Magic

Biodata

Principles of Spellcasting

Magic relies on the coordinated use of three elements:

Practitioners normally cultivate Soul Power through meditation, engrave and study Magic Runes, then condense mana to activate those runes. Rune study is particularly complex and requires extensive trial and error even for combat-oriented mages. 56

Magic Systems

Seven Conventional Magic Systems

The Seven Conventional Systems are foundational disciplines that every Magic Apprentice must master before qualifying as a Mage. Failing any one system leaves a practitioner with only the title of Magic Apprentice. 21

Special System Magic

Felix Magic Academy requires its apprentices to select one Special System elective in addition to the Seven Conventional Systems. Special Systems are often easier to begin but difficult to master, lack systematic structures, and generally cannot be advanced; their effects are correspondingly unusual and hard to defend against. 21

• Time
• Space
• Wood Spirit
• Necromancy
• Gravity
• Psychic
• Curse
• Illusion
• Summoning 21

Wood Spirit Magic

Wood Spirit magic is among the few Special Systems that can directly benefit a Magic Mentor. Apprentices specializing in it are commonly used to cultivate magic plants under the label of “practicing magic.” 21

Yu Sheng'an's large-scale Wood Spirit experiment sought crops with high yields and resistance to drought, saline-alkali soil, and sandy soil, demonstrating a non-combat application of magic. 21 22

Education and Advancement

Before the Internet, most people could learn magic only through family inheritance or enrollment in a magic academy. Academies therefore controlled magical education, mage recruitment, and access to resources. 9

The Internet Divine Art and its Library made introductory knowledge, advanced theory, and even Forbidden Magic available to users able to earn enough points. 7 The Internet Magic Academy further challenged conventional schools by allowing one teacher to instruct tens of thousands of apprentices without geographic limits. 9

Despite fears that open access would undermine academies, Online Courses primarily popularized basic magic. Intermediate and advanced study still required systematic institutional training, while broader magical literacy increased productivity and the availability of magical resources. 323

Societal Impact

• Magic is closely tied to social status, authority, wealth, and political power in the Kevil Empire. 21
• The spread of prayer-based Internet access allowed even illiterate rural farmers to connect and begin pursuing magical knowledge. 21
• Increased access caused a surge in unorthodox and commoner mages, reducing the scarcity and social value of low-level magic users. 58 336
• Basic spells remained highly practical for common people, including Light Magic for illumination. 58
• The widespread adoption of magic contributed to increased hunting, production, and magical-resource availability. 7 323
• Magic can support industry as well as combat, including powering steam engines and enabling mass production. 107

Notable Applications

• Combat — Fire, ice blades, lightning, light, darkness, and other magical effects can be used offensively; magic is described as capable of opposing gods. 15
• Construction — Earth Magic can reinforce and crystallize large underground spaces. 22
• Lighting — Fixed Inch Light spells illuminate facilities; thunder can be converted into light energy. 22 41
• Agriculture — Wood Spirit magic is used for cultivating magic plants and researching improved crops. 21 22
• Transportation and industry — Magic can provide mechanical power for factory steam engines, where conventional machinery offers a lower-cost alternative to Teleportation Arrays for civilian transport and production. 81 107
• Medicine — Life-related magical services can regrow lost fingers when supported by Life Interlink Insurance. 314

Trivia

• Forbidden Magic is available through the Internet Library, though its exchange cost is extremely high. 7
• A practitioner may study multiple magical branches, but most mages specialize after becoming official Mages because magical knowledge is effectively limitless while personal time is not. 39
• Yu Sheng'an mastered the basic spells of all seven Conventional Systems within two months, qualifying as a Magic Apprentice. 56