Ice Shaping Magic

A new kind of magic had to be released with extreme caution by almost everyone, especially the first time. If one rushed to use a new spell without being absolutely certain of success, the consequences would be extremely painful.

If a spell failed, the loss would not be limited to the magic power used for it. Even more magic power would be lost to compensate for the shock caused by the spell's failure.

For these Magic Apprentices, once their magic power was nearly depleted, their entire bodies would become unable to move and convulse uncontrollably. Mentally, it would be like an ordinary person going a full week without sleep.

Moreover, Magic Apprentices had not yet reached the stage where they could learn meditation techniques. Only after becoming a second-level Mage, with more than one hundred points of magic power, could they operate a meditation technique.

Only when one's internal magic power reached one hundred could scattered magic power be condensed into a Magic Vortex. Even the poorest meditation technique required a Mage to withstand one hundred points of magic power to operate it completely.

Condensing a Magic Vortex was also a symbol of being a second-level Mage.

The Ice Shaping Magic course could be considered one of the more common types among unpopular courses. In a spacious classroom, fewer than ten apprentices were seated.

Compared with a popular spell like Small Fireball, which had at least fifty people attending, the difference was enormous.

Fifty people was already a great many. After all, Blue Town had only a few hundred Magic Apprentices, and fewer than a hundred had reached the rank of second-level official Mage.

As for third-level Mages... sorry, but Blue Town's resources were too scarce. Mages above the third level had long since left Blue Town.

Near afternoon, Dean arrived at the classroom with his course permit.

Dean chose a corner along the side and sat down. Usually, this was the least conspicuous position, allowing him to reduce unnecessary trouble to the greatest extent possible... all kinds of trouble.

Dean had arrived relatively late, at least compared with the other apprentices. In fact, he had already arrived half an hour before class began.

That was a sign of respect for the teacher, even if the teacher was only one level above them—a second-level Mage.

The classroom was quiet. No one was chatting. Everyone was using the time to look through a small booklet introducing the course.

At some point, rhythmic knocking came from the doorway. It was the sound of a wooden stick tapping the floor, drawing closer from the distance.

Dean straightened up. The teacher had arrived.

As expected, an old man with a head of white hair walked in. Before stepping onto the podium, he swept his gaze across the room.

Nearly ten people, but not quite ten. The old man's expression relaxed slightly, and he stepped up to the podium.

Hey, there are still people willing to attend my class. At least this isn't too embarrassing. Perhaps that was what the old man was thinking.

Most people would think more or less the same. The white-haired old man was a theoretical teacher, not a practical one. Although he was a second-level Mage, his combat ability might have been the weakest among all second-level Mages.

Therefore, this white-haired old man was not beloved by most apprentices.

Of course, the people in this classroom had come to study the old man's theoretical knowledge. They did not care about the teacher's strength.

"Ahem. In this lesson, I'll be explaining Ice Shaping Magic to you," the white-haired old man said.

The apprentices were all very quiet, and Dean was even more focused as he watched.

"Ice Shaping Magic is most important for its shaping. If you want to create something, you must first imagine what it looks like in your mind."

As he spoke, the old man began drawing on the blackboard behind him.

A few minutes later, a little snake appeared on the blackboard. Calling it little was not quite accurate, because the snake was already as thick as an ordinary person's arm.

Looking at the lifelike little snake on the blackboard, Dean could not help thinking, As expected of a teacher. He's even so good at drawing.

"This is the Sky-Swallowing Python in my mind. How is it? Isn't it lifelike? Hahaha." The old man chuckled.

However, none of the apprentices laughed with him. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the posture of that "Sky-Swallowing Python."

It was too lifelike. Even though it was merely a black-and-white drawing, the white-haired old man had managed to make it look real in just a few minutes.

The old man was also satisfied with the apprentices' reactions. He did not interrupt them as they watched the little snake, simply waiting in silence.

A few minutes later, everyone finally came back to their senses. This... was a fake snake!

"The so-called ice-make isn't limited to just form; the most important thing is expression. In other words, you have to impart a false soul to it."