"The main advantage of Secondary Sparks is that they usually grow faster than your Divine Spark. The reason is that to make the spell easier, the Secondary Spark rewires your mind for that specific spell, which amplifies the power of the spell, creating a virtuous circle. Conversely, the growth of the Divine Spark is not dependent on the effectiveness of your spells, only on the amount of magic you use and the stamina you expend, which is directly dependent on your physique and the size of your Divine Spark.
"But don't think that all is rosy." Malia warned them outright, her face growing markedly darker. "Secondary Sparks to make your magic more powerful alters your personality more than you might think."
Ikaris and Ellie, who had been pumped up after learning about the infinite potential of these Secondary Sparks, became tense as they caught the bitterness and sternness in her voice. Without the warning, they would have probably spammed the same spell until they reached the desired level of performance.
The teenager especially had hundreds of great ideas popping up in his mind one after another and he was already calculating the most relevant training regimen and spells to cast to reach the top in record time. Malia's alarmist look stopped him dead in his tracks.
Pleased to have regained their attention, she did not smile when she noticed their uneasy attitude. After having stared at them in turn until they were uncomfortable, she explained,
"Rather than a long theoretical speech, I will tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a young sorcerer who dreamed of shooting fireballs to reduce his enemies to ashes. He was consumed by his desire for revenge and when he met one of his hated enemies he launched a fireball at him that was much more powerful than the others. This power was due to the sheer intensity of his emotions. An explosive cocktail of anger, resentment and hatred, as well as a will to destroy everything, increased the power of his spell tenfold. He defeated his enemy and went back to training.
"But something had changed. When he cast his fireballs, he could not recreate the flame power of his previous fight. Not being a fool, he immediately found the cause. He was no longer angry. He tried to rekindle that anger and then cast the Fireball spell again. The result was immediate. The spell was several times more powerful.
"He began to practice, trying to hold on to that emotional state for better performance, and very quickly getting into that angry state became easier and easier. His fireballs and even his other offensive spells advanced rapidly and within a few years he became a formidable sorcerer. The enemies that had once sparked his anger had long since been wiped out, but he was still angry. He didn't realize it yet, but he had become a temperamental person, prone to get angry and seek revenge by resorting to violence. In the end, he became a bloodthirsty thug, unable to return to a normal life.
"The story I have just told is the typical journey of what is called in the Forsaken Lands a Sorcerer of Destruction. The Order of Destruction is one of the Confederation's six major Wizarding Orders and about five to ten percent of the continent's Sorcerers fall into this category. Some have taken this path by accident as in my little story, but many make this choice with a clear conscience. To become stronger and progress faster, they deliberately choose to cultivate this kind of personality.
"Eventually, their personalities become so stereotypical that they even get nicknames like Sorcerer of Anger, Sorcerer of Vengeance, Sorcerer of Hate, Sorcerer of Fear and so on. Becoming a Sorcerer of Anger is not so bad, but Sorcerers of Fear are pitiful existences. Terror gives them wings, but the rest of the time they live in a constant state of anxiety, jumping up in fright at the slightest creak of a door."
At that moment, Malia gave the coward a sharp look.
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"Ellie, if you don't want to become that kind of Sorcerer, be careful with your emotions when you practice magic."
"Y-yes, I will be careful." She replied hastily with a flushed face.
Ikaris' lips twitched, but in his eyes one could only read a deep pessimism. He doubted that the blond girl would be able to control herself. At the first goblin they would meet, her fear would come back at full gallop.
"Now leave me alone, I still have work to do." Malia said rudely, putting an abrupt end to their question and answer session.
"I have one last question." Ikaris bothered her once again.
"What now?" She shot him a sidelong glance with a fed-up expression.
"When you use the same spell again, what do you consider a good progression. I mean, if I cast the Black Veil a second time, how much longer can I expect to maintain the spell compared to the first time?"
Malia looked at him properly for the first time of the day, but she answered his question anyway.
"If you are talented... 5% longer would be amazing." She said hesitantly.
The village chief had lied slightly when she gave that figure. In truth, 5% was for the Confederation's prodigies who had been trained in all sorts of disciplines such as meditation, visualization, martial arts, archery, etc. Basically, anything that favored the development of mental faculties essential to a sorcerer such as concentration, self-control, etc.
And that was for the non-humans with a stronger Soul from birth. For pure humans it was usually closer to 1 or 2%.
Ikaris' face froze as he heard her answer.
'My second Black Veil lasted twice as long as the first.'
Although the youth regained his poker face almost immediately afterwards, Malia with her keen eyesight inevitably noticed the change in his expression. But luckily for him, she mistook his reaction for desperation.
"Don't worry. It's perfectly normal to not do as well." She attempted to cheer him up, mistakenly believing she had dispirited him. "One or two percent improvement is already commendable, and it would earn you a place in any Confederation academy."
This time, Ikaris did not let his disbelief give him away and he played along with Malia, showing a slightly strained smile to create the impression that he was putting up a front for the two young women. As observant as the female chief was, she did not notice his acting.
He even obtained a pleasant surprise from it. Feeling curiously guilty, Malia eventually cut two thin slices of meat, which she wrapped in a large leaf shaped like those of a banana tree.
"Chew it slowly. Wait a few hours before taking a second bite." She warned them gruffly before letting them go. "This is the meat of a Rank 2 Demonic Boar. For humans like you, the whole slice is like devouring an entire goat in one meal. If you don't throw up, which would be a huge waste, the indigestion will kill you."
"Oh yes and don't show the meat to the other villagers." She shouted as she watched them walk away. Fortunately, there was no one in the village except Grallu and the unconscious prisoner.
Ikaris lifted his thumb to signify he got the message, then returned to his tent with Ellie on his heels. However, as soon as he entered his tent he said flatly,
"I need to be alone."
"Oh... Okay." The student bit her lip, but sullenly returned to her own tent.
'Come on Ellie, you too can become a great wizard!' She repeated to herself like a mantra to encourage herself, but inwardly she doubted she could.
Malia, who thought she had disheartened Ikaris, had instead depressed the insecure student. She was dreading to see what would happen if she cast the same spell twice in a row. An ordinary result would dash her hopes of a bright future.
Meanwhile, Ikaris had already sat cross-legged in his tent with a focused frown on his face. Before casting any spell, he unwrapped the slice of meat that Malia had given them and, following the instructions to the letter, he took a first small bite, barely larger than a pea.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The taste was a bit strong, but it was to be expected from a game meat like wild boar. On the other hand, after a couple of minutes a pleasant feeling of satiety spread quickly through his body, the stress caused by hunger giving way to quietude.
Ikaris was now ready to take his first step as a sorcerer on his way to the peak. But before he could take that first step, he had to know which path he wanted to pursue. And to know which path to take and how long it would take him, he needed to know where he was starting from and where he was on that path at any given time. Not only would this give him a better understanding of himself, but it would also allow him to clearly assess the impact of each new change.
That was his scientific mind talking. If he didn't have all the parameters under control, he would become anxious.
And to know all the parameters, what better than a System?