Choosing Witchcraft

Lynn's gaze swept over the cantrips one by one as he weighed them rapidly in his mind:

[Corrosive Acid] and [Minor Fireball] were direct offensive cantrips, relatively powerful among spells of their kind.

Especially Fireball—it was the most classic tool in a wizard's arsenal. If you couldn't throw a Fireball, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself a wizard.

But he already had [Weak Soul Shock] and Bone Hand, and now Wu Liuqi served as his main attacker. For the time being, he had no need for such conspicuous offensive methods.

Discarded!

[Whispers of the Dead] and [Basic Toxin Identification] counted as utility cantrips.

The former allowed one to communicate with corpses that had only recently died, before their souls had dispersed. It offered no direct improvement to one's strength.

The latter was far too specialized and not broadly useful.

Discarded!

[Negative Energy Nourishment] and [Skeletal Reinforcement] could repair and strengthen undead creatures and materials.

If he wanted to build an undead army in the future, these support skills would still be necessary.

Hmm... worth considering.

[Minor Pain Curse] and [Visage of Fear] were mental interference spells, quite effective against wizards.

But their functions overlapped somewhat with the [Weak Soul Shock] he had already mastered.

Discarded!

[Dust Cloud] was an earth-element witchcraft spell meant for battlefield control.

Lynn also had an earth-element talent, but Dust Cloud was simply too pathetic.

Discarded!

[Glimmer Illumination] and [Magic Trick] were universal utility spells.

His nameplate already came with [Glimmer Illumination], so he did not need it.

[Magic Trick] was quite practical. It could produce all kinds of minor supernatural effects according to the caster's will.

A jack-of-all-trades skill—essentially a budget version of "Wish"...

Lynn was extremely interested in witchcraft capable of producing effects where words became reality.

What kind of witchcraft model could possess such endlessly variable effects?

He wondered whether its ultimate form might be related to laws such as "Creation" or "Genesis."

More importantly, the all-purpose witchcraft [Magic Trick] took up only one unit of "mental bandwidth"!

It truly felt like spending little to accomplish much.

[Faint Illusion] was a deception spell capable of creating a convincing static illusion. It was a solid tactical option for misleading enemies and drawing their attention.

[Mental Perception]: A scouting spell. It slightly enhanced perception and allowed vague sensing of life, negative energy, and malice. It was key to preventing ambushes and exploring unknown environments.

Both cantrips were highly useful, especially [Mental Perception]. In Bone Spire, survival, concealment, and information mattered far more than frontal assaults.

Beyond those, there were basic cantrips of various elements and support witchcraft spells. After analyzing them one by one, Lynn made his decision.

[Shadow Concealment]: This cantrip could slightly adjust the shadows around him, making him harder to notice in dim environments.

It was a perfect match for Wu Liuqi's abilities. Whether Lynn was sneaking himself or creating an environment for Wu Liuqi to launch a surprise attack, it would be immensely useful.

[Mental Perception]: These were the eyes that could save his life. In an academy filled with danger, sensing peril even a moment earlier could mean the difference between life and death.

[Magic Trick]: This cantrip possessed tremendous potential—cleaning, starting fires, changing colors, moving small objects...

Whether helping out in the laboratory, taking care of personal hygiene, or serving as a universal tool in certain situations, it could prove useful.

These witchcraft models would fill the "bandwidth" of his mental core exactly, without wasting even the slightest bit.

As for skills that strengthened and repaired undead creatures, he would wait until he advanced and choose first-circle witchcraft. The effects of cantrips were still a little too weak.

Having chosen his targets, Lynn stopped hesitating and began analyzing them one by one.

He now had a vast accumulation of knowledge and three channels of "Analysis," so his speed of analysis was incomparable to before.

Before long, the first cantrip had been analyzed and slightly optimized.

Lynn focused his mind, drawing the panel-optimized [Shadow Concealment] model beside his mental core and beginning to construct it with mental power.

Thanks to the 100% analysis rate, the entire process proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

The complex structure and energy circuits seemed as though they had always belonged to him, quickly taking shape and solidifying.

Next came [Mental Perception].

This model focused more on amplifying and fine-tuning his own senses, requiring more precise control to construct than [Shadow Concealment].

Yet with the panel's assistance, he completed it without incident.

Lastly came [Magic Trick].

To Lynn's surprise, this cantrip's model was the most complex and variable, encompassing the fundamental principles behind multiple effects.

Whoever had invented this witchcraft was truly a genius!

Lynn spent quite a bit of effort before successfully solidifying it.

After completing all the inscriptions, even with Lynn's current mental power, he still felt a faint wave of fatigue.

But what he felt more strongly was fulfillment. His methods had now become far more varied.

That night, the exhausted Lynn spent his time in deep meditation, continuously familiarizing himself with the three newly inscribed models in his sea of consciousness.

Kevin at the door had it rough. He meditated there all night, yet gained almost nothing.

Still, he had not been idle. He spent the entire night cursing Lynn in his heart.

That bastard was barely human. It was like he had never seen negative energy in eight lifetimes.

The next day, the sky remained eternally dim.

Lynn ended his meditation in high spirits, and the first thing he did was test his new skills.

With a thought, [Shadow Concealment] took effect.

He could control the nearby shadows, gathering them into various shapes, or use them to conceal himself.

Lynn walked over to the dormitory wall. Standing in the dense shadow of a corner, his outline became exceedingly blurred and his presence noticeably diminished.

It was not invisibility, but in poorly lit surroundings, the effect was quite good.

Next, Lynn activated [Mental Perception].

It was like a severely nearsighted person receiving corrective surgery—the entire world became brighter and clearer.

He could catch the subtle flow of negative energy particles in the air, and sense the faint life force and restless emotions coming from beyond the door.

He could even hear Kevin's quiet curses.

"Lynn, you rotten tomato!"

"You smell like a dead rat!"

"You look like a monster!"

"You're a devil!"

"Your mother doesn't love you!"

Hmm... white people's insults really were pitifully weak. They sounded almost childish.

If he had the chance, he would definitely let Kevin experience China's "art of language."

Finally, Lynn looked at the scraps of food left on the table from last night and cast [Magic Trick].

With a light tap of his finger, the scraps vanished without a trace, and the tabletop became spotless as new.

Casting it on himself, the grime on his body vanished, his breath instantly became fresh, and even his boogers and earwax were swept away.

He then tried moving a bone pen, making it spin nimbly between his fingers.

"Perfect."

A faint smile curled Lynn's lips.

This [Magic Trick] was indeed useful. It could save him quite a bit of meaningless time.

Thinking of everything he had gained over the past two days, there was only one word in Lynn's heart—Awesome!