Dragon Language and Spellcasting

Chapter 20: Dragon Language and Spellcasting

Zhao Xu had no way of knowing what Antinoa's face looked like beneath her hood.

However, her next action made Zhao Xu realize she was likely quite pleased.

"Very well, you've made this choice. But I hope you won't regret it in the future."

"Compared to those mages comfortably conducting research in their floating cities, you, as a battle mage, might face various life-or-death predicaments."

Zhao Xu smiled indifferently at Antinoa's words.

During his days of pursuing revenge, hadn't he lived on the edge every single day, honing himself?

"If I weren't so sure you can't significantly alter your face and age, I'd almost think you were a middle-aged person."

Zhao Xu's smile was tinged with a bit more bitterness.

"Alright, then. You can look at this book next. Convert your language first. You should still have language slots available."

A thick book flew directly from the bookshelf into Zhao Xu's hands.

He knew this was Antinoa's use of the zero-level Arcane Hand.

The only strange thing was that Antinoa hadn't made any casting gestures the entire time.

It was as if her words were law, and the book had flown over by itself.

Zhao Xu weighed the book, gently stroking the title on the cover: Dragon Language Codex.

He looked up at his mentor, a hint of confusion on his face.

"I'm going to learn a language now? I don't need to read those magic principle books anymore?"

Antinoa sat lazily on a soft chair in the room, the first time she had sat down in three days.

"Originally, you would have automatically recognized certain content in the future. My letting you read them at the beginning was simply to temper your disposition."

Zhao Xu hadn't expected Antinoa to mean this and looked at her curiously.

"Magic, what a mysterious power. To rush straight into spellcasting without revering magic is to be nothing more than a craftsman who uses spells, no different from those cannons mounted on the city walls."

"Even worse, when you conduct research without this sense of reverence, it will only lead to disaster."

Antinoa spoke these words with a touch of melancholy in her tone.

"Actually, when you returned to the dormitory on the second day, through the methods of you Earth adventurers, you should have realized that the mage training you received was somewhat different from that of other players."

"We basically assess every mage. Some individuals will have experiences like yours, starting their studies with these ancient texts. You are indeed the chosen sprouts."

"The difference is that those who actively study the classics do so by their own choice. Yours, however, was forced by me. The benefit is that you will definitely be on the right path and receive true transmission. The downside is that I decide when this phase ends."

Zhao Xu couldn't believe that in just two or three sentences, Antinoa had dropped such top-tier bombshells on him.

He finally understood why it was so difficult for mages in his previous life to learn advanced skills and powerful feats.

There was an extra hurdle. Those who first learned the principles and concepts would naturally be properly arranged by the association.

But those who first delved into spell models and learned how to cast spells would have to slowly grind their way up.

Only when they proved their character would they begin to experience the colorful world of mage society.

Yet, not a single person had ever mentioned this on any forum in his previous life.

At most, some high-level mages among the players would advise newcomers to read more of the magical classics within the game.

However, Zhao Xu still had some difficulty understanding.

"Wouldn't this screening method be too arbitrary?"

"I just praised you for being mature. With so many organizations and powers in this society, the Mage Association can only arrange the initial few feats and potential advancements for you players. Once you reach level 5, it's naturally up to each individual's opportunities. Those who are truly misjudged will still find their way out through their own strength."

Zhao Xu couldn't help but take a deep breath. The difficulty of the early stages for mages in his previous life, these associations likely bore some responsibility for.

For someone like him, with one human talent feat, two flaw feats, and one level 1 character feat, that was already a starting point of four.

Four powerful feats versus four garbage feats made a world of difference.

Zhao Xu could only say that due to his transmigration, he had always held a natural reverence for Arthur, which had, to some extent, allowed him to pass Antinoa's initial test.

At this moment, Zhao Xu's attention returned to the book Antinoa had given him.

"Many ancient texts are written in the Dragon Language, which is why one of the requirements for the mage class is proficiency in the Dragon Language. Once you've flipped through it, you can start trying to convert this language," Antinoa said.

Zhao Xu knew that this conversion was essentially activating their Dragon Language translation function.

Everyone naturally mastered the Common Tongue and their own racial language, and could also learn additional languages equal to their Intelligence modifier.

He had a +3 Intelligence modifier, which meant he could master three additional languages.

Previously, he lacked the opportunity, so he had naturally been unable to activate and master the Dragon Language.

Now, he realized that the codex in his hand was the Dragon Language activation key that players referred to, allowing them to easily convert one Dragon Language.

He just hadn't expected that while others used dragon bones, dragon hides, or dragon blood, he had a legitimate book.

A moment later, after Zhao Xu finished flipping through it, he found that his personal panel had also been updated.

Name: Midsummer

Race: Human/Otherworldly Creature (Earth)

Age: 22

Gender: Male

Body Type: Medium

Weight: 76 kg

Height: 183 cm

Identity: Ultimate Scroll - Secret Keeper

Alignment: Absolute Neutral

Belief: Goddess of Magic Sislvina

Eyes: Black

Skin Tone: Yellow

Hair Color: Black

Basic Speed: Walk 30 ft/round (approx. 9.1 meters per 6 seconds)

Languages: Common, Dragon Language, Pending, Pending

Racial Traits: At level 1, gain an additional 4 skill points. For each subsequent level gained, receive an additional skill point. At level 1, automatically gain an extra Feat.

Zhao Xu only then learned for the first time that his identity was actually a Secret Keeper, likely the lowest rank in the organization.

However, Antinoa did not relax at all. The books on the bookshelf flew over one by one and were arranged on his desk.

"First, you should read "Fundamentals of Spell Models" and the second book, "Spells, Gestures - On Casting Components," then finally read the "Book of Zero-Level Cantrips" at the very bottom."

"After you finish these three books, I will discuss the choice of your first Feat with you."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu nearly burst into tears. He had finally taken the first step and begun learning to cast spells.

Immediately, Zhao Xu calmed himself and entered a state of study.

Like every novice Mage in Arthur, if he couldn't understand something, he would first memorize it, forcing himself to learn the various spell models by rote.

It was just that previously, when he studied magic theory, the effort he put in yielded no visible results.

But with these few books, each one represented his spellcasting progress increasing by 1%, and so Zhao Xu's motivation was completely different.

Meanwhile, Antinoa, listening to the rustling of his pages, seemed to read his mind, clearly knowing what content he was looking at and what doubts arose in his heart, and gradually explained the meaning of each part to him.

As for the other Mage academies on the continent at this time, countless apprentices were simultaneously copying the models by hand while reciting them. Only when they could completely transcribe them were they qualified to proceed to the next stage of listening.

According to their instructors, if they couldn't even memorize a few simple books, what right did they have to be Mages?