Chapter 188: Skipping the Recharging Phase

Chapter 188: Skipping the Recharging Phase

Year 1270 of the Starlight Calendar, Spring Dawn (March).

The first wizard academy in the Starlight Continent, named the Starlight Academy, was officially established.

Over five hundred apprentices from the Dragon Forest became the inaugural students of the Starlight Academy, beginning their academic journey.

After the initial period of adjustment, the Starlight Academy quickly stabilized and operated smoothly.

With well-established rules and regulations, Su Nan needed to invest very little energy in managing the academy, allowing him to focus on other matters.

Fifth Floor of the Dragon Skeleton Tower, Workshop 12.

The rumbling of the mana crystal forge echoed through the spacious workshop.

Su Nan stood before the workbench, his eyes fixed on the puppet figure before him.

Having freed himself from the responsibilities of the academy, he immediately set to work on refining the complete version of the secret puppet.

To save on mithril, he did not create a new puppet but instead upgraded the existing one.

The complete version of the secret puppet did not incorporate high-level rune gems and diamonds. To enhance the puppet's combat capabilities, Su Nan directly improved the original design.

This alone took him over four months.

Compared to the lengthy design improvements, the process of upgrading the secret puppet was relatively simple.

After spending over half a month in the workshop, Su Nan completed the task.

The newly upgraded secret puppet still primarily used mithril and diamonds as its main materials, but the quantities were more than double the original.

As a result, the puppet's body became significantly harder, and its affinity and capacity for elemental energy improved dramatically.

Thanks to these enhancements, the new secret puppet's control over energy particles was greatly enhanced, rivaling that of a fully-fledged wizard.

In addition to the original zero-level, first-level, and second-level spells, Su Nan added the third-level spells he had recently mastered to the puppet's repertoire.

Among the books he obtained from the Starlight Tower, about one-tenth were spell books.

These covered a wide range of spells from zero-level to fifth-level, with a comprehensive variety.

Upon advancing to the rank of a wizard, Su Nan could now learn third-level spells.

Just as there was a vast difference between wizards and apprentices, third-level spells were far more powerful and versatile than second-level spells.

For example, the Snowstorm spell could drastically alter the environment.

The Hold Person spell could immobilize human, demihuman, or bipedal targets.

The Invisibility Sphere spell could make multiple targets invisible over a wide area.

The Greater Phantom spell, similar to the Silent Phantom but with stronger effects.

The Ray of Enfeeblement spell, an advanced version of the Weakening Ray.

The Gaseous Form spell, which turned the target into an ethereal state and allowed slow flight.

And many more.

In terms of both power and practicality, third-level spells far outclassed second-level spells.

In fact, starting from third-level, the power of spells increased by more than one level.

Until reaching the rank of a True Spirit Wizard, spells remained one of the most important combat tools for wizards.

Su Nan had tested and found that he could master one third-level spell every month.

So far, he had mastered eleven third-level spells, all of which he had embedded into the secret puppet.

This was just the beginning.

As he mastered more spells, he would continue to inscribe them into the puppet.

Overall, the upgraded secret puppet, except for the lack of a talent crystal, had combat capabilities that rivaled a fully-fledged wizard.

In the unique environment of the Starlight Continent, even without a talent crystal, the puppet's combat capabilities were not much weaker than a wizard who was constrained by various factors.

After all, the puppet had a low dependency on external energy and could rely on the mana stones within its body to maintain combat output, with a far greater sustained fighting ability than a wizard.

This point alone was enough to compensate for the lack of a talent crystal to some extent.

If not for Su Nan's superior talent crystal, the 'Liquid Metal,' he might not have been entirely confident in defeating a secret puppet with a full supply of mana stones.

"Once more third-level spells are embedded, the combat power will further increase."

A satisfied smile spread across Su Nan's face.

Although the unique environment played a role, the puppet's combat power, comparable to that of a fully-fledged wizard, was already highly satisfactory.

If there was one issue, it was the exorbitant cost.

Just the mithril and gems alone cost over 200,000 gold coins.

Other materials added up to nearly 50,000 gold coins.

Including the costs of embedding various spells, especially third-level spells, the total cost reached 330,000 gold coins.

Moreover, each battle with the secret marionettes consumes a large amount of mana stones—lower-grade mana stones can no longer meet their needs, and even mid-grade mana stones are the bare minimum. Each battle is essentially a costly expenditure.

The high manufacturing cost combined with the immense consumption makes it a veritable gold-draining black hole! However, in the face of their formidable combat power, these flaws are somewhat acceptable.

Only Su Nan, with his synthesis cube, can manage to create formal wizard-level puppets. For other wizards, even with hundreds of thousands of gold coins, they might not be able to craft such puppets.

Su Nan plans to refine two secret marionettes to support the Star Alliance's expansion efforts.

With the assistance of these two marionettes, he shouldn't need to get directly involved in the battles.

After resolving the issue with the secret marionettes, Su Nan began to delve into the study of rune engraving.

The knowledge of rune engraving was found in the books he brought from the Tower of the Dazzling Stars. These books are a treasure trove for Su Nan at his current stage, always yielding pleasant surprises.

Rune engraving, similar to magic tattoos, is a form of enchantment. However, runes are more advanced, being an improved technique developed by wizards based on magic tattoos.

Magic tattoos involve inscribing spells as tattoos on the skin, which can be activated during battles to release the spells, essentially storing a few instant-release spells.

Rune engraving, on the other hand, involves inscribing specific enchantment properties on the skin. While the form is similar to magic tattoos, the range and effects of the enchantments far surpass those of magic tattoos, offering a much richer and more diverse set of abilities.

Additionally, rune engravings do not appear visibly on the skin, reducing the risk of being identified by enemies during battles.

Moreover, rune engravings occupy less skin area. An average person can have six to seven magic tattoos, but with rune engravings, a dozen or more can be inscribed without issue.

From any perspective, rune engravings completely outshine magic tattoos.

However, the requirements for inscribing rune engravings are much more stringent. Only formal wizards with sufficient mental and physical strength can withstand the intense energy fluctuations during activation without suffering any backlash.

"Rune engravings, huh?"

Su Nan's face took on a thoughtful expression.

Since ascending to the rank of wizard, his power has undergone a dramatic transformation. However, due to the environment, many of his combat methods are somewhat constrained.

For example, the power of spells is weakened, and the mental energy consumed is difficult to replenish outside of the elemental pool. Magic items recharge slowly, and using them once requires a long time to recharge. His bloodline marks also can't keep up with his growing strength.

Unless he is willing to spend more blood from the Bell Striker and the Many-Winged Monsters to create more powerful bloodline marks, which is impossible. He prefers to use the blood to extract divine energy, accelerating the growth and refinement of his mental energy.

The same applies to high-grade rune gems. Their principle is to use the energy runes to trigger surrounding energy particles, releasing massive elemental energy. Therefore, in areas with low energy particle concentration, the damage naturally decreases. No matter how many high-grade rune gems Su Nan synthesizes, their power has a limit.

While they are stronger than when he was a wizard apprentice, the improvement is limited and far from keeping pace with the growth of his wizard powers.

After much consideration, the only ability Su Nan can use without restriction is his liquid metal talent. Other combat methods either have reduced power or excessive consumption.

Given this, Su Nan has been considering researching a new combat method. Rune engraving is one of his choices.

Of course, simple rune engravings won't suffice. Essentially, rune engravings are a type of magic item that absorbs energy particles and stores them, then activates during battles to release the enchantment effects.

Like the Forbidden Zone and Black Thunder, rune engravings are also energy-rechargeable. This means they are also affected by the current environment of the Starlight Continent.

To make rune engravings a viable combat method, this issue must be resolved. After much deliberation, Su Nan finally came up with a solution.

Since recharging is such a hassle, why not just skip that step altogether?

If the rune inscriptions can be made into disposable high-grade rune gems, then there would be no need to worry about recharging them.

To achieve this, the first step is to change the medium of the rune inscriptions.

For example, switching the medium from the human body to a gemstone.

Of course, it sounds simple, but it's not easy to achieve.

Even high-grade gemstones cannot withstand the intense energy fluctuations when a rune inscription is activated.

If the medium’s tolerance is too low, it can't replace the human body.

To address this, Su Nan plans to improve the process in two ways.

First, he will enhance the quality of the gemstones.

By referring to the principles of rune gem manufacturing, he will select high-grade gemstones and perform magical enhancements to improve their energy particle adaptability and capacity.

Second, he will reduce the power of the rune inscriptions.

With the power of the rune inscriptions decreased, the requirements for the medium will naturally be lower.

It took more than two months, but Su Nan finally succeeded in creating a rune-inscribed gem.

The gem carries a rune inscription called "Ice Burst," which, when activated, releases a burst of intense cold energy, causing severe frost damage to all creatures within a certain range and adding a freezing slow effect.

Since this is a weakened version of the rune inscription, its power is far less than the full version.

It doesn't even reach one-tenth of the original's power.

However, that’s not a problem, as he has the synthesis cube.

By successfully creating the rune-inscribed gem, the issue of reduced power can be resolved through synthesis and enhancement.

In the end, Su Nan synthesized eighteen rune-inscribed gems into a single, new rune-inscribed gem.

He stopped further synthesis because the energy intensity of the gem exceeded his current limit, similar to the high-grade rune gems.

Even so, the power of this rune-inscribed gem is much greater than the original rune inscription, roughly three times as powerful.

As his mental prowess improves, he can gradually increase the number of syntheses, further enhancing its power, leaving significant room for improvement.

"Excellent!"

In the spell training area, Su Nan, who had just finished testing, looked at the frost-covered ground and smiled with satisfaction.

Now, in addition to his innate abilities, he has another unlimited combat tool at his disposal.

Although the cost of the rune-inscribed gems is quite high, about 4,700 gold coins each, their power makes them well worth the price.

"It's a shame that the Starlight Tower's books don't contain knowledge about alchemical etchings; otherwise, I could have researched them."

Alchemical etchings are an advanced form of rune inscriptions, far more powerful than the latter.

However, to inscribe alchemical etchings, one must first transform their body into an alchemical form.

Su Nan currently lacks the materials and power level needed to achieve this, but studying the principles might help improve the effects of his rune-inscribed gems.

Shaking his head to clear his ambitious thoughts, Su Nan left the spell training area and teleported back to the top-level control center.

The materials from the Starlight Tower have been fully recovered, and this matter is now concluded.

The research on secret puppets and rune-inscribed gems is also complete.

He has few tasks left to handle.

One is to enter the Lightning Elemental Plane to collect Thunderstones and create more Black Lightning magical artifacts.

However, this can wait until his strength improves.

The other is to synthesize and forge legendary puppets to expand his magical image army.

The vast regions of the underground world require a substantial military presence to defend.

While forming a native army can help alleviate the shortage of troops, the magical image army remains essential.

Su Nan estimates that to unify the underground world, he needs at least two to three large magical image armies.

Fortunately, low-tier magical images can be crafted by apprentices, and with the establishment of the academy and the arrival of new students, the workforce for crafting magical images will only grow, making it feasible to form such a large army.

"Calculating the time, the next round of aptitude tests should be finishing soon."

Su Nan looked in the direction of the academy, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

The Starlight Academy is the first step in establishing his wizarding power and will be his foundation for controlling the entire Starlight Continent in the near future.

After a while, Su Nan retracted his gaze, focused his thoughts, and began his mental training.

The growth and refinement of his mental power remain the most crucial aspect.

From now on, unless it’s related to this, he doesn’t plan to waste too much energy on other matters.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end