Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

Chapter 162: Unraveling The Code

Han Jing didn't want to admit it but Timothy was pretty darn gullible at times. Then again, his background was a young man that grew up from a backwater village so it kind of made sense? Needless to say, Han coughed and shook his head. "I'm assuming that your mana pool or well can expand."

"Probably when you level up," Timothy gave him a shrug, "When you have the Mage Class, at certain capstonesyou can get a Spell or a Skill that's related to your Class and desires."

"...Forget about levels for a moment." Han didn't believe that he was saying this in the world governed by levels, but he had to say it. "Think about this, you grow up in a farm and carry a bushel of hay everyday. Won't your muscles get stronger? Oh, wait, you know Lumberman Jack right?"

"We're from the same village, aren't we?"

"Anyhow, he's got bulging muscles from chopping down the trees, right?." This at least sounded like a better analogy to Han as he continued, "So you pick up your axe and swing everyday. It strains you and wears you out, maybe on the first day you can do ten swings but after a week you start doing twelve swings and soon enough"

"You gain the Lumberjack Class." Timothy tucked his arms over his chest. He didn't look convinced with what Han was hinting at.

"...yes, but you also develop your body." Han scratched the back of his head. He may have realized it a bit late but there was a certain reliance to the Classing System in this world. "So I'm saying, if you strain your mana wellthere's a good chance that it works like a muscle and expands or grows stronger."

"Or you die of mana exertion."

Han folded his hands together and sighed, "I meannot like the brink of death, but just enough to feel like you're pushing yourself to the limit! And then you break past that limit"

"Then it wasn't a limit to begin with."

"Call it a mental thing, didn't Miss Orleans say something about [ Indomitable Will ] before?" Han belatedly realized he hadn't seen the Professor and got slightly worried. He waved at his friend, "Essentially, we can get a lot of things done even without Skills and Classes if we use our heads."

"Yes."

"Dangit, you don't even look convinced. So what are you going to do next now that you've got the [ Light ] Spell down in a pat?" Han asked.

Timothy shrugged, "You shouldn't worry too much about me, worry about yourself first."

"That sounds pretty arrogant." 

"Only because you're thinking that!" Timothy narrowed his eyes at him and then shook his head. "Why does it seem like you're the one who didn't wake up happy when I'm the one who"

"What?" Han frowned slightly. "What are you trying to say?"

"You act like you woke up on Bessie and the other girls' dung pile, idiot." Timothy rubbed his face. "Shouldn't you be the chipper one between us two,you're the one befriending outcasts while getting close to Nobles at the same time."

Han waved a hand, "I'm not going to ask how you know about that dung thingbut maybe I kind of woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." And it was kinda shitty that Timothy mastered the Spell without much trouble while he had leveled up and wait, he still had a remaining amount of status points from the last time.

"I bet you're not going to act like this when you meet up with the others though." Timothy muttered in a grouchy tone.

Han coughed, "Uhh, maybe but can you give me a minute? I think I'll feel better when I get the [ Light ] Spell done right."

Timothy grunted and sank to the floor, he pulled open his bag and reached for another book. "Be my guest."

It was an awkward moment as Han turned away from the guy and summoned the status screen. He didn't think that he was in a bad mood but Timothy called him outthe same way that the guy just upsetted the pseudo-Spectre in Kraelonia's Secret Library. His friend had a talent for getting under people's skin in a way.

Probably a [ Taunt ] Skill?

He took a deep breath and gazed in front of the blue screen that summarized his status in front of him. Contrary to his expectations, he didn't actually end up levelling during his prowl at the library but he had more than enough points to make a difference.

[ Name: Han ]

[ Race: Human ]

[ Total Class Levels: 14 ]

[ Status Points: 10 Available For Use ]

[ Will: 30 ]

[ Talent: 34 ]

[ Comprehension: 24 ]

[ Luck: 19 ( Boosted By Temporary Favor ) ]

Han rubbed his chin at the word Temporary Favor and maybe once the Moderator had repliedhe'd get to ask if they had any idea who gave him that favor. But for now, he had exactly ten points. And he needed to do the [ Light ] Spell now. Should he put it all in the Talent and hope he gets it right? Or maybe his Comprehension stat? If he reread the book, he might be able to experience an enlightenment? His Luck was looking pretty shabby though. If he placed the ten points on Will would he get the Spell right by the magnitude of sheer will?

"I really wish I had a more accurate scale."

"Hmm?"

Han coughed and waved a hand behind him, "Just thinking aloud, don't mind me." He needed to quit making his thoughts audibleit was embarrassing. Investing all the Status Points would surely make a big dent, but incremental gains might just be able to push things into his favor. And he didn't mean luck.

Comprehension. Comprehension. Or Talent. He didn't have to glance behind him to remember the colorful light show display Timothy did with his [ Light ] Spell and he wanted to do the same. Or even just getting a small light orb was enough! Han wasn't too keen on reading but he soon invested the 6 Points to his Comprehension and made it 30. Gave 1 Point to his Talent to make it 35. And invested the 3 Points to his Luck and reached a total of 22 Luck.

[ Name: Han ]

[ Race: Human ]

[ Total Class Levels: 14 ]

[ Will: 30 ]

[ Talent: 35 ]

[ Comprehension: 30 ]

[ Luck: 22 ( Boosted By Temporary Favor ) ]

"That ought to do" Han bit his tongue and turned back to his friend, "Can I borrow that Evocation Spell Book? I think I need to read to understand."

"Wow! What an amazing and startling discovery, Han."

"Now that's sarcastic"

Han caught the book right before it hit his face and made a face at the young man still reading by the wall, "I didn't think you were the type to throw booksthis stuff is precious you know."

"Consider it Combat Trainingdodging projectiles."

Han shook his head and flipped the book open as he searched for the [ Light ] Spell and tried to resist the allure of reading the other Spells. He needed to master Tier-0 Spells before he thought of anything bigger. The scale difference between Tiers was probably big. He finally found the specific text relating to the [ Light ] Spell and read it once more. He frowned and scratched the back of his head.

It had the dryness of a history book and yet it also contained some vague mystical words.

Did his Comprehension go poof? Han clicked his tongue and reread the text again and tried prehend it. The magic in this world, it had a lot of rules and limitations and yet there were things that probably couldn't be explained? "Mana... like mana core? Wait, mana well. Argh." He flipped the pages a bit and checked the other Spells to see if there was actually an easier one. And they were all a mixture of technical terms paired with metaphysical terms.

Somehow, Peach had explained the Soul Waves thing much more fluently to him.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his palm. If he used Will to form the Spell thenif there were rules and glyphs, and specific patterns in creating a Spell, even if he used his Will to create [ Light ], the manifestation of it would surely still have flaws.

"Like a messy code?" Han Jing rubbed his chin thoughtfully and blinked. The magic here had specific rules, patterns that it followed so it means that if he can probably Inspect it then he'd see the inner workings underneath it? He never tried it before but it was worth a shot. "Hey, Timothy can you do the [ Light ] Spell again? Just the basic one, I don't need you to show off your light changing effects."

Timothy lowered his book and gave him a glare, until he sighed. "...Fine."

The guy was probably thinking that he'd nag him if he didn't agree. Which was actually his plan, but for now, Han observed the guy in front close his book for a moment and stretched out his hands. It took them around ten seconds to produce a singular ball of light that glowed.

Han squinted his eyes and moved closer. Inspect.

[ Active Spell - Light. Tier 0 ]

[ Caster: Timothy Cook ]

"Why are you looking directly at it? Do you want to blind yourself?" The light began to dim slightly in Timothy's hands.

"I want to see the Spell's structure to perform it." He moved closer. Inspect.

[ Active Spell - Light. Tier 0 ]

[ Type: Evocation Magic ]

[ Mana Is Used To Create Light ]

No. That wasn't what he was looking for either. He needed to peer closeras the light continued to dim, he caught the sight of something fleeting and flickering that he almost missed it. Han saw the symbol within the [ Light ] and held on to it.

Of course. It couldn't be seen with Inspect. 

His Inspect Skill allowed him to have a text interpretation of most things, but the symbol? It had no direct translation at all. Han didn't dare blink. A puzzle. He felt his eyes sting. Either the light or the symbol was causing it but he clung to it. It was one thing and yet a multitude of things. It flowed and stayed constant. And he was nearly there!

The ball of light flickered out.