Du Pont took the last few silver coins from his waist pouch. These glittering little things stamped with triangular wizard hats gave off a mesmerizing sheen in the afterglow of the setting sun. Their pleasant clinks when they occasionally collided failed to pull him from his thoughts. Only the turtledove in the flowerpot tilted its head, as if checking whether its master had fallen asleep.
After a long while, Du Pont sighed.
There were many ways to make money, but without a certain amount of capital, he could basically only rely on his own abilities.
Starting from nothing was quite difficult. Even scamming and swindling required a certain stock of knowledge and prior scouting. For someone who had only arrived in this world a day ago, it was practically impossible.
Looking at the enchanting night outside, Du Pont lit the oil lamp on the bedframe. The burning wick gave off a wisp of silvery smoke, and its distinctive incense made him narrow his eyes.
Soothing Lamp Oil: Lamp oil infused with special herbs. It calms the mind and aids sleep. One gold coin per pound.
It seemed his previous sleep quality had not been very good either, considering he had been willing to spend so much money on something like this.
Summoning Mage Hand to pinch out the wick, Du Pont closed his eyes.
Training ground practice did not require scrolls. He was not very sleepy yet, so he might as well practice some more first.
As long as he succeeded every time, he would only spend 400 Experience Points per month on Scribe Scroll. The 1,000 Experience Points lost each month could be ignored, and he could still gather the required Experience Points through studying alone in two months.
This was a major boon for him, and the most reliable thing he could do right now.
If he could not increase his income, then he should focus on cutting expenses.
--
"Coo, coo, coo! Coo, coo, coo!"
The noisy birdcall made Du Pont open his eyes in annoyance. Seeing that the clock only read six o'clock, he could not help sighing.
Turtledove: A not particularly intelligent avian messenger. Its lack of intelligence makes it very cheap, but its memory is actually quite good. With training, it can also provide a free wake-up time announcement service.
It had been nearly eleven when he went to sleep yesterday. No matter how he counted it, he had not gotten eight hours.
"I'd better teach it not to call."
Just as he was about to go back to sleep, a system notification drove away all his drowsiness.
29 days, 5 hours, and 29 minutes remain until the user's repayment deadline. Please find a way to gather the principal and repay it as soon as possible. Your body remains in a weakened state, but the condition has improved slightly.
After washing up, Du Pont followed his memories and attempted to use Dust Removal Spell.
This spell was extremely convenient. It could remove dust and easily cleaned grime from the body, and it could also be used to clean the house.
Was that why even the cafeteria had been so spotless?
"Depulsionis Pulverum!"
The incantation for Dust Removal Spell had far more syllables than Mage Armor, yet Du Pont found it exceptionally smooth when he considered it. The spell itself required only three simple gestures, and a chill spread across his skin.
A faint yet forceful breeze appeared out of thin air. It carried away the dust on his skin and debris such as earwax that he had failed to wipe away. Several seconds later, all the dust gathered into a tiny sphere. When the sphere vanished, all the filth vanished with it.
Du Pont clicked his tongue in amazement. This really was the perfect choice for lazy people, far better than a robot vacuum.
Magic changed lives.
He tried again. Cleaning the room only took one Dust Removal Spell as well, though the larger the area being cleaned, the longer he had to wait. And if he wanted every spot cleaned, he still had to direct it himself. Otherwise, the trick could not handle certain corners or larger pieces of trash.
When using Dust Removal Spell to clean a large area, spell concentration must be maintained.
Hearing this, Du Pont fell into thought.
Mage concentration was a common spellcasting technique in the new spell system. By maintaining casting concentration, some spells that originally lasted only minutes could be extended for an hour or even longer. It greatly benefited low-level spellcasters and had once been called revolutionary.
Of course, it had drawbacks too. One could no longer casually stack more than a dozen buff spells like mages of the old era.
But that was not much of a problem for beginners. He only had four first-circle spell slots anyway, so maintaining concentration was more worthwhile.
From that perspective, the old and new spell systems each had their own advantages and disadvantages.
For those high-level spellcasters, the old system was more powerful, because they had enough spell slots and wealth to pile more enhancement spells onto themselves. But for low-level mages and apprentices, the new system was almost the only choice. Its convenience and reliability completely outclassed the old school.
Especially for a mage with mediocre talent like him. Under the old system, he probably would not even qualify as a spellcaster, let alone as a support tool.
If he could become a high-level mage with lofty status and no shortage of resources, the gap between the two systems would grow even wider. Their upper limits were completely different.
But for a mage apprentice, what was an upper limit? Could he eat it?
It would be more practical to learn Fireball early, graduate, and collect a stipend. Even outside the academy, he could join the army or serve a local lord, begin enjoying a corrupt feudal life early, and achieve a leap in social class.
In other words, if I wanted to learn the old system, I would have to study an entirely different branch and waste a huge amount of time. Where would I find that kind of energy now?
Du Pont shook his head and looked through the many feats displayed by the system. Suddenly, he noticed a very interesting option.
Mythic Power.
Mythic Power is a weakened version of divine power, a force possessed only by demigods. It is generally a powerful force granted by the gods or the world after one accomplishes certain great deeds and receives their blessing.
Du Pont silently nodded after reading it, then opened the Legendary Action section below.
Some relatively powerful or long-lived creatures may possess abilities beyond mortal imagination. Once dragons reach adulthood, they gain corresponding Legendary Actions with tremendous destructive power.
Only monsters could have them?
Long-lived vampires are relatively common possessors of Legendary Actions. In recent years, some warriors have also learned a technique called "Action Surge." This technique directly changed the standing of warriors, and many people call it the warriors' Legendary Action.
Du Pont's eyes widened after reading that.
So it could be counted that way?
Before you continue