Talent

That afternoon's lesson was on the intelligent races of the natural world, and the teacher had also changed to another Half-elf physician.

Borne thought about it. That made sense, too. A spellcaster—and an Arcanist, no less—couldn't come teach him every single day. That was the sort of treatment you got with private tutoring!

Oster Nero.

In Elvish, Nero meant "night wind."

If not for Oster's green eyes, Borne wouldn't have realized he was a Half-elf. His skin tone, hair color, and other features were entirely human—his skin was simply fairer and smoother than most.

"I have to say, even Half-elves are so handsome. If the men are this handsome, the women must be gorgeous, too. I wonder what real Elves look like..."

"Come to think of it, this body has a quarter Elf blood, too..."

Taken by his Half-elf teacher's good looks, Borne began to let his mind wander again. The rapid growth of his mental strength made his thoughts harder to control.

Half-elves were rare in Netheril, too. Elves were the current dominant race, after all, and nobody dared capture them as slaves. The only way was for Elves to willingly marry humans. But Elves thought highly of themselves and looked down on humans, so they were hardly inclined to marry them. As a result, Half-elves were quite rare these days!

Half-elves inherited the talents of Elves. They were naturally perceptive and loved nature and art.

They weren't as long-lived as Elves, but they still lived far longer than humans. In his hundred-plus years of life, he'd taught plenty of students who gave him the same kind of "look" as Borne.

Oster wasted no time on small talk. After briefly introducing himself, he got straight to the lesson.

Oster picked up a small twig and began writing in midair. It was a simple Prestidigitation, but it tested one's control over magical energy. Even the teacher from that morning couldn't do it as well as he could.

But Borne's attention was clearly elsewhere. His gaze had been drawn to Oster's hands. They were longer and more slender than most people's, which seemed a little odd on a man.

Oster's voice was clear yet gentle. "Elves usually live in forests in groups, with no more than two hundred members in a clan. Their hidden villages blend seamlessly into the forest, and they try not to harm it. Elves hunt, gather food, cultivate crops, and use special techniques and magic to sustain themselves without clearing and plowing the land...

"Elves usually have little contact with outsiders. A few exchange finely crafted clothing or handicrafts for metals they don't mine themselves, and live quite comfortably.

"Elves who live among humans are usually traveling Bards, popular artists, or sages. Human nobles often compete to hire Elves to teach their children swordsmanship..."

Compared to Elwood's textbook-like lessons, Oster was a far better teacher.

As Borne put it, the man was good-looking and had a pleasant voice. His lessons were an absolute delight.

The contrast made all the difference. The next morning, Elwood came by with books, diagrams, and materials. Compared to Oster, Elwood's teaching was a little stiff and overly reliant on the text.

"Today, I'll briefly introduce three of the most basic applications of spellcasting: gestures, components, and incantations.

"First, incantations. They're also called spells, prayers, or edicts. They resonate with the Weave at the appropriate frequencies, connecting to the primordial magic. Then, through the projected structure, they send information to the elements of reality, allowing those elements to 'receive' it. This interferes with the elements of reality and releases the spell.

"Advantages: no extra movements are needed; all you need is your mouth. The faster you can talk, the shorter the casting time. It's economical and practical. Disadvantages: the higher the level of the spell, the longer the incantation. A mistake or an interruption will ruin the whole thing. How familiar you are with a spell affects the severity of the backlash. Casting a spell below your own level usually won't have much effect, but if you cast above your level—or far beyond it—your head will explode with a bang! Special warning: be sure to protect yourself against silence spells and the like!

"Next, gestures. Magic flows through the body and connects to the Weave. You can use your fingers or other parts of your body to directly complete the projected structure with magic. Fingers are most commonly used, but a Bard's dancing or a shaman's 'spirit dance,' for instance, uses other parts of the body.

"Advantages: you can directly influence the projected structure and make up for its deficiencies, or even reduce the difficulty of casting. Some spells can be completed in a single movement, allowing for instant and silent casting! Disadvantages: you need a solid theoretical foundation, a nimble body, or agile fingers. If you lack stamina or are injured in battle, your abilities will be greatly diminished!

"Third, components. Their use is widespread in battle and suitable for most spellcasters; it's also the main method of spellcasting nowadays. Breaking down spell components can directly stabilize the projected structure, allowing for quick casting. Even if your casting is interrupted, you can use a component to reconnect and complete the spell! This is why Mages wear robes. You never know how many pockets they have!

"Advantages: spells are easy to cast, and the difficulty is reduced. In theory, if you have enough gold, the requirements for casting can be lowered indefinitely. Take the second-circle Web spell, for example. With enough spiderwebs, you can cast a second-circle spell as if it were a cantrip. The disadvantage is that it costs a lot of gold. Every battle is like throwing money away! The higher the level of the spell, the more expensive the components. That's why high-level Mages are all rich. How else could you become powerful without piles of gold? Of course, most Mages gather their own components. Plenty of Mages die each year while out collecting them!

"These are the three most common ways to cast spells. There are other methods, of course, but I don't recommend them. We'll cover them later, when we discuss False Gods and devils."

That afternoon, old butler Walker was the one teaching Borne. As the butler of Ioulaum House, old Walker truly had extraordinary abilities. He was not only well-versed in every aspect of etiquette, but also skilled in all kinds of things. He was so capable that, if not for his butler's uniform, he could have passed for an elite nobleman!

His dark tailcoat, snow-white shirt, and gloves were all immaculate. His wise eyes seemed to see right through everything!

He was an excellent teacher, too. He gave Borne a clear and accessible explanation of the different Netherese Houses and the meanings behind their crests!

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Old Walker always knew how Borne was doing, keeping him in the kind of high-pressure study mode he'd experienced while preparing for exams in his previous life, without making him feel resistant or fed up.

His mind was flooded with vast amounts of tangled information. Aside from magical theory, most of it was completely unrelated. Most of his teachers had plenty of experience, but that didn't mean they were good at teaching!

Knowing something and knowing how to teach it were two different things!

Old butler Walker was actually the best teacher, followed by the Half-elf physician Oster.

He also found that he could concentrate much better whenever he sat in this spot in the study. The room had been set up with a strange formation!

Having lived another life and possessing an adult soul, Borne understood better than anyone how important power was. Like a sponge, he ravenously absorbed the nourishment of knowledge.

Especially now, in the aftermath of the Crown Wars. The Elves had just finished their civil war, and the other races had been weakened almost as badly. Netheril had a strategic location in the north of the continent and had hardly been affected. After the war, it had even taken in a great deal of the other races' "inheritance."

After the great war, the elite forces of every race had been all but wiped out. As long as you stayed away from ruins and didn't go looking for trouble with abominations, high-level spellcasters could live very comfortably.

Especially high-level Arcanists.

High-level Arcanists were already incredibly powerful in Netheril. There were only a handful of them in the whole country. Just look at Borne's grandfather: a high-level Arcanist was the vice dean!

Of course, in the middle and later periods of Netheril, high-level Arcanists were nothing but high-level cannon fodder. Things were different now. A count could simply wave his hand, and a different person would come teach Borne every day.

And they weren't just herbalists, scholars, and chefs. Every one of them had been carefully chosen. There were even vicious thugs whose job was to teach Borne the rules of surviving in the shadows and the slang of the underworld.

There were also notorious thieves—though they usually called themselves "craftsmen." With their instruction, and his memories from his previous life, Borne had become proficient enough to pick most purely mechanical locks!

If the Floating City ever took off, the Arcanists would all become unbearably arrogant. They'd start researching the other races, and aside from Netherese, even people from other countries would eventually be treated as inferiors, enslaved or used as experimental subjects. Their reputation would stink all the way to the Outer Planes, making them even more notorious than the Githyanki!

Coming to this world at this point in time was just perfect. Netheril would remain "safe" for at least four or five thousand years. What was that saying from his previous life? Even a pig could fly if it caught the right wind!

Borne refused to believe that he couldn't make it, even if he wasn't at the forefront—he could just follow along behind. As for his lifespan, was that really a problem...

Looking at the small mountain of books before him, Borne felt a strange sense of accomplishment. He was also a little amazed by his memory. He'd actually committed every book in the pile to memory!

Fortunately, there was a special magic formation, along with the unique memory techniques he'd developed from over a decade of rote learning in his previous life. Without them, he wouldn't have been able to keep up.

Even the count clicked his tongue in amazement when he saw Borne's progress!

After all, Borne was at the age when children were most playful and restless. When he'd first arranged all this, the count hadn't expected Borne to finish it...

In the years since transmigrating to Toril, Borne had already accepted that he didn't have a "Golden Finger." His magical talent wasn't very good, either!

He had no heaven-defying innate talent, no brother plotting against him, and no beautiful fiancée showing up to break off their engagement.

He'd been born into a powerful noble family in a future superpower, with no siblings and three generations of only children!

As long as he kept his eyes open and avoided people he shouldn't provoke, he'd be a perfect copy of the "young master who gets away with anything"!

It made Borne wonder if he was destined to become a villain, giving the future protagonist money and experience...

Borne knew that if he followed the ordinary path of a Mage, he'd top out at the middle levels!

But once he realized his talent was limited, Borne didn't lose heart. Instead, he studied with even greater focus and determination! After making sure he'd mastered the day's lessons, he kept up two hours of martial arts training and even began trying to replace sleep with meditation!

The early bird catches the worm. Borne understood that simple principle well. There were plenty of real-life examples from his previous life, not to mention movies and novels about people striving to surpass geniuses!

If he didn't have extraordinary talent, then he'd work harder to surpass the geniuses!

More importantly, for a future Great Arcanist, talent wasn't the main thing. Knowledge and wisdom were what mattered!

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