Melee Mage

Chapter 8: Unconventional Thinking

At the Holy Light Academy, students studied for six hours a day, three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. However, for Adrian, his study time extended to 18 hours a day.

Adrian only slept for six hours each day. During the remaining time, he either pondered the principles of Moisturizing Magic or repeatedly drew the magic circle for the Moisturizing spell. According to the records in the magic book, as long as one can smoothly manipulate the water element and accurately depict the magic circle for the Moisturizing spell, they can successfully cast the spell.

Two months quickly passed, and all the girls in the class were able to perform the Moisturizing spell. However, Adrian, who had practiced three times as hard and spent three times the amount of time compared to all the girls, had yet to cast even half of a Moisturizing spell.

There were two main reasons for this. Firstly, Adrian was indeed not as talented as the girls in the class when it came to natural affinity with the water element. Women had an innate talent for water, which could not be forced upon others.

On the other hand, all the girls had their own magic staffs, except for Adrian. Although the staffs were not expensive, with the cheapest one costing only 100 gold coins, Adrian couldn't bring himself to ask his mother for money to buy a staff while watching her grow more and more exhausted each day. Even if it meant his own death, he couldn't possibly request money from his mother for a staff.

Adrian was well aware that his mother was sacrificing her own life to support them. In a situation where their lives were barely secure, what use was a staff? Besides, magic could still be cast without a staff.

A so-called staff was simply a piece of wood suitable for magical conduction, embedded with a magic crystal. When casting a spell, one would first depict the magic circle inside the crystal. The magic crystal could temporarily store the drawn magic circle. Regardless of how slowly one drew it, as long as they completed it accurately, they could activate the spell.

However, drawing it by hand was not feasible. First, speed was crucial. If the speed was too slow, without the storage of a magic crystal, the magical power that composed the magic circle would quickly dissipate, leading to spell failure.

Secondly, accuracy was essential. The dozens of lines that formed the magic circle had to be precise. If even one line deviated slightly, the magic would fail to activate. In fact, the accuracy of the magic circle had to be precise to the millimeter, with no room for error.

Lastly, stability was crucial. When a mage cast a spell, they needed to be graceful and adept. They had to fluidly sketch the magic circle and then release the magic with a whoosh. Throughout the process, they had to maintain stability, with their movements neither too fast nor too slow, or else they would be unable to cast any spells.

Observing Adrian's anxious expression, the female instructor understood well that if he had a staff, Adrian would immediately be able to cast the Moisturizing spell. With his control over the water flow and his dedicated attitude, he would undoubtedly be the first student in the class to cast the Moisturizing spell. However, unfortunately, Adrian did not have a staff.

With a furrowed brow, the female instructor anxiously watched Adrian, who was practicing alone in the corner, repeating the exercises over and over again. After pondering for a while, she finally took a step and walked towards Adrian.

Upon seeing the teacher's arrival, Adrian stopped his training and looked up at the female instructor. Under Adrian's gaze, the instructor helplessly said, "Adrian, listen to me. Although theoretically magic can be cast without a staff, for thousands of years, all mages have relied on staffs to cast magic. Casting magic without a staff not only requires many conditions, but most importantly, it requires a strong magical power. With your current magical power, it is not enough to sustain you until you complete drawing the magic circle!"

Upon hearing the teacher's words, Adrian's face instantly turned pale. Recently, he had been confident in his training. Fast, accurate, and stable—these three aspects he had achieved. However, the lines of the magic circle that he sketched would always dissipate before he could complete it.

Adrian knew that if he had a greater amount of magical power, he could sustain the lines that formed the magic circle for a longer period. In that case, he would be able to successfully cast magic. However, the growth of magical power was not something that could be achieved overnight; it required long-term accumulation.

With a pale face, Adrian looked at the instructor, and despair filled his heart. Over the past month, his mother's health had been deteriorating. If things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before his mother might permanently leave this world.

Originally, he could have helped his mother, but at this crucial moment, he was unable to break through. Although the teacher and his classmates were willing to lend him a staff, could he really take someone else's staff home? If he didn't take it home, how would he earn money?

For a mage, a magic staff was their life. It was something that never left their side. How could they allow someone to take it home? Even lending it to him was already a great favor.

Despairingly walking home, Adrian's heart was filled with darkness. What should he do? What should he do? Should he ask his mother for money? It seemed like the only solution to the current dilemma.

Adrian's thoughts were extremely conflicting. He knew very well that he had to ask his mother for money to solve everything. Once he could earn money, the lost money would quickly be regained. However, he just couldn't bring himself to ask for it.

In the evening, Adrian didn't continue practicing the magic circle as usual. Instead, he sat on his bed, controlling the water flow subconsciously. His mind was filled with hesitation, wandering...

After pondering for a long time, Adrian couldn't come to a decision. Looking at the water flow effortlessly moving between his hands, Adrian finally gave up thinking. He decided to leave everything until tomorrow morning. Regardless of the circumstances, he needed a staff.

Lying back on the bed, Adrian closed his eyes. Before falling asleep, he habitually used this time to contemplate things. In the state between half-dreaming and half-awake, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.

"Ah!" Adrian suddenly sat up, trying hard to recall that flash of inspiration, but he couldn't remember anything. It seemed like it was all just a dream.

Adrian knew that it was definitely not an illusion. He had experienced something similar before. When he was younger and practicing water manipulation, he often encountered difficult problems. Many of those problems were solved in that state between half-dreaming and half-awake. Adrian believed that this time would be no exception.

Experienced in such matters, Adrian didn't continue to ponder forcefully. The more anxious he became, the less likely he was to come up with a solution. He put on his shoes, poured himself a glass of water, and calmly sat by the narrow window, gazing at the moonlight outside. Slowly, he organized his thoughts.

Gradually, the restless emotions faded away, and a sense of tranquility filled Adrian's heart. The vague occurrences from earlier replayed in his mind one by one. Finally, that miraculous spark reappeared in Adrian's mind and was deeply imprinted in his memory.

In the dark room, Adrian calmly sat cross-legged on the wooden bed. He lightly tapped his right index finger, and a gentle, pale blue light emanated from his fingertip. Sitting serenely on the bed, Adrian's right hand moved gracefully. Accompanied by the smooth movement of his index finger, the pale blue light swiftly traced a complex and mysterious pattern.

Finally, after a graceful circle with his index finger, a complete, perfect magic circle formed in an instant, encompassing all the intricate lines. The entire magical pattern gradually lit up like a neon light.

With the glow, a mist of refreshing water threads silently appeared on the opposite bed. Like a gentle rain, they seeped into the body of the woman lying there, moistening her. It took a while before they disappeared completely.

"Ah!" Overwhelmed with joy, Adrian tightly clenched his fist and hid his head under the blanket, trying not to wake his mother, who was sound asleep. He let out a low howl of excitement. After two months of hard work, he finally... could use the spell of moisturization!

After reveling in excitement for a while, Adrian crawled out of the blanket. In order to savor this moment, he once again began to experiment. With the graceful movement of his right arm, another magic circle was completed swiftly. A dense mist of water threads, shimmering with a faint blue light, penetrated into his mother's body one by one. In her sleep, his mother's breathing gradually became smoother.

Trembling all over, Adrian silently got up from the bed, put on his shoes, and left the room. Today was truly worth commemorating. In his own way, he had cast the spell of moisturization. From today onwards, he could help his mother. She would no longer need to toil so hard. No one had ever used magic in this way before, but he had accomplished it.