Awakening Hall

Chapter 28: Hall of Awakening

Zhao Xu didn't explain much to Zhang Qi until he logged into the game himself the next day.

He also didn't tell Zhang Qi that he had completed the scribing of his zero-level spells, effectively ranking him among the first tier of player mages.

If Zhang Qi, with his big mouth, had known about his progress, he would have already been shouting it to the whole class, putting all the show-offs in their place.

The only thing Zhao Xu did was pat Zhang Qi on the shoulder and tell him to have fun.

The Resurrection Stone was the tuition fee players paid to Arthur. Even if Zhao Xu had all sorts of wonderful ideas, Zhang Qi still had to pay it obediently.

When Zhao Xu logged in the next day, Antinoa arrived as punctually as ever.

It was as if her sudden disappearance yesterday was just a very special, isolated incident.

By this time, Zhao Xu had already chosen the three first-level spells he had selected: Protection from Evil, Prismatic Spray, and Magic Missile.

Upon seeing Zhao Xu's choices, Antinoa chuckled softly, "The cost-effectiveness is good. You players really have a discerning eye."

That's right, the zero-level and first-level spells available for players to learn had long been posted and discussed on forums.

It was one thing for mages to learn all the zero-level spells, but for first-level spells, everyone could only learn three. After learning them, they would receive additional first-level spells based on their Intelligence modifier.

How to obtain second-level spells after that was up to the mages themselves.

This also led to a situation where, while Arthur's first-level spells were not a secret, the spell lists provided on the forums began to have gaps starting from the second level. Some only had a general name, with their specific effects completely unknown.

Analyzing the strengths of various zero-level and first-level spells had become one of the offline pastimes for aspiring mages who couldn't scribe zero-level spells.

Seeing Antinoa's expression now, the powerful spells he had chosen, which were recognized as strong on the forums, wouldn't be too bad.

"I have scrolls for all these first-level spells. You can directly scribe them from the scrolls later."

With that, Antinoa conjured three scrolls out of thin air and handed them to him.

Zhao Xu took them and felt them; they were all made of high-quality parchment, similar to what he had encountered in his previous life.

The scrolls were about 20cm by 30cm. Both ends were secured with slender strips, and then they were rolled inward, much like imperial edicts in ancient dramas. The only difference was that the scrolls themselves were inscribed with magical script, which would vanish without a trace once the scroll was used to cast a spell.

A single scroll could be used to scribe one or more spells, up to a maximum of six.

"Instructor, why give me scrolls instead of a spellbook?" Zhao Xu asked, confused.

Scrolls themselves were a type of backup spell slot, allowing players to cast spells directly from them without consuming spell slots.

Theoretically, if a player had a large number of scrolls, they could become a human turret, capable of endless sustained fire.

This was unlike mages, who were initially one-shot wonders.

However, mages could scribe spells directly from a spellbook, rather than being limited to scribing from scrolls.

Even though a first-level scroll only cost 25 GP, which was cheaper than scribing fees, it was still not as good as not needing money at all with a spellbook.

"It's just a few gold coins, and I'd have to specifically find a spellbook for you, which is too much trouble. Just use these scrolls," Antinoa said indifferently.

Hearing this, Zhao Xu could only accept it silently.

Money made the world go 'round, and besides, the person in front of him was someone who could conjure 25,000 gold coins out of thin air.

"Before you scribe these scrolls, I have a piece of advice for you."

Zhao Xu quickly pricked up his ears, listening carefully. Advice from a great master was like an academician giving a foundational lecture to undergraduates in his previous life.

"There are no useless spells, only useless mages."

"That's a load of nonsense. Forget it."

Before Zhao Xu could fully ponder the profundity of the first statement, he was stunned by the second.

While he really wanted to point out that she had just made two statements, he still carefully considered the deeper meaning behind Antinoa's words.

"Some spells are just trash that lazy mages researched to take up space, inherently very weak. And we mages must find the most powerful and suitable ones for our style from that vast sea of spells."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu could only nod obediently. Then he walked back to his desk, applied the stimulating ointment, and began to scribe the spells by copying the pattern.

Compared to the smooth and continuous scribing of zero-level spells before, first-level spells required a more methodical approach to avoid the risk of spell misfires. Everyone diligently studied for 24 hours.

After two days, many people had already gathered information about the first graduating mage.

That individual was also a prodigy from childhood, possessing an innate eidetic memory.

However, even with such talent, to achieve the record of being the first, they had forgone the extra first-level spell granted by their Intelligence modifier.

Zhao Xu himself wasn't chasing speed. For him, a steady, step-by-step approach was the best.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the training academy was the biggest comfort zone in Arthur.

He wished he could stay there forever.

A character's first-level feat was not a prerequisite for their class, so some players weren't in a hurry to decide on their feat immediately, planning to decide based on their needs during their adventures.

Zhao Xu was different. He absolutely would not step outside the gates of Mistral until he had learned four powerful feats.

For the next full week, Zhao Xu was engaged in the massive undertaking of scribing first-level spells every day.

However, after he finished, there were no divine miracles or extraordinary phenomena, which were so characteristic of a protagonist's template.

Later, Zhao Xu specifically asked Antinoa for some gossip and insider information, confirming that mages didn't necessarily experience unusual phenomena when researching spells, let alone when simply copying and learning someone else's spells.

As the genius players who chose to be mages began to complete their training, Zhao Xu was one of the first to finish the second stage.

By the end of the second week after the server went live, Zhao Xu had finished learning all of his free level-one spells.

At this point, the number of level-one mages among players had just barely surpassed a hundred.

Zhao Xu had a +3 Intelligence modifier, and the Mage Association gave him three additional free spell scribes.

This time, he consulted Antinoa, and following her advice, he chose Mage Armor, Ray of Enfeeblement, and Dimension Door.

The first two were common spells, but the latter, Dimension Door, was a forbidden spell.

This meant that the spell wasn't on other players' learnable lists; only Zhao Xu, with his private tutor, could obtain it from her collection.

According to Antinoa, this spell could, in certain situations, be considered a phase-shifting spell.

Finally, Zhao Xu's spell list in his mind reached a stable state, and it wouldn't change again until he acquired the money to scribe new spells or leveled up.

Zero-level spells: Resistance, Acid Splash, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Daze, Dancing Lights, Flare, Light, Ray of Frost, Ghost Sound, Ray of Sickness, Touch of Fatigue, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Prestidigitation, Arcane Mark, Minor Illusion.

Level-one spells: Protection from Evil, Prismatic Spray, Magic Missile, Mage Armor, Ray of Enfeeblement, Dimension Door.

It was astonishing that a mere level-one mage could master 25 spells, no wonder the mage class wasn't popular in his previous life.

"Are you ready?" Antinoa asked after the last characters on the Dimension Door scroll disappeared.

"Ready for what?" Zhao Xu asked, bewildered.

"To awaken as a mage."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu's week-long numbness and exhaustion vanished. It was finally happening.

"Mentor, let's go. I have nothing to pack," Zhao Xu quickly stood up. He was a loner, a penniless nobody with no possessions.

Even a spellbook, which mages would risk their lives to save if their homes caught fire, was etched into his memory.

Seeing Antinoa not turn to open the dormitory door, Zhao Xu assumed she was waiting for him to act and quickly moved to open it himself.

Suddenly, Antinoa's body flickered.

In an instant, Antinoa appeared before Zhao Xu. Then, a snow-white arm extended from her robe's sleeve and grabbed Zhao Xu by his collar.

Level four Arcane spell, Dimension Door!

Without any gestures, it could transport the target anywhere within range just by uttering a spell. His Dimension Door was a weakened version of this spell.

However, before Zhao Xu could think further, he felt a pulling force as his collar was gripped.

Zhao Xu was familiar with this sensation; it was the same feeling he experienced when using a portal.

He felt that he could resist the spell's effects on him.

But he was facing his mentor. If she truly wanted to kill him, she wouldn't need such a complex method; a single fireball would leave no trace of Zhao Xu.

So, Zhao Xu stopped resisting and yielded to the spell's guidance.

In this day and age, if you wanted to latch onto a powerful figure, you should do so obediently and not overthink things.

Suddenly, in an inconspicuous bedroom within the Floating City, two figures, a man and a woman, vanished in a flash of white light.

When Zhao Xu's daze subsided, he found himself standing in a theater-like hall.

At the front was a throne-like silver seat, constantly exuding a metallic sheen.

Furthermore, magical inscriptions were directly carved around the throne. Even after studying magic for a few days, Zhao Xu was still completely baffled.

At the back of the hall, tiered seating was arranged. If the surroundings weren't so spacious and bright, Zhao Xu would have thought he was in some luxurious cinema.

Many people were already seated on the plush chairs on the tiers. The front half of the seating area was completely full.

"Mentor, what is this?"

"The Mage Awakening Ceremony," Antinoa explained.

"Mistral and all these Floating Cities are protected by a legendary spell that restricts spellcasting for outsiders. If your identity isn't integrated into this legendary spell, then you new mages won't be able to cast spells successfully in Mistral."

"Therefore, while the awakening ceremonies in other towns are simple, with one new mage awakening at a time, Mistral has to hold the 'Mage Awakening Ceremony' regularly each month due to the need to modify the magic lock."

Only then did Zhao Xu realize that the people seated here represented Mistral's monthly mage output.

He counted, and there were at least hundreds, if not thousands. The monthly output was too high.

"Mentor, your Floating City is truly productive," Zhao Xu complimented.

"Not your Floating City, but our Floating City," Antinoa corrected. "Actually, there aren't usually this many; it's because player mages are also rushing to participate in this event, which is why there are so many."

Zhao Xu finally understood. The forums had thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of the top ten mages, yet not a single one was from Mistral, the holy land of magic.

Logically, the players with the most talent for magic should have been assigned here, except for him, who entered through a special talent route backdoor.

Now he realized that players in Mistral had to wait for the monthly magic lock modification to undergo the ceremony, which naturally explained why their progress was delayed.

At this moment, Zhao Xu noticed that many of the new mages already seated and waiting for their turn at the awakening ceremony were quietly discussing him and his mentor, the unexpected guests.

Everyone present had followed the proper procedure and gathered here step by step. Unlike them, these two had just brazenly teleported in.

It was a bit too much to highlight the special occasion.

Zhao Xu, relying on the distinctive player attire, managed to identify the group of players on the left side.

Suddenly, Zhao Xu's pupils widened slightly.

He saw a beautiful girl sitting calmly and properly in the front row.

Wang Ningwei!

At the time of Arthur's transmigration, she was the highest-level mage among the players and naturally became one of the top leaders of Earth's forces.

It turned out that her location for new mage training was Mistral.

It was here, at the Gate of Arcane, within the Floating City.

A few years after transmigrating, Arthur faced invasions from the Abyss and Hell. Earth's forces sent an envoy to visit the Northern Alliance, attempting to secure their cooperation in protecting Earth's civilians.

Zhao Xu was serving as a guard in the Northern Alliance at the time. His family had already been brought under protection due to Zhao Xu's influence and were arranged in a town far behind the front lines. Little did he know that his home would be raided by a Black Dragon while he was away on campaign.

It was during that diplomatic mission that Zhao Xu had the chance to witness this "daughter of heaven."

However, at that time, his status was merely a guard at the Northern Alliance headquarters. At best, he had transcended the rank of ordinary soldiers and was considered a high-ranking guard.

As for her, setting aside the halo effect of leading the transmigration of Earth's people, her status as a high-level mage alone was enough to make her a welcome guest among the lords of the Northern Cities.

The current Wang Ningwei lacked the transcendent aura he would later see, honed through years of experience. She was just an ordinary player, sitting below, waiting for her turn to awaken on stage.

Zhao Xu suddenly recalled a legend he had heard in his previous life: Wang Ningwei had awakened as a Level 1 mage on the 20th day and later became an example for countless new mages to console themselves.

He now understood the inside story of why it took so long.

However, calculating from today, the game had only been running for 15 days. Where did the missing 5 days go?

Could it be that the rumor had deliberately added those days to exaggerate Wang Ningwei's late but strong start?

After all, managing to be ranked among the top hundred or so within 15 days was still impressive.

"Mentor, when was the last time?" Zhao Xu asked in a low voice.

"25 days ago," Antinoa replied.

"Didn't we agree on a month?"

"I've been eating three meals a day on time. Can't I just eat two meals?"

Listening to Antinoa's nonsensical rambling, Zhao Xu said exasperatedly, "Mentor, even an outsider like me knows that changing legendary spells isn't done so casually."

Rules were called rules precisely because they were difficult to change.

"Oh, you're asking why, aren't you?" Antinoa seemed to have just grasped the core of Zhao Xu's question.

However, Zhao Xu already knew she was doing it on purpose.

"It's very simple. Because you've learned six Level 1 spells today, we've arranged for everyone to awaken today ahead of schedule."