Chapter 202 - The Insane Soul Golem of Nathan

"Always practice chanting spells in your free time and do it safely, along with mana manipulation. This is crucial for training your mind to divide attention in combat."

The professor turned the page, and the board displayed a mage surrounded by large flaming spheres of earth, hovering in the air around him.

“Only a few mages are skilled enough to use spells above the Epic level. If a mage without enough mana tries to chant a powerful spell, they will fail. Even for those who can perform spells at this level, it’s crucial to understand the risks involved. The more powerful the spell, the higher the mana cost. If you exhaust your mana, you’ll be unable to perform magic and, depending on how draining the spell was, you may faint or, in the worst cases, die.”

Professor Obana looked around at the students, observing the mix of anxious and curious faces as she explained the complexities of advanced spells.

“It’s possible to shorten long spells,” she began. “First, you need to master the long chant, understanding each syllable and channeling your mana steadily. With time, you’ll be able to condense these phrases into a shorter, more efficient form—what we call a ‘standard phrase.’ This phrase acts as a mental shortcut, so to speak, allowing you to have half of the spell ready even before you fully chant it.”

I knew this concept well. Both Adrihna and my family had taught me this method. It was one of the cornerstones of becoming an effective military mage.

“Powerful mages often ‘lock’ this half of the spell into something called ‘Elemental Art,’” Obana continued. “It’s simple: you insert the desired element and chant the spell’s name. For example, the crow spell I demonstrated earlier would be called Plant Art: Green Blade Ravens.”

The students started taking notes hurriedly, some with expressions of enlightenment, as though they had just uncovered a hidden secret.

“This is how mages of the past managed to reduce chanting time, turning complex spells into something practical and swift without sacrificing potency. They condensed years of knowledge and practice into simple phrases, which proved crucial in intense battles, where every second counts.”

She emphasized the importance of correct chanting: “You can chant a spell either mentally or aloud. But keep in mind, if you do it mentally, the spell consumes twice as much mana and loses half of its potency.”

The professor compared this process to sword practice: “Just as every sword movement requires the coordination of body, joints, and muscles, chanting a spell involves both the body and voice. Skipping any part of this process can lead to a spell that is either disastrous or less powerful. For that reason, speaking the spell is practically essential to achieve maximum effectiveness.”

Her words underscored the complexities involved in magical practice. Mana’s language is a continuous flow of mind, body, and spirit: the way you shape your mana, how it moves through your energy channels, how your mind recalls the exact steps of the spell, and how your mana gem pumps energy through your body—all of it forms an interconnected cycle, like a spark igniting a fire.

She concluded with a practical scenario: “Imagine a mage in the heat of battle, trying to cast a powerful spell. If they chant mentally, they’ll lose a precious amount of mana and weaken their spell. In combat, aloud chanting is an integral part of ‘Elemental Art.’ Without it, magic will never reach its full potential.”

Her words reinforced what I already knew: magic is as much a strategic discipline as it is a force of power.

The professor flipped another page, and the board displayed the image of a boy fallen on the ground, with someone armed with a sword standing close by.

"Using a powerful spell in battle requires caution. If it fails to achieve its purpose, you’ll be left completely exhausted and vulnerable to enemy attacks. Your weakness will be such that you may not even be able to move, making you an easy target. This is how enemies kill powerful mages: by waiting for their mana to run dry. Therefore, it’s crucial to manage your mana effectively so that you can cast complex spells without compromising your safety."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Professor Obana turned to the next page, and the image on the board changed to show a sinister figure lurking in darkness.

“Before we move on to the next topic, does anyone have questions?” the elderly elf asked.

Several students raised their hands, most of them excited that the academy was finally covering advanced magic topics. The elf pointed to one of the students.

“Professor, why did it say ‘banned’ next to the mythical and legendary level spells?”

The old elf smiled as if she had been expecting this question.

“That’s an excellent question and directly relates to our next topic. Let’s discuss the dangers of using magic for malicious purposes. But to answer your question,” she gestured with her hand, causing numerous leaves to fall around her, “these leaves are sharp and represent a forbidden spell. This spell is used exclusively to kill. Now, imagine that instead of raining blade-like leaves around me, I could make this happen in an entire village or city. The chaos and destruction would be devastating for those who aren’t mages and couldn’t protect themselves,” she explained.

The professor scanned the students' faces, and with another gesture, she gathered all the leaves into a green sphere that floated around her.

“The moment a forbidden spell reaches a level of power so extreme that its potential for destruction could cause mass casualties, it is automatically classified as ‘banned.’ Such spells become weapons of war, and their use is considered a crime in all realms. Mages who master mythical and legendary level spells are fully aware of the responsibility and the weight of possessing such power. However, if they misuse it, they are immediately apprehended due to the threat they pose to society.”

This is one of the reasons my mother scolds me so much…

"Banned spells don’t just pose a danger to people; they can also threaten nature itself. A banned fire spell could wreak havoc on a city and its natural surroundings, wiping out all life, including plants. Even they would perish, and the soil would become infertile. Unleashing a mythical or legendary-level spell needlessly is a crime against humanity. Weapons of war should not be at the whim of just anyone.”

Her sphere of leaves vanished. The professor studied the students' faces, some curious, others diligently taking notes.

"Do not worry too much about the danger. A banned spell is not easy to perform, and very few mages in the world are capable of executing one," she reassured them.

My spell, the one my aunt forbade me to use, is a banned spell…

I actually had two banned spells, and casting them was dangerous even for me due to their destructive range.

The first was the spell that nearly killed me two years ago, which my aunt banned me from using again. The second spell was my own Soul Golem—a creature that sought to destroy everything in its path.

Soul Golems occupied a delicate area in magical legislation, similar to a demi-human’s bestial form—a true gray zone between being considered a banned spell or not. This was due to their massive destructive potential. When a summoner activates their Soul Golem, it’s akin to unleashing a demi-human’s bestial form, where control becomes challenging, and the power is overwhelming.

Just like a demi-human’s bestial form could unleash chaos and destruction, Soul Golems represented a similar threat. If left unchecked, they could devastate entire cities, becoming an immeasurable danger. However, unlike other banned magic, a summoner who could fully master their Soul Golem had the power to contain this destruction, restricting the creature’s power within acceptable limits. This control is what places Soul Golems in that ambiguous legal zone.

While the risk was high, the potential for control made the use of these Golems a practice that, though regulated, was still permitted—but never to be used lightly. Only exceptional mages, those with deep mastery over their magic and themselves, could summon and maintain these creatures without causing massive destruction.

Despite being considered talented, I was far from the natural aptitude of Chloe or my mother. The truth is, no matter how much I train, controlling a Soul Golem is beyond my current abilities. Commanding such a creature requires almost contractual magical conditions—a profound bond between summoner and golem that goes beyond mere skill. Perhaps when the academy delves deeper into summoning, I’ll be able to help you understand this topic better.

The irony is that even with one of the greatest summoning mages on the continent as my personal tutor—Adrihna, who also wields the light element—she hasn’t been able to help me with this. The reason is simple: mastery over the Soul Golem depends solely on the summoner. It’s a direct reflection of the soul of the one who conjures it, and as you already know, my soul has harbored destruction and chaos in the past. Controlling something that mirrors a soul like mine... is no easy task.

This is the most terrifying aspect of handling a Soul Golem. It embodies both the strength and the shadows of its summoner, becoming something that can completely slip out of control if there isn’t balance.