Chapter 555 - 554: Refinement of Technique

Chapter 555: Chapter 554: Refinement of Technique

"One more thing," Colin said. "When we arrived, members of the Viper Association were in the middle of attacking the Levin Clan’s residence."

"Then you probably stumbled into some kind of turf war. The Viper Association wouldn’t attack a minor noble for no reason. It’s quite possible for nobles who deal with Demons to get mixed up with the Viper Association. It’s nothing to worry about."

Morel took a small pouch from his belt and handed it to Colin. "These are Gemstones from the Divine Hall of the Goddess of Wealth. Each is worth about 300 gold coins. I assume you’ll also want the gear from the Viper Association members? I’ll get it to you after the City Guard clears it."

"That works," Colin nodded.

He suddenly recalled the little girl he had seen crying in her mother’s arms and asked, "What will happen to the Levin Clan now?"

"Hmm... While Thousand Masts City allows freedom of worship, formally cooperating with and signing contracts with Demons is forbidden. Most of the Levin Clan will be imprisoned for it."

"And the children?"

Morel yawned. "They’ll be sent to an orphanage. Relax. We’re not irredeemable monsters. We’ll make sure the kids are taken care of."

"That’s a decent outcome," Colin said.

"All right, then," Morel said. "By the way, it’ll probably be a few more weeks before we have any news on scouting the Ancient Empire ruins. You should all get some rest in the meantime. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice."

"In that case, I’m heading to the Black Tower to practice my Magic," Colin said.

Morel yawned. "See you, Colin. I have to go report to the Master of the Black Tower."

The group then left the courtyard of Horn Castle and headed into the streets of Thousand Masts City.

No one had been seriously injured on the mission. Orelia healed Dorn and Kase with a few simple Divine Arts, so there was nothing to worry about.

Colin glanced at his Spellbook.

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[Quest: Collect Evidence]

[Rating: 5 (Mortal)]

[Reward: 100 Proficiency Points, Tier Two Magic "Protection from Arrows"]

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’A mission like this is actually rated a five?’ Colin was a bit confused. He had expected a three or four, at most.

’Other than the initial scouting and infiltration, there was nothing difficult about this mission. We even stumbled into a turf war halfway through, which actually saved us some trouble in the end.’

’Maybe it’s just because our squad has gotten so much stronger. A mission of this difficulty barely registers anymore.’

Colin then turned his attention to the new spell he’d acquired.

[Protection from Arrows], a Tier Two spell. The protected creature takes ten less Damage each time it is hit by a ranged attack, up to a maximum of one hundred points of Damage reduced. If the cumulative reduction has not reached this limit, the spell will last for one hour.

’A spell specifically for ranged attacks. It could be useful when facing a lot of ranged firepower.’

Right now, Colin wanted to learn as many spells as possible. He didn’t care if he learned a spell he might never use in his entire life.

After all, versatility was crucial for a Mage. The ideal was to have a spell or two for any situation that might arise. This was the primary advantage Mages held over other Casters.

Then there were the one hundred Proficiency Points.

The Specialties gained from leveling up Skills were too important, so Colin immediately spent all one hundred Proficiency Points on his Armor Skills.

His Skill Proficiencies were now: Casting (Expert) 4079/4000, Empowering Armor (Expert) 2585/4000, Silent Sword Skill (Expert) 2158/4000, Magic Artisan (Apprentice) 651/1250.

While Colin was busy allocating his skill points, Ale spoke up from beside him, a worried tone in her voice. "Is that little girl really going to an orphanage?"

"I suppose so. Why?" Colin asked.

"Won’t she have a hard time adjusting?" Ale said, frowning. "She seemed like she was... very sheltered."

"That’s not the right way to think, Ale," Orelia, who was standing nearby, interjected, having understood the implication in Ale’s words. "That family collaborated with Demons. You shouldn’t sympathize with them."

"I wasn’t... I just..." Ale stammered.

’Ale must be projecting,’ Colin thought. ’After all, she only recently had to leave her own home for an unfamiliar environment. It’s not surprising she’d draw a parallel.’

Colin spoke up. "I understand what you mean. The little girl is innocent, but her parents collaborated with Demons. That means her entire lifestyle—her food, her clothes, her home—was built on that evil.

"Even if she was oblivious to it all, she needs to be separated from everything connected to that evil. It’s the only way she has a chance of walking the right path in the future."

Ale looked down, considered his words carefully, then nodded gently.

She spoke up. "You’re right. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking clearly."

"Well... I might have been a bit hasty, too," Orelia admitted, scratching her cheek.

"It’s a small thing," Colin said.

Soon, they reached an intersection and parted ways, each heading to their respective training grounds.

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「Three weeks later, inside Morel’s Black Tower Laboratory.」

Colin stood on a stone platform, reciting the Spell for Flaming Arrow.

Just as he did with Instant Potency, he was altering the Spell’s structure and the Magic Model in his Spellbook, trying to influence the Magic itself.

That’s right—he was exploring new Metamagic Techniques.

As he recited the Spell, the Flame in his hand flared violently before sputtering out, leaving only a few sparks dancing in the air.

"Need a break?" Morel’s lazy voice drifted over from the side.

"You’ve been drinking that coffee for half an hour, haven’t you? Isn’t it about time you got to work, Morel?" Colin shot a glance at the mug in his hand.

Over the past three weeks, any respect Colin had for Morel as a High-tier Mage had completely evaporated. ’Honestly,’ he thought, ’I’m starting to doubt this guy can even cast Tier Eight Magic anymore. He’s just so damn lazy all the time.’

"Asvir didn’t ask you to supervise my work," Morel said, taking another sip of his coffee. "Besides, I’ve only been drinking for a few minutes. Hot coffee gets cold fast, you know."

Colin had no desire to bicker about coffee. He turned away and refocused his attention on studying his Magic.

He began reciting the Spell once more.

However, just as he uttered the first syllable of the Flaming Arrow Spell, a ball of Flame suddenly ignited between his fingers. Startled, he instinctively flung it away.

Just as the Flame was about to fall off the stone platform, a transparent barrier materialized, and the fireball exploded against it.