I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 47 Enchantress

"one!"

"Time's up!"

Fina finally finished her duties, her mouth almost dry from shouting.

But for some reason, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

Perhaps it would be interesting to see the usually strict mentor, Hollen, get his comeuppance.

Wilder breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Fina's voice and canceled the spell on his left palm.

Hollen also relaxed his hands and stopped casting the spell.

The three of them came together.

"Wild..."

Hollen intended to praise him and was working on choosing his words.

Unexpectedly, Wilder interrupted him and took the lead:

"Master Hollen, how did you manage to cast a spell instantly without using your staff?"

His tone was quite sincere, and his handsome eyes were full of thirst for knowledge.

"Well, actually I can't do instant casting either; that's an ability only great mages possess."

Hollen waved his hand and explained, "I reduced the magical power used to outline the spell's structure in order to cast the spell within one or two seconds."

"Reduce magical power?"

Wilder was stunned; he had never imagined it could be like this.

Every time he sketched a spell in his mind, he poured all his magical power into it, feeling that only when it was overflowing could he activate the spell.

"Yes, the power of the spell will be reduced after the reduction, but the casting speed will be significantly shortened. Otherwise, it would take me at least three seconds to cast a level one spell."

Hollen touched the staff at his waist. "With the staff, I can barely suppress it for two seconds."

"So that's how it is."

Wilder nodded and then said, "Thank you for letting me have my way earlier without using your staff."

"This match was just to test your abilities, so it's natural for me to let you win. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen the less damaging Colorful Ball."

He smiled and then added, "But not using a staff is also a habit."

Why is that?

"To buy time."

Hollen's tone was no longer so stern, and he explained things to Wilder without reservation:

"Level 1 spells have too low damage. In actual combat, they are more useful for triggering effects, such as paralysis, freezing, strong acid, or the oil you use."

"Therefore, level one spells do not need to deal full damage; one-handed casting is just right. The staff is used to prepare for higher-level spells that take longer, so as to save time to the greatest extent."

Wilder listened attentively.

It would be rare for a mage like him, who was not born into nobility and did not have a teacher to guide him, to have such an opportunity to learn.

"Can I try it now? The spellcasting method that reduces mana?" he asked.

"Try it, but remember, what's being reduced isn't speed, but magical power."

"Um."

Wilder nodded, opened his left palm, and sketched out the spell's structure in his mind.

The spell he chose was the one he was most familiar with: the "Greasy Spell".

The so-called reduction of mana actually tests one's ability to control mana.

Having the experience of dividing mana into two and then into four when learning second-level spells, this wasn't too difficult for Wilder.

He controlled his magical power to half of its original value.

Using more delicate magic to outline the structure, the speed indeed increased significantly, and the entire path was completed in a short time.

Four seconds.

It's two seconds faster than before.

A thick cloud of oil mist had already gathered in the sky not far away.

Although its area and thickness are reduced by about half compared to usual, it should be enough to deal with ordinary monsters.

"Well done."

Hollen appeared calm, but was inwardly somewhat surprised.

While reducing mana isn't difficult, few novice mages can do it, and it requires a long period of practice.

This kid actually succeeded on his first try?

Fina, standing to the side, was not only surprised but also somewhat speechless.

Why are they still having classes?

Isn't this a beginner mage assessment?

"Kid, I've noticed something else. Why don't you use a staff when you're preparing your spells?"

Hollen had clearly forgotten about the assessment and continued his mage mini-lesson.

"Uh..." Wilder scratched his head, "I'm used to rubbing it by hand."

"Get used to casting spells with a staff."

Hollen raised his peach-colored staff toward the sky.

"I remember you have the Burning Hand?"

"Hmm," Wilder replied, puzzled.

Hollen didn't say anything, but looked up at the obsidian inlaid in the head, and a murky light slowly shone.

"boom--"

A massive pillar of fire, as wide as a tree trunk, burst forth from the obsidian and shot straight into the sky.

The blazing flames almost stole the sun's brilliance, and the surrounding air was distorted and scorched.

"This is……"

Wilder paused, taken aback. "The Burning Hand?"

"Hmm." Hollen nodded. "The Burning Hand is a type of Evocation spell, and this staff's effect is to amplify this type of spell."

"Your current oak pole isn't very effective, but you'll definitely need to replace it with a better one in the future, so you need to get used to it in advance."

"How much is this staff of yours?" Wilder asked tentatively.

"One thousand gold."

Hollen smiled. "Like it? I can sell it to you."

"Oh, I was just asking."

Wilder sighed inwardly, but he still kept in mind the advice to use a staff for casting spells.

"Professor Hollen, I have another question to ask," he continued.

"Speak."

"You just mentioned that Burning Hand is a Transforming spell. Are there any other Transforming spells?"

Hollen paused, surprised that Wilder didn't even know these things.

However, considering that he was not a nobleman and probably didn't have a teacher, it's understandable.

"Spells are divided into eight schools: Evocation, Protection, Necromancy, Illusion, Conjuration, Prophecy, Transmutation, and Bewitching. Each school has its own unique principles."

He patiently explained, "For example, magic missiles are energy-shaping devices; their principle is to shape and release energy."

"The greasy technique or secret method belongs to the spell magic school, and its core is spatial teleportation."

Wilder nodded thoughtfully.

"Don't overcomplicate it!"

Hollen patted him on the shoulder. "Just remember, mages are often better at evocation and conjuration spells. They learn these two types of spells faster and cast them more effectively."

"What professions are the other factions better suited for?"

"The Protective and Necromantic factions are better suited to priests, while the Bewitching and Illusionist factions are better suited to bards."

Hollen thought for a moment, then continued:

"But nothing is absolute; every few decades, a few geniuses from unorthodox schools of thought will emerge."

"For example, necromancers, or spellcasters, and they are often particularly powerful."

Wilder digested this knowledge, mentally matching the spells he knew to their corresponding spells.

Indeed, most of them belong to the energy-conversion and spell-casting schools.

However, to which school of thought do the specialties of [actor], [command], and [linguist] belong?

It feels like a mind control group.

"Master Hollen, is it easy for mages to learn bewitching spells?" he asked.

"Extremely difficult."

Hollen replied, "Low-level spells are fine, they're just a bit slow to learn and the effects are less than satisfactory, but high-level bewitching spells require something called mental power or charm to activate them, which is the specialty of bards."

"Human energy is limited, and it is impossible to reach the pinnacle in two fields."

"So... there has never been a mage who specializes in bewitching or control spells?"

"Legend has it that one appeared hundreds of years ago," Hollen chuckled, as if recounting a fantastical tale, "but that only exists in heroic novels."

He was known as—

"Enchantress".