Draco arrived in the courtyard of the Rank 7 Castle. It was the 6th day of his training with Richmond, and there were 73 days until the auction of the Rank 7 Shop.
Since the time limit had been reduced to 10 days, Draco should complete his base training in four days. This was assuming the AI - and Richmond's - calculations were accurate.
After that, Draco would move on to train his bloodline. At first, he planned to focus on general efficiency training, which was something Eva could take him through.
That promised to be way more demanding than Richmond's training, and even 69 days were not enough to achieve mastery. After all, Eva and Local Lord had been trained from the moment they could speak, and even they wouldn't dare to say that they had reached the pinnacle.
Eva had offered to teach him in a similar way to what he was doing with Richmond. He would also be taught the theory and try to implement it. Once he had a fundamental grasp, he would just need to gain experience and familiarity through repeated use.
Next would be his training with Loving Aunt, who would teach him the techniques of the Serpent God Inheritance. It was Draco's most familiar and usable Inheritance, therefore he was confident he wouldn't struggle at all.
As for the Horned Demon and Dark Angel, they would have to be dealt with in time. Draco had no plans to interact with the family who had chosen to abandon him anytime soon, no matter how 'good' their reasons for doing so might have been.
Loving Aunt may have seen through her nephew and had told him that she would work something out for him in the future.
Draco shook his head and brought himself back to the present. As for the matter concerning his bloodline, that was for later. Right now, his duty was to finish his Mage God training.
On this day Richmond made an absurd request of Draco.
"I see that you have grasped the fundamentals of the Sphere and the Box. Today, I want you to conjure both of them at the same time and hold them together for at least 10 minutes. Once you have accomplished that, your Theory of Magic Practicals shall be considered complete."
Draco frowned deeply. Conjuring either one of them was no longer hard for him, but doing both at the same time… that would truly stretch him out. On top of that, Richmond wanted him to hold both for 10 minutes.
This sounded easy enough, but - coming from him - the relatively low time limit practically screamed that it was way harder than either one of the previous tasks.
Draco decided not to dally and began. He raised his right hand and envisioned the Sphere on it. After he had it successfully formed, he then raised his left and envisioned the shape of the Box forming.
However, he could only frown when he saw his already created Sphere trembling before it transformed into the Box. When he tried to summon the Sphere adjacent to the Box, it shivered and transformed back into the Sphere.
Richmond watched this while stroking his beard, a knowing smile on his face as if he foresaw all of this. However, he kept silent and left Draco to figure out his own path.
Draco tried to summon the Box before the Sphere, but it didn't change the result of the latter shape replacing the former. Draco's mind ran through many probabilities, thanks to the Pinnacle Intelligence passive skill of the Ultima Sunt race.
He concluded that his best bet would be to split his mind into two and envision each shape individually, rather than trying to foolishly hold both at the forefront of his mind.
At best, they would overlap and become a unique shape. At worst, it would directly shatter and disperse into nothing.
Draco took a deep breath and focused his mind. This was an incredibly easy feat for a Control master, as the acquisition of the Void of Perfection made them mentally firm.
To compartmentalize his mind though was easier said than done. Draco tried many times over the span of 3 hours, but was only able to do a rudimentary version that wouldn't last long.
He then tried to summon both the Sphere and the Box at the same time, but the two shapes were extremely blurry. On top of that, Draco felt his mental stamina and Focus drain like there was a leakage.
Both shapes dispelled after just 2 minutes, and they hadn't even been that firm or solid to begin with. Richmond restored Draco to full vigor and gestured for him to try again.
Draco partitioned his mind once again, trying to hold the shape of the Box and the Sphere at the same time. He split his mind and placed all his concentration on this act.
This act repeated itself for three solid hours. Draco had made over 70 attempts, of which his efficiency grew greatly with every try.
After 3 more hours, just after noon, Draco was able to partition his mind in just 5 seconds. He could hold a stable shape of the two spells for 7 minutes before they would become wonky.
He could last another 5 minutes with the wonky shape, but it would dispel after that.
Although c.u.mulatively it was more than 10 minutes, Draco didn't stop or pretend like he had passed. Sure, he could argue away that he completed, but getting away on technicalities showed a weak will and a weak mind.
The one he would be cheating would be himself.
Riveting Night and Hikari thought it was normal for Draco to progress this quickly, but Zaine and Richmond had a strange expression on their faces.
Richmond because he watched Draco improving at such a rapid speed, Zaine because she could feel the aura of an incubus and a broker coming from Draco.
The truth was, Draco's quick growth was a mixture of the various skills and techniques he had as well as his natural talent. However, the biggest contributor, in this case, was his Dark Angel Inheritance, which had notable psychic abilities.
So far, Draco could only influence the external world very thinly through seduction, but in his own mind, he could display much more. His whole brain was made up of the black mass after all.
In other words, his rapid progression with this task was facilitated by his bloodline, showing that the people of the Dark Angel Inheritance were more than pretty faces.
In the future, Draco would learn that they were in fact not necessarily any weaker than their companions of the Horned Demon or Serpent God Inheritance.
After another 3 hours of continuous effort, Draco became able to partition his mind within 2 seconds and hold the stable shape of both forms for 11 minutes and the unstable forms for an extra 8 minutes.
As he let go, Draco breathed out. "I'm done."
Richmond smiled and agreed. "Yes, you are. You have completed the Theory of Magic Practicals smoothly."
｢Congratulations on completing: Richmond's Theory of Magic Practicals
Reward:
The final segment of the 'Sword and Sorcery' Legendary Quest.｣
"Finally, we are left with the last section of your training before you can be called a rudimentary Mage God. The Spell Formation." Richmond said lightly.
"I have already shown you how a spell is generated and executed. Now, you will go through the steps yourself in order to create a spell of your own."
Draco closed his eyes and began to envision this after seeing the familiar prompt from the system.
｢System to Player Announcement
Do you understand Richmond's Spell Formation? If yes, a test will be carried out before this segment is completed. If no, the lesson time will be extended and the lesson will be repeated. Accept?
Y/N ｣
Draco first tried with the Sphere. Without the need to partition his mind, he was instantly able to summon the shape with disgusting ease.
He used his will to inscribe runes onto the shape of the sphere, the same kind of runes he used in Enchanting. What he inscribed was a 'a weak flame will be generated'.
After learning from the consequences of overestimating himself Draco didn't immediately try out creating attack magic. He wasn't too confident he could gather enough Worldly Energy so he chose to work his way up.
Once he finished applying the knowledge of the elements, Draco tried to infuse his will into the Sphere. He had never practiced this stage in any way, but it was easy enough to do as the Sphere itself was formed from his will.
After that came the relatively difficult part, which was the provision of resources to power the spell. Draco initiated his cause and effect theory, summoning Worldly Energy to fill the Sphere.
The knowledge of the elements for the budding spell was simple, which meant the amount of resources needed were minuscule.
Alas, Draco didn't know this, so he filled the Sphere up and closed it off like he had seen Richmond do.
The moment he did, a giant blaze of fire erupted from his palm, almost at the height of a big bonfire. It was sudden and unexpected, shocking everyone aside from Richmond, who smiled smarmily.
Draco was stunned for a second before he used his will to try and control the flame. His will had been tempered greatly, so he was able to reduce it to a more stable level by freeing some Worldly Energy.
The fire went down to a little flame that burned gently in Draco's palm, and he couldn't help but be utterly fascinated by it. In his past life, he had been a pure swordsman with absurd agility.
Naturally, there had been a time when Draco thought magic was something cool and envied those mage classes for being able to wield it. However, after fighting and defeating so many of them, his admiration for them had eventually died down. The fact that not a single magic class occupied the top ten rankings had only furthered his derision for them.
Today, he learned that it wasn't the fault of magic! It was the user's own ineptitude!
By relying on objective magic and not learning how to cast on their own, it was akin to entering the Tour de France on a bicycle with training wheels!
Draco couldn't help but feel embarrassed on behalf of all the magic class players in Boundless currently when he made this comparison. The sad part was that they all thought what they were doing was revolutionary too…
Draco held the fire for a few minutes before he supplied it with a bit more Worldly Energy. He made sure it remained a gentle trickle, since dragging in huge amounts would tire him out.
As such, he was able to hold the fire for 30 minutes in a stable form before dispelling it. When he dispelled it he wasn't tired, instead he felt a little strained.
Richmond spoke at this moment. "This is the advantage of a step by step theory and practice system for learning, taking segments of the whole and dealing with them individually before putting it together."
"If you had started with Spell Formation from the beginning, attempting to create this little wisp after I explained only the theory of it, without going through practicals, you could have spent upwards to 4 years before mastering it."
Draco agreed. He wasn't a petulant apprentice or student who felt the processes of his teacher or master talking as too annoying or difficult. He was an a.d.u.l.t, who knew that in life, effort was required to achieve results.
The more useful effort put into an act, the more beneficial the result. Now that he had followed Richmond's - relatively - lengthy process, he felt himself able to form a very basic spell.
However, Draco knew he was far from done.
"Now, try to form an attack spell." Richmond prompted.
Draco went through the process of making a fireball, and reached the resource filling stage. Here, he gritted his teeth and summoned a torrent of Worldly Energy to fill the spell.
By the time the Sphere was filled, Draco's hair was matted with sweat. If it wasn't for his high Focus stat assisting him in keeping the spell stable through reducing the consumption of mental stamina, he might have lost control.
As it were, Focus did not help in the theory of cause and effect, which was the resource gathering stage. That one relied solely on him.
If it wasn't for the fact that his Dark Angel Inheritance was beginning to subtly activate, he wouldn't even have the mental strength to do all of this.
Draco closed off the spell and a fireball of average size appeared in his palm. He immediately fired it off at Richmond, who simply erected a water barrier while smiling.
The fireball collided with the water shield and exploded, leaving no damage on it. Draco wasn't saddened by this, as he gained enlightenment from performing the whole process on his own.
It was leagues different from watching Richmond do it, even with the Eyes of Caelo. Draco understood how each segment connected and enforced the other in order to produce a functioning result.
As such, he made another attempt at the same fireball spell, implementing the feelings and ideas he had in the processes. The result was that his speed in going through the procedures of Spell Formation was much faster.
As for the resources gathering stage, there was no quick shortcut, so he was once again tired out by the time the spell was completed. Once he completed it, the spell seemed a lot more stable and solid compared to the previous one.
This was a type of radical growth that only practice could create. After firing this one out, Draco tried it again and again for the remaining 2 hours he had with Richmond.
By the time the lesson was closed and he returned to the Rank 7 Castle, Draco could form the fireball in 3 seconds and its damage was at least, 10% better than the objective version through the skillbook.
This was a mixture of his own ideas as well as subtle hints and tips from Richmond. He told Draco that they would continue over the next three days before the training would be completed.
When Draco reached the Castle, he noticed that the maids looked quite different from yesterday. They had all been reasonable lookers, but now it was as if he was a manager of the biggest modeling corporation.
All of the maids were much more… supple and luscious. Even Zaine was slightly impressed by how tasty they looked, and she pondered thoughtfully.
Even though Draco had no exemplary reaction, Zaine had finally gotten the idea for a plan, as her sharp brain whirred with tricks and schemes.
She broke off from the group and approached the Head Maid Verita. After pulling her away to discuss something, Zaine disappeared.
Draco paid no attention to her, but Hikari and Riveting Night did. The two shared a look, but didn't say anything. Riveting Night could perfectly deduce what was going on, while Hikari only had a hunch.
Once they entered their room, Draco decided to spend his time crafting something for Jada. As such, he took out an Uncommon ore called Lava Stone.
This ore had minor fire properties and it was one of the most basic materials for making fire element weapons, or weapons that were more poised to accept fire enchantments.
Draco smelted and refined the ore, turning it into an exquisite grade ingot. After doing this, he then went on to melt the ingot while filtering it for impurities.
After all, only perfect grade ingots could be worked on without penalty. Draco was still in the Elite grade of Blacksmithing, at level 38, 93%. At this Rank, one was supposed to deal with Uncommon items at best, and only dabble with Rare items when one had a sudden inspiration or felt lucky.
To even get an exquisite grade ingot was surprising, and could only be chalked up to his skill.
After throwing the heated ingot onto the anvil of the Semi-Epic Blacksmithing set Hikari had generated for him, Draco took a deep breath and raised Mjolnir over the material.
Hikari activated her auto-cast White Light Healing, in preparation for the outcome she knew would happen. Eva hadn't been there when he was crafting, but Hikari had told her what would happen.
As such, she was braced for impact. Eva didn't have a Dragobond like Hikari, but she suffered from an intense phantom pain whenever Draco was damaged, which was why Draco would have preferred for her not to be around him at such a time.
Yet could he really chase Eva away? Who knew if she wouldn't use the Abyssal Eye Inheritance to try and consume all the walls between them...
Draco brought Mjolnir down with an unparalleled force and vigor. If he was going to do this, he would do it! Now that he had Hikari here, everything should be fine!
When Mjolnir connected with the ingot, Worldly Energy was pulled in a torrent, transforming the ingot into its Epic variant.
｢Hearthfire Ingot – Material
Rank: Epic
Use: Blacksmithing｣
Draco's hand was set ablaze instantly. When he had struck the High Iron, he got harmed because of its sturdinesses and its sharpness, causing his arm to shatter into a bag of flesh.
However, the Hearthfire Ingot was of the fire element so its backlash contained the power of flames as well. Draco almost screamed when his hand was burned to a crisp in mere seconds.
Hikari paled and her auto-cast While Light Healing instantly restored Draco to perfection, but her lips trembled strongly when she saw what Draco had to endure.
As for Eva, she was even worse off. She directly gripped her right arm and cradled it like she had also suffered a burn, nevertheless it was fine. Her eyes were squeezed and her face was one of agony.
Draco brought the hammer down and began the forging process. Every strike saw his arm burst into flames, then heal, then burst into flames, then heal.
Even though the pain was unbelievable, there was a surprising benefit too.
｢System to Player Announcement
Your Fire Resistance is increasing. The total increment will be tabulated after the tempering process is completed.｣
Of course, Boundless was that type of FIVR MMO. While one could not raise stats manually through training or exercise, one could certainly increase Mastery or Resistance the hard way, without relying on potions or equipment.
It somewhat soothed the pain Draco felt and he continued with a fierce glint in his eyes. Both Hikari and Eva suffered too, with Hikari losing health and Eva suffering intense phantom pain.
However, everything came to an end when Draco finally shaped the ingot into the shape of a small metal wand that exuded ample heat energy.
Draco was done with the Blacksmithing process, and now it was time for the Enchantment process.