Arcane Eye

"System! Transfer the spell model data!"

Borne said in his mind.

"Ding! Beginning transfer..." As the mechanical voice of the chip rang out, a vast amount of information began to flood into Borne's mind.

The volume of information this time was significant; he could directly perceive the architecture and projection of the spell model, starting from the most fundamental level.

Most importantly, there were over two hundred thousand simulated experiments—these were the most precious research data of all!

Not only did this save a massive amount of experimental funding and rare magical materials, but the most critical factor was—time!

This was the most terrifying aspect of the system chip!

It felt as if he had truly experienced countless experiments, with every single failure etched clearly into his memory.

Borne was unaware that as the chip transmitted the data, the mana around his body was rapidly boiling, and a wave of mental pressure began to slowly radiate outward.

The sudden change caught his companions off guard, and the Guild Master, possessing superior strength, immediately flashed to Borne's side.

Surging mana isolated Lisper from the area, and the Guild Master felt a sense of urgency; Borne's presence was the prerequisite for the mission, and he could not afford any mishaps!

Furthermore, Borne's identity was extremely sensitive...

Just as the Guild Master hesitated, on the verge of breaking through, Hubwick stopped Lisper.

"Wait, I think... he should be fine!"

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Borne's state was very similar to 'that' which he understood!

The Guild Master glanced at the ranger, who nodded in return. Lisper struggled for a moment before slowly abandoning her plan.

The others gathered around as well; although Borne's mana and mental energy were boiling, nothing seemed to be wrong.

After watching for a while, the group finally let their suspended hearts settle.

"Ding, transfer complete. Time elapsed: 57 minutes and 24 seconds!"

Whew... nearly an hour.

In truth, Borne hadn't expected that merely 'transferring' data would cause such a commotion. He had been fully aware of what was happening, but since the data transfer was in progress, he couldn't just 'pause' it...

It seems the system's functionality still needs improvement!

As the mana calmed down once more, Borne opened his eyes to find his companions gathered around him.

Seeing the worried expressions on their faces, Borne hurriedly offered an explanation.

Refining a new spell formula? Verifying new magic?

The excuse had been 'prepared' long ago; as for whether the others believed it, he believed it himself.

The matter of the chip system, of course, could not be mentioned.

Naturally, everyone had their own secrets, and they knew this.

But you can't treat us like fools!!!

Borne felt a headache coming on. This script wasn't right; according to the tropes, shouldn't everyone believe whatever the protagonist says? Why were they all acting so smart when it came to him?

Could it be that the 'protagonist' was someone else?!

The clown turned out to be me...

Forget it, let me show you all.

He asked everyone to step back, as he was going to test the new spell.

The group also wanted to see what kind of trick he was going to pull, so they retreated to a distance to watch him put on a show...

"Hmph, here it comes..."

Borne stretched his limbs slightly.

System! Record the casting process!

Ding, beginning scan of subject, recording started!

"...μαλλαφρινναν..."

As Borne began to chant the incantation, the mana within a radius of several dozen meters began to boil, the commotion even greater than before.

"Hey, hey, hey... no way..."

"Could it be that this guy was actually telling the truth?!"

"He wouldn't really pull this off, would he..."

Borne hadn't known that just the beginning would cause such a stir, as the new spell wasn't even an offensive one.

To ensure the spell's success, he followed the casting process by the book, coordinating his gestures, using the required materials, and pacing his incantations according to the most standard procedures.

As the mana began to construct the framework, the elements quickly resonated with the Weave, and the projection began.

Yes, that's the feeling!

As his mental energy established a 'connection' with the Weave, his thoughts began to 'overclock,' and Borne's mental projection entered the Weave once more, feeling as if he had become omnipotent.

Borne knew this was a "mental" illusion; if the brain were compared to an old-fashioned computer, then the Weave was a super quantum computer.

Borne had only borrowed a bit of the algorithm, yet he was already soaring...

Fortunately, he did not lose himself in this sensation and quickly began to establish the spell structure. With the support of the Weave, some conflicting and unreasonable parts were rapidly corrected and optimized.

The crowd, who had already retreated ten meters away, had no choice but to move another twenty or thirty meters further out.

By now, the expressions on their faces had become somewhat numb.

From the moment the Weave began its resonance and projection, they knew there was no need for doubt.

This range, this spectacle—this was what he called "experimenting a little."

Heh...

"With such a wide range, it wouldn't be a high-tier spell, would it..."

Cook swallowed hard.

"No, this is a new Arcanum!"

The President's amber eyes shimmered with brilliance. "Whenever a brand-new magic is born, the world grants the caster a reward, and the power of the first casting is amplified several times over. This is not an attack spell; otherwise, its destructive power would inevitably approach that of a high-tier spell!"

As the new magic spell structure was completed, mana began to converge toward his eyes. It seemed that for a fleeting moment, Borne's "eyes" broke through some kind of barrier and "saw" a corner of the "primal world"!

[Arcane Eye]!

As Borne whispered the name of the new spell.

The source of the world, the Weave, rippled slightly, and a new magic was born!

Borne's new Arcanum!

With the [Arcane Eye] successfully cast, Borne's pupils seemed to be replaced by magic, and the world before him became "colorful."

Even at night, the world in Borne's eyes became exceptionally vivid, as if paint had been smeared across everything!

Even a single stone was covered in distinct colors.

Borne was suddenly struck by a flash of insight.

So this is the flow of mana!

Every tree, blade of grass, stone, and even water droplet contained magic elements.

Seeing that Borne's new spell experiment was a success, the group immediately crowded around him. Some looked him up and down as if observing a strange creature, while others stared curiously at his eyes...

In any case, the group was a mix of complicated emotions. They knew that spellcasters would go on journeys to seek inspiration for breakthroughs.

It was in the academy textbooks, reminding students to broaden their knowledge and horizons.

They had once imagined that years later, they too would encounter a bottleneck, go out on a journey to find an opportunity, and then leave behind some kind of "legend" in the local area.

But when the situation actually happened right in front of them, they felt completely blindsided.

He had only been out for a few days and already had a harvest, while they seemed to have gained nothing but knowledge about the habits of various "weeds" and outdoor survival guides...

Are they sure they were walking the same route, and not that someone was secretly giving this guy special treatment...

"No way, he can even break through like this? This guy must have stepped in dog shit luck."

"It's over! This freak leveled up again; how are we ever going to beat him in the future!"

The internal monologues of the group were rich, but they still tried their best to force a "smile" onto their faces.

"This is a 4th-circle Arcanum, right! You've promoted to a mid-tier Arcanist?!"

Lisper observed for a moment and immediately judged.

The others were also slightly startled when they heard this.

A mid-tier Arcanist?

To become a mid-tier Arcanist before even graduating—he must be the first at Giles Academy. This guy had set a new record again.

The group felt sour once more...

"Yeah, I promoted as soon as the new Arcanum was successfully cast. I estimate my appetite will be much larger for the next few days!"

Borne laughed.

The world's gift, indeed!

The others couldn't help but show expressions of envy.

As the group's moods shifted, the colors on their bodies changed accordingly.

"Without actively mobilizing mana, can emotions alone affect the flow of mana..."

Borne observed carefully and let the system record the data.

In the [Arcane Eye], not everyone's colors were the same; on the contrary, everyone looked like a "colorful" dye vat!

And they changed anytime and anywhere, accompanying the shifts in their moods.

The rangers were generally inclined toward green, Lisper was generally inclined toward red, and the others did not yet have a distinct "color" bias.

The President has a sorcerer bloodline with an affinity for fire elements, which is why she is red; the other members of the Arcane Society are ordinary people without such affinities, so their colors are more uniform.

But Hubwick is also supposed to be an ordinary person, yet he leans green overall.

A druid?

Borne had long known that Hubwick was a druid—or, to be precise, half of one—having only received an 'Awaken' spell without any subsequent guidance.

This is also the reason why he could owe so much money in the black market and still remain alive and well.

Is the color a vocational affinity?

A thought stirred in Borne's mind. "System! Analyze the physical data of the people around me."

"Ding! Task established, beginning data collection!"

Soon, three-dimensional models of the people around him appeared before Borne's eyes, with the annotated data constantly flickering!

"Hubwick, suspected class: Ranger, Druid. Gender: Male. Strength > 3, Agility > 2, Constitution > 2."

"Dalena, class: Mage/Arcanist. Gender: Female. Strength > 2, Agility > 3, Constitution > 2."

"Cook..."

It really works!

Borne was overjoyed. Although the data wasn't precise, the facts proved his line of reasoning was correct; the fact that it was inaccurate now didn't mean it would remain so in the future.

When he saw President Lisper, Borne was somewhat surprised.

Whether it was strength or other attributes, she far exceeded the others; her rough data wasn't even inferior to Borne's. One really had to say, as expected of a sorcerer.

"Lisper, class: Sorcerer/Arcanist. Gender: Female. Strength > 3, Agility > 4, Constitution > 5.

Bloodline: Suspected lineage (Elemental) 61% Divine/Demonic, 27% Demon, 10% Red Dragon, 2% Other. Insufficient data; suggest extracting blood for analysis."

The basic information was still based on existing data; it seems filling in the database will be a long-term job...

"Is this new magic called [Arcane Eye]?"

Seeing Borne dispel the magic, Dalena couldn't help but ask, then immediately apologized.

Inquiring about another person's arcane magic was a very rude act; after all, it involved security issues, and it was easy to be targeted if one's bottom line was known by those with ill intent.

"Yes, the new magic is called [Arcane Eye]."

Borne smiled and waved his hand. Since he had already demonstrated it, knowing the name didn't matter, and he planned to hand the spell formula over to the Academy upon his return.

A 4th-circle spell—this was a large amount of points, not counting subsequent royalties, enough for him to redeem the remaining Nether Scrolls from the Academy!

Upon learning that Borne would upload the spell to the Academy when he returned, everyone was surprised, but subsequently very happy.

After all, at the current stage, Nether's magic was scarce; low-tier was fine, but there were few mid-tier spells, and not a single high-tier one...

"The magic is improved based on the 2nd-circle 'Darkvision' and the 1st-circle 'Detect Magic'..."

Borne briefly introduced the spell's functions and promoted it casually. There weren't many mid-tier casters in the Academy, and the Arcane Society was a very important target group.

As the night grew darker, everyone returned to rest one after another. Borne, having just advanced, also needed to adapt, so he took the initiative to take on the duty of keeping watch.

The others didn't stand on ceremony; having been shown up, they needed to go back, rest, and soothe their inner wounds.

Who would have thought that upon returning, they would toss and turn, unable to sleep. The more they thought, the angrier they became.

When someone more talented than you is also working harder than you, how could you have the face to sleep?!

"Damn it! That guy must have done it on purpose!"

"I'm going crazy..."

Cursing aside, the group all began to meditate in unison.

The ranger set up warning devices around the camp and sat down by the campfire.

Borne did not meditate; he kept the [Arcane Eye] active to observe.

The world as seen through eyes, spiritual power, and the Arcane Eye were all quite different.

This feeling was truly marvelous, somewhat like the sensation of opening a 'Heavenly Eye' in cultivation novels.

Since they weren't asleep, Borne could see them clearly; their 'colors' were flickering wildly due to their chaotic thoughts.

After all, they had been stimulated, which was understandable. However, the ranger was a bit strange; his 'colors' were also somewhat chaotic.

Borne pondered for a moment and understood the root cause.

The system's transmission principle originated from the druidic [Awaken].

Druid spells belonged to the realm of divine magic. Although Borne hadn't reached the level to analyze divine magic yet, his family had.

Borne had undergone an 'Awaken' ritual before entering the Academy.

This was also why Hubwick was somewhat abnormal; he had assumed Borne was also a druid, but he couldn't be sure because Borne lacked the aura of 'nature.'

Borne didn't have the spare energy to explain, so the two sat by the campfire and meditated.

The current method of meditation was still quite primitive and lacked technical depth, but its advantage was that it could be started or paused anytime, anywhere.

High-level meditation techniques certainly exist, but they are generally the classified secrets of each race, and they are only compatible with their own kind—the sort that other races couldn't learn even if they tried.

Currently, the meditation techniques used by the Nether humans are the same from the high-level ones down to those for apprentices. Perhaps legendary spellcasters possess their own unique methods; after all, a legendary creature is effectively a different species altogether.

Improvements are certainly necessary, but for the current Nether, the difficulty is still somewhat high. After all, even high-level magic is pitifully scarce, let alone the task of improving meditation techniques.

The current classification of magic is still very simple, unlike the later era where there are not only eight major schools, but also various sub-categories under each faction.

For now, there are only three.

Creation, Psychic, and Transmutation!

Creation specializes primarily in the creation and destruction of matter and is the predecessor to the future Evocation school.

A representative of pure elemental types—Fireball.

Psychic specializes primarily in influencing the mind and consciousness, later developing into the Enchantment and Illusion schools.

Transmutation specializes in transforming other things, or even magic itself.

For example: Disguise Self and Sonic Blast.

After a fierce internal struggle, the Ranger ultimately gave up on asking.

He once had the fortune to follow an Elven Druid for a period of time, and during his subsequent initiation by the Elven Druid, he awakened abilities belonging to a druid.

He gained the ability to communicate with beasts, forest sense, and other special traits, which allowed him to be as comfortable as a fish in water while in the forest.

Upon witnessing Borne create a new 'magic' with his own eyes, he was exceptionally shocked.

Such talent is extremely rare even among the Elves!

This is "primal" magic!

They call themselves 'Arcanists', while among the Elves, such people are known as 'High Mages'.

Those capable of creating primal magic are, without exception, scholars possessing profound knowledge!

He never expected to see this today in a youth who had yet to reach adulthood!

Although Borne is superior to the average adult in appearance, height, and behavior, he could still confirm that Borne was indeed not yet an adult!

In the past, he did not understand what it meant to be a 'genius', but today, he understood!!!