The Senior and the Spell

In his own secure nest, open and unobstructed on all sides.

Having just finished a round of meditation, he reviewed the first six runes he had already mastered and tried to grasp the six newly appeared ones. Once the overuse of mental power left him tired, he went to draw runes above the magic mark to speed up his recovery, then continued on to savor the next round of exquisite exhaustion.

After several rounds like this, even if his mental power recovered, he still needed to pause and rest.

With his arm beneath his head, he stared at the now-bare recess in the cave wall, Old Gold Tooth's words running through his mind.

There was sunlight, the turning of sun and moon, and a vast human city somewhere in the distance. If all that existed, then surely there would be delicious food as well—sturdy city walls, warm bedding, noisy steaming markets. Perhaps there would even be a small puddle of filthy water on the market ground, violently splashed in every direction when children at play came running through it.

Humans? Could I still be a human? Could I become one again?

An ordinary lone kobold pup did not even count as a ferocious beast. If a human encountered one, they probably would not even spare it a proper glance. They would casually deal with it using a bow and arrow or an oversized pitchfork, chatting and laughing with their companions all the while.

So, wearing this face, he could not rashly head for a human city. This was not discrimination against his appearance—it was discrimination against his entire body, not even sparing a single hair.

Because in human eyes, a kobold's appearance meant prey. It meant an ugly pest.

And that underground city which even Old Gold Tooth had never visited was surely unimaginably far away. With his current strength, even if he knew the route, he might not be able to reach it.

He took out the four books and began choosing a spell to teach himself.

He had already used the two Shedding Spell and Mental Boil inheritance scrolls. The two spell models, one with nineteen nodes and the other with twenty, floated in circles around the magic mark.

The four books corresponded to four zero-ring spells. In their opening remarks, the authors each made their purpose clear: to explain the spell completely and concisely. They contained no modifications whatsoever, teaching only the most basic and stable version.

The four spells were Fireball Spell, Demon Skin Spell, Ear-Growing Spell, and Freezing Ray.

He wanted the Light of Spirituality to guide him one more time, but unfortunately, there was no response at all.

Clearly, that fellow was not someone who came at a summons.

In principle, he wanted to learn Demon Skin Spell first. Put simply, it was a spell that made him harder to beat up. But then he considered that aside from charging in under the enhancement of Strength of the Savage Bull and swinging his club, he did not yet possess any spell that directly affected a target. Foul-Smelling Skin was not useful in every situation, either. As long as one lived, one would always encounter all sorts of strange circumstances.

He looked over Fireball Spell, then ultimately chose Freezing Ray.

Freezing Ray, zero-ring spell.

It was said that the first wizard to invent this spell had gone mad and foolish after modifying his meditation method. He claimed to have found the hateful rheumatism sprites: tiny blue-and-white motes of light that shot from his hand, swarming through the sky like insects, specifically drilling into the joints of the elderly wizards in his school.

Unfortunately, his manuscripts were later destroyed. When people found and restored them, all they managed to produce was this straightforward blue-and-white ray that would not seek out targets on its own. Fortunately, the caster could still aim it at an enemy's joints, and its ray-like form preserved the original concept of continuous stacking. A moment's hesitation was enough for the accumulated chill to leave the enemy with an unforgettable memory.

He flipped through it with satisfaction, casually putting away the other three books.

This might work together with Foul-Smelling Skin, though so far he had yet to encounter a creature capable of enduring Foul-Smelling Skin for any length of time.

But it never hurt to be prepared. This spell could also help him stockpile and preserve food: dig a hole, freeze it, then carefully bury it. It would definitely keep for a long time.

Its frontal destructive power was not as intimidating as Fireball Spell's, but it paired well with both Foul-Smelling Skin and Strength of the Savage Bull. For instance, against a shield or solid iron door that Foul-Smelling Skin could do nothing about, he could give the shield or door an icy compress with Freezing Ray, then use Strength of the Savage Bull to swing his arm in a full arc and smash down with his club.

This was the first time he had truly mastered a spell through study.

Judging from Ka Liu's diary, apprentices in wizard academies often studied on their own as well. The difference was that when they encountered critical problems, they could seek advice from those who had gone before them, quickly straighten out their thoughts, and cross the pass.

That was exceedingly important, and it was also the foundation of organized legacies like wizard academies.

It occurred to him that he seemed to have such a person too.

No, that should be half a person.

Half-Man had surely waited so long by now that he was full of doubts and utterly baffled.

He felt that he should not leave Half-Man hanging for too long, either. He would study on his own first and make note of whatever he could not understand. Then, when he found the time, he would go ask Half-Man for advice. It would also put the mind of that good man—still a warmhearted senior for now—at ease. Anxiety and pent-up frustration were bad for the head.

With Foul-Smelling Skin constantly maintained in its second state, he could meditate and rest without worry. Aside from enemies who stumbled in by accident, the only one who could find this place was the simple-minded Aisijin. There was no fear of accidentally harming anyone. Interestingly enough, he later saw Big Silly Hum once, and the big fellow did not show the slightest hostility toward him.

If Old Gold Tooth knew what had happened here, he would definitely tease him—Look! This is the breadth of heart of royalty!

Ruger completed another round of meditation.

"Big brother, you smell better now."

The little bug-person sat in the recess of the cave wall opposite him, swinging her legs as she watched him without blinking.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw this scene.

While startled inwardly, he remembered the spell he had kept active and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"This time, you didn't smell the stinky smell of the spell, did you?"

He did not open his mouth to scold the frightening little bug.

The little crybaby bug did not cry when they met this time, but her eyes were still watery, as if a single touch would make tears spill out the next moment.

At his words, the little bug-person shook her head. "I'm going into the city next time. I came to see you one last time before then. My little brother said just now that he likes you very much."

Ruger looked at the incubation pouch at his waist. There was no movement from the bag, nor had its opening come undone.

"You failed?" he asked.

The little bug-person immediately looked dejected.

"I found the city, but I wandered around for a long time and couldn't find the entrance. But soon—I'll find the entrance soon," the little bug-person perked up again and said as she swung her legs. "Don't worry. I found a safe, nice place to sleep. I came to see you after waking up, and in a little while I'll go back and keep looking for the entrance."

"What can it eat? When will it break out of its eggshell?"

He picked up the incubation pouch and gave it a shake.

"It says it doesn't want to come out yet. Once it does, you can feed it those white bugs that are everywhere outside. It should be quite willing to eat them," the little insect man said.

Ruger was rather surprised to hear that, but on second thought, didn't ordinary bugs eat other bugs too? Bugs were not all the same.

Old Gold Tooth had trapped himself.

Just as he was about to ask something else, the little insect man's expression changed. With a flash, he vanished without a trace.

Ruger did not even pause to stare blankly. He turned and ran without hesitation. The instant he took his first step, Strength of the Savage Bull had already been activated through his magic mark and blessed him. No matter what it was, and no matter why—running came first.