Mayov's Acid Arrow

When Marvin examined the complex symbols and magical patterns on the stone door again, it felt different.

Both his [Arcana] and [Investigation] skills had risen by one level, and his Intelligence had increased by a point. His mind raced as all sorts of related knowledge surged forth, quickly deciphering the method to open the stone door.

The stone door had been created by druids of the Earth Society.

To control whether it opened or closed, one either needed to know the corresponding password or possess natural divine power derived from the forest.

Marvin met neither condition.

However, the earth was the mother of the forest. If he could control the earth element, he could solve the problem at its root.

With that in mind, Marvin made his decision about which class to level up.

If I factor in Miss Wuke's life, along with the spellbook she promised me, leveling up [Elemental Artificer] would yield far greater benefits.

Besides, with the system, there are plenty of ways to gain experience. My leveling speed won't be slow. Delaying [Scribes Guild Mage] reaching Level 4 a little won't be a problem.

After weighing his options, Marvin opened his character panel and selected the [Elemental Artificer] symbol in the leveling options—a gear surrounded by the symbols of the four major elements.

Immediately afterward, a stream of notifications flashed across his retina.

Your current classes are:

[Mage · Scribes Guild Level 2] [Elemental Artificer Level 1]

Because you have taken a new class, you have gained proficiency in the following skills:

[Magical Craftsmanship] [Mechanical Engineering]

You have learned the following language: Primordial (the language used by elemental creatures)

You have mastered a new weapon type: firearm.

You may activate an elemental pool. Please select an element type.

To open the stone door, Marvin could only choose the earth element.

Fortunately, that suited him perfectly.

The abjuration and transmutation schools had many spells closely related to the earth element, fitting both Marvin's cautious, steady style and the class characteristics of the [Elemental Artificer].

"Activate the Earth Element Pool!"

The moment he spoke, a grand tableau of the Elemental Plane of Earth appeared in his mind:

It was a world without sun, air, or water, dominated by black, gray, and yellow.

Towering mountain ranges stretched endlessly to the limits of sight. At their feet lay densely packed caves, with elemental creatures such as earth genies coming and going.

The image abruptly contracted and changed shape, finally condensing into a thick, weighty stone that floated within his consciousness.

This was Marvin's Earth Element Pool.

The total amount of elemental energy stored in the pool was related to Marvin's spellcasting ability.

He was currently a second-circle mage, so his Earth Element Pool contained 2 units of earth elemental energy.

That energy could strengthen one second-circle spell or two first-circle spells.

Inside the stone door, Miss Wuke watched Marvin stand there as if petrified for quite some time. Just as she was about to lose patience, he finally moved.

He strolled up to the stone door as though taking a leisurely walk, raised his left hand, and softly moved his lips. An ochre magical rune appeared in his palm.

The [Arcane Eye] could not transmit sound. Though Miss Wuke could not read lips, her extensive knowledge allowed her to determine that Marvin was using some special language spoken by planar creatures in his chant.

Marvin lightly pushed forward with his hand, and the ochre magical rune drifted into the core of the formation on the stone door.

Click, click...

The thick roots clinging to the stone door immediately came alive. Like countless pythons, they wriggled away.

So his composure came from having something to rely on. He actually broke through a defensive formation that even I had been helpless against so easily. Uncle Borey's judgment truly is sharp... Miss Wuke was astonished.

She had not held much hope, yet Marvin had truly done it.

At last, the stone door opened in response.

When Miss Wuke saw Marvin appear before her, the tension in her heart finally eased. Forcing herself, she squeezed out a few words: "Do you have holy water?"

Marvin quickly walked to her side and examined the wound. "A Bearded Devil did this? I understand. Don't worry, of course I have holy water."

He immediately took a bottle of holy water and a medical kit from his storage ring.

Marvin took out a sterilized white cloth from the kit and stuffed it into Miss Wuke's mouth. "This will hurt a little. Bear with it."

With that, he unscrewed the cap and carefully poured the holy water over Miss Wuke's wound.

The radiant energy in the holy water met the corrosive dark energy lingering in the wound, immediately triggering an intense magical reaction.

Hiss—

Wisps of green smoke rose from the wound. The pain made Miss Wuke grab Marvin's arm tightly, while dense beads of sweat seeped from her smooth forehead.

Marvin had no choice but to slow down.

Hmm, that was an oversight. I need to improve this. I should add anesthetics to the medical kit in the future, so I can relieve pain promptly.

Once the wound had been cleaned, the stitching became much easier.

Although healing potion alone could close the wound once the corrosive dark energy had been removed, it was safer to stitch it up. That would speed up the healing process and allow Miss Wuke to regain her combat strength sooner.

When the original owner had worked in the mage tower, he had often been injured. Since he could not afford to hire a physician or priest, he had developed basic first-aid skills. Although the system did not recognize him as possessing the [Medicine] skill, he could still handle emergencies when necessary.

Miss Wuke had betrayed the traditions of the Red Wizards, but she had inherited their ruthless nature. As Marvin worked on her thigh with needle and thread, she actually managed to grit her teeth and endure without letting out a pained groan.

By the time Marvin finished stitching the wound, he discovered that Miss Wuke was so exhausted she was nearly unconscious.

He picked up the remaining healing potion Miss Wuke had left on the ground, helped her sit up, and poured it into her mouth.

After about ten minutes, Miss Wuke finally recovered somewhat and was able to speak.

"Thank you. This is the reward I promised."

Miss Wuke pointed downward, and a spellbook with bronze trim and a red cover appeared out of thin air on the ground.

"No need to be in such a hurry. You should be more concerned about your body first. Although your wound has been treated, you lost too much blood. You're very weak right now and need food to replenish your nutrition."

Marvin took out the "Packhorse Sack" and retrieved a piece of premium bread mixed with walnut kernels and raisins, a strip of beef jerky sprinkled with sesame seeds and coated with honey, savory and sweet, then handed her the waterskin at his waist.

Miss Wuke accepted Marvin's food and began eating without a word.

Even injured, she ate with remarkable elegance, as though she were not in a cold, dark stone chamber covered in vines and moss, but in a brilliantly lit banquet hall.

With nothing else to do, Marvin opened the spellbook he had received from Miss Wuke.

The book recorded six first-circle spells: [Comprehend Languages], [Detect Magic], [Fog Cloud], [Protection from Good and Evil], [Unseen Servant], and [Thunderwave].

The four second-circle spells were [Mercuria's Light], [Cloud of Daggers], [Obscure Object], and [Enlarge/Reduce].

The two third-circle spells were [Counterspell] and [Fly].

The sole fourth-circle spell was [Greater Invisibility].

When he had leveled up earlier, Marvin could have chosen to immediately learn two spells. However, worried that the spells he chose might overlap with those in the spellbook, he had not made a decision.

Now, he no longer had that concern.

He brought up the system panel still waiting on the spell selection screen and silently said, I choose [Mayov's Acid Arrow] and [Mirror Image].

[Mayov's Acid Arrow] belonged to the second-circle conjuration school. It created a green arrow that shot at an enemy, dealing acid damage before exploding into a pool of potent acid.

Any creature splashed by the acid would also suffer continuing damage.

Among second-circle offensive spells, [Mayov's Acid Arrow] was not particularly outstanding. Marvin chose it because acid energy was formed from water and earth elements, allowing him to strengthen it with earth elemental runes.

As for [Mirror Image], it could create three illusory duplicates of himself, making it extremely useful for staying alive.