Spellcaster

The cloaked figure approached the bed. His black cloak began to stir as if moved by an invisible force circulating around him. He slowly raised his hands, his slender fingers tracing complex patterns in the air, leaving behind faint blue light trails.

The Tavern Owner involuntarily took a few steps back, his eyes wide. He had seen Spellcasters before, but never had he witnessed the casting of a spell so up close.

The cloaked figure softly chanted an obscure incantation, his voice like an undercurrent beneath ice, both chilling and profound. As the chant progressed, the light trails from his fingertips gradually shifted from blue to white, like sunlight on snow at noon on a winter day, so bright it made one unable to open their eyes. The Tavern Owner had to raise his hand to shield his face.

Within the light, the cloaked figure appeared exceptionally tall. He swung his hands forward, and the light slowly descended, finally merging completely into the patient's body.

"Ah..." The thief on the bed let out a heart-wrenching scream, his body convulsing violently. Countless tiny ice crystals appeared on his skin, only to quickly melt and turn into steam that rose into the air. The temperature in the entire room plummeted, and a thin layer of frost formed on the walls and floor.

The Tavern Owner's teeth chattered as he watched the scene in terror.

The cloaked figure remained motionless, his eyes under the hood flickering with even more complex runes than before. He softly uttered the final syllable: "Purify."

The thief's body arched sharply, then fell back heavily onto the bed. A wisp of black, cold air spewed from his mouth...

The room returned to its quiet state. The thief's complexion had returned to normal, though he appeared very pale. His chest rose and fell steadily, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

"He needs rest. The cold air has been removed, but his body is still very weak," the cloaked figure said calmly.

The Tavern Owner hurried forward and touched his companion's forehead, discovering with surprise that his body temperature had returned to normal. "Thank you so much, sir! You saved his life!"

"Take me to that cave. In return, the Nishang Grass is mine, and the Ice Leopard is yours."

The Tavern Owner nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course! I'll go prepare right away, but..." He hesitated, "Sir, that Ice Leopard is no ordinary Magic Beast. We might need two or three days to prepare..."

The cloaked figure was silent for a moment. "I hope this can be done as soon as possible. I have a patrol mission with the army soon."

"Patrol mission with the army?" the Tavern Owner asked doubtfully, though he already had a guess in mind.

"I am the Border Mage for this section of the frontier. When you are ready, you can find me at the Barracks. Just say you're looking for Mage Jialan."

"As I suspected!" the Tavern Owner thought to himself, feeling fortunate. This person looks young, yet he was able to silently subdue a Peak Junior Warrior just now. He's clearly not an apprentice Mage. Only the military could train such an outstanding Mage. Since he has military backing, I don't have to worry about them double-crossing us later.

With this thought, the Tavern Owner's smile widened. "I will personally invite you then."

The cloaked figure nodded, then bid farewell and left the tavern.

Mage Jialan, whose real name was Jialan Grant. As for his name in his previous life, it was best not to mention it. When his consciousness first descended into this world, he was just a newborn infant. Not long after, his father, a low-ranking officer in the Empire, died on the battlefield. Then, his mother also passed away from illness, and he was sent to an orphanage for soldiers' orphans.

In his youth, because there was an adult soul within his body, his Mental Power was quite high. He was eventually detected to have the talent to become a Spellcaster and was sent to the Imperial Magic Academy to study magic.

From the age of six until he became a formal Mage at eighteen, the orphanage had no obligation to continue his free education. To go further on the path of magic, he responded to the Empire's conscription and officially became a Border Mage.

He was currently a Junior First-Tier Mage. When he signed the contract with the Empire to become a Border Mage, he received a method to advance to Intermediate. The methods for promotion for almost all professions across the continent were extremely precious. His price was to serve as a Border Mage for 10 years, or kill 3 enemy Mages of the same rank on the battlefield, or train 2 formal Mages for the Empire.

The border he was currently serving in was located in the northern part of the Empire, bordering the Misty Forest. Due to the vastness of the Empire's territory, the area his unit was stationed to guard was over 200 square kilometers. The total number of troops was barely over a hundred, which included blacksmiths, cooks, and other support staff; only seventy to eighty people were truly combat-capable.

He was the only Spellcaster in the entire unit. This was because the area bordered the Misty Forest and Magic Beasts frequently appeared, prompting the Empire to dispatch a Mage to guard it. In this world, Spellcasters were already very rare, truly one in ten thousand. The Holy See took a large portion, the Mage Guild took a small half, and some chose to become wandering Mages, leaving very few for the Empire's military.

Most Spellcasters did not focus on physical training. Although they possessed many mysterious and powerful spells, their bodies were no different from ordinary people. Many Spellcasters even indulged in meditation and lacked physical exercise, making their physiques weaker than average. Mage Jialan, though different from them, was not much better than an ordinary person.

The snow made travel difficult, and by the time he returned to his post, it was already more than two hours later. He did not live in the Barracks but in a small wooden house about a mile away. The Barracks were too chaotic and not conducive to a Mage's meditation and experiments.

The small wooden house was built of Birchwood. The furnishings inside were relatively simple. The not-so-large room contained many items. Towards the back on the left was a large wooden bed covered with a thick layer of animal hide.

To the right was a large table with a high-backed chair in front of it, also covered with a thick layer of animal hide. On the table was a pen stand, and in front of it was a row of short glass bottles filled with various magical texts. Inside were special inks made from the blood, powder, and medicinal herbs of various Magic Beasts, used for writing.

The Mage walked directly to the table, tidied up the slightly messy desk, then took off his boots, sat on the chair, and began Shallow Meditation.

Meditation was divided into two major categories:

One was Shallow Meditation, where the meditator could maintain maximum awareness of their external environment and forcibly end the meditation without harming their mind or body. The drawback was that its effects were not very good.

The second was Deep Meditation. During Deep Meditation, the Spellcaster could not maintain awareness of their external environment, nor could they end the meditation at will. They could only regain awareness of the outside world when their subconscious reached a predetermined time.

If an outsider forcibly woke them, it would cause immense harm to the meditator, often resulting in permanent loss of some Mental Power or Mana, or even a rank reduction in severe cases. However, the effects of Deep Meditation were three to five times that of the former.