Mindful Caster

Chapter 26: Mindful Caster

As the incantations for the zero-level spells floated in his mind, Zhao Xu finally understood the feeling of a martial arts master emerging after ten years of rigorous training.

He was no longer a fragile ordinary person, but possessed extraordinary abilities.

Without a weapon, a simple "Ray of Frost" could heavily injure an average, healthy civilian.

Even if it only manifested in the game, it didn't matter, because in a year, these would be incredibly real abilities.

Looking at the spell descriptions, Zhao Xu felt like a superhero.

With "Mage Hand," he could move objects weighing no more than four pounds.

A single "Touch of Fatigue" could render an opponent who failed their save into a state of exhaustion.

And "Prestidigitation" could turn him into a master magician.

Within the scope of zero-level spells, technology could still barely replicate similar phenomena, unlike later spells that completely surpassed human technological boundaries.

However, what Zhao Xu could do from now on was independent of external aids.

This meant that if he were dropped into an era of scarcity and resource depletion like the apocalypse, he could live quite well by creating resources himself, as long as he learned the corresponding spells.

If thrown into the wilderness, other professions might have to search for food and water, but a Mage could use magically created, real ingredients to enjoy a hearty meal before taking action.

This was precisely why Mages were mythologized.

At this moment, Zhao Xu finally relaxed. Successfully transcribing spells meant he had overcome the greatest hurdle that hindered countless Mage apprentices. The remaining first-level spells would be a matter of following suit, posing no real threat.

Wait.

He had transcribed the spells, but what about his spell slots?

A first-level Mage, after 8 hours of rest, could cast three zero-level spells and one first-level spell per day.

Additionally, due to his Intelligence modifier, he had an extra first-level spell slot. As for second and third-level spell slots, he would have to wait until he reached the corresponding levels to cast them.

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

"Mentor, where are my spell slots?" Zhao Xu, not wanting any mistakes, quickly asked for guidance.

"What spell slots?"

"My spell slots for a first-level Mage."

"Are you a first-level Mage?" Antinoa retorted.

Zhao Xu was immediately taken aback. Her question made sense. In his joy after learning the zero-level spells, he had gotten carried away.

"Don't worry. Once you fulfill all the necessary conditions for a first-level Mage and undergo a 'Triggering Ritual,' you will obtain your spell slots."

Zhao Xu nodded awkwardly upon hearing this.

Fortunately, even if he didn't possess the actual 16 Intelligence, the system would still faithfully assign him spell slots as if he did.

However, as Zhao Xu calmed down, his thoughts regained their sharpness, and he immediately sensed something amiss.

For days, countless Mage apprentices on the forums had been stuck on transcribing zero-level spells.

Some players had even successfully transcribed one, but struggled with the second for a long time, as they themselves didn't know how they had succeeded.

One instance of luck meant nothing; only by successfully transcribing nineteen consecutive zero-level spells could one prove they had truly mastered the spells.

This was why Zhao Xu, after breaking the game's record by completing all zero-level spells at once, couldn't help but feel proud, even with his normally humble demeanor.

He was far more exceptional than many Mage players.

But a question arose.

For thousands of years, countless Mages had tirelessly researched spells; had no one ever considered this step?

Antinoa's seemingly simple two sentences were like pointing out the next move in Go, backed by the profound skill of a professional ninth-dan player.

Yet, making this move was just one move, not an entire game.

Over the millennia, there must have been instances of "a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse," where people made the same move in similar situations.

They might not have understood the reason behind it, but they had achieved it.

How was it that this method hadn't become commonly known by now?

Seeing Zhao Xu's fluctuating expression, Antinoa walked over gently. "You're wondering why others can't do this, aren't you?"

Zhao Xu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected his thoughts to be guessed.

However, given her Intelligence score exceeding fifty, he would have been suspicious if she hadn't figured it out.

"That's why teaching you players is really troublesome. Through offline comparisons, I can identify many inconsistencies. Sometimes it's difficult to gloss over them."

"Never mind, I'll explain it to you. This act of transcribing spells by following the trend is a privilege of those who possess the ability of 'Mindful Caster'."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu's mind raced through four or five possible guesses.

So, it wasn't that he was incredibly powerful, but rather that his 'Mindful Caster' ability was incredibly powerful.

Seeing that Zhao Xu was getting into the right mindset, Antinoa continued.

"Actually, for most novice Mages who have spent a few years researching, zero-level spells would come naturally. It's only players like you, with your utilitarian and rapid progression path, who get stuck."

"The characteristic of a 'Mindful Caster' being able to transcribe spells without true mastery is something many mages only realize later in their careers, when they encounter spells they have difficulty understanding."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu couldn't help but ask, "Mentor, can't those words you mentioned be applied to transcribing spellbooks?"

"Transcribing from a spellbook, if you follow the flow, will be discontinuous due to breaks in writing. If the flow is broken, how can you continue transcribing? But because a Mindful Caster's spell transcription happens deep within their enclosed, self-contained heart, there's no issue with breaking the flow."

Only then did Zhao Xu have a sudden realization. For others, if they copied a spell from a book, paused, and then resumed, the continuity would break.

Therefore, one had to understand the entire spell and then continue transcribing it without interruption.

However, his situation just now involved disassembling a component, transcribing it, then disassembling another component and transcribing it. Relying on the ability of a 'Mindful Caster' to maintain continuity, the difficulty was naturally worlds apart.

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

How powerful was this method? It could directly lead to miracles through sheer force.

If Arthur were given this, as long as his intelligence was sufficient, he could instantly mass-produce countless mages.

He could even promote this method to players, and Earth's forces would ascend to the heavens.

"Heh heh, anyone who uses this method is a gravedigger for mages," Antinoa said.

Zhao Xu's face almost turned pale upon hearing this. "Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

"Being able to transcribe spells without mastering them naturally removes the motivation for careful study. Magic research would thus stagnate, and even if one could cast ninth-level spells, they would still be unable to break through the legendary barrier."

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

So that's how it was.

Zhao Xu's heart was deeply struck.

This was akin to directly copying answers. The problems were solved, but they had no idea why.

If all students relied on copying answers, the scientific research of an entire nation would naturally fall into ruin.

Moreover, students copying answers was like doing one assignment, but for mages, copying answers was like a never-ending stream of wealth.

To put it more practically, this was a chance to cheat on the college entrance examination with no risk.

Therefore, this kind of cheat tool could only be known by a select few and could not be widely promoted.

Even if a mage enjoyed research, he would be weaker than those who cheated, leading to his resources being squeezed out by the latter, creating a phenomenon of bad money driving out good.

Suddenly, Zhao Xu felt the line "Mindful Caster" on his character card burning his hand.