The candlelight flickered in the quiet workshop. Gaode remained perfectly still for a long time before suddenly raising his right hand, extending his index finger to point diagonally forward.
On its own, the gesture looked rather baffling and overly theatrical. However, a magical fluctuation of Energy surged at his fingertip the moment he made the motion, firing a blue-and-white beam of light out of thin air.
The beam was thin, but it carried an inexplicable chill. In the next instant, the freezing light burst from his fingertip with a sharp WHOOSH like a throwing knife, striking directly onto the corpse of the small Gray-eyed Mouse he had placed in front of him.
The moment the beam touched the small mouse, a faint CRACK of ice could be heard in the air. A thin layer of frost instantly condensed over the creature's fur. The ice lingered for about twenty seconds before dissipating.
"It lasts twenty seconds on a dead gray mouse," Gaode calculated silently. "If the target is Mage Seda, managing three seconds would be a stroke of luck."
He then let out a long breath. "Six days, and I've mastered all three Tricks!"
After completely perfecting his new method for constructing Magic Models, he had successfully built the Magic Model for Acid Splash in one fell swoop. Although his success was primarily due to his new method being far more efficient than the traditional one, luck had also played a minor role. Perhaps practicing magic came with a so-called beginner's bonus.
Regardless, his first-day luck did not extend to the construction of his next two Magic Models: Enhance Resistance and Frozen Ray. He failed to construct both magics even after exhausting his Spiritual Power. He had to wait for his Spiritual Power to recover the next day before making second or even third attempts.
Six days had passed since he purchased the three Magic Formulas from Yom. Just moments ago, Gaode had finally succeeded in constructing the Magic Model for Frozen Ray. This meant he had now mastered all three new magics.
A First Class Mage Apprentice mastering three Tricks in just six days. No one would believe him if he told them! This was the sheer superiority of Gaode's new method for constructing Magic Models.
However, Gaode wasn't arrogant enough to consider himself a genius. He knew full well that this unbelievable breakthrough was only possible because he was standing on the shoulders of giants. Ultimately, he was merely reaping the wisdom of his predecessors.
For the people of this world, they would first have to completely upend their inherent understanding of magic. They would need to transition from the traditional method—connecting Star Orbits while simultaneously determining the position of the Stars—to a new method of determining the Stars' positions first, then connecting the Star Orbits. Next, they would have to use analytic geometry to establish a coordinate system, deconstructing the Magic Model to pinpoint the Stars. This required not only the courage to question absolute authority but also the mathematical knowledge to solve the problems that arose from the new method.
And more importantly, they would need Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.
The traditional method for constructing Magic Models had been passed down for countless generations. The more powerful a Mage was, the longer they would have been entrenched in traditional methods. Bound by habitual thinking, it would be almost impossible for them to ever question or attempt to change it. As for weaker Mages, they wouldn't even dare entertain such wishful thinking.
It was just like the heliocentric theory. Today, it was considered an obvious fact, but in the past, the geocentric model was an inviolable, unquestionable truth. But as a visitor from another world, Gaode wasn't bound by such pedantic concepts of "truth."
He was an entirely blank slate as a Mage Apprentice, and his cognitive approach to magic hadn't yet been rigidified. Furthermore, as an outstanding mathematics student, the courage to question and change was a fundamental trait. If a teacher's method was wrong or inefficient, using one's own method to solve the problem was perfectly natural.
As for analytic geometry and the Cartesian coordinate system, they were entirely unprecedented fields of knowledge for the people of this world, essentially the birth of a new philosophy. But to Gaode, it was simply retrieving a practical tool from his existing knowledge base. In his previous life, analytic geometry and the Cartesian coordinate system were hardly considered advanced knowledge. Any ordinary middle schooler faced with this problem could likely piece the concepts together. Yet, to the people of this world, inventing a coordinate system from scratch was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Once an idea was conceived, its underlying principles often seemed incredibly simple. But taking that initial leap of logic was a hurdle that stumped countless people. If you couldn't think of it, you just couldn't. Apples had fallen from trees countless times, but only Newton thought of universal gravitation. Even a concept as deceptively simple as the Cartesian coordinate system wasn't invented until the seventeenth century—before then, absolutely no one had ever thought of it.
"Now that I've mastered five magics, my current Mana can only support the casting of five Tricks..." Gaode muttered, rubbing his slightly aching temples.
While there were shortcuts for constructing Magic Models, increasing one's Spiritual Power and Mana required a slow, grounded approach. He had already tested it: after casting 0th Ring magic five times, his Mana would be completely drained. Meaning, casting each of his five Tricks exactly once would leave his Mana bar entirely empty.
To describe this awkward situation with a common saying: "A fully geared Mage with no Mana is just trash."
Gaode had no solution for this. Mana growth couldn't be achieved overnight, meaning he would be stuck in this awkward predicament for quite some time.
"Money, and Origin..." he thought.
Since increasing his Mana in the short term was unrealistic, he needed to find a way to accomplish more with his limited pool—such as enhancing the potency of his magics. While this would be impossible for anyone else, Gaode actually had a viable path forward. Because he had Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, which allowed him to "add points" to his stats and skills. But adding points required Origin.
At this thought, Gaode felt a pang of regret. He shouldn't have spent the Gray-eyed Mouse's meager Origin so casually on his Repair Skill. Even though [Repair Skill+] was incredibly useful, it ultimately couldn't be used in actual combat or life-and-death struggles.
With his magic problem temporarily resolved, his next focus would be acquiring more Origin.
"I'll make another trip to the commercial district tomorrow to see if there are any opportunities," Gaode pondered silently.
It had already been eleven days since he arrived in this world, and as time slipped away, his internal anxiety only grew. But even if he found an opportunity, he would need money to seize it. After purchasing the three Magic Formulas, his savings had dwindled to thirty silver and eight copper coins.
Thinking of this, Gaode couldn't help but sigh again. Sure enough, no matter the place or the world, being broke was absolutely crippling.
When Gaode left the workshop and returned to his cramped bedroom, his roommate Amy was already in bed. Over the past few days, Gaode had been so deeply focused on constructing Magic Models that he had been returning very late. Moving quietly, he took off his coat and lay down, ready to rest.
"Gaode, are you back?" Amy's voice drifted through the quiet darkness.
Gaode paused in surprise, then gave a soft hum of acknowledgment. "My training took a bit longer these past few days, so I got back late. I'm sorry if I woke you."
"You didn't. I got back late today too, and I just lay down. I haven't fallen asleep yet." Amy's voice was very soft. He seemed to be hesitating, struggling with something internally before finally asking cautiously, "Gaode... are you planning to... deal with Mage Seda?"
In the dark, Gaode's expression instantly changed. His heart skipped a beat, subconsciously wondering if he had exposed something over the past few days.
"I know. You told me a long time ago that if we don't do something, we're all going to die." Amy took a deep breath, as if coming to a resolute decision. "The Mage is too powerful. I've always felt that no matter what we do, we can't change anything."
"Mage Seda is indeed very powerful," Gaode replied ambiguously.
"You asked me the other day," Amy continued, mimicking the tone Gaode had used then, "'If someone wants to kill you, what would you do?' I couldn't answer you then, but I've been thinking about it a lot these past few days." He nodded firmly in the darkness. "At the very least, we can't just do nothing, right?"
"I certainly won't just sit around and wait to die," Gaode said, making his stance clear.
"Mage Seda specializes in Necromancy. There is one magic in particular—I don't know the name of it, but I know that as long as he touches his target, they will instantly become weak and powerless..."
Gaode remained silent, offering no response.
Amy went on, "I heard Elan say that one of the three great maxims of Mages is: 'Never let others know your magic.' Although I don't fully understand what that implies, I thought it might be of some help to you."