Chapter 16: New Spells
Upon successfully casting Introspect, Ain’s consciousness appeared in a vast open space.
There was a faint golden radiance occupying this space, akin to the abode of some deity. This radiance didn’t emanate from a single source; rather, the entire space seemed to exude this soft golden glow.
Beneath him, a tranquil sea of golden liquid stretched beyond his perception, as if the sun's rays had been forever trapped within each droplet.
Slightly above this ocean of golden liquid floated a glimmering sphere. It resembled a marble with amber liquid flowing inside. Revolving around this sphere was a ghastly purple band, with its flat side parallel to the sphere's surface.
As soon as this sight entered Ain’s vision, he instinctively understood what he was witnessing. “That’s my spirit core and spirit ring…”
“The sea below is my spirit energy, and this entire space is my sea of consciousness.”
Directly observing them was a vastly different experience than indirectly sensing them. After identifying everything in sight, Ain continued to explore his surroundings.
Without any new discoveries, Ain didn’t linger and soon exited his sea of consciousness.
Just like Illumination, Introspect would also consume his spirit energy. Since he still needed to complete his spirit tamer training, Ain chose to conserve his spirit energy.
Having the ability to observe his spirit core and spirit rings would indeed assist his training. He decided to keep it in mind for later, especially when he started branding his spirit core.
Like that, the weekend passed amidst the training.
…
It was Monday morning. Ain arrived at Red Oak Spirit Academy a little early, with another purpose in mind.
His destination was the academy’s spell repository. He intended to claim his two free spells today.
Although it was called a repository, what greeted Ain was an unadorned room with only a reception desk blocking another passageway. An old man was seated behind the desk, fiddling with his hololink while letting out occasional chuckles.
As he noticed Ain approaching him, he glanced up and asked, “What brings you here, student?”
“Good morning. I’ve reached Rank-1. I’m here to claim the two spells provided by the academy.”
Upon Ain’s reply, the old man was stunned, which soon turned to doubt, then he said, “Show me.”
Ain didn’t take offense and simply nodded. With a flash of light, Nox appeared and floated atop Ain’s head as its haunting voice sounded, “Wooo…”
Staring at the spirit pet, the old man was surprised, “You’ve really contracted a pet after only one week!”
Ain nodded again. “Can I receive my spells?”
“Haha, of course. Take a look at this catalog, and then you can let me know what you selected. I should remind you, after you receive your two free spells, you’ll have to purchase any subsequent spells with star coins. Of course, we have discounted prices for our students.”
As if he had regained his youth, the old man was suddenly invigorated after confirming Ain’s rank. He passed a catalog device to Ain and patiently advised him.
Ain received the catalog and moved aside after thanking the old man.
The catalog was divided into core spells and ring spells, which were further categorized by ranks. Ring spells were also categorized by their attributes.
Ain decided to explore the core spells first.
In the Rank-0 section, only a single core spell was listed, and Ain was already familiar with it. It was Illumination.
Ain selected it, after which a basic description of the spell appeared, along with its price of 7,000 star coins.
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‘Illumination costs 7,000 star coins?’ Ain was stunned by this revelation. Every student had received a free copy of this spell on the second day. This spell alone was worth more than Ain’s current net worth. Attending spirit academy was indeed the correct decision, even though it was mandatory.
Ain quickly recovered and moved on to Rank-1 core spells. There were more Rank-1 spells available than Rank-0, so more selections appeared on the list.
He glanced over all the spells, ‘Shield, Spirit Impact, Invigoration, …’
After that, Ain selected them one at a time and read through their descriptions.
Rank-1 core spells had an average price of 75,000 star coins, making him even more astonished at the thought, ‘Spells are expensive!’
Ain hurriedly suppressed his astonishment before deciding to explore the ring spells. He would make his choice after that.
Combing through the categories, Ain found the ghost-attribute ring spells with only three spells listed.
Ain read through them one by one.
‘Ghastly Scream - Release a scream imbued with ghastly energy to stun and disrupt the target’s mind.’
‘Haunt - Gain a burst of speed, while assuming some properties of a ghost.’
‘Spectral Ball - Condense and release a ghost-attribute spirit energy ball to attack the target.’
After glancing over the three names several times, Ain finally made his choice. But before he informed the old man, Ain decided to take this opportunity to broaden his horizons.
He tried to view the Rank-2 spells, only to be denied access. It seemed that the old man had somehow locked the access before handing him the catalog.
Therefore, Ain moved on to the ring spells for the other attributes. Although he couldn’t use them right now, who knew about the future?
Moreover, Ain was sure to interact with other spirit tamers as time went on. It would be wise to study these spells, or at least have a basic understanding of their effects.
In the next few minutes, Ain made use of Analysis to quickly glance through the spell descriptions. Analysis could help him process the information rapidly, allowing him to move on to the next spell more swiftly.
The old man only occasionally glanced at Ain, not finding anything amiss. Of course, there was nothing wrong with Ain’s actions in the first place.
Students would always take extra time to deliberate, or even overthink their choices.
Only after about fifteen minutes had passed did Ain lower the catalog before approaching the old man and saying, “Sir, I’ve decided.”
Since the old man was in the spirit academy, he was definitely a spirit tamer, so Ain decided to call him “Sir.” After all, the old man hadn’t introduced himself, and neither did Ain know if he was a teacher or staff.
“Okay, what did you choose?” The old man looked away from his hololink and asked Ain.
“I want to redeem the Rank-1 core spell, Spirit Impact, and the Rank-1 ghost spell, Haunt.” Ain immediately replied with his choices.
“Hmm, Spirit Impact and Haunt? Alright, give me a moment.” After receiving Ain’s request, the old man got up and entered the door behind him.
About a minute later, he emerged again with two spell books in his hands. Before handing the spell books over, the old man said, “Report your name and class.”
Ain did as he was told and said, “Ain Weisman, Class B.”
After Ain’s reply, the old man fiddled with a screen on his desk before handing over the spell books.
“Here you go. These spell books are only for your eyes, I’m sure you understand.
Ain nodded and kept it in mind before returning to his classroom.
On his way, he thought of his new spells.
“Spirit Impact can increase my damage output through martial arts by releasing a spirit energy impact upon contact, whereas Haunt can boost my agility. Although I can’t learn Haunt until I’ve branded my spirit core, Spirit Impact should be enough for a trip outside the city.”
Ain had taken into consideration his plan to accept some missions from the Spirit Tamer Association this coming weekend.
With Nox’s possession, Ain’s physique could receive a considerable boost. Paired with his martial arts and Spirit Impact, he could handle some weaker Rank-1 Spirit Beasts with relative ease. After he finished branding, he would gain the ability to use ghost spells. At that time, he could learn Haunt, enhancing his arsenal of spells.
Haunt could enhance Ain’s movement and agility, allowing him to approach his targets or dodge incoming attacks. He could even use it to disengage and find an opportunity to flee if the need ever arose.
With these thoughts, Ain arrived at the classroom just before Teacher Turner.
Hugo, who was already seated, cast an inquisitive look at Ain, who had arrived later than usual. Ain nodded as a greeting before taking his own seat.
By this time, Teacher Turner had taken his usual place and observed the class for a moment. He glanced at Ain briefly as well.
After a few seconds, he finally spoke, “Good, it looks like none of you slacked off during this weekend. I hope you’ll continue with this same determination for the rest of the year.”
Ain glanced around at his classmates and noted that the students who had been hesitant a few days ago now held their heads high.
‘Looks like everyone is working hard.’ Ain mused before turning his attention back to Teacher Turner.
“Now, I would usually announce this later, but I see the need to do so today.”
“I’ve said this before: one of your greatest advantages in attending a spirit academy is training under our guidance.”
“Not only can I guide your training as a spirit tamer, but I can also provide guidance on nurturing your spirit pets.”
“That is because every teacher in charge of a class is a Grade-1 Spirit Master!"
As soon as Teacher Turner’s voice fell, the room went silent before a commotion broke out.
“A Grade-1 Spirit Master?!”
“Our teacher is a Grade-1 Spirit Master? Am I dreaming?”
“Haha, look at your surprised faces. I already knew this!”
The students stared at their teacher in shock.
To these budding spirit tamers, spirit masters were like famous celebrities. And the practical value of getting to know one was even greater than getting to know a regular celebrity.
With a spirit master as their teacher, the benefits they could receive were unimaginable.
Although Ain controlled his expression, he was still shocked at the revelation. He finally found a way to resolve his inexperience in nurturing Nox.