Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 21 (Part 1)

The magicians of the magic tower spent their days researching and contemplating. This was their daily routine. Their lifelong destiny was to study magic, improve existing spells, or develop new ones.

On the other hand, magicians affiliated with the kingdom had no interest in research. They focused only on mastering the powerful spells that already existed. This was because their organization was created solely for combat.

“If it’s one of the top four magic towers on the continent, they’ll have the highest level of cultivation methods. Naturally, they never disclose their secrets. They secretly pass them on to their talented disciples.”

“That’s what I heard.”

“The magic power gathered through their cultivation methods is extremely dense. Even if they use the same spell in the same way, it’s at least twice as powerful as that of a magician who has learned lower-level cultivation methods.”

The secrets of the top four towers were the driving force that had allowed them to maintain their position for hundreds of years. The difference in magical power was so great that no other tower dared to challenge their status.

“Is it an absolute difference? One that cannot be surpassed?”

“Yes, it’s a difference that cannot be overcome. That’s why many magicians strive to create superior cultivation methods. Quite a few intermediate-level methods have been created, but the highest level remains out of reach. There’s nothing we can do about the cultivation methods that affect the power of spells. So, what remains?”

“The amount of magic power and the incantation. Two things.”

“The amount of magic power is simple. If you pour ten times the magic power into the same spell, the power increases. Not ten times, but about twice as strong. But the efficiency is terrible. Unless it’s a special situation, it’s best not to do that.”

Using ten times the magic power for just twice the effect was an enormous waste.

As Instructor Serion said, the efficiency was so poor that it would inevitably cause problems with sustained combat.

“The last is the incantation. Just by understanding and using the exact pronunciation and meaning of runes, the power of the spell can be increased. For that, you need to know the runes properly. Assistant! Bring it.”

Although Instructor Serion emphasized the importance of runes, he actually didn’t know much about them. He had only studied the pronunciation used in spells, never deeply delving into their meanings.

However, he couldn’t just ignore it, saying, ‘Runes are not important,’ because he didn’t know. As long as he held the title of ‘instructor,’ he had to teach even what he couldn’t do.

Creak!

The door in front opened. Through it, about ten assistants came in carrying enormously thick books.

‘Five volumes?’

The thickness resembled the dictionaries in the dormitory. There were as many as five such books.

“Are those the books with the runes?”

“Exactly. This book contains a little over 7,800 runes. This is all the runes known to our Riyaz Kingdom. Ancient magic towers might know more than 10,000 runes, but as I said earlier, let’s ignore what we can’t do anything about.”

The assistants busily left the classroom. Instructor Serion continued his explanation only after the assistants had completely exited.

“You mentioned creating cultivation methods earlier. Are they using the runes recorded in that book?”

“That’s right. They combine the runes written here. Of course, through countless trials and errors. Many people die in the process. Ah! I almost forgot.”

Instructor Serion took a piece of paper from under the desk and handed it over. Rodin immediately identified its contents.

“Is this a cultivation method?”

“Yes. It’s not as good as the highest-level methods of the top four towers, but it’s quite usable. It’s an intermediate-level method.”

“Ah! Thank you.”

“Chairman Kreate invested over ten years to create this method himself. Chairman Kreate is the only one here who came from a magic tower.”

The cultivation method Chairman Kreate had learned was advanced. He had learned it at the tower, and except for the top four towers, it was superior to any other methods.

However, since it was a secret of the magic tower, it couldn’t be disclosed to outsiders. Violating this rule and passing it on to others could result in the Riyaz Kingdom being attacked by the magic tower.

So Chairman Kreate had spent a long time researching and creating his own method. He referred quite a bit to the method he had learned, but outwardly, there was no resemblance.

“Am I supposed to learn this?”

“That’s why I gave it to you. The deadline is five days. Memorize it all and return it to the administration office within five days. Ah! Don’t look at it where others are present. This method is only disclosed to you and number 107 among the third batch.”

“Understood.”

The runes were densely written. It was at least ten times longer than the cultivation method he had memorized for talent assessment.

“I’ll move the rune books to the library. Of course, to the advanced section. Since you visit the library often, you can read them there. Today’s class ends here. The next class is the day after tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

Tomorrow was a mathematics class.

The schedule alternated between runes and mathematics for eight days. On the ninth day, there was a magic theory class, and on the tenth day, a magic practice session.

After this ten-day cycle, the classes would repeat, starting again with runes and mathematics.

“Then, see you then.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The morning class ended. The afternoon was for using the cultivation room, so it was practically free time.

After lunch, Rodin secluded himself in the library. He went into the advanced section and began reading the intermediate-level cultivation method densely written with runes.

As he was engrossed in memorizing the cultivation method, Instructor Serion appeared with the assistants. The assistants were carrying the five large rune books.

“I heard you frequent the library, and here you are.”

“Instructor Serion, you’re here?”

“Yes. Hmm, it looks the same. It feels strange to be here after so many years.”

Serion felt awkward in the library. It was a place that didn’t suit him, standing there all alone.

He had visited a few times when the library was first established, but that was three years ago. He probably wouldn’t have much reason to visit again in the future.

“Please have a seat here.”

“No, I’m leaving soon. Assistants, place the books on that desk.”

“Yes.”

The assistants quickly placed the rune books on the desk and disappeared. Instructor Serion also didn’t stay long and left the library.

“Hmm, runes…”