Acid Missile (II)

Zero-ring spells did not require too many runes, and quite a few of them were basic runes. Memorize those runes, infuse them with magic power, and the spell could be successfully cast.

In theory, it would not take much time.

If Charles were compared to a kindergarten student, the Basic Meditation Technique was like the numbers one through one hundred.

And zero-ring spells were like addition and subtraction within one hundred. You could say they were difficult, but they were not really that hard.

Yet for a kindergarten child, they were by no means simple.

Charles poured his burning desire to learn entirely into Acid Missile, spending the whole day memorizing runes.

Only when his mental strength was nearly depleted did Charles open his eyes. He sighed inwardly. I thought learning wizardry would be easy, but spells aren't simple at all!

At this rate, it'll take at least over a week to learn this spell.

And this is only a zero-ring spell.

Charles stopped practicing, but Molly was still meditating with a furrowed brow.

The potion bottles were already empty. This period of meditation would probably have to continue for some time.

Over the next few days, Charles devoted himself wholeheartedly to learning spells, while Molly practiced the meditation technique.

Every day, Charles first absorbed magic power, capturing as much as possible and keeping it within his body.

Then he began studying spells.

Only after exhausting his mental strength would Charles start practicing the Knight Breathing Technique, applying medicinal oil to enhance the effects of his training.

Charles wearily opened his eyes. Runes took shape in his mind, and as one rune after another condensed, magic power flowed into them.

Before Charles, a pale green, viscous sphere of liquid about the size of an orange formed.

This was Acid Missile!

With a flicker of mental strength, the Acid Missile shot out fiercely and struck the bathroom wall.

Sizzle!

Amid the sizzling sound, the spot it hit looked as though it had been splashed with sulfuric acid.

White smoke rose from the corroded wooden board, and green bubbles swelled across it. After a while, the spell effect of Acid Missile faded.

Charles stepped forward and silently examined the effect left behind by the spell.

The wooden board, which had originally been treated against corrosion, now had a head-sized depression eaten into it.

If this Acid Missile landed on a person, even a knight in armor would probably be severely injured by the corrosion.

If it struck the head or face, it might even kill them outright.

Yet Charles still shook his head. The power of such a zero-ring spell was not particularly outstanding, and its casting time was somewhat too long.

From the moment he began casting—forming the runes, infusing them with magic power, and finally activating it—it took roughly five seconds.

And the spell's effective range was probably no more than fifty meters.

At such a short distance and with such a long casting time, an enemy would have enough time to kill Charles several times over.

He slowly stroked the corroded wood.

He had only just learned the spell, so its casting time was long. But once he became proficient, he would certainly be able to shorten it.

From five seconds to three, two, or even instant casting—there should be a chance for all of that.

When he left the bathroom, Molly stood at the door with a curious look, staring at Charles as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.

"Ask whatever you want. No need to bottle it up."

As though granted a reprieve, Molly hurriedly asked, "Is this the spell you learned?"

"It looks so strong!"

"If we run into danger again, will you be able to cast spells to protect us?"

Charles gave a slight nod. "Mm."

Molly froze and said blankly, "I asked so much, and you only gave me one word?"

Charles glanced at her and asked, "How much longer until the Basic Meditation Technique breaks through to Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice?"

"Do you want me to throw you into the middle deck cabins?"

Molly shook her head repeatedly, like a rattle drum.

Charles withdrew his gaze, slowly took off his clothes, and began preparing to practice the Knight Breathing Technique.

Molly, sitting on the sofa, was immediately drawn to the lines of Charles's muscles and stared without blinking.

Charles began training the breathing technique. After a while, he opened his eyes. "If you want to look that badly, come apply the oil for me."

"Ah!?"

"Oh, okay... I'm coming right away!"

Molly was startled at first, then secretly delighted. Taking Charles's medicinal oil, she came over to him.

Dipping her slender fingers into the oil, she lightly brushed them over Charles's skin and spread it evenly.

"Hehe..."

Molly found it rather fun to admire him up close and even touch him herself.

Charles, however, was in no amorous mood. The medicinal oil did not feel pleasant when applied to the body.

Wherever it touched his skin, it even felt somewhat burning. Once the oil's effects were absorbed, his muscles felt sore and numb beneath the skin, greatly testing a practitioner's willpower.

Days passed, and another month went by.

Molly finally became a Third-Rank Wizard Apprentice. In theory, she could now request to move out, but she did not mention it.

Since she had no intention of moving out, Charles naturally could not be bothered to interfere.

He was now immersed in practicing spells every day. After a month of study and research, the time it took him to cast Acid Missile had improved from around five seconds to only about one second.

It was a very rapid rate of progress, but he had essentially reached a standstill there.

It was like raising a test score from twenty to eighty or ninety—it could happen quickly.

But going from eighty or ninety to above ninety-five was far more difficult, let alone reaching one hundred.

On the deck of the upper cabins, Charles stood gazing out at the sea.

There were more than a dozen ships around them, each separated from the others by roughly several hundred meters.

Charles stood at the side. He formed runes in his mind and infused them with magic power, then an Acid Missile flew from before him.

Whoosh!

The Acid Missile traveled more than seventy meters before slowly beginning to fall, eventually landing on the sea.

Charles was delighted. During this time, not only had he shortened the casting time of Acid Missile, but he had also increased its range.

At the same time, thanks to diligent training, he had accumulated some magic power in his body. He could now cast at least around twelve Acid Missiles each day.

It was not much, but at least it was a process of constant improvement.

He watched the distant Acid Missile. Once it reached its maximum range, it was no longer under his control and fell downward.

Splash!

The Acid Missile dropped into the sea.

The next moment—

Boom!

The water suddenly exploded upward, a towering wave surging into the air.

Crash!!

Charles was dumbfounded. He could not believe that his own Acid Missile could create such an effect.

Sure enough, the next second, a thick, twisted tentacle rose from beneath the surface, then crashed back down onto the water.

Boom!!