Chapter Thirty-Five: Level Zero Spells

Hughes did not return to his dormitory with the pouch of magic stones. Instead, following the chip’s guidance, he arrived at a grand shop owned by the academy itself. The items here were a bit more expensive than those sold outside, but every single one was guaranteed to be authentic.

Having advanced to a Level-Two Apprentice, Hughes was now planning to study novice spells. Wizards called the spells accessible to apprentices “zero-level spells.” The difference between zero-level spells and the first-level spells used by official wizards was a major threshold separating apprentices from true wizards. Level-Two and Level-Three Apprentices could only cast zero-level spells; only those capable of using first-level spells unaided and without harming themselves could be considered official wizards. First-level spells were the mark and symbol of a true wizard’s power.

The principles behind zero-level spells bore some resemblance to meditation techniques. Both relied on mental strength to construct a spell template within the mind, using the properties of spiritual power to attract particles of elemental energy and trigger a series of changes to create the spell. Each spell template was unique, but all involved using one’s mental force to draw in energy. By constructing different templates and absorbing various elemental particles, one could wield a variety of spells.

Hughes stepped into the shop, taking in the exquisite marble counters and tasteful décor—this was nothing like Lindsay’s little shop. Still, there were only a handful of customers scattered about, making it rather quiet.

He approached the counter, where a hook-nosed man sat with his eyes closed, his face set in a cold, frosty expression as if someone owed him money.

“Um… excuse me,” Hughes murmured softly to the man in front of him, feeling a distinct sense of pressure in his presence.

“Chip, can you analyze him?” he thought.

“Beep! Unknown name. Strength: 2.6. Agility: 3.4. Constitution: 4.1. Spiritual Power: 7.14. Assessment: Level-Three Apprentice. (Recommendation: Host should keep a distance).”

Since Hughes had advanced to Level-Two Apprentice, the chip’s abilities had grown—now it could quantify the attributes of other apprentices, though it still couldn’t analyze official wizards.

“What do you want?” The man was roused by Hughes’s voice, opened his eyes, and spoke in a cold, emotionless tone.

Hughes was startled by the man’s eyes—they resembled the vertical pupils of a snake. Meeting his gaze, Hughes felt as though a venomous serpent lurking in the shadows had fixed its sights on him.

“Could you show me the basic spell templates?” Hughes felt uneasy under the man’s scrutiny and hurriedly explained his purpose.

“Here.” The man seemed a bit surprised at Hughes’s request for basic spell templates, but he produced a thick, dust-laden tome—apparently untouched for a long time—and handed it over. He seemed impatient, motioning for Hughes to read it elsewhere before closing his eyes once more.

Unperturbed, Hughes took the book and sat aside to read its contents.

Page after page of spell templates and corresponding descriptions met his eyes. “Basic Energy Fireball... Basic Wind Blade… Acid Splash…” Hughes glanced over the contents but didn’t examine each description in detail. He had already decided his future path would focus on lightning and ice, so he started by looking for spells of those elements. Fire and darkness could wait until later.

“Lightning, lightning…” Hughes leafed through the book for a zero-level lightning spell.

“Lightning Strike: Summons a bolt of lightning to attack an enemy swiftly. Considerable power, with a paralyzing effect.”

Hughes was quite satisfied with this lightning spell, especially the paralysis effect. But soon, he frowned.

“Is this the only book of spell templates?” he asked, noticing there were very few zero-level lightning spells, and only Lightning Strike seemed worthwhile.

“All zero-level spell templates available in the Ring of Shadows are in that book. If you want an advanced version, go to your mentor,” the man replied, still without any hint of emotion.

Hughes felt disappointed, but there was nothing to be done. He continued to search for zero-level ice spells.

“Icicle: Summon an icicle to pierce the enemy; upon impact, the icicle explodes, causing ice elements to invade the target’s body and slow their movements.”

After a while, Hughes selected Icicle for its secondary effect, much like Lightning Strike.

He found his own reaction a bit odd as he considered both spells. At first, he had planned for lightning as his main attack and ice as his main control. But judging from the description, the ice element’s control wasn’t enough to freeze someone completely. Lightning Strike, on the other hand, offered paralysis, which could be followed up by an icicle for a swift finish—a neat and efficient combination. It seemed lightning would be his primary control after all. Early on, ice just wasn’t strong enough to immobilize a target.

“I’ll take the templates for Lightning Strike and Icicle,” Hughes said, returning the book to the counter.

“Ten magic stones per template,” the man replied, taking the book and looking at Hughes.

Hughes counted out twenty magic stones from his pouch and handed them over. In exchange, the man gave him two hefty books, their covers inscribed in Arlen: one for Lightning Strike, one for Icicle.

With the books in hand, Hughes headed to the teaching area. Now that he was a Level-Two Apprentice, it was time to exchange his gray robe for a new one.

At the registration desk, Hughes explained his purpose. The attendant was quite friendly; the registration process required only a check of his appearance and name.

“All set, Hughes. Here’s your Level-Two Apprentice robe,” the attendant said, bringing out a black robe from the back room.

This was standard for the Ring of Shadows: Level-One Apprentices wore gray, Level-Two wore black, and Level-Three had purple-gold trim at the cuffs.

Hughes accepted the robe with a word of thanks and made his way toward the dormitory area.

“Hey! Hughes!”

A sudden voice made him stop; he recognized it at once.

Billy jogged over to him. “I thought I saw you from a distance—I can’t believe it’s really you!” he greeted Hughes with a wave.

“Hey, what’s that…?” Billy noticed the black robe and the two spellbooks in Hughes’s hand. “You’ve already advanced to Level-Two Apprentice?!” Billy stared at Hughes with wide eyes.

“Yes, I just advanced recently, so I came to register,” Hughes replied.

“Chip, scan him.”

“Beep! Name: Billy. Strength: 1.8. Agility: 1.45. Constitution: 1.6. Spiritual Power: 2.16. Assessment: Level-One Apprentice.”

“He must not have been a Level-One Apprentice for long,” Hughes thought, judging Billy’s stats.

“Your talent is really enviable,” Billy said, still eyeing Hughes’s black robe.

“Just a stroke of luck,” Hughes replied with a faint smile.

“Did you have any magic stones left after buying spell templates? If you need some, you can borrow from me—we’re friends, aren’t we?” Billy asked with genuine concern.

“I still have magic stones. I can already brew potions to exchange for more, so don’t worry about me,” Hughes replied. He wasn’t sure if Lindsay had told Billy about his potion-brewing skills, but he knew the secret wouldn’t last, so he didn’t mind admitting it openly.

“Potions! Hughes, you can make potions already?” Billy was startled again. He knew Hughes’s mentor was Wizard Matt, but hadn’t expected Hughes to learn so quickly.

“Maybe I’m overthinking things?” Hughes wondered, as Billy didn’t seem to be pretending.

“I only just managed to brew anything myself. The success rate is still too low—everything I earned from selling potions over the last few days was spent on these two spell templates.” Hughes wore a helpless expression.

“Yeah, the prices in the official shops of the Ring of Shadows are really high,” Billy agreed, his face clouding as if reminded of something unpleasant.