Heavy Pressure

Thinking this, Zelier suddenly realized another problem. If he ever analyzed someone's secret proprietary technique in the future, he would have to use it with caution. There was no telling if the rightful owner might come knocking to demand how he had acquired it. "Well then, study at your own pace. I'll take my leave first... Oh, and remember to come by the General Affairs Office on the first of the month to pick up your task. Don't forget," Bev reminded him. "Pick up a task? What task?" Zelier was caught off guard. "The stipend doesn't come entirely for free, you know. In return, guild members are required to perform voluntary service once a month." Bev offered a brief explanation. "Don't worry, it's nothing difficult. At most, it's cleaning the library or gathering herbs and the like." "Oh..." Zelier nodded. Cradling the thick ancient tome, Bev turned to leave. Zelier stared blankly for a good while at the fluttering ribbon around her waist, only snapping out of his daze once Bev had completely vanished from sight. "Mm... That's enough studying for today." Zelier stretched, stood up, and returned the book to its shelf. After leaving the library, Zelier clasped his hands behind his back and began strolling through the guild. He first made his way to the Sparring Arena for a look. Today, there were no low-rank mages passionately blasting each other with spells; the vast grounds were completely empty. Figures... He couldn't expect to freeload every single day. However, there was indeed one mage sitting in the stands. He looked about the same age as Zelier, but had a bashful expression, short brown hair, and a somewhat thick pair of spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose. "Hi," Zelier greeted him first. The boy pushed up his glasses, clearly surprised that someone had taken the initiative to greet him. He responded somewhat timidly. "Hi..." "I'm Zelier. And you?" "Rand Taylor." "Oh..." Another noble with a family name. Zelier nodded slightly, then made a straightforward invitation. "How about the two of us go down and have a spar?" *Let's see if you have any fun spells.* "Huh?" Taken aback by Zelier's words, Rand quickly shook his head. "N-no, better not... I just finished meditating today. If you'd like... maybe next time..." "All right, next time then." After bidding farewell to Rand, Zelier sauntered over to the Exchange like an idle loafer. As always, the Exchange was bustling with activity. After doing two laps to get a closer look, Zelier learned that not everyone here was a mage; many ordinary merchants who had obtained special permits operated here as well. To this day, Zelier was still an unequipped mage. A full set of mage equipment was by no means cheap, starting first and foremost with a wand. Suffice it to say, a finished wand started at fifty gold coins, and more expensive ones costing hundreds or even thousands were not unheard of. Next came the robes. Professional mages had bespoke robes made to fit them properly. Much like wands, quality robes could amplify spell power and shorten casting times, and depending on the materials used, they could also confer special effects. Robes were equally expensive, nearly matching wands in price. Zelier recalled Bev's crimson wand and pale purple robe. Those two combined... must have been worth several hundred gold coins, right? *Truly loaded...* Zelier shook his head with a sigh. He hadn't come to the Exchange today just to browse; he also wanted to pick out a low-rank spell. Relying entirely on Formula Deduction to analyze spells from others was hardly realistic. Ten low-rank spells was no small number; relying purely on luck, who knew how long he would have to wait? It was better to actively seek out spells suited to him. The more spells he possessed, the more complex the situations he could handle. After walking and stopping along the way, Zelier paused before an inconspicuous little stall in the hall to browse. Neatly arranged across the modest stall were numerous magic scrolls, though their quality did not appear to be anything special. Magic could not be recorded directly on ordinary paper in pictorial form. A mage had to expend a substantial amount of mental power to engrave the complete spell structure onto a specially crafted scroll. Depending on the complexity of the magic, this process could take anywhere from a day or two to several weeks. Once a learner obtained the scroll, they only needed to permeate it with their mental power to perceive the complete spell structure. The stronger the engraver's mental power, the clearer the spell structure on the magic scroll would be, allowing the learner to master the spell much more easily. Such high-quality magic scrolls often commanded steep prices. There were also magic scrolls with less clearly engraved spell structures, requiring learners to concentrate intently to comprehend and reproduce them. The prices of such magic scrolls were accordingly lower. Zelier swept his eyes over the items on the stall. "Intense Light, Ice Lock, Earth-Stone Rampart, Intimidation... Heavy Pressure." *Heavy Pressure...* Zelier's gaze settled on Heavy Pressure. "You can probe inside with your mental power to check the details; it's all explained in there," the stallholder introduced warmly. He was a lean, middle-aged man sporting a mustache. Perhaps due to a sixth sense, Zelier could tell that the man was not a mage, just an ordinary merchant here to sell goods. He picked up the scroll for Heavy Pressure and lightly permeated it with his mental power. A snippet of information immediately appeared in his mind: [Heavy Pressure] School: Arcane School Structure Type: Single-layer spell structure Spell Tier: Tier Two Effect: Delivers a downward magical impact across an area; target movement speed is slowed by the pressure. In combat, Heavy Pressure provides a degree of crowd control against enemies, making it ideal for creating openings for allies. Having read the description, Zelier raised an eyebrow slightly. This spell seemed pretty good... He happened to be lacking a crowd-control skill right now. It had always been Marcus and his other teammates creating advantageous circumstances for Zelier. With Heavy Pressure, he would be able to give his teammates some breathing room to deal damage too. "Boss, how much for this?" Zelier picked up the scroll and asked for the price. "Oh, young master, you have quite an eye!" The mustached man's eyes lit up. "This is the prized treasure at the bottom of my chest, an exceptionally practical Arcane School spell! Look at the texture of this scroll—crafted from volcanic goat hide, it has an extraordinary affinity for magic..." "Stop, stop, stop." Zelier cut off the mustached man's boasting. "Just tell me the price." "Well, as for that..." The mustached man rubbed his hands together and held up four fingers. "A friendly price: four gold coins." Zelier immediately set down the scroll, turned on his heel, and walked away. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't go, sir!" Seeing this reaction, the mustached man grew frantic at once, hastily scrambling out from behind the stall to grab Zelier's sleeve. "If you feel the price isn't right, we can negotiate, can't we?... How about you name a price that works for you?"