Single-Layer and Multi-Layer

A blazing fireball appeared before him, then shot out fiercely!

And because he had modified some redundant parts of the structure, Zeliel's casting speed was a little faster than it had been in Graywood Forest.

The time had been reduced from around five seconds to just over four, without any decrease in power.

"Bang!"

The fireball struck the crystal pillar and burst into a shower of sparks.

"Oh..." Marvin raised an eyebrow slightly.

What a promising talent.

Bev's casting speed for those three spells had averaged around six seconds, yet Zeliel had cast Fireball in just over four.

Don't underestimate that difference of a second or so. It might take a caster an entire year to improve by that much.

Clearly, Zeliel's magical control was superior to Bev's.

"Not bad. Continue." Marvin lifted his chin.

"Uh..."

Hearing that, Zeliel scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry, Mentor Marvin, but this is the only spell I know."

"Only this one?" Marvin frowned.

"Yes."

It couldn't be helped. The previous owner's family had been quite poor.

He had only managed to save enough money for that damaged Fireball scroll after years of odd jobs. As for other spells, they had been completely out of reach.

"Your Fireball is good. It fully meets the standard for a magic apprentice."

Mentor Marvin rubbed his chin.

"But according to the guild's rating rules, once your magical power and casting proficiency meet the standard, you must also master three second-tier single-layer spell-structure spells before you can become an official magic apprentice."

Based on the differences in spell structures, magic was divided into two broad categories.

They were single-layer spell-structure magic and multi-layer spell-structure magic.

A single-layer spell structure could be regarded as a plane—in other words, two-dimensional.

All circuits were inscribed upon that two-dimensional plane. This was also the most basic magical configuration.

For a very long period in history, mages on the Candia Continent could only use single-layer spell-structure magic.

Yet over the long river of time, there would always be a few exceptionally gifted individuals.

Through continuous exploration and development of spell structures, multi-layer spell-structure magic, which possessed greater power and broader applications, was invented.

Compared to the two-dimensional plane of single-layer spell-structure magic, multi-layer spell-structure magic was a three-dimensional construction formed by many intersecting planes.

Because it had more space, its complexity increased exponentially, making it even harder to master.

Based on the complexity of their circuits, these two major categories of magic were further divided into ranks one through nine.

Fireball, Wind Blade, Water Ball, and Illumination were all second-tier single-layer spell-structure magic.

Bev revealed a regretful expression.

She had already seen it during the assessment just now. Zeliel's magical ability was absolutely above her own.

The fact that he knew only one spell was probably due to his family circumstances as well.

Want to learn new magic?

Simple. Just spend money to buy magic scrolls inscribed with spell structures.

A high-quality second-tier single-layer spell scroll sold for around five gold coins, nearly a year's income for an ordinary family.

The Fireball scroll the previous owner had bought from a bard had been so badly damaged that he had been able to get it for forty silver coins.

The spiritual imprint remaining on it had been extremely faint, which was why the previous owner had needed such a long time to decipher the spell structure. The efficiency had been terribly low.

"I understand. I'll work hard to master two more spells, then come back for another assessment," Zeliel said.

Though he had failed, he was not discouraged.

After all, he had already learned three new spells from Bev. Once he finished analyzing them, becoming an official magic apprentice would only be a matter of time.

"Wait."

Marvin suddenly stopped Zeliel. "I want to ask you a few questions... Of course, they're rather personal. You can choose not to answer."

"What questions?"

"What does your family do? Merchants, or...?" Marvin asked.

"I'm from a small village on the border of the Ser Kingdom. My parents were farmers, but they've already passed away."

Zeliel answered truthfully, "I'm an adventurer now. I make a living by taking commissions."

"I see..."

Marvin lowered his head, seeming to ponder something. After a while, he finally spoke.

"Then I can let you pass the magic apprentice assessment in advance. But you must promise me that within three months, you'll come to me for a second mage assessment. I hope that by then, you'll have mastered three new spells."

Zeliel froze when he heard that.

"Ah...?"

What did that mean?

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and thank Mentor Marvin. He's looking out for you."

Bev nudged Zeliel with her elbow. "Once you become a magic apprentice, you can receive the guild subsidy. You get one gold coin every month."

There was such a good deal?

Only then did Zeliel come to his senses, and he hurriedly thanked him.

"Thank you for your consideration, Mentor Marvin! I definitely won't disappoint your expectations."

"The path of a mage is long, rough, and arduous. With your talent, I don't want to see you buried."

Marvin encouraged him. "Remember our agreement. Come find me for another test within three months."

"Okay."

Zeliel suddenly remembered the condition for unlocking his second talent skill: becoming a lower-tier mage.

This was the perfect chance to ask about it all at once.

"Mentor Marvin, I'd also like to know what standard I need to reach in order to pass the lower-tier mage assessment."

"You've only just become a magic apprentice, and you're already thinking about becoming a lower-tier mage?"

Marvin smiled.

"You've got lofty ambitions, kid... You need to master at least ten second-tier single-layer spell-structure spells and reduce your casting speed to within three seconds."

"On top of that, you must master one third-tier single-layer spell-structure spell and cast it within five seconds. That is the standard for a lower-tier mage."

"I don't need to elaborate on learning magic. Gather magic scrolls and comprehend them slowly on your own. As for reducing casting speed, that requires years of practice."

Marvin pushed up his glasses.

"What we need to understand is that spell structures are not fixed and unchanging. As long as your magical control improves, you can naturally optimize the original spell structures and increase your casting speed."

"Like turning a winding, twisting path into a straight line?" Zeliel recalled what he had felt earlier and spoke up.

"That's a very apt analogy."

Marvin nodded.

"Original spell structures are usually very complicated. In your words, they're a tangled mess of twists and turns—you might even get lost in them."

"Only by improving your magical control can you gradually reshape them into something more convenient, eventually reaching the supreme realm of a single spell—instant casting."

"I see..." Zeliel nodded slightly.