Affinity

Extraordinary charisma! Soren stared blankly at the little girl before him, finding it hard to believe. "Could Vivian be a natural-born Sorcerer?"

Sorcerer.

The rich and handsome class among spellcasters!

They did not need to learn any knowledge. As time passed, they would naturally master related Spell abilities. They did not need Spell Slots, nor did they need to rely on the Weave to cast spells, because their ability to cast spells was their talent. It was as simple as eating and drinking. As long as they possessed the potential to become Sorcerers, once the time came, they would naturally comprehend all kinds of spells. They did not need to understand the structure of spells either; they could cast all manner of spells entirely through instinct.

Wizard, priest, Sorcerer.

These were the three representative classes among spellcasters.

The attribute governing a Wizard's spellcasting ability was Intelligence. The attribute affecting the amount of a priest's Divine Magic was Wisdom. The attribute determining a Sorcerer's capacity for comprehension was Charisma.

These three attributes were actually difficult to explain thoroughly in just a few words.

So.

Let me think it over properly, sort out my thoughts, then explain it to you with simpler analogies.

First was Intelligence.

It represented memory and comprehension. Casting spells required memorizing complex formula structures. These structures were somewhat like modern circuit boards, covered in semiconductors and electrical circuits. Therefore, successfully casting spells required memory and comprehension as powerful as a calculator's. Using a modern analogy, Wizards needed to train their brains into rudimentary biological computers, capable of calculating massive numbers of Spell Formula structures in an instant. This required developing the right brain!

Therefore, most Wizards possessed impressive memories and extremely strong comprehension, like the very best among top students—people capable of deducing the structure of an atomic bomb in their heads.

In fact.

Such people were not necessarily particularly capable in dealing with others or in other areas!

That was the Intelligence that determined a Wizard's strength.

Next was Wisdom.

This was much easier to understand. It represented a person's willpower, judgment, perception, and intuition. People with high Wisdom generally possessed a latent Sixth Sense, allowing them to foresee certain things in the dark. Their awareness of their surroundings was also very strong. They could notice many subtle changes and even sense hidden beings and powers.

That was why Soren had tested Vivian's "Sixth Sense"!

Finally came Charisma.

This was the hardest thing to explain. It could be understood as three parts: appearance, personal charm, and affinity.

We need to pause here.

Because it could not be explained clearly in just a few words, the wording needed to be organized first.

First was appearance. Most people with exceptional looks possessed decent Charisma, because the overwhelming majority of intelligent beings pursued beauty. In other words, the ranks of appearance-focused people remained extremely strong. Next was personal charm, a person's inner appeal. For example, many people who did not look particularly handsome or beautiful often possessed very powerful personal charm. Representative examples were figures on the level of heads of state. The following passage could describe the practical effects of personal charm:

"On February 26, 1815, Napoleon returned to France from Elba Island. The restored Bourbon Dynasty sent out troops. Napoleon brought no one with him and went alone to meet them. He waved and said, 'I'm back...' Then those soldiers shouted, 'Welcome, Your Majesty the Emperor!' ...And just like that, they switched sides!"

Finally came affinity.

This was the most important branch of the Charisma attribute. Those with high Charisma often possessed powerful affinity. So long as there was no conscious rejection, they could easily make others feel favorably toward them. This affinity came in many forms, and its target varied according to one's own traits—for example, affinity toward people, affinity toward animals, and most importantly, affinity toward Elemental Energy.

Even affinity toward the laws of the entire universe!

So.

Spellcasters could roughly be described using these three analogies, with the target uniformly defined as the Elemental Energy of Evocation.

First were Wizards. They relied on Intelligence to Search for Elemental Energy, analyzing it through complex calculations and understanding its nature: when it was active, when it was inert, what changes would occur when different Elemental Energies collided, what alterations would occur when identical Elemental Energies combined, what kind of Spell Circuit was needed to control them, and how many spell nodes needed to be set to make them erupt with powerful force!

This was the core of how Wizards cast spells through Intelligence.

Next were priests. They relied on Wisdom to discover Elemental Energy, then used the Power of Faith to influence it. Finally, through the power of the Gods, nature, or laws, they controlled it to complete the casting of spells. That was why priests gave their faith to the Gods, Druids gave their faith to nature, and certain special classes gave their faith to the laws of the world.

Finally came Sorcerers.

This was very simple.

Because they did not need to do anything. They only needed to wait for Elemental Energy to gather around them on its own, then awaken their spellcasting abilities.

If Wizards seized Elemental Energy and controlled it, then priests discovered Elemental Energy and influenced it. Sorcerers, on the other hand, waited for Elemental Energy to actively draw close to them.

That was why people said, "Sorcerers are the rich and handsome ones among spellcasters!"

However, talent alone clearly could not lead to the highest achievements. Therefore, the number of spells Sorcerers mastered was far fewer than that of Wizards, and they were also much slower at learning and mastering new spells, because most Sorcerers did not have particularly high Intelligence. Their memory and comprehension were average. A low-level spell that a Wizard needed three to five months to understand and master might take a Sorcerer thirty to fifty years to master.

A representative example was the Kobold Sorcerer. These creatures possessed a natural Charisma of over 16, but their Intelligence was only around 10. Basically, whatever spells they comprehended when advancing their Sorcerer level were the only spells they could cast for the rest of their lives. Only Sorcerers with Intelligence above 18, possessing the potential to become Wizards, could expand the number of spells they knew through study.

If the Goddess of Magic fell, then the requirement rose to Intelligence above 20!

If your Intelligence was insufficient.

Then you should honestly rely on talent to cast spells.

Because no matter how hard you studied, you could not memorize those complex Spell Circuits and spell nodes. You would never be able to consciously construct new Spell Formulas.

The higher the spell's level, the more this was true!

Was she really a Sorcerer?

The more Soren thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The little girl appeared to possess naturally good affinity, and she was quite adorable too.

Her Charisma was definitely no lower than 16!

Then if Vivian really was a natural-born Sorcerer, she did not need to understand what spells were at all. She only needed to follow her feelings and rely on her talent to cast them!

That was why she had learned the "Light" spell after watching a priest cast it once.

Because 0-level Spells were universal.

Soren closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Vivian."

"Repeat after me!"

"Ua... is... gf..."

Relying on his powerful memory, Soren uttered several strange half-syllables. An ordinary person would have found it difficult to make these sounds, but he managed to speak them.

Of course.

Nothing happened.

But when Vivian repeated those strange half-syllables after Soren, a faint electric arc suddenly appeared in her palm. Soren's body stiffened at once, and all the hairs on his body stood on end!

—Lightning Shock!

The hair on Soren's forehead stood straight up. He hurriedly stopped Vivian and said in a low voice, "Let go of your feelings!"

"Try using your will to control the energy you can sense!"

"You don't need to understand it."

"You only need to learn how to make it listen to you!"

Crackle, crackle.

Vivian nodded as though she half understood. She made a very earnest attempt, and a faint electric arc appeared in her palm once more. After flickering several times, it gradually vanished.

"Success!"

A trace of joy appeared on Soren's face. He happily picked up the little girl, kissed her, and said, "Vivian really is a Sorcerer!"

"In the future, she'll definitely be the rich and beautiful one among spellcasters!"

The little girl did not understand Soren's words at all, but that did not stop her from breaking into a delighted smile.

Because she finally had the ability to help her brother.

Sorcerer.

As their innate abilities awakened, casting 0-level Spells required only a key, and that key was the spell's incantation.

In the future, as their class levels rose, they would naturally comprehend and master higher-level spells!

Depending on the focus of their affinity, Sorcerers would comprehend related spells on their own and automatically master the spells' incantations. They did not need to analyze the structural models of those spells at all.

Because their ability to cast spells was itself a kind of talent!

Finally.

A creature's brain possessed inherited memories and inherited talents. Many Players once believed that this ability was the source of a Sorcerer's power. While possessing extraordinary affinity, the energies of nature would also awaken the inherited memories they carried, automatically awakening related spell memories when their abilities improved.

So.

Many people believed that Sorcerers were descendants of certain powerful beings from the age of myth!

A representative example was the Dragonblooded Sorcerer.