So Useful

After finishing the quest, Zelier was in no mood to wander about outside and went straight back to the Nightflower Inn. "Good evening, Mister Zelier," Oro greeted him, as always, with a sweet smile. "Good evening, Oro." "What would you like to eat today?" "Hmm..." Faced with the extensive menu, Zelier did not spend much time pondering. "I'll take the beef shank in red wine sauce." "Right away!" Having eaten and drunk his fill, Zelier leaned back against his chair and patted his belly with deep satisfaction. "Still that familiar taste..." This time, Oro had not brought ale, but a jasmine drink, which was also delicious. However, accepting gifts from her over and over made Zelier feel a little embarrassed. So when he stood up to head back upstairs to his room, he deliberately left a silver coin on the table as a tip for Oro. *** "For a mage, meditation is the cornerstone of all growth. "It is an active, exceedingly draining internal practice, and the sole means of linking the surface consciousness to the subconscious sea of consciousness. "In deep meditation, a mage must discard all stray thoughts and focus their mind on sensing the source seed suspended in the center of the sea of consciousness's cosmos. Through daily nurturing and practice, a mage can achieve two major areas of growth. "First, the strengthening of the source seed. "Through deep meditation, the source seed can be made more condensed. Every wisp of magic power it produces will become purer, and the spells cast with it will grow more potent. "Second, the volume of the sea of consciousness's cosmos. "The rhythmic pulses emitted by a powerful source seed will spread outward like ripples, expanding and stretching the sea of consciousness that holds it, thereby increasing total magic reserves. "However, it must be emphasized once more: "Meditation is an intellectually demanding labor that severely drains mental energy. "A misconception exists in the minds of many mages: that meditation can replace sleep. "This is a grave error. "Quite the contrary. After a successful bout of meditation, a mage will typically feel extreme mental exhaustion. "It is comparable to an intense magic duel in the Sparring Arena—and often worse. "Therefore, restful sleep is indispensable to a mage; it is a vital means of restoring mental energy. "Only through long-term meditative cultivation and gradually mastering the advanced technique of [Mind Sleep] is it possible to integrate meditation with sleep, thereby improving the efficiency of daily activity." Inside the quiet library of the Mages' Guild, Zelier closed the copy of *Introduction to the Magic Source*. He rubbed his eyes and could not help muttering under his breath. "This really reads like an academic paper..." The elegant script flowed beautifully across the pages, looking effortless and stylish, but the content was profoundly abstruse. Working through it word by word gave him an immense headache. To explore this world's magic system, theoretical knowledge was essential. Since he could not afford to hire an expensive magic tutor, he could only grind his way through obscure tomes on his own. Zelier gave his head a firm shake. He had never imagined that meditation was the primary way ordinary mages grew stronger... He recalled the original host's memories of meditating and compared them to the book's descriptions, arriving at a conclusion. The process was simply too tedious, both grueling and dull. Other mages did not have a quantifiable status panel like he did; they had no idea how much progress they were making each day. Moreover, meditation drained immense mental energy. After finishing a session, a mage was usually utterly exhausted and had no choice but to sleep to recover. Forget taking quests at the Adventurers' Association—they could not even manage physical labor. With no clear positive feedback and no way to combine cultivation with combat, the two drawbacks combined into something ordinary people could hardly endure. Zelier, however, was different. His method of advancing was to sustain growth through battle. He could earn various resources by taking quests while gaining experience to level up through combat. The difference in efficiency was like night and day. "This cheat is really so useful..." Zelier marveled. "What are you mumbling to yourself about?" A crisp voice sounded. Zelier turned his head, and a familiar face came into view. Bev had arrived. "Nothing... Good afternoon, Miss Bev," Zelier said, waving in greeting. "Drop the 'Miss.' There's no need to sound so distant with me." Bev wrinkled her delicate nose. "Good afternoon, *Mis-ter Ze-li-er*." "What brings you to the library?" Zelier asked. "Same as you. Looking for books." Bev leaned down slightly and leaned closer to Zelier to see what he had. "Ah... *Introduction to the Magic Source*, Master Setia's work. For learning the basics of magic, it's quite a good book." "What about yours?" Zelier glanced at the book tucked in Bev's arms. "*Analysis of Basic Magic Structures*... Are you studying how to create spells?" "I'm not at that level yet. This book only provides a preliminary introduction to various spell structures. It's an introductory text at best. To actually create a spell is impossible without accumulating knowledge and experience over a long time." Bev waved a hand dismissively. "Aren't you focusing your efforts on optimizing spell structures? The low-rank mage evaluation is very strict; casting times have been compressed to under three seconds," Zelier said. "One doesn't necessarily have to take the practical combat route. Research mages are very sought after, too. Plenty of mages have created new types of magic, founded their own schools, and made names for themselves far and wide." Bev tilted her chin up slightly. "Who knows? In the future, you might end up using a spell I created myself." "I'll look forward to it," Zelier replied with a smile. "Right, how's your progress on learning new magic? You should be able to master two new spells within three months, right?" Bev suddenly remembered the matter. "Don't disappoint Mentor Marvin. He's really a nice person." "Don't worry, I've already learned one new spell," Zelier said. "That's pretty fast! What spell is it? Tell me!" Bev moved closer, full of curiosity. "Uh..." Zelier pursed his lips and pondered for a moment. "Wind Blade." "Huh? That's a spell I've used before!" Bev was a little surprised. "I thought it looked really cool when you cast it, Bev, so I went and bought the same magic scroll," Zelier said without batting an eye. "Heh heh." Bev gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Well, at least you have good taste." Zelier had no choice; he could not just make up a spell he knew nothing about, lest Bev ask him to demonstrate it on the spot. Although he had already learned three new spells, he was in no hurry to go to Mentor Marvin for a secondary evaluation. Advancing too quickly might draw unwanted scrutiny... or even get him strapped to a table and dissected for research. Zelier had no desire to attract too much attention.