always curved.]

[When used on a weapon, it can provide a Radiance/Shadow enchantment with a 20% damage bonus for (Ability Level x 15) seconds. After enchanting, an additional 2 Magic Power can be consumed to unleash the light blade once, dealing a minor slashing damage (chance to cause bleeding) and (Ability Level x 10%) Radiance/Shadow bonus damage to targets up to 15 yards away. If the target is a demon, the damage increases by 50%.]

The strength of Spell-less Arc Light lay in its versatility. It could serve as a temporary enchantment to boost weapon damage, or as a ranged attack option in critical moments, catching enemies off guard. Most importantly, it only required a Quick Prayer.

A basic prayer took three seconds, while a Quick Prayer was a mere one second. This drastically improved Li Wen's combat tempo. Often, battles could be decided in just one second.

If she had possessed this skill during her fight with the Fire Mage, she could have ambushed him when he used White Mist. With a bit of luck, she might have defeated him in a single blow.

Furthermore, acquiring this new ability meant Li Wen's class level had reached Lv2, and her total Magic Power had increased to 20, equivalent to ten spell uses. This temporarily alleviated Li Wen's anxiety about insufficient Magic Power.

At this moment, the Bell Tower's magical elevator, or rather, the teleportation array in the form of an elevator, finally delivered Li Wen to her destination. It wasn't the original location of the Temple of Tyrion, but a narrow cave.

There were no signs of artificial construction within the cave, nor were there any complex array patterns on the ground beneath Li Wen's feet. It seemed returning to Amber City through this cave was impossible.

Pondering this, Li Wen left the cave.

This location was likely still within Black Dragon Territory, but definitely no longer in Streamstone Rift.

Speaking of Streamstone Rift, Li Wen thought of Take and her companions. They had contributed significantly to the battle against the Fire Mage, forcing him to expend many of his trump cards and Magic Power, and inflicting substantial damage.

They were probably still waiting in Streamstone Rift, and Li Wen hadn't had a chance to give them their promised rewards yet.

Never mind, I'll tell them when I see them again, Li Wen thought.

She glanced up at the stars. The in-game time had likely passed midnight. This hour was clearly not suitable for operating in the wilderness.

After a moment of consideration, Li Wen decided to log off in the cave and return to Ake Town during the day.

*

Meanwhile, in an unnamed forest within the Birch Territory of the Kingdom of Arthur, a prismatic high tower stood, unknown and undisturbed by outsiders.

However, today it was destined to receive an unexpected guest.

Moonlight quietly descended, and the shadows of the trees began to twist and distort, eventually forming a portal three meters high and two meters wide. An old man, clad in a white robe and wearing a mage's hat, emerged from the shadow portal.

"Greetings, Lord Aiswell. What brings you to the High Prism Tower at this hour?"

From atop the tower, a patrolling Mage saluted the old man.

"I'm looking for Heron."

Aiswell, a white-robed Mage and a professor at the Mystic Academy, said urgently.

"The Tower Master is in the reception hall. It might take a moment, Lord Aiswell. You are not the first guest today."

"Guest?" Aiswell didn't want to dwell on such trivial matters. He quickly added, "I have something extremely important that requires me to see Heron immediately. Hurry and inform him! The sooner the better!"