Learning

"If you haven't felt a dormant period coming on, you may remain a young dragon forever."

"What? I'll never grow up? Does that matter?"

"It does. Every time a dormant period ends, a dragon's body grows stronger. For the Dragon Race, dormancy is also a time of transformation. Every one matters."

"...Well, that's depressing." Zheng Yichen looked down at his claws and spoke with some helplessness. He had never experienced anything like a dormant period. He could sleep for two or three days straight, but after sleeping that long, he simply wasn't tired anymore.

"Not having a dormant period has its advantages. Dormancy is a transformation for the Dragon Race, but it's also a weakness, though few would dare exploit it," Lolise said evenly. "As for you, you don't seem to have dormant periods, but your body keeps growing stronger. Of all the dragons I've seen, yours is the most remarkable."

She wasn't saying that to comfort Zheng Yichen. Over the past two days, she had observed his body growing stronger every moment. The changes were tiny, but they never stopped.

"Growth and strength that defy the laws of nature don't exactly inspire confidence," Zheng Yichen muttered.

Lolise glanced at Zheng Yichen. She didn't tell him how many things about him she had found that defied the rules of this world. Besides, defying the laws of nature wasn't such a big deal here.

"Within three days, you must master one of the most basic Magic Array Patterns. Any one will do."

"You're not even wondering whether I have the talent for it?"

"If I say you can, you can," Lolise said evenly. When she had touched Zheng Yichen's consciousness in the dream, she had also discovered that his soul was slowly strengthening along with his body. That growth was probably caused by some special "factor" he had brought from his own world when he crossed over.

The abnormalities in his body likely came from a clash between that otherworldly "factor" and this world. It made his body follow Zheng Yichen's own understanding of growth—or perhaps the rules of growth from his world—more closely.

But that influence hadn't completely warped his body. The result was this unusual growth, which had stalled at the Dragon Race's first dormant period of growth.

These were only Lolise's guesses, though she could verify them over time. In any case... unless something unexpected happened, Zheng Yichen might remain a young dragon forever. Dragons slept so their bodies could transform and become capable of handling greater power.

Zheng Yichen's physique, however, was improving all the time. That made a dormant period for growth almost a joke. With such an unusual way of getting stronger, even an ordinary dragon would probably skip one or two unnecessary dormant transformations.

Narrowing his eyes, Zheng Yichen studied the book before him, which Lolise had enlarged once again. This was no Primer. It was a genuine book of magic... the introductory kind.

Even at an introductory level, it made his head ache. What happened to the legendary magical talent of someone who'd crossed into another world? He didn't seem to have any!

"Do I have to memorize all of this?" Zheng Yichen asked, his head throbbing as he stared at a complicated pattern. And this was the simplest one!

"All of it," Lolise said with a slight nod.

"What if I forget it later..."

"Once you've memorized and mastered a pattern, you'll imprint it on your mind. Forgetting it will be difficult. After you reach the threshold, you can start improving spells to make them better suited to you," Lolise said evenly. "These are all fundamentals, so there's no harm in learning them all. Later, you can choose whichever branch or branches you find easiest to master as your main source of power."

"Oh... I've been wondering for a while what you mean by 'reaching the threshold.' The Primer didn't give any ranks for the different professions, either. So what is it?" Zheng Yichen asked curiously.

"It isn't a rank. It simply marks the point when the power you wield takes on characteristics of your own," Lolise explained. "For a Mage, the standard is being able to adjust a Magic Array Pattern. A warrior must be able to alter the flow of a combat technique to some degree, allowing them to develop a technique of their own or improve an existing one. For a Battle Qi warrior, it means gaining complete control over Battle Qi's violent nature."

"Uh, there's nothing like magic apprentices or bronze warriors?"

"There's no need. Once you've gained command of a power, you've entered the field. Growing stronger is a matter of gradual accumulation. Not every race can make great leaps in strength through growth and transformation the way the Dragon Race can."

"Then... how do you accumulate magical power?" Zheng Yichen's mouth fell open slightly. Damn it, his understanding of the world had taken another hit!

"When you practice magic, you draw on power from your surroundings. Some of that power flows into your body, where it's absorbed and becomes your own. Warriors achieve the same effect while practicing combat techniques. Battle Qi warriors... train with the appropriate methods until they drop."

"I thought there'd be some kind of meditation method..."

"There is, but it doesn't suit you." Lolise glanced at Zheng Yichen. "The Dragon Race has its own method, preserved in its inherited memories, so I don't know what it is. That doesn't mean the usual way of accumulating magical power is inefficient. Once you reach the threshold, you can devise a training method that suits you. That's what most people who reach it choose to do."

"Got it." Zheng Yichen propped up his chin and nodded. He felt a little disappointed, but had no other ideas. The more he learned, the more he understood how grounded this world's methods of training were. If he wanted to grow stronger, he would have to build his strength bit by bit.

If he wanted to come up with some sort of "cultivation method," Lolise's explanation made it sound as though he would have to wait until he reached the threshold. The ranks might be a little vague, but this felt more realistic.

To master a spell's pattern, he first needed to understand that pattern well enough. How well? At a minimum, he had to be able to close his eyes, picture the whole pattern clearly in his mind, and then draw it.

After all, he had to imprint the pattern on his mind. If he didn't even know it well enough, how could he imprint it there? The process was similar to visualization: the deeper his impression of the pattern and the finer his understanding, the better his chances of success. That was how it worked for basic spells.

More advanced spells also required him to master the complex paths along which power flowed through their patterns. Basic and low-level spells didn't require that, because their patterns could be drawn in one continuous stroke. Higher-level magic could wait. For now, he needed to master the basics first...

Incidentally, this world's Magic Array Patterns weren't circles filled with mysterious lines and symbols. Zheng Yichen thought that sort of magic array looked pretty cool, but changing the patterns would also have to wait until he reached the threshold.

I'll put together a cover in the next couple of days ╮(╯▽╰)╭. I've had too much going on lately.