Mindful Caster

As he watched the incantations for those zero-level spells drift through his mind, Zhao Xu finally understood how those legendary martial arts masters must have felt when they emerged from the mountains after ten years of bitter training.

He was no longer a frail ordinary person, but someone who possessed supernatural abilities.

Without a weapon, a simple Ray of Frost could badly injure an ordinary civilian with average Constitution.

Even if it could only be experienced in the game for now, it did not matter. A year from now, these would become utterly real abilities.

Looking at those spell descriptions, Zhao Xu felt like a true superhuman.

With a single Mage Hand, he could move anything weighing no more than four pounds.

A single Touch of Fatigue could leave someone who failed their saving throw fatigued.

A single Prestidigitation could turn him into a master magician.

Within the scope of zero-level spells, technology could still barely reproduce the same effects. Unlike the spells that came later, they had not completely surpassed the bounds of human technology.

But from now on, everything Zhao Xu could do no longer required reliance on external objects.

In other words, even if he were thrown into an apocalypse-era world starved of resources, as long as he learned the appropriate spells, he could create resources himself and live quite well.

If he were cast into the depths of an untamed forest, other classes might have to search for food and water, but a Wizard could create real food with spells, enjoy a hearty meal, and only then set out.

That was precisely why Wizards had become so mythologized.

Only now did Zhao Xu truly relax. He had successfully scribed the spells, crossing the greatest hurdle that had blocked countless Mage Apprentices. The remaining first-level spells could simply be copied by following the same pattern; there was nothing to worry about.

No, wait.

He had scribed the spells, but where were his Spell Slots?

After resting for eight hours, a First-level Mage could cast three zero-level spells and one First-level Spell each day.

At the same time, because of his Intelligence Modifier, he also had one additional First-level Spell Slot. As for Second-level and Third-level Spell Slots, he would have to reach the corresponding levels before he could cast those spells.

It was like finally mastering marksmanship, only to discover that he had no bullets.

"Mentor, where are my Spell Slots?" Zhao Xu did not want something to have gone wrong, so he hurriedly asked.

"What Spell Slots?"

"My Spell Slots as a First-level Mage."

"Are you a First-level Mage?" Antinoa asked in return.

Zhao Xu immediately choked up. What she said made sense. After learning the zero-level spells, his joy had made him get carried away.

"Don't worry. Once you fulfill all the requirements for becoming a First-level Mage and perform another 'triggering ritual,' you'll obtain Spell Slots."

Zhao Xu listened awkwardly and nodded.

Fortunately, even though he did not truly possess 16 Intelligence, the system would still obediently assign him Spell Slots according to an Intelligence score of 16.

But once Zhao Xu calmed down, his mind became sharp again, and he immediately sensed something amiss.

Over the past few days, countless Mage Apprentices on the forums had been stuck at scribing zero-level spells.

Some players had even successfully scribed one spell, only to remain stuck on the second for a long time. Even they themselves did not know exactly how they had succeeded.

One stroke of luck meant nothing. Only by successfully scribing all nineteen zero-level spells in succession could one prove that they had truly mastered spells.

That was why, after Zhao Xu broke the game record by completing all zero-level spells at once, even his humble heart could not help feeling proud.

He was far more outstanding than too many Wizard players.

But then came the problem.

For thousands of years, countless Wizards had tirelessly researched spells. Had no one ever thought of this?

Antinoa's seemingly simple two sentences were actually like directly pointing out the next move in a game of Go. Behind them lay the profound skill of a professional ninth dan.

But making that move was ultimately just one move, not an entire game played continuously.

Over thousands of years, there would always be a blind cat that stumbled upon a dead mouse—someone who made that same move in the same position.

They might not have understood the reason, but someone must have done it.

How could this method still not have been directly popularized by now?

Seeing Zhao Xu's shifting expression, Antinoa lightly walked over. "You find it strange that others can't do this?"

Zhao Xu was startled inwardly. He had not expected her to see through his thoughts.

But with an Intelligence score above fifty, if she could not have figured it out, he would have been the one to doubt her.

"That's why teaching you players is indeed troublesome. By comparing things offline, you can discover many inconsistencies. Sometimes, even trying to brush them aside takes effort."

"Forget it. Let me explain. This practice of scribing spells by following the trend is a privilege belonging to those with the ability Mindful Caster."

At those words, four or five guesses immediately flashed through Zhao Xu's mind.

So it was not that he was ridiculously amazing. It was that his Mindful Caster was ridiculously amazing.

Seeing that Zhao Xu had already caught on, Antinoa continued.

"Actually, novice Wizards who have spent several years studying generally master zero-level spells naturally. Only players like you, taking a utilitarian crash-course route, get stuck."

"The trait of Mindful Caster, allowing one to scribe spells without truly mastering them, is something many Wizards only realize they possess much later, when they encounter spells that are difficult for them to understand."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu could not help asking, "Mentor, can't what you said be applied to scribing spells into a Spellbook?"

"When scribing into a Spellbook, if you follow the trend, the interruption caused by lifting your pen makes it discontinuous. Once the trend breaks, how can you continue scribing? But because a Mindful Caster scribes spells within the closed, self-contained depths of their heart, there is no problem of the trend breaking."

Only then did Zhao Xu understand. When others wrote one stroke in a Spellbook, then lifted their pen before writing another, the flow was broken.

So they had to understand the entire spell and then continue in one unbroken sweep.

But what he had just done was break down one component and scribe it, then break down another component and scribe it, relying on Mindful Caster to continue the flow. Naturally, the difficulty could not be compared.

"Then why not promote this ability?" Zhao Xu asked.

This method was incredibly powerful. It could directly brute-force miracles into existence.

In Arthur, as long as one had sufficient Intelligence, countless Wizards could be mass-produced.

If he even promoted this method among players, Earth's faction would soar into the heavens.

"Heh. Anyone who uses this method is a gravedigger of Wizards," Antinoa said.

Zhao Xu's face nearly turned pale. "Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

"If you can scribe spells without mastering them, naturally you lose the motivation to study them carefully. Magical research will stagnate from that point onward. And even if you can cast ninth-level spells, you will never break through the legendary barrier."

"Eventually, spells that are no longer understood will disappear."

So that was it.

Zhao Xu's heart was deeply shaken.

This was the equivalent of directly copying answers. You could solve the problem, but you would have no idea why the answer was correct.

If every student advanced by copying answers, a nation's scientific research would naturally be ruined.

And students copied answers for just one assignment, while Wizards copied answers to gain a rolling stream of wealth.

Put more realistically, this was a risk-free opportunity to cheat on the college entrance exam.

That was why only a small number of people could know about such a cheat. It could not be promoted on a large scale.

Even if some Wizards enjoyed research, they would be weaker than the cheaters, who would squeeze them out of resources, creating a situation where bad money drove out good.

For a moment, Zhao Xu felt that the words "Mindful Caster" on his Character Card were somewhat scorching hot.