Chapter 16: Study Well

After reading this book, Zheng Yichen had gained a basic understanding of this world’s ‘Magic.’ Well, the magic in this world basically didn’t require chanting spells… Instead, one needed to master a kind of ‘Rune Patterns.’ Hmm, to put it in simpler terms, it’s like magic circles!

This was also why learning magic in this world didn’t require considering different schools; it depended more on an individual’s spiritual potential. The higher the spiritual potential, the easier it was to master magic circles. After all, to a complete beginner who knew nothing, magic circles only looked dazzling and beautiful…

When actually trying to draw them by hand, one only felt endless dizziness.

Thoroughly understanding the Rune Patterns of a specific magic meant one could etch the related magic array into their consciousness. Only then was it considered preliminary mastery of that magic. When using it, one would simply channel Mana into it. Did that give a vibe of activating a skill?

Zheng Yichen couldn’t shake off that feeling.

Of course, this method of release was only the most basic application; it meant one was a ‘caster,’ not someone who had fully mastered it. The Rune Patterns were just the switch to activate the magic. Fine-tuning, adjustments, and improvements to the magic all required the caster’s subsequent control.

Activating the etched Rune Patterns to directly unleash magic onto someone’s face was the crudest application. The advantage of learning magic this way was that it could be used instantly in combat. It avoided the awkward situation of being silenced and unable to chant spells to cast magic, and it had higher casting efficiency.

Of course, not all of this Rune Pattern Magic could be cast instantly. The more advanced the magic, the more complex the Rune Patterns became. This meant the time required for Mana to completely fill the entire array was longer… Zheng Yichen understood this as a casting bar!

If one’s own Mana was powerful enough, the casting time could be shortened. After all, the speed of filling through a small pipe and a large underground pipe were completely different levels. Besides, skilled Mages would continually make slight adjustments and optimizations to the Rune Patterns etched in their consciousness based on their experience, making them more suitable for themselves.

The benefit was that when using magic, it avoided some steps of subsequent fine-tuning and reduced both the time and cost of Mana channeling. In gaming terms, this meant power enhancement, faster casting, and reduced cost.

“Truly…” The Enlightenment Book wasn’t complicated. It involved very little actual knowledge of magic, mostly consisting of related basic introductions. At the very least, after reading this book, Zheng Yichen’s understanding of this world’s magic had moved beyond the chanting-style category.

Comparing it to those chanting styles, he still felt this Rune Pattern-style magic was more practical.

“How is it?”

“It’s somewhat different from the magic in my impression.”

“Tell me about it.” Loris sat steadily on Zheng Yichen’s outstretched claw.

“I previously thought Mages had to chant spells and use some spellcasting materials or something.”

“Adding spellcasting materials is understandable. Some magics unique to certain Alien Races require some spellcasting materials as aids to be released. That’s because this type of magic involves other factors. For example, the true Dragon Breath technique requires materials stripped from the Dragon Clan as aids. Only then can it achieve power and effects consistent with Dragon Breath.”

“Uh… Strip what?”

“Flesh, tooth powder, or horn powder from a dragon would all work. As for chanting spells, what principle did you have in mind?”

Zheng Yichen thought about it. What was the principle behind chanting spells to cast magic? A setting? Summarizing the novels he had read, the biggest possibility he could come up with was…

“Probably it’s about the sound produced and the Spiritual Power used generating special vibrations, which then combine with one’s own Mana to mobilize Elemental Power?” This was purely something Zheng Yichen imagined. After all, a Transmigrator never lacked imagination. Since something like transmigration existed, perhaps the magic in some world really was in that form!

“What you say is possible, but that method has major flaws. It becomes useless if one can’t speak, and it is very easily interrupted. Speaking is completely redundant.”

“That’s why I think this ‘Rune Patterns’ magic is more practical.”

“Rune Pattern Magic?”

“Ahem, my shorthand. ‘Magic Array Magic’ sounds a bit strange, so I just used ‘Rune Patterns.'”

Loris nodded lightly. She didn’t comment further on Zheng Yichen’s extra naming. Magic was magic. No matter how special or pleasant-sounding the system’s name was, as long as its essence didn’t change, it was still magic. The other method of magic release Zheng Yichen mentioned was something Loris hadn’t heard of, but she could infer something based on her accumulated knowledge.

The magic release method he described was not impossible. Among the races she knew, some could influence Elemental Power by producing sounds of different frequencies, achieving a Pseudo-Magic level. So, releasing magic through sound vibrations and other factors could really be possible…

However, it wouldn’t hold a very high status in this world. After all, this world already had a sufficiently mature magic system. Regardless of how long it would take to research the magic system Zheng Yichen described, relying on chanting incantations to activate it… In her direct perception, it lacked much potential compared to Rune Patterns in terms of versatility.

Rune Pattern Magic not only allowed for subsequent fine-tuning after release, but the Rune Patterns themselves could also be subtly adjusted or even largely modified, causing the magic one mastered to undergo earth-shaking changes… This wasn’t something just anyone could do.

“You don’t think I was making that up?” Seeing Loris looking so thoughtful, Zheng Yichen actually felt a bit embarrassed. That was just something he imagined.

“Even if made up, it’s still possible,” Loris said calmly. “Rune Pattern Magic also shares some similar characteristics with the magic you described.”

Activating Rune Pattern Magic also required the support of Spiritual Power and Mana. It just didn’t require speaking. Of course, one could choose to say the magic’s name out loud, but since chanting isn’t even needed, announcing the name while casting magic—isn’t that just afraid others won’t know?

“I still think this Rune Pattern Magic is better,” Zheng Yichen scratched his head. After all, with this magic, once you mastered it, you just needed to etch the corresponding Magic Array into your consciousness. As long as you didn’t actively erase it, you wouldn’t forget it. Erasing it didn’t forcibly eliminate the related memory either; you could re-etch it after erasing. Real forgetting probably only happened if you erased all the Magic Arrays etched in your consciousness and then had the bad luck of suffering amnesia…

That’s precisely why Zheng Yichen thought Rune Pattern Magic was pretty good. He had no intention of memorizing an entire ‘dictionary.’

“Then study hard.” Loris noticed Zheng Yichen’s somewhat Aberration expression. She continued, “Being by my side doesn’t mean you’re safe. Although I don’t mind constantly protecting the weak pet I keep around.”

“…” Considering his current body really had no possibility of acting cute, he’d better just work hard…