Alan found himself with time to kill while impatiently waiting for his Stamina to refill. He decided to take a moment to satisfy his nagging curiosities. He wanted to know what changes were brought about by Leveling a Spell.
Not only did he want to see the difference two levels had made to the Spell itself, but he hoped the System description of the Spell had also improved. Alan navigated his PSA screen to the Spells tab, upon locating the description for [Healing fog], he studied it closely, looking for any changes.
(U)[Healing Fog] Lvl 3- This Spell allows caster to summon a thick restorative fog that lasts for 1 minute, covering caster and all allies within a 20ft x 20ft area in a dense wall of restorative fog, capable of obscuring the senses of enemies both within and outside of the fog. Caster and allies within fog recover 400 Hp Mp and Stamina over duration of spell. Affected allies Hp, Mp, and Stamina regeneration rates are doubled for 10 minutes.
Area covered, duration and amount of Hp, Mp, and Stamina recovered increase with Spell level. Obscuration effects increase with Spell level. Cost increases with Spell level.
•Cast time: 25 seconds •Cost: 100 Mp
•Cooldown: 20 minutes
Gaining two Spell Levels had literally doubled everything. Total area covered by the spell increased from 10ft x 10ft to 20ft x 20ft. The amount of health, Mana and Stamina recovered increased from 200 to 400, and the length of doubled Hp, Mp, and Stamina regeneration rates went from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.
Of course, the Mp cost had also risen from 50Mp to 100Mp, making [Healing fog] once again Alan's most costly Spell.
So basically each Spell Level increases the Spells parameters by fifty percent, Alan decided after a moment of consideration. Not too bad, not too bad at all. And once hitting level ten supposedly my Spells will evolve. I wonder if skills evolve?
Somehow he'd managed to find even more questions to add to his steadily growing list. Alan sighed dramatically and activated [Tenacious Concentration], [Mana Perception], and [Enhanced Spell Alteration]. Feeling the immediate drain to his Stamina kick in, Alan brushed aside his concerns, and without further hesitation, cast [Wind Blade] and [Fireball].
As the Mana tendrils protruded through Alan's chest, he first grasped them and then began cautiously braiding them together. His growing confidence alongside his active Skills helped him breeze through a process that not long ago left him disfigured and in severe pain.
Traveling smoothly through the [Aqua Shield], the single stream of braided Mana shot up into the air above Alan and stopped 15 feet away. Hovering in place, the Mana quickly split into eight separate strings. Each strand gathered up into a dense ball that swelled into opalescent cones of energy. Once reaching capacity, each of the cones shone with the radiance of a sun and immediately plummeted to the ground. As the radiant cones of raw energy descended, another round of eight energy cones started to form in the air above.
As the first salvo savagely smashed into the ground, Alan was met with a series of detonations. Each rapid explosion releasing a roaring shockwave of heat and pressure, alongside blinding flashes of light. The combination of forces instantly crumbled his [Aqua Shield]. Rendering him defenseless to the fury of his reckless casting.
Crashing through his shield undeterred, the dazzling shockwave hit him full on, instantly stealing his vision and blasting him backwards to smash into the solid sandstone wall. Alan found himself immobilized. Held in place against the wall by the successive shockwaves, and blinded by the brilliant eruptions. He was unfortunately still able see the incoming notifications.
Warning! You have been afflicted with the (Blind) Debuff. You are unable to see during the duration of Debuff.
Duration: 30 seconds
Warning! You have been afflicted with the (Paralysis) Debuff. You are unable to move for the duration of Debuff.
Duration: 1.5 minutes
Robbed of his sight, and pinned to the wall, Alan was left unable to anything but cast [Healing Fog]. As the fog began to materialize, Alan listened to the raging destruction wrought by his spell.
Vibrations from the rapid detonations could be felt through both the air, and the stone he currently pressed himself up against. Each violent discharge erupted, resulting in yet another wave of heat and pressure that nearly stole his breath away.
Though it seemed far longer, 30 seconds finally passed. With that his (Blind) and (Paralysis) Debuffs were finally gone. Unwilling to be blinded again, and still unable to do much more than twitch against the wall, Alan grit his teeth and waited out the 13 seconds still remaining in this overly-powerful spell. After what he felt was surely an eternity, the rumbling and shockwaves wound down. The pressure holding him aloft fell away and Alan was left in a haphazard pile on the ground, marking the end of the Spells duration. The expected notification arrived, along with a couple others.
Dismissing the notifications, Alan hesitantly opened his eyes and immediately saw that the sandstone walls along the middle section of the hall, at least ten feet of the entire corridor, had been superheated and we're now glowing a dull orange."
"Holy shit on a stick," Alan choked out, coughing roughly from the heavy layer of sand now floating in the air throughout the surrounding corridor. "That was intense!
His frayed nerves were causing his hands to shake, so Alan took a moment to calm himself and to catch his breath. Glancing at his PSA Screen, Alan reviewed his dismissed notifications.
Remarkable! You have successfully merged the Spells (B)[Wind blade] and (B)[Fireball] creating the (Rare) spell [Plasma Flare]!
(R)[Plasma Flare] Lvl 1- Upon casting, this Spell unleashes a series of rapid localized plasma explosions on any foes within a 15ft x 15ft area up to 100ft away from caster. Inflicts Moderate fire damage. Moderate chance to inflict (Burn) Debuff and/or (Blind) Debuff.
Damage, Distance, Duration, and chance to inflict (Burn) and/or (Blind) Debuff increase with Spell Level.
Cost increases with Spell Level.
•Cast time 35 seconds •Cost: 150mp
•Cooldown: 4 hours
Remarkable! You have created a (Rare) Spell. As the first denizen of the (Human) Tutorial to create a (Rare) Spell, you have earned the Title Peerless Mage!
Peerless Mage- +10 Willpower, Resistance, Intelligence and Wisdom.
Remarkable! For creating a (Rare) Spell while still in the (G) Stage of Evolution you have earned the Title Prodigious Mage!
Prodigious Mage- +5 Luck, +5% increase to Stat Effectiveness of Wisdom, Willpower, Resistance, Intelligence.
I did it again! Alan thought as he danced a little jig. But that was way too close. If I hadn't had my [Aqua Shield] up, or if I'd been even a little closer to the impact zone, there's no way I would've survived that [Plasma Flare]. I can't believe I forgot to cast [Healing Fog] before I started. I think I'm going to take a break on my Spell merging plans for a while. I've already created several new Spells after all, and acquired a few new Skills. I even earned four new titles in the process. It'd be a shame to blow myself up after all that effort... I probably shouldn't push my luck, but when I'm getting such obvious results it's hard to stop.
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Alan rubbed his unshaven jawline, lost in contemplation.
I'm excited to see what my newest Spell does to the Juvenile Desert Flans, but it's a really good thing the distance I can cast [Plasma Flare] is up to 100 feet away. Without a good amount of clearance, or a much more durable barrier, I don't even think I would be able to cast this spell without risking blowing myself into pieces. He shook his head sadly.
Obviously (Rare) spells are no joke. I'm definitely not prepared for a Spell of this magnitude I'm going to have to be really careful when using [Advanced Spell Alteration] from now on. I don't know if it was that skill alone, or the combination of [Tenacious Concentration], [Mana Perception], AND [Advanced spell Alteration], but I somehow increased the tier of the Spell all the way from (Basic) to (Rare). Not that I'm complaining, but that seems a bit much. A good enough increase to earn myself a couple more Titles at least. Man, speaking of which I'm really starting to pile on the Titles by now. The Stat gains are starting to stack up fast.
Satisfied though he might've been with the results of his new Spell, Alan's confidence in safely merging spells was now at an all time low. He decided to place Spell mergers on hold for the time being. Alan only had himself to blame for forgetting to cast [Healing Fog] before attempting to merge Spells in the first place. Even though he KNEW the risks. In an attempt to raise his spirits, Alan called up his Status tab.
He was excited to see exactly how much his recent Titles improved his Stats.
Name: Alan Robbins
Race: Human(G) LVL 4 EXP 773/843
Class:
Cultivation core: (dormant)
Titles: Dungeon Explorer, Novice Mage, Above Your Weight Class, Singularly Skilled, Surpassing Expectations, Peerless Mage, Prodigious Mage,
***STATISTICS***
Hp: 729/729
Mp: 674/1050
Stamina: 134/759
Hp Regeneration: 108 per minute
Mp Regeneration: 157.5 per minute
Stamina Regeneration: 117 per minute
Strength: 22 (27)
Constitution: 22 (28)
Vitality: 22 (23)
Endurance: 22
Perception: 22
Agility: 22 (25)
Dexterity: 22 (23)
Intelligence: 35 (+5%StEf)
Wisdom: 35 (+5%StEf)
Resistance: 35 (+5%StEf)
Willpower: 35 (+5%StEf)
Luck: 46
Unallocated Status Points: 0
*** SKILLS***
(B)[Examine] Lvl 3
(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] Lvl 1
(C)[Falling with Character] Lvl 1
(B)[Walking] Lvl 1
(U)[Steady Hand of the Cartographer] Lvl 1
(B)[Dagger Utilization] Lvl 2
(C)[Throw Weapon] Lvl 2
(C)[How to Take a Punch] Lvl 1
(C)[Trap Detection] Lvl 1
(C)[Enhanced Cognition] Lvl 3
(U)[Tenacious Concentration] Lvl 3
(C)[Pain Resistance] Lvl 2
(C)Heat Resistance] Lvl 1
(C)[Shock Resistance] Lvl 1
(C)[Mana Perception] Lvl 3
(R)[Advanced Spell Alteration] Lvl 1
*** SPELLS ***
(U)[Healing Fog] Lvl 3
(B)[Water Jet] lvl 1
(B)[Lightning Strike] Lvl 2
(B)[Fireball] Lvl 3
(B)[Banish Darkness] Lvl 1
(B)[Wind Blade] Lvl 1
(B)[Stone Skin] Lvl 1
(C)[Aqua Shield] Lvl 1
(U)[Shocking Water Cannon] Lvl 1
(R)[Plasma Flare] Lvl 1
***TECHNIQUES***
Gasping in shock, Alan realized that without even gaining another Level, he had almost doubled all of his Stats. Finally beginning to understand the importance of these 'First in Tutorial' and 'Still in (G-Stage)' Titles, Alan started to actively plan out how he might be able to earn even more.
"The hunt for more Titles" Alan contemplated out loud. "Assuming there's not a limit on the amount of Titles I can have at once, this is something I can really take advantage of."
He had already earned Titles for being the first in the tutorial to learn a Spell, find a dungeon, aquire a (Rare) Skill, and first to Learn a (Rare) Spell. He'd also earned Titles for still being in the (G-Stage) of Evolution and creating a (Rare) Spell, as well as one for acquiring a (Rare) Skill.
"Why not first to get to level 25?" Alan considered, "or first to conquer a dungeon. First to beat a boss, level a skill to a certain level, first to complete a quest.. Hells I could see any of those working for 'Still in (G-Stage) of Evolution' Titles as well.
A List of possible ways to earn new titles were piling up, yet he wasn't able to test any of his theories at this point. Alan prepared himself for finishing up his experimentation. All he had left was to attempt to dual-cast again, now that his mental Stats had almost doubled since his previous failed attempt.
That, and Alan had a suspicion that he might be able to channel extra Mana into a Spell during the actual casting process, which would theoretically increase the power of the Spell.
"Not accomplishing anything just laying here," Alan stated cheerfully while picking himself up off of the floor and brushing the sand from his scorched leather armor."Time to aquire some more Skills!"
Without further delay, Alan activated [Tenacious concentration] and [Mana perception], leaving [Advanced spell alteration] inactive. He didn't yet understand, or trust, the abilities of the Skill. With [Healing fog] back on cooldown, Alan instead hoped for the best, and cast [Aqua shield]. As soon as his protective barrier raised into place, he simultaneously cast two [Fireball] Spells in an attempt to successfully figure out how to dual-cast, if such a thing even existed.
Alan immediately sensed the previous mental strain of attempting to dual-cast was no longer present. Satisfied with the increase to his mental stats, he thoughtfully considered the iridescent streams of Mana. Alan placed the backs of his hands together, palms facing outward. He shoved his fingers in-between his forming Spells and Pushed the rapidly extending energy tentacles away from each other, making sure to keep them completely Separated.
As the individual streams of Mana passed through his shield, the ends of the streams started to swell. It created what looked like a shimmering energy balloon perched atop each stream. Upon reaching completion, the 'balloons' ruptured, revealing two perfectly formed [Fireball]'s which rotated around one another, as if locked on an invisible axis.
Alan cheered in success as he flung the orbs of flame. He observed intently as they flew 15 feet away before suddenly falling to the ground. The flames quickly sputtered out in the sand. His long-awaited notification flashed, declaring his undeniable accomplishment.
Remarkable! Due to your newly developing insights into the fundamental uses of Mana you have acquired the (Common) Skill [Dual Casting]!
(C)[Dual-Casting] Lvl 1- Upon activation, this Skill provides the ability to cast two (Basic) Tier spells at the same time. When used to cast two of the same Spell, Mana cost is increased by 1.5x to compensate for exceeding cooldown times.
Tier of Spells increases with Skill level.
Mana cost decreases with Skill level
Wanting to ensure he understood how the new Skill worked, Alan swiftly activated [Dual-casting] and called up both [Wind blade] and [Stone skin]. The spells immediately formed. As [Stone skin] began to harden his flesh, a four foot long [Wind blade] made its appearance, hovering silently in front of him.
Alan sent the boomerang shaped blade of air soaring into the distance, and dismissed his [Stone skin] Spell. He couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the suddenly simplistic process of casting multiple spells.
His Stamina pool was all but emptied out by multiple Skill activations. As if that weren't enough to deal with, he once again found himself with a growling stomach. Alan celebrated his success with several pounds of trail mix. Somewhat satiated, he washed it all down with more than a gallon of the cool, never-ending water his canteen always provided.
With only one experiment remaining, Alan knew he wouldn't be able to hold off on exploring the dungeon for much longer. Though it may have been overly painful, it had been an extremely fruitful experience. One that Alan would like to continue until he thoroughly exhausted all of his ideas.
Unfortunately his supply of food was steadily declining, and Alan was unfortunately discovering that he was the owner of an increasingly worrisome appetite. With no obvious food sources around (aside from copious amounts of sand), he was overly aware of the fact that the only way he was going to survive long enough to make it out of this nightmare would be to get moving before it was already too late.