Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics

Ethan slept soundly, and when he woke the next day, the red moon had already vanished.

Even the gods had been moved by his good deeds.

He pulled a Parchment Book from beneath his pillow. Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics was written on the cover. This was his daily required reading.

Read, practice, comprehend.

The Parchment Book contained only the simplest elemental spells. Its advantage was that even a complete beginner like him, who had never been exposed to Elemental Magic, could understand it.

Today, he could finally advance his cultivation to the next stage.

When Ethan had first arrived in this world, he too had been filled with lofty ambitions. He had imagined himself reaching the pinnacle of life like the protagonists of transmigration novels, but reality dealt him another crushing blow.

He discovered that his talent for magic was far from ideal.

It had taken him a full week from the time he began reading Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics to the moment he first condensed a spark of flame. Raising its proficiency to the maximum level had taken another two years. The only good news was that he was still young enough. At this rate, he would only be in his early thirties by the time he fully mastered the whole book.

An ordinary elemental mage, possessing just enough power to protect himself—that was Ethan's vision for the future. He called it his first ten-year plan.

There was nothing wrong with being ordinary.

Ethan turned the Parchment Book to the title page after Fireball Spell and leaned against the bed, reading with great interest.

The Parchment Book mentioned that the scorching heat of the Fire Element could effectively restrain Dark Creatures. However, in a world with an incomplete legal system, Evil God Cultists running rampant, and great nobles able to easily decide the fate of the lower classes, one could not avoid dealing with people. The book's author mentioned that the Ice Element was especially suited for resolving disputes between people.

Ethan's goal was to become a well-rounded hexagonal warrior. A miniature hexagon was still a hexagon.

Ice Arrow—From Beginner to Mastery.

The author was the renowned Mr. Anonymous. In the book, he put forth a very interesting view: the resonance between magic power and elements originated from "emotions." The clearer and more intense one's emotions, the easier it was to gain an element's resonance. Compared to himself two years ago, Ethan could now be considered experienced. Through his constant practice of Fireball Spell, he had vaguely grasped the essence of emotions.

The author believed that the essence of the Fire Element corresponded to glory. They preferred ambitious people.

This was not easy for Ethan, because he found it difficult to immediately think of any glorious moments in his life. When he racked his brains and traced his memories all the way back to a time in middle school when he had ranked in the top five of his grade on an exam, he was ruthlessly rejected by the Fire Element.

The Ice Element, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of the Fire Element. The author believed that its essence corresponded to pain and low points.

Ethan felt that this was probably the main reason one could only practice one spell at a time. The elements themselves possessed emotions and consciousness. Practicing multiple spells simultaneously would get one labeled a scumbag by them, making it impossible to pull off the "two-timing" effect.

He closed his eyes and felt magic power flowing through his body.

Now, he needed to revisit the coldest moment of his life.

Compared to when he practiced Fireball Spell, memories immediately surfaced before his eyes.

Had it been when he accidentally fell into a river while playing by its banks as a child? Or when someone shoved him into a snowdrift while he was on cleaning duty?

No, neither.

Ethan almost immediately picked out the coldest moment from those memories. It had been at the tail end of summer, when, at a friend's fervent recommendation, he had invested every cent he had painstakingly saved from work over several years into the stock market.

"There is only one chance in life to place a bet like this."

He could almost still hear those demonic Whispers. He had imagined himself only one step away from financial freedom, never again needing to watch his boss's expression.

Ethan imagined himself wandering aimlessly through a bustling street. Though the temperature was clearly above twenty degrees, he had been cold enough to shiver, cold enough to want to climb the tallest building in the city and fall with the evening wind.

When he opened his eyes again, he let out a heavy breath of warm air.

A thin frost spread from the bed to the window, forming icy blossoms across it. Cold gathered into a ball in the palm he held before his chest. At that moment, his emotions resonated with the Ice Element.

"It is already over. Things will get better."

The Ice Element seemed to be comforting him. If they had hands, they would probably pat him on the shoulder.

And a new skill had appeared prominently in his skill list.

Ice Arrow (Beginner): Proficiency: 1/45

Ethan stared for a long while at the Ice Element circling his palm. He felt that he should have been happy.

After all, he had learned Ice Arrow after just one meditation session, formed a close spiritual link with the Ice Element, and had even received their comfort.

Yet he could not smile at all.

Could it be that a miserable person like him was actually a born ice mage?

It was clearly good news, yet that voice full of humanistic concern felt as though it had stabbed his dust-covered heart once more.

Knock knock knock, knock knock knock—

The knocking interrupted Ethan's thoughts. He quickly dispersed the Ice Element in his palm, returned Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics beneath his pillow, wiped away the frost on the bed, and straightened his clothes.

The person outside introduced herself. "Ethan, I am Ivy, the town's constable. I would like to discuss the werewolf case with you."

"Coming!"

Ethan answered, put on his shoes, and walked to the door.

A slender figure clad in a black trench coat waited outside. Behind her golden monocle were brown eyes. Compared to a constable, Ivy looked more like a private detective. In Ethan's understanding, a constable should wear light armor, have a muscular build, keep a sword at their side, and inspire a full sense of security at a glance—not wear a pair of High Boots with heels so high that they clearly hindered combat, like Ivy did.

When he saw the revolver at Ivy's waist, he could only sigh that times had changed.

However, what Ethan found most memorable about the town constable was the top of her head. There was a small tuft of lively golden hair there, and he always felt that it likely possessed an independent personality and consciousness.

Just like now, Ivy's face was as expressionless as ever, but the golden hair atop her head swayed as it greeted him.

Ivy worshipped the God of Truth. She was said to be an outstanding graduate of the Enlightenment Society, as well as the town's only registered Tier 2 Transcendent.

The God of Truth had granted her boundless curiosity and keen powers of observation, allowing her to more easily see through the essence of things, as well as... their weaknesses.

Ivy keenly observed Ethan's current Mental State and said, "Sorry, perhaps I came at a bad time, but this concerns the town's safety. I would still like to ask you to clear up some doubts for me."

Ethan hurriedly composed himself. "Did something happen to the hunter team?"

"They are all safe. In fact, they completed the hunt exceptionally well. It is just that they brought this back."

Ethan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while Ivy took an object from an inner pocket of her coat.

It was an exquisite leather collar with a rope attached to it. She undid the collar before Ethan and displayed the strange runes written along its inner side.

Ethan immediately became alert. "This looks like writing used by Evil God Cultists."

"That is exactly what worries me."

"Please, come in."

After Ivy entered, Ethan immediately locked the door, shut the windows, and drew the curtains. Ivy sat solemnly at the table, absentmindedly fiddling with the leather collar. Only after the room had become completely quiet did she explain, "The hunters found it on the werewolf's remains."

She said, "I had planned to store it in the evidence room, but... how should I put this? It may sound a little indecent, but I actually... wanted to wear it around my neck."

Ivy delicately played with the leather collar in her hand, while Ethan was entirely drawn to the tuft of golden hair atop her head. It had split into two "hands" and covered its own "eyes," looking utterly distressed.

This kid is becoming harder and harder to watch!

Ethan felt that this was the emotion the tuft of golden hair was expressing.

"Ethan?"

Ivy's call interrupted his thoughts. "You are the person in town with the most extensive knowledge of mysticism, so I want to know what you think. Is it possible for werewolves to be domesticated by someone?"

(Sorry to have kept everyone waiting. Things did not go very smoothly while I was working on the beginning of this book. I revised it many times, discarded many of the original settings and ways the story was meant to unfold, and at one point even became somewhat lost in my own writing. But I have finally adjusted. The new book period is very important, so I hope all you readers can support it by following along. I hope to present a story that you will all enjoy!)

(During the new book period, there will normally be two updates a day. Starting tomorrow, two chapters will be updated every day at midnight. Since it is not advisable to update too quickly because of recommendation issues during the new book period, the accumulated bonus chapters will be released during the month when the book goes premium!)