Fireball Technique

The biggest change was in the attributes.

Stamina increased from 8 to 10. This was because after clearing the Kobold Den, Shawn had been rewarded with 2 free attribute points, which he had added to Stamina.

Spirit increased from 18 to 19. This was the result of his diligent study and persistent meditation over the past few days. Meditation yielded quick initial results, but progress slowed down afterward. Relying solely on meditation to raise his Spirit to 20 was a long and arduous road; heaven only knew how many days it would take.

Additionally, there was an unexpected change.

In the quest interface, besides the eternal ultimate quest "Upgrade the Space Garrison to the Garrison of God," the Mage class quest chain "Beginning of Arcane," and the unfinished side quest "Golem Heart," a new side quest had appeared.

"Side Quest: Ring of the Arcane Saint."

"Quest Objective: Become the first Apprentice Mage in human history."

"Quest Description: How is it possible, how could it be possible! How could there be a mage more talented than you! Defeat Meryl Winterstorm, defeat him, make him kneel and sing in submission! Become the first Apprentice Mage and receive the title 'Arcane Saint' personally bestowed by Thoradin."

"Quest Reward: Blue Rare equipment 'Ring of the Arcane Saint', upgradeable."

What was the greatest help the Space Garrison provided to Shawn?

The Portal of Time and Space?

The various buildings?

No, no, no—it was the quests!

Where there were quests, there were rewards, and there were endless benefits!

Clearly, the upgradeable blue rare equipment reward held a massive allure for Shawn. Judging by the drool running down his chin, Shawn knew he had succumbed to the reward.

"For the sake of the reward... er, no, for the sake of my dreams! Work hard, work harder, and become an Arcane Saint!"

With that, Shawn stopped sleeping and began to meditate.

Early the next morning, Shawn appeared before Meryl and the female Elf Mage with dark circles under his eyes.

"Shawn! Did you stay up all night?" Meryl was instantly inspired by Shawn's diligent and hardworking spirit: "Shawn, you're amazing! I want to learn from you; let's work hard together!"

Hearing this, Shawn felt his entire being fall apart, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Having talent was one thing, but if he were also going to be this hardworking... did he really have to make it impossible for those of us with duller wits to survive?

"Cough, cough. To defeat the Troll, let's do our best," Shawn said, changing the subject and shouting a slogan.

The little money-grubber Meryl had no such realization.

However, the female Elf Mage immediately turned serious, clenching her delicate fists: "To defeat the Troll, let's do our best!"

Then came even more grueling effort.

Although Meryl had better talent, it had to be admitted that Shawn's high Spirit of 19 brought him too many advantages. Thus, while Meryl was still an ordinary person, Shawn was already able to summon a Water Elemental.

And by the time Meryl could summon a Water Elemental, Shawn was already able to summon a Fire Elemental.

Unfortunately, just as Shawn had once guessed, Shawn only managed to summon a tiny wisp of flame, while Meryl directly summoned a large bucket of water that descended from the sky, soaking Shawn like a drowned rat!

"Meryl, you did that on purpose, didn't you? You did it on purpose, on purpose, purpose..." Shawn was furious.

That night, he sat alone in front of the fireplace, staring blankly at the small flames within.

In a trance, arcane energy rippled, and the flames in the fireplace flickered gently.

Shawn's eyes slowly began to brighten.

Talent did not determine everything. Elemental affinity did not determine everything, either.

There were still many paths Shawn could take to surpass Meryl Winterstorm.

For instance, pure arcane arts, dual-cultivation of ice and fire, or... borrowing external forces!

Since the summoned Fire Elemental was not enough to be shaped into a concentrated fireball, why not shape the existing fire instead?

Shawn concentrated his mind, channeling his arcane energy, and a fireball the size of a fist slowly formed within the burning flames of the fireplace...

Being able to cast a Fireball meant that, in a sense, Shawn had already become an Apprentice Mage!

Even if it wasn't by summoning a Fire Elemental and then shaping it.

Even if it wouldn't be recognized by the female Elf Mage or Thoradin.

Even if this wasn't a Fireball in the strict sense.

However, because he had successfully condensed the fireball, Shawn's interaction with the flames improved his synergy with the Fire Elementals, and the number of Fire Elementals he could summon slowly increased.

What determines how many Fire Elementals you can summon is not just elemental affinity, but also your Spirit's ability to mobilize the elements!

With the same affinity, the more proficient you are in using your Spirit and the better you understand the elements, the more elements you can mobilize! If you have enough affinity but lack control, even if you can summon a large number of elements, you cannot control them, cannot... shape them.

This was also the reason why Meryl could summon a bucket of water but could not transform the Water Elemental into an Ice Bolt. His Spirit was not strong enough, his application of it was too poor, and his understanding of the elements was far from sufficient.

A confident smile appeared on the corner of Shawn's mouth.

Although the number of elements he could summon was still not as high as Meryl's, Shawn believed that he would eventually surpass him. That day would not be far off.

The day he would surpass Meryl Winterstorm was right before his eyes.

Another ten-plus days of sleepless, tireless effort followed. When tired or sleepy, he meditated; when thirsty or hungry, he ate in his room; when his spirits were high, he sat before the fireplace communicating with the flames to foster their bond. Shawn became unkempt, not caring how dirty he was. His only goal was to improve himself as quickly as possible and cast his first true Fireball.

Time flowed like water, an endless, rushing stream.

More than ten days flashed by in the blink of an eye.

During these ten days, Meryl Winterstorm made rapid progress.

Possessing super-grade affinity with water elements, he had no need to worry about a lack of elemental energy. He was only one step away from his goal of casting Frostbolt, yet that single step was far from easy.

He still lacked sufficient understanding of fire elements and the application of mental power.

Therefore, he needed to commune with fire elements, utilize and hone his mental power as much as possible, and engage in persistent meditation until his mental power reached 10 points.

Of course, Azeroth had no way to quantify mental power; this was merely a reference based on Shawn's attribute panel.

According to the quantification of the Space Garrison, only by raising mental power to 10 points could one possess the ability to cast Tier 1 spells like Frostbolt or Fireball, and qualify to advance into a formal mage.

The quantification capability of the Space Garrison was beyond doubt.

Meryl Winterstorm's mental power had already reached 9 points, leaving him only 1 point away from his goal. With his super-grade elemental affinity, once his mental power hit 10, casting Frostbolt would be a natural progression.

Shawn was facing a tremendous challenge.

However, he was full of confidence.

On the 27th day after arriving at Stromgarde, Shawn was finally able to summon a flame the size of a basketball, then shape and condense it into a fireball the size of a fist.

A fireball with powerful explosive force.