Chapter 28: Second-Order Spells

"So it was him all along. I heard a legendary mage had appeared in Rain Town again; truly, the younger generation is to be feared."

"It seems the future of our Mage Association is looking bright."

The man leaned down and crouched in front of Lu Cang, positioning himself even lower than the boy.

"Little guy, do you have any intention of joining the Mage Association?"

Lu Cang looked toward Iz.

Iz spoke on Lu Cang's behalf: "Fizer."

"The entry age for the Mage Association is 16, isn't it?"

The man called Fizer gave a brilliant smile and turned to respond to Iz behind him, "Rather than rules, our Association places more importance on talent, don't we?"

"As long as one is a genius, the rules can always be bent."

Iz tapped the table and declined very seriously, "He is still a child. Let him consider whether he wants to join the Association on his own."

"Alright, alright, since you put it that way."

As he spoke, Fizer pulled a blue business card from his breast pocket.

"Little guy, if you ever decide you want to join the Mage Association, you are welcome anytime."

"Present this card at the Mage Association in any region, and someone will receive you."

With that, Fizer stood up.

He waved to Iz once more before truly departing.

Lu Cang: "Iz, who is he?"

"The President of the Mage Association on this continent."

"A Level 6 Mage."

Eh?

Level 6?

Lu Cang had spent this morning cramming the common knowledge of this world.

A Level 6 Mage Saint was already a terrifying existence on this continent.

"What was he looking for you for?" Lu Cang asked brazenly, taking advantage of being a child.

Normally, asking such a private question might cause displeasure.

But a child was different.

"It's nothing that needs to be hidden."

"He came to talk to me about the war."

Lu Cang tilted his head. "War?"

A very sensitive topic; one could already imagine the carnage.

"Mhm."

"After the Harvest Moon comes October."

Lu Cang thought of the knowledge regarding the lunar cycles he had seen this morning.

"The month of war and fire. The lunar cycle is Bani."

Iz scratched his head and sighed, "This month brings blessings for war: more ferocious morale, greater power for legion-level spells, swifter marches, and commands that reach the minds of soldiers more quickly..."

A month that advocated for war.

It was truly cruel; most wars, large and small, broke out during this month.

In wars during this month, the victors received even more bountiful rewards.

The losers, however, suffered slightly less loss.

Though it defied logic, it was a fact written into the books of common knowledge.

"He wants me to participate in an upcoming war."

Lu Cang: "What are your plans, Iz?"

"I refused."

"I have no intention of interfering in any war in this world."

It seemed Iz was a pacifist.

"He was performing his duties as the Association President by trying to persuade me. He knows he can't convince me, so he provided some other useful intelligence in the meantime."

Lu Cang asked curiously, "What kind of intelligence, Iz?"

Iz glanced at the transparent paper in his hand and shook his head. "You don't really need that kind of information right now."

Iz stretched and changed the subject.

"Go practice your new magic."

Lu Cang: "Okay! Will do!"

The reason he had come to find Iz was to learn second-tier spells.

Furthermore, he figured he should be able to learn the follow-up knowledge to "Mana Enhancement" once he reached Level 2.

Besides.

The feeling of practicing spells with Iz was something one could never forget once experienced.

Every single casting provided a five-fold increase in proficiency.

No wonder everyone wanted Iz to teach them.

Without Iz, even the interest in practicing magic would diminish significantly.

...

Returning to the training grounds of Rain Town.

This time, Iz had rented a larger area.

The training grounds were divided into free and paid sections.

The free section was for everyone to practice together; the space was smaller, and there were no wooden dummies or training targets, so people simply cast their skills in open spaces.

The free area was protected by designated personnel, usually Level 2 Defenders, to prevent accidental injuries.

The paid section involved renting the entire field.

Generally, paid sessions also included protection, and one could even hire Level 3 Defenders.

But with Iz present, that wasn't necessary.

"Compared to the single effects of first-tier spells, second-tier spells involve slightly more complex variations."

"Chant with me."

Lu Cang and Iz chanted in succession: "Heavy earth, surge! Form a thick and solid barrier, rise as a wide wall!"

*Rumble—*

The earth churned, and the ground surged upward! A stone wall formed in front of Lu Cang!

[You have learned — Stone Wall]

[Stone Wall Proficiency EXP +10,000]

[Stone Wall (Second-tier) (LV: 3)]

LV: 3, huh?

It seemed that compared to first-tier spells, second-tier spells required much more experience to level up.

No wonder they say most mages only master one or two chantless second-tier spells in their entire lives.

"Haha, it looks like I don't even need to teach you the principles. I was worried second-tier spells would be too complex for you to cast directly through chanting."

Lu Cang felt, for a moment, slightly underestimated.

Lu Cang chanted again...

*Rumble, rumble, rumble—*

As expected, it was different from first-tier spells. It wasn't until the seventh casting that the spell reached LV: 10, granting the chantless effect.

However, Lu Cang did not demonstrate multi-casting.

Otherwise, with the triple proficiency, he would have leveled up incredibly fast.

"Very good, you have mastered Stone Wall. Next, we will learn a wood-element spell: Vine Whip."

Whip what?

Lu Cang didn't react immediately...

"Wildly growing vines, burst through the soil with vigorous life, lash out with your stems, whip!"

*Bang!*

Dozens of vines burst from the earth, countless lashings dancing wildly!

Wood-element magic.

It was an element he hadn't studied before...

"The difficulty of this spell is higher than others. Give it a try."

Lu Cang nodded, mimicking the chant he had just memorized—

"Wildly growing vines..."

*Boom!*

As the chant concluded, three vines burst from the ground, lashing at the air!

"Next, Fountain Spell."

...

Teaching Lu Cang magic was a very relaxed and pleasant task.

Iz Palut had once taught at the Loynz Magic Academy for a period of time.

For a mage who had just reached Level 2, mastering a single second-tier spell often took over ten days from scratch.

Even so-called genius mages would need at least the time it took to drink a cup of coffee or take a lunch break.

Compared to Lu Cang... the gap was truly immense.

Even with Iz's personality, which never looked down on any student, teaching a genius brought an extraordinary sense of joy.

A good student provided a completely different feeling to a teacher.

"Alright, repeat after me..."

*Whoosh!*

A sudden gale erupted in an instant—

He had already mastered the Wind Spell.

To master a spell just by reciting a single incantation—this effortless feeling was something only he had experienced firsthand.

(End of Chapter)