Sorcerous Wisdom

On the cold steel floor, the Bagula Demon's massive, sturdy body lay stiffly in the center. Ryan examined this "lucky" visitor from the Abyss, a glow of satisfaction and joy flickering within his bright, azure eyes.

Ryan was quite satisfied with this battle. As a mage, one must learn how to seize the moment and settle the outcome with minimal cost.

A wise mage is never just a spell-barbarian who mindlessly hurls fireballs; sometimes, a simple low-level spell is enough to turn the tide of a battle.

Yefalin had once taught Ryan that a mage's combat is a test of wisdom. Magic is convenient and useful, but it is not everything; mages who obsessively pursue powerful magic often head toward the abyss of destruction due to pathological mana addiction.

It is not the spell that is powerful, but the mage who wields it.

Of course, Ryan felt this would have been more convincing if his blue-haired, unscrupulous mentor hadn't been in the middle of casting "Meteor Swarm" when she said it.

As a person from the Rabbit Kingdom in his past life, Ryan's fear of insufficient firepower was deeply ingrained in his bones. While the young man drooled over his mentor's signature spells, he also took her teachings to heart.

Having gained a precious specimen of an Abyssal demon corpse for the cost of only two third-level spell slots and a few vials of church-blessed holy water, Ryan considered this a very profitable trade.

In this world, everything has its value; even a piece of toilet paper has its place, let alone the corpse of a demon, which represents chaos and evil in the Bottomless Abyss.

In the chaotic and crime-ridden Dock Ward of Waterdeep, even dead bodies were assigned value. Low-level underground gangs made a living by fishing the corpses of the elderly, women, children, and even discarded adult males out of the rushing river. A sturdy adult male corpse could even be sold for one Gold Talon to evil mages researching necromancy.

These necromancers and liches, hiding in the darkness, evaded the pursuit of the Church of the Dead in cold basements and desolate corners, desecrating corpses to enhance their own spellcasting abilities.

Ryan reckoned that in the eyes of those alternative ghouls, this corpse was also top-tier material. In fact, based on Ryan's knowledge, the Bagula Demon could serve as the primary material for a lich or a flesh golem. If placed on the Waterdeep black market, those necromancers starved for spell components would absolutely swarm it.

Seeing Ryan tuck the spoils of war away, Jelona and her two companions remained indifferent. As the employers for this adventure, they felt this was only natural.

Besides, this was a monster summoned by him, and the mage had played the key role in the battle. The trio, who had a great impression of Ryan, felt the mage was far more reliable than the eccentric employer who had once asked them to help catch Ring-eyed Lizards, a southern specialty, in the Northlands forests.

The only thing the three envied was the mage's absurdly large storage equipment. In Faerûn, adventurers often traveled through wilderness, deep forests, and ancient ruins, overcoming countless obstacles and surviving near-death experiences to defeat enemies, only to be frustrated by limited carrying capacity, forced to leave behind a pile of materials to rot in some forgotten corner.

However, when Ryan announced that the party would receive forty percent of the spoils from this battle, all three, including Jelona, showed joyful expressions and actively began cleaning up the battlefield under Ryan's direction.

Once the blood, saturated with Abyssal energy, was cleared from the ground, Ryan restored the damaged magic circle. Fortunately, the gold, silver, and other metals used as primary materials had not been affected during the fight with the Bagula Demon, allowing Ryan to easily repair the circle.

When everything was settled, Ryan took out the second Myriad Changes Card, hesitated for a moment, and then resolutely walked to the center of the circle.

The half-elf ranger watched Ryan's movements, worry and tension flashing in her beautiful eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped, finally saying, "Ryan, do you really have to try such a dangerous thing again?"

Facing his friend's concern, the blonde youth revealed a brilliant smile to reassure her: "It's fine, I'm prepared. Trust me."

Although the first "unboxing" had been a shipwreck, the final result wasn't bad, was it? Two third-level spell slots traded for an Abyssal monster corpse worth at least several hundred Gold Talons. Ryan told himself this wave was a massive profit—actually, he really was a lucky charm.

Silently comforting himself, Ryan thought about the importance of "padding the blade" and was absolutely certain the next card would be a hit. After patting the cards in his pocket, the lucky Ryan decisively struck again.

The Faerûn World of swords and magic had always been a cruel and cold place, not the peaceful and comfortable country of his past life. Defeat meant death, and Ryan could not be sure if he would have the same good luck to start over.

Therefore, every decision had to be made with caution, yet when the time came to act, one had to be swift and decisive—and Ryan clearly did not lack decisiveness.

As if time were flowing backward and the scene repeating, under the nervous, worried, yet expectant gazes of the trio, Ryan, standing in the magic circle, followed the same procedure, dripping a drop of blood onto the face of the second Magic Omnipotence Card.

The Magic Omnipotence Card absorbed Ryan's blood as always, the surface rippling like water with the fluctuation of magic power, and then an image began to emerge in the central vortex.

The first thing to appear in the image was a white-haired, imposing old man. A magnificent staff inlaid with a giant gem, paired with a gorgeous mage's robe, highlighted the old archmage's majesty and luxury. In those eyes that had seen through the vicissitudes of the world, Ryan felt he could see his own reflection.

The old mage stood in the boundless, deep void, holding a staff in one hand and a golden book in the other. His gaze seemed to pierce through the image to see Ryan before the Myriad Changes Card. The severity and encouragement in his eyes were clearly visible, and that stern face carried a meaningful smile, like an elder full of expectations for his student.

The moment the Myriad Changes Card was opened, the card's name surfaced in Ryan's mind—"Sorcerous Wisdom."

Immediately, a powerful and magical force surged into Ryan's body and mind. Fragments of knowledge emerged in his heart, and endless pain stimulated his brain. The blonde mage couldn't help but grit his teeth, his face turning pale.

After the pain subsided, Ryan felt a sense of clarity and an exceptionally sharp mind, as if his seven orifices had been cleared. Ryan felt his cognitive activity, logical ability, and memory had all reached a new level. He carefully recalled the knowledge from just a moment ago; those arcane techniques were deeply engraved in his memory as if he had read them a thousand times.

A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Ryan's mouth. At this moment, Ryan was incredibly elated. The effect of the "Sorcerous Wisdom" card gave him a huge surprise. The massive boost from +2 Intelligence brought him halfway into the realm of the extraordinary and also awakened the ability of photographic memory.

"Hahahaha, I really am the king of luck! A single draw creates a miracle, a single draw creates a miracle!"

In Ryan's inner theater, the blonde youth stood with his hands on his hips, head tilted back, laughing wantonly and triumphantly.

After all, in the records Ryan had read, cards that could directly increase attributes were few and far between; those lucky enough to encounter one were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Among all the records, the best card that had ever appeared was related to physical bonuses. One "Champion Knight" card had directly boosted the user's Strength to 20 and Constitution to 18—it was simply insane.

However, fate is so wondrous; that lucky guy happened to be a wizard. Later, he resolutely embarked on the path of a violent melee mage, dumping all his talent points into Strength, Muscle, and Constitution, and his skill points into Charge, Cleave, and Whirlwind, then just cast Light Spell and charged in.

This mage had carved out a great reputation in the Northlands and held high prestige and fame at the time, but unfortunately, he eventually perished under the great tide of the Time of Troubles.

As a proper mage who had practiced staff techniques and tempered his body since childhood, Ryan sighed with regret for the passing of this predecessor. Although there were spells like Tenser's Transformation that allowed him to admire the predecessor's style, spells ultimately had time limits and could not compare to real, solid physical fitness.

The classic case of a certain mage who once used Enlarge Person to spar with a succubus but lost due to the time limit deeply illustrated this point.