Chapter 104 - 103: This Staff Strike Will Be Awesome

Chapter 104: Chapter 103: This Staff Strike Will Be Awesome

’Constructing the form through imagination, then filling it with Magic Power... This method is so much more efficient than just trying blindly!’

[Affinity with Ghostly Half-Elf Fevik QuickThought has increased. Decryption Points +3]

’Concentration is the key to guiding Magic Power... What a perfect analogy!’

[Affinity with Ghostly Half-Elf Fevik QuickThought has increased. Decryption Points +2]

’...You’ve summarized it so perfectly. I feel like I completely understand now!’

[Affinity with Ghostly Half-Elf Fevik QuickThought has increased. Decryption Points +1]

Fevik summarized, "In short, the essentials can be broken down into three steps: Imagine, Guide, and Release."

"Imagine every detail of your palm, letting it take form in your mind."

"Guiding is the most crucial step. You must ’push’ the Magic Power from your body, down your arm, and bit by bit into the fingertips of the hand you’ve imagined. This requires immense concentration."

"Finally, when you feel that ’hand’ is brimming with Magic Power, release it."

Hesia tried chanting the short spell Fevik had taught him, making a simple gesture with his hand.

A warm sensation spread from his fingertips!

About a foot in front of him, the translucent outline of a palm materialized, lasting for less than a second.

’It actually formed on the first try?’

This was countless times faster than when he practiced the Earth Spike Technique using David’s notes!

A trace of surprise flashed in Fevik’s eyes. "I didn’t expect you to pick it up so quickly. It seems that although your Power is pitifully weak, your talent as a Mage... is actually not bad."

"It’s mainly because you’re such a good teacher, Master Fevik. Much better than that Giant mentor of mine, who knows what was going through his head!" Hesia immediately lavished her with praise, while silently holding a moment of silence for the "Master David" who lived on only in his notebook.

[Affinity with Ghostly Half-Elf Fevik QuickThought has increased. Decryption Points +1]

"Hmph, there are too many irresponsible instructors these days. Take Fernandez’s Magic Academy for example... Never mind, I’m getting sidetracked."

Hearing this, an ’I knew it’ expression flickered across Hesia’s face.

’Looks like I guessed right. Master Fevik must have come from the academy, and she clearly holds a grudge.’

Fevik saw his slightly smug expression and, assuming he was getting cocky over his initial success, immediately threw cold water on his parade. "What are you so pleased about?"

"Keep practicing!" She placed a glass of water on the table. "You’ll have reached the Entry Level only when your ’hand’ can steadily lift this glass."

"And your goal," she said, pointing to the length of Black Ebony Staff Material in the corner, "is that. So don’t get cocky."

"Practice hard. The bread on the table is for you. I’m going back to bed."

Then, she added, "I almost forgot. The warnings are just as important."

"First, know your limits. A level-one Mage’s Hand has a limit of about ten pounds. Don’t try to use it to lift anything that far exceeds your Magic Power’s threshold. That will cause a Magic Rebound and give you a splitting headache."

"Second, never, *ever* use your Mage’s Hand to directly touch an item whose magical properties you don’t understand. Especially anything ancient or that looks unstable."

"I once knew a fool who used his Mage’s Hand to touch a cursed statue. The Curse followed the link of his Magic Power right back to his body."

"The next day, people found he had turned into a stone statue identical to the one he had touched."

"Remember, curiosity is a Mage’s virtue, but recklessness is an epitaph."

Hesia bowed respectfully, completely convinced. "I will take your teachings to heart, Master! This invaluable advice is far more important than the spell itself. Thank you so much!"

[Affinity with Ghostly Half-Elf Fevik QuickThought has increased. Decryption Points +1]

Although his initial praise had been to farm Affinity, Hesia was now genuinely grateful.

Fevik’s instructions, explanations, and final warnings were all pure, practical knowledge.

’There was no question about her teaching ability. There must have been some untold story behind why she left the Magic Academy.’

Hesia collected his thoughts and continued his practice.

...

Now that he had succeeded in forming the spell once, the rest of his practice came naturally.

The feeling was like finding a keyhole in the dark; all that remained was to keep trying until the key finally slid in.

Around noon, the glass of water on the table wobbled slightly in the air before being held steady by a translucent palm. At the same time, the long-awaited notification appeared in Hesia’s mind.

[Skill Acquired: Mage’s Hand Lv. 1 (1/10)]

At the same time, a cool yet warm current flowed into his mind, bringing with it the satisfying feeling of knowledge falling into place.

[Wisdom +1]

However, Hesia didn’t even have three seconds to celebrate.

BANG!

The ’hand,’ which had been perfectly stable just a moment ago, instantly dissipated. The full glass of water dropped straight onto the wooden table, splashing everywhere.

’I forgot to maintain my focus.’

Luckily, he didn’t wake Fevik.

Hesia cast Mage’s Hand again to right the fallen glass.

Over the next while, he practiced several more times, ensuring his Mage’s Hand could maintain a stable form even when his mind was wandering.

Once he felt he had practiced enough, Hesia turned his attention to the real challenge in the corner—the length of Black Ebony Staff Material.

To his surprise, when the Mage’s Hand gripped the thick staff material, it wasn’t as difficult as he’d expected.

Switching from a glass weighing a few ounces to the staff material weighing eight or nine pounds, there was little discomfort aside from a noticeably higher drain on his Magic Power. The ’hand’s’ grip remained firm and steady.

The more Hesia looked at the gleaming black "rod," the more he liked it.

He was suddenly reminded of his childhood before he came to this world. After watching *Journey to the West*, he would grab a mop handle and imitate Sun Wukong, practicing staff flourishes.

’Could I use Mage’s Hand to perform a set of mid-air staff flourishes?’

’Better yet, since it’s not limited by human joints, I could make it spin in one direction forever, creating a black whirlwind!’

’That would look so cool!’

He got right to it!

Hesia took a deep breath, concentrated, and began to control the translucent hand, trying to get it to spin the Black Ebony Staff Material.

At first, the staff material only rotated slowly.

But as he increased his Magic Power output and tried to speed up the rotation—

BOOM—!

A deafening boom erupted!

The out-of-control Black Ebony Staff Material flew from the Mage’s Hand like a battering ram launched from a trebuchet. It traced an arc through the air before viciously smashing into Fevik’s door!

In almost the same instant, a sharp, agonizing pain shot through Hesia’s brain like a steel needle. The torment of the Magic Rebound made his vision go black, his consciousness fading.

Amid the Chaos, only a single, clear thought remained in his mind:

’Given:’

’m = 4 kg’

’L = 1.8 m’

’f = 2 rotations/sec’

’In conclusion: According to the formula for centripetal force, F = mω²r... I am so screwed. Fevik is going to kill me.’