The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 28: Differences and Iterations in Spells

On the other side, Sylutia followed a staff member to the Inheritance Room. It was actually located directly above the main hall and wasn't a completely sealed secret chamber. The circular room had small round windows around it, furnished with comfortable tables, chairs, sofas, and even a recliner. It felt like a place perfect for taking an afternoon nap.

In practice, using an Inheritance Gem was mostly similar to 'dreaming'—the consciousness would enter a dream and immerse itself in the memory-etched scene.

However, no gem was being used here today. An old man sat with his back to Sylutia in a wooden chair by the fireplace, a thin blanket covering his knees. He looked just like an ordinary old man from the neighborhood.

"Professor Maledor, Miss Hedra is here." The staff member brought Sylutia in and gave a brief introduction.

"This is Professor Maledor, who improved and passed down the secret art 'Steel Shadow Magic Hand'. The 'Magic Hand Manipulation' you're interested in is the foundation of 'Steel Shadow Magic Hand', and the 'Phantom Flying Sword' you are about to learn is an extremely simplified modified version of 'Magic Hand Manipulation'." After the introduction, he poured tea for both of them from the pot in the room, then closed the door and left.

After sitting down, feeling slightly nervous, the old man opposite turned around, nodded to her, and then spoke.

"Hello, child from afar." He didn't seem adept at hosting guests. After saying this, he paused for a few seconds, then got straight to the point.

"I will be the one to teach you the secret art you wish to learn today."

"Thank you, Professor Maledor." Sylutia remembered the staff member's introduction just now.

Then, the old man began recounting the origin of this secret art and its developmental changes over time."The earliest 'Magic Hand Manipulation' was created by the mage Wistan over four hundred years ago. He invented this composite spell simply to make his own life more convenient, to do more things simultaneously, and improve efficiency."

"As he used it for longer and longer, he unconsciously kept improving it, making the spell increasingly easier to use and more powerful. Later, to save spell slots and accommodate both daily life and combat, he tried various methods to add combat capabilities to this spell, eventually forming a series of secret art knowledge."

"From the initial Fourth Tier spell 'Magic Hand Manipulation', to the Fifth Tier spell 'Steel Shadow Magic Hand', then to the Sixth Tier spell 'Heavenly Steel Magic Hand', and even the currently researched Seventh Tier secret art, this spell system has developed a very mature framework with various minor branch applications. If you are interested, you can come directly to me for further inheritance studies after entering Rorik College in the future."

"Thank you. If I enter Rorik College in the future, I will visit you." Although she wasn't necessarily planning to take the entrance exam for Rorik College.

Hearing this answer, the old man seemed to be in a much better mood. He then began explaining from the basic principles and framework.

"...After saying all this, you should have noticed that manipulating a magic hand requires extremely high control, which in turn requires a powerful foundation of Mental Power and high mental stability to complete precise operations. Therefore, ordinary Third Tier mages often struggle to meet this standard. So, they first learn the simpler 'Phantom Flying Sword'. The flying sword only needs to be condensed into form; it doesn't require the complex finger movements, force application, etc., needed for manipulating a magic hand. The difficulty is significantly reduced." He explained patiently and in detail.

Sylutia listened, nodding repeatedly. Then, the old man directly demonstrated the construction of the Spell Model for 'Magic Hand Manipulation' right in front of her.

"...Like this."

After he finished speaking, a pair of hands glowing with blue fluorescence appeared before him. They picked up the teacup from the table and brought it to his mouth. Seeing Sylutia's wide-eyed, curious, and attentive gaze, the old man couldn't help but feel a bit of a desire to show off. He then manipulated the magic hands to pick up a vase from the room.

The fragile porcelain vase, under the precise force control of the magic hands, did not shatter. Instead, it was held firmly, then swung through the air like a sword, performing various maneuvers that produced whooshing sounds, making Sylutia clap and praise involuntarily.

"So amazing~"

After that, Maledor manipulated the magic hands to put the vase down. They then went to the fireplace, directly picked up firewood with the magic hands, added it to the fire, and stirred the charcoal. Afterwards, they picked up a small piece of black Charcoal and began sketching on a piece of white paper on the table. Even with the rough Charcoal, he drew intricate patterns and text. The runes and model formulas required for constructing the spell were written out one by one on the paper.

Watching this, Sylutia quickly activated her Aspect ability, 'Secret Word'. A purple glow appeared in her eyes as she rapidly memorized the current scene.

About an hour later, the old man temporarily stopped his explanation.

"This is the detailed principle of 'Magic Hand Manipulation'. I don't know how much you've grasped. Of course, this spell is typically learned by Fourth Tier mages. It's perfectly normal if you find it obscure now. So, I will continue to teach you the simplified version, 'Phantom Flying Sword'."

While explaining earlier, he had become completely immersed. Only after finishing did he realize that the young girl before him, even with high talent, was merely a Second Tier apprentice. What he had just explained probably sounded like gibberish to her.

"Um, yes, okay." Sylutia actually wanted to say she understood most of it, and even the parts she didn't fully grasp felt like she could figure them out with further study. But giving such an answer seemed too arrogant and didn't suit her habits, so she just nodded along with the professor's words.

"Good. Now, let me demonstrate the process of 'Phantom Flying Sword' for you." He dissipated the condensed blue magic hands, then started from the basic runes, slowly deducing the Spell Model for the 'Phantom Flying Sword' spell for Sylutia. Finally, he condensed a half-meter-long black blade from Magnetite Sand.

"With the assistance of Magnetite Sand, you can omit the parts in 'Phantom Magic Hand' that add structural strength and allow for flexible changes. Manipulating it becomes much less troublesome." As he spoke, he commanded the flying sword to dart back and forth across the room. Its speed was astonishingly fast and exceptionally agile, reminding Sylutia inexplicably of the immortal hero stories from her previous life.

Although this flying sword wasn't as mystically unpredictable as those in the immortal hero tales, its agility and speed made it very convenient to use. If she had known this spell during the earlier match, she could have defeated many mages before they even had a chance to manipulate their golems or puppets.

Of course, the Phantom Flying Sword wasn't without weaknesses. Its strength was limited. Because it wasn't held in a hand, its force couldn't match the powerful swings of a Second Tier warrior; at best, it could only reach the swing strength of a First Tier warrior. However, its agility and speed compensated for some of its shortcomings, making it quite dangerous for a Second Tier warrior to face. A moment of inattention could lead to cuts and injuries.

At this moment, Sylutia's thoughts drifted back to her time studying at the Hidden Grove, when Scholar Seraph had explained the three major spell systems to her.

No wonder that scholar had commented that, within the same tier, the power of spells used by mages was often not as great as that of spells used by wizards of the same tier. Many of the Third Tier spells and abilities she learned at the Hidden Grove could easily defeat Monsters and enemies of the same tier. But for a mage's Third Tier spell to directly defeat an enemy of the same tier wasn't so easy; it required finding weaknesses, adjusting forms, and so on.

However, the spell system of mages also had its advantages. It could be transformed with great flexibility and, relying on generations of continuous updates and iterations, could keep developing and achieving stronger forms.

Just like her 'Thread Bird', which could be directly manipulated as threads, transformed into a bird, and even have its runes and Spell Model adjusted as needed to produce entirely new effects.

Furthermore, the 'Phantom Flying Sword' and 'Magic Hand Manipulation' she was currently learning were the same. Initially just the Fourth Tier spell 'Magic Hand Manipulation', after centuries of research and development, now had the Sixth Tier spell 'Heavenly Steel Magic Hand'. Judging by this professor's introduction, it seemed a Seventh Tier magic hand spell was also being explored and researched.

Yet, many of the abilities and spells of the various organizational factions within the Hidden Grove had remained unchanged for centuries. For example, the 'Amos's Sword' she had once learned was created by the hero of that era, Wimonsed. That hero had passed away nearly a decade ago, and even though the techniques and abilities might have seen some improvements, the changes were still not significant.

Times are moving forward, the young girl sighed lightly in her heart. Then, she raised her head and continued memorizing and learning the content taught by the old man before her.