Talent

The afternoon class focused on the intelligent races of the natural world, and the instructor had been replaced by another half-elf physician.

Borne pondered this, concluding it was only natural; a spellcaster, let alone an Arcanist, couldn't spend every day dedicated to tutoring him. This was, after all, the treatment of a private education!

Oster Nero.

In Elvish, Nero meant "night wind."

If not for Oster's green eyes, Borne would never have realized he was a half-elf. In terms of skin tone, hair color, and other physical features, he was indistinguishable from a human, save for skin that was even fairer and smoother than the average person's.

Must I admit that even half-elves are quite handsome? If the men are this striking, the women must be breathtaking. I wonder what true elves look like...

Come to think of it, this body of mine seems to have a quarter elven bloodline, too...

Given the half-elf teacher's looks, Borne began to "let his mind wander." The rapid improvement of his mental power made his divergent thinking difficult to control.

Half-elves were rare in Netheril. After all, with elves serving as the current hegemons, no one dared capture them as slaves; unions only occurred when elves chose to consort with humans. Yet, elves held a very arrogant view of humans—simply put, they looked down on them, let alone intermarrying. Thus, half-elves were quite a rarity these days.

Half-elves inherited the talents of their elven kin, possessing keen intuition and a love for nature and art.

Though they did not live as long as elves, their lifespans were far longer than those of humans. In his hundred-plus years of life, he had seen too many "looks" like Borne's.

Oster wasted no time with idle chatter, introducing himself briefly before diving straight into the subject matter.

Oster picked up a small twig and began writing in the air. This was a simple cantrip, but it demanded exceptional control over magical elements—something even the teacher from that morning couldn't achieve.

However, Borne's focus was clearly elsewhere; his attention was drawn to the man's hands. They were more slender than an average person's, which felt somewhat strange on a man.

Oster's voice was crisp yet gentle: "Elves typically live in communal forest settlements, with clans numbering no more than two hundred. Their hidden villages blend seamlessly into the forest, taking care not to harm it. Elves hunt, forage, and farm, using special techniques and magic to remain self-sufficient without the need for plowing or clearing land..."

"Contact between elves and outsiders is usually limited. A few elves trade fine garments or handicrafts for metals they do not mine themselves, living quite comfortably."

"The elves found in human settlements are usually wandering bards, popular artists, or sages. Human nobles often compete to hire elves to teach their children swordsmanship..."

Compared to Elwood's textbook-style lecturing, Oster's delivery was far superior.

In Borne's words, this man was good-looking and spoke beautifully; attending his class was nothing short of a pleasure.

Comparisons are odious, however. The next morning, Elwood arrived with books, diagrams, and materials, and compared to Oster, Elwood's teaching felt a bit rigid and rote.

"Today, I will briefly introduce the three most basic applications in spellcasting: gestures, focuses, and incantations."

"First, let's talk about incantations—also known as spells, prayers, or commands. They all rely on resonating with the Weave at specific frequencies to connect to primal magic, then using a projected structure to transmit information to reality, allowing the elements to 'receive' the signal and thereby interfere with reality to release the spell."

"Advantages: No extra movement required; it all depends on the mouth. The faster your tongue, the shorter the casting time. Economical and practical. Disadvantages: Higher-level magic requires more incantations. Mispronouncing or being interrupted leads to total failure. Your familiarity with the spell affects the degree of backlash; casting spells below your rank has little effect, but casting above your rank—or far above—will cause your head to go 'pop' and explode! Special note: Always maintain protection against silence spells!"

"Second is the function of gestures. Magic connects to the Weave through the body, and one can use fingers or other body parts to directly complete the projected structure with mana. This is commonly done with fingers, though bards' dances or the 'shamanic rituals' of witches also utilize other parts of the body."

"Advantages: Allows for direct intervention in the projected structure, compensating for deficiencies, and can even lower the difficulty of casting. Certain spells can be completed in a single motion, achieving instant or silent casting! Disadvantages: Requires a very solid theoretical foundation, agile posture, or flexible fingers. If you lack stamina or are injured in battle, your strength will be greatly diminished!"

"Third is the application of focuses, widely used in combat and suitable for the vast majority of spellcasters; it is the mainstream method today. By breaking down spell components, one can make the projected structure more stable, achieving rapid casting. You can even reconnect to complete a spell after being interrupted! This is why mages wear long robes—you never know how many pockets they have!"

"Advantages: Simplifies casting and lowers difficulty. Theoretically, if you have enough gold, the requirements for casting can be lowered indefinitely. For example, the second-circle spell Web: if you have enough spider silk, a second-circle spell can be cast like a cantrip. The disadvantage is that it burns gold; every battle is like throwing money away! The higher the level of magic, the more expensive the materials. This is why high-level mages are all wealthy—how can you become a powerhouse without a pile of gold? Of course, most mages collect their own materials, and quite a few die every year doing so!"

"These are the three most common methods of casting. There are others, of course, but I do not recommend them here. We will cover those specifically when we discuss evil gods and devils later."

To Borne's surprise, the old butler Walker taught him in the afternoon. As the butler of Ioulaum House, old Walker truly possessed extraordinary capabilities. He was not only well-versed in all etiquette but also proficient in various skills. His competence was so high that, if not for his butler's uniform, he would have been indistinguishable from an elite noble!

In his dark tailcoat, snow-white shirt, and gloves, he was groomed to perfection. His wise eyes were full of intelligence, as if he could see through everything!

His teaching style was also excellent, explaining the characteristics and heraldry of the various great houses of Netheril to Borne in a simple, accessible way!

A month passed quickly. Old Walker was always able to gauge Borne's state, pushing him into a state of intense focus similar to the pre-exam cramming of his past life, yet without ever making him feel resistant or annoyed.

Massive, complex amounts of information flooded his brain. Aside from magical theory, most of it was seemingly unrelated trivia. While most of the instructors had rich experience, that didn't necessarily mean they were good at teaching!

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

The old butler Walker's teaching experience was actually the best, followed by the half-elf physician Oster.

Moreover, Borne discovered that as long as he sat in that specific spot in the study, his concentration improved significantly; the room was laid out with a peculiar formation!

Living a second life with the soul of an adult, Borne understood the importance of power all too well. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge, frantically soaking up every drop.

Especially now, in the aftermath of the Crown Wars, the elves had just finished their civil war and the various races had been significantly weakened. Netheril, occupying a geographical position in the far north, was almost unaffected and had even inherited a vast amount of "legacies" from the other races after the war.

With the top-tier martial forces of all races largely wiped out, as long as one didn't go gallivanting into ruins or looking for trouble with god-monstrosities, high-level spellcasters could live quite comfortably.

Especially the High Arcanists.

In Netheril, High Arcanists were incredibly formidable. Looking at how few there were in all of Netheril—and seeing that Borne's grandfather was one—it was clear that a High Arcanist was essentially a vice-dean!

Of course, in the mid-to-late period of Netheril, High Arcanists would become mere high-level cannon fodder, unlike now, where the Count could wave his hand and have different people rotate to tutor Borne every day.

Naturally, it wasn't just apothecaries, scholars, and chefs who were carefully selected; there were also vicious thugs hired specifically to teach Borne the rules of survival in dark places and the underworld slang of the lowest rungs of society.

There were also notorious thieves—though they usually called themselves "craftsmen." After their instruction, combined with Borne's memories from his past life, most purely mechanical locks could no longer stump him!

If, after the Floating Citys took to the skies, the Arcanists became arrogant and began using other races for research—eventually treating not just the Netherese but even other nations as inferior beings, slaves, or experimental subjects—their reputation would stink all the way to the Outer Planes, becoming even more notorious than the Githyanki!

It was truly fortunate to have transmigrated at this point in time; for at least four or five thousand years, Nether would remain quite "safe." There was a saying from his past life—what was it again? Even a pig caught in a gale could fly!

Borne did not believe that even if he wasn't standing at the center of the gale, he couldn't manage to stand tall just by trailing behind it. As for the issue of lifespan, was that even a problem?

Looking at the small mountain of books before him, Borne felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment, though he was also somewhat astonished by his current memory. He had actually committed the contents of this entire pile of books to his mind!

Fortunately, he possessed a unique mnemonic method summarized from special magic arrays and over a decade of cram-school education from his past life; otherwise, he never would have been able to sustain this.

Even the Count had clicked his tongue in wonder upon seeing Borne's academic progress!

One had to understand that Borne was at an age defined by playfulness and restlessness. When these tasks were first arranged, no one had expected Borne to actually complete them.

In truth, since transmigrating to the world of Toril several years ago, Borne had already accepted the fact that he possessed no "cheat," and that his innate magical talent was not even particularly good!

There were no heaven-defying innate gifts, no brothers plotting against him in the shadows, and certainly no beautiful fiancée coming to break off an engagement.

He had been born into a good family, a high noble of a future superpower, and as an only child for three generations, he was the sole heir!

As long as he kept his eyes sharp and didn't provoke people he shouldn't, he was essentially a carbon copy of a "privileged young master."

It gave Borne the illusion that he was destined to become a villain, meant to deliver money and experience points to some future protagonist.

Borne knew that if he followed the standard path of a mage, his achievements would reach, at most, the intermediate tier.

Yet, upon realizing his limited talent, Borne did not feel dejected; instead, he approached his studies with even greater seriousness and diligence! After ensuring he had mastered the daily knowledge points, he persisted with two hours of martial arts practice and even began attempting to replace sleep with meditation.

The early bird gets the worm—or rather, the slow bird flies first. Borne understood this simple principle well. Whether from real-life examples in his past life or the countless cases in movies and novels where hard work surpassed genius, the evidence was everywhere!

Since he lacked talent far exceeding that of ordinary people, he would rely on greater effort to surpass the geniuses!

Of course, more importantly, for the profession of a future high Arcanist, talent was not the primary factor; knowledge and wisdom were the foundation!

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