Awakening Ritual

Less than ten minutes later, a maid came knocking at the door.

But before Zhao Xu could stand up, Antinoa had already opened it. Without saying much, the maid respectfully lowered her head, hurriedly set down a box of items, and left.

Only then did Zhao Xu realize that the awakening method Antinoa had mentioned was not something like reading books, but required certain materials.

"The way to awaken as a Mindful Caster is very simple. Once I finish setting up the ritual, you just need to sit in the middle for a while," Antinoa said as she opened the box.

Zhao Xu was a little bewildered. "That simple?"

Wizards had put him through all sorts of trouble just to chant a spell. Some players could already cast cantrips, yet were still stuck on learning the two abilities, "Scroll Scribe" and "Summon Familiar."

Wouldn't that mean he had two fewer hurdles to cross than everyone else? According to her, all he had to do was sit there for a while.

He had originally thought he would need to master those two abilities himself before giving them up in exchange for the Mindful Caster ability. Apparently, that was not how it worked.

"Mentor, if I awaken the Mindful Caster ability, then later choose another Basic Profession instead of becoming a Wizard, wouldn't that mean I got an ability for free?"

Antinoa's hood tilted slightly, clearly indicating that she had glanced at him.

"What are you thinking? If you do not become a First-level Mage within a certain time limit, you will lose all these extra abilities. Other than your Draconic, which comes with your Intelligence."

"Only after you complete your first Class Level will it become the anchor for all your class abilities and stabilize them. And I advise you not to entertain any obvious loophole-exploiting fantasies."

"For hundreds and thousands of years in Arthur, countless people have already tried every method you can think of, or cannot think of."

"That includes how many novice Wizards love the idea of making money later by lending out Spellbooks for others to copy."

Before learning about Mindful Caster, Zhao Xu had indeed planned to do exactly that. He could make money by letting others copy them; only an idiot would refuse. It was not as if he alone possessed those spells in the entire world.

"Think about it. Why not simply use magic to duplicate Spellbooks? Or find someone with an exceptionally powerful memory—wouldn't they be able to memorize them by force? Why must one spend an entire day studying them? Why not just copy them directly without studying?"

"When you copy, you must understand how the entire model operates, so every stroke contains your own insight. But that insight cannot last. Only by experiencing the insight contained in the Spellbook can you prepare that spell again. This is determined by the Wizard's method of casting."

"Ordinary Wizards usually learn this while Scribing Spells."

"But what they do not know is that when the owner of the Spellbook lends it to you to copy, the owner is preparing spells along the same path, so there is no issue. But when an outsider comprehends it, the model's flow itself can be disrupted. Thus, every copying carries the risk that the spells in the original Spellbook will fade away."

At those words, Zhao Xu's heart trembled. So lending someone the original to make a copy could even result in damage to the original.

In that case, even after the other party finished copying it, would he not have to spend another 50 GP—or 12.5 GP per page—to copy his own spells back from them?

What a pain. At this rate, other than very close Wizard friends, ordinary people would not casually lend out Spellbooks. Who knew how much damage the model itself might suffer?

As Zhao Xu pondered this, Antinoa had already begun using the materials the maid had brought to draw on the ground outside his dormitory.

When Wizards in Arthur cast spells, they used Hand Seals and incantations, perhaps with materials added on top.

They rarely needed to make such a grand production of drawing all over the ground, so this probably was not spellcasting.

"A ritual." After sketching out a hexagram, Antinoa continued using that specially made chalk-like tool to draw strange runes.

"Rituals are a system independent of spells, though they overlap with magic in some ways. For example, a long ritual can achieve effects similar to certain spells. But because they take so long, they are unsuitable for combat. Still, they are one of the ways ordinary people without spell scrolls can wield mysterious powers."

"And some rituals, like this one, are used to awaken class abilities. These are generally common in the awakening of various class abilities."

"Through this ritual, your future abilities, 'Scroll Scribe' and 'Summon Familiar,' will be drawn out in advance, and you will no longer be able to gain them. Have you thought it through?"

Zhao Xu nodded with a resolute expression.

Once he made a decision, there was no reason to regret it.

More importantly, Antinoa had chosen the same path. He refused to believe he could truly get the worse end of the deal.

"Then go sit in the center of the ritual."

Upon hearing that, Zhao Xu stood up at once and followed Antinoa's instructions, walking into the completed magic array and sitting down.

As he looked at the white candles lit at each of the hexagram's six points, the mysterious powder scattered around him, and his own half-real, half-illusory shadow—

Zhao Xu could not help feeling a little creeped out. Wasn't this usually the sort of scene found in Western horror movies, where a suicidal little group tried to perform Spirit Communication?

"Even if the Demon Lord came, I could kill it and send it back. What are you worried about?" Antinoa said.

Zhao Xu could only comfort himself.

True enough, with Antinoa's strength as a Legendary Mage, if she really encountered an avatar of one of those legendary Demon Lords, it would not necessarily be empty boasting to say she could slaughter her way through it.

"Hold this paper, recite the incantation written on it, then meditate on your heart as an endless, profound path."

As Antinoa spoke, a sheet of paper drifted smoothly before Zhao Xu's eyes.

It made Zhao Xu wonder just how many Zero-level Spells of Mage Hand his mentor had prepared.

But when he took it and saw the densely packed incantation, so cramped it nearly could not fit on the page, Zhao Xu suddenly had his doubts—

Had his mentor, whose Intelligence was an absurd 50, also chosen some sort of flaw like forgetfulness? Why did she always hand things to him only at the very last moment?

Fortunately, the incantation itself was not difficult to pronounce. Under the pressure of this mysterious ritual, Zhao Xu memorized it immediately.

Then he closed his eyes and imagined himself traveling along a deep, endless path.

With his eyes closed, Zhao Xu did not notice Antinoa take out a holy symbol of the Goddess of Magic and place it at one of the rune array's focal points.

She then took out a bottle of Holy Water and poured it directly over the holy symbol, chanting incomprehensible words under her breath.

The intricate magic array she had drawn immediately seemed to come alive. It began glowing red as though scorched by flames, while flickering fluorescent light rose from it.

With a boom, Zhao Xu's heart felt as though it had been struck by a Great Hammer, blasting open the deepest chambers of his mind.

He suddenly opened his eyes and stared ahead.

The glow of the magic array on the ground vanished the instant his eyes opened.

Every stroke of the original drawing seemed to be gradually erased, fading away until it finally gathered back into that holy symbol.

Zhao Xu was about to ask Antinoa whether he had succeeded when he noticed his character panel.

Under the Ability Traits section, the words "Mindful Caster" rested there securely.