Quality and Quantity

It was another high-intensity practical combat class. Lister tightened his clothes, trading his loose mage robe for the fitted style favored by the high elves, which made it easier to swing his staff. He took a potion from his pocket. Belo'vir had never forbidden the use of potions, and he greatly appreciated Lister's habit of brewing his own.

"I remember that the first potion I ever brewed was a Super Defense Potion." Belo'vir joked to Lister, his eyebrows twitching. "I was a thousand years old then. On my birthday, I decided to challenge myself with alchemy, a subject I'd never studied before."

"What did that matter? Wasn't it all the same? Just like what you wrote in your articles—it couldn't be more complicated than making a chocolate cake."

So Belo'vir mixed two portions of Stonescale Eel Oil with one portion of Sungrass juice. After drinking it, he discovered to his surprise that he had gotten the formula wrong. The faulty potion only made all his hair stand on end—turning it into a full-blown afro!

"King Anasterian, who had come to my mage tower to celebrate my birthday, was stunned to find that all my hair had been cut down into a short style. He first laughed heartily at me, then had his own hair cut into the same style, only to discover with dismay that his short hair wouldn't stand up. So I gave him the formula for that mistaken potion as well."

"Brewing your own potions, preparing your staff, and crafting runes are required lessons for a mage. I'm very pleased that you chose this difficult path, Lister." Belo'vir once again sent Lister flying without any suspense. "Clearly, the final exams have made you slack off in your training."

Lister gulped down a Minor Vitality Potion. It could both heal wounds and restore mana, and that single gulp had been worth fifteen gold coins. His labored breathing gradually steadied under the potion's effects. "It couldn't be helped. I don't want to fail my courses."

"Your teachers would never let you fail." Belo'vir took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands. It seemed as though he never sweated; Lister had never seen him drenched in perspiration. But more likely, Lister was simply too weak to pose any threat to Belo'vir at all. "You are stronger than they are."

"All right, let's not waste time. Look closely at the rune beneath our feet." Belo'vir gestured downward with his chin. "Look carefully."

Lister examined the plaza beneath them. He had noticed long ago that a massive azure pattern had appeared there, but he had never expected it to be a rune. Weren't runes supposed to be tiny, delicate things?

"What I taught you was merely a simple technique for gathering mana. Combat between mages does not depend only on the spells you have mastered. There is one crucial point that nearly all mediocrities overlook: mana." Belo'vir's voice grew exceptionally grave. "What do you think mana is?"

"According to Master Erlselif's book, What Is the Nature of Arcane?, I agree with his conjecture that mana is an even smaller form of matter. This substance, so minute that it is smaller than cells, makes up everything in our world. Therefore, the power of the Arcane is limitless." Lister stated his beliefs with precision.

Belo'vir raised an eyebrow. "An excellent bookshelf."

What an arrogant remark. Lister drew a deep breath, but Belo'vir immediately continued, "Then why do you think Erlselif is not Silvermoon City's Grand Magister?"

Lister failed to make the connection at first. What did that question have to do with the rune beneath their feet? But after thinking for a moment, he answered, "His power is inferior to yours."

"One part of the reason." Belo'vir remained standing solemnly.

Lister continued, "The faction behind him is weaker than yours. You are the head of the Saronar Family."

"No, no, no." Belo'vir showed a charming smile. "You have one more chance."

Lister sank into deep thought. Yes, if those were not the reasons, then why could Belo'vir become Grand Magister? Erlselif was older than him, more experienced, and more prestigious. Erlselif had been among the first high elves to follow Dath'Remar to the Eastern Continent.

"Sorry, I can't guess it." Lister admitted defeat.

"In truth, there is a qualitative gap in the Arcane." Belo'vir spoke quietly. "Gold of the same volume as silver does not weigh the same. That is because of their density. Of course, explained through Erlselif's theory, the differences in the smaller particles that compose them determine the fundamental differences between substances."

"This difference must be one of quantity, yet quantity also leads to differences in structure. Do you understand now? Why each of our mana has a different nature, bearing a unique aura belonging only to the individual?"

"Because I realized this earlier than Erlselif did. When I created those three runestones, I came into contact with the power at the deepest reaches of the Sunwell, and I understood it. That gave me a greater possibility of undergoing a change in the essence of life. That is why Erlselif voluntarily withdrew rather than competing with me."

"The reason I'm telling you this is that there is a successful element of qualitative change right beside you: your Ebony Chill." Belo'vir pointed at Ebony Chill, floating beside Lister's hand. "Its material is ordinary, but it has been infused with Alodi's unique qualitative-change mana. In high elf history, there have been almost no magical items that could endure for so long and still remain intact. Before the Great Cataclysm, only a scant few artifacts possessed similar traits—artifacts constructed entirely from pure mana."

"The only explanation is the element of qualitative change. Only by mastering qualitative change can our lives transform to a higher level. But this step is too difficult. After seeing your Ebony Chill, I understood that unless I learned the Council of Tirisfal's methods and concentrated the power of the entire Sunwell upon myself, I would still have hope of transforming into a demigod akin to a Guardian. But that would be meaningless to the high elves. I can only seek a breakthrough through my own strength."

Lister listened to the other man's words in shock. He had never considered such questions before. He had thought Belo'vir was merely an ordinary NPC, one of the pitiful wretches who would eventually be crushed by Arthas. Yet he had never imagined that Belo'vir had already reached this stage, standing only one step away from demigodhood.

"You're surprised, wondering why I would tell you this." Belo'vir smiled warmly. "Because you are the most outstanding apprentice I have ever seen. Perhaps you can try to break through to that level in my place."

There was probably a deeper secret behind this. Lister thought about it indifferently as his gaze drifted over the rune on the ground.

"All right, enough said. In short, Arcane energy has a qualitative aspect for mages. That aspect determines the level of a mage's life, while the other aspect is quantity. Quantity determines how much mana a mage can wield, which in turn determines the power of their spells. That is why many low-level spells wielded by an Archmage have completely different power from when they are cast by an apprentice."

"And the rune beneath our feet, known as Talar, is specifically used to strengthen our Arcane rituals—in other words, to strengthen the aspect of quantity. It can help us absorb the mana drifting freely through the air. We need only stand at its center and guide our spells, and we can use the absorbed mana to increase their power. In truth, this is only a simplified version. There are even more..."