The Nightmare Wizard
Chapter 116 — Misconception

Chapter 116: Chapter 116 — Misconception

"Magic, as taught by the nobles, is absolute stupidity. I’ll give you the best advice of your lives: only believe what you can prove yourselves and don’t believe anything you’re told; always doubt, that is the principle of magic," Alkan said, rubbing his hands in resignation.

William and Lia looked at him in surprise. The old man walked slowly in front of the blackboard, frowning, as if recalling years of wasted time.

"They tell you that you must imagine the spell, channel mana through your body, recite the correct words, and that activates the brain and directs the flow of energy, always teaching with pretty words, right? Simplified trash for rich kids! Always keeping the secrets for their chosen ones." He clicked his tongue in frustration.

Lia blinked as she asked innocently.

"Isn’t that how it works?"

"No," the old man replied firmly. "Imagining is useless if your brain doesn’t understand what it needs to do. Reciting words aloud has no magical value. All it does is force your mind to use a preset path, like training an animal to do a trick. The trick works, yes... but it can be done better. Remember, you’re not circus monkeys, but mages! We’re not playing at being mages here!"

He turned to them with fury injected into his eyes, his emotions intensely overflowing. William noticed the fury in his eyes.

"My apologies, I get a little agitated." After saying that, Alkan raised a hand.

"Observe."

Without a word, a small flame emerged from his open palm. The flame floated steadily, swaying slightly like any normal flame. William and Lia watched, expecting something interesting. After a few moments, the flame compressed into a fireball. Immediately, the ball elongated into a burning spear that glowed like lava. And finally, the spear dissipated, returning to the calm, initial flame.

All in complete silence, Alkan said nothing, recited no spell, just extended his hand.

William and Lia were speechless, while Lia murmured: "How did he do it...?"

The old man smiled, satisfied with their expressions: "The trick isn’t in imagining or repeating words like parrots; the secret is in the amount of mana. Your brain activates the same pathways with or without words. You just have to train it to know what to do when it receives a certain amount of energy. Like a master key."

William nodded, absorbing every word.

"This is especially useful in advanced spells, when the incantation can last ten minutes or more. Summoning a meteor? Creating a storm? Chanting for minutes makes you an easy target. But if you understand how to modulate your mana... you can do the same in half the time. Or even instantly if you manage to master it. You have no idea how much time we wasted to discover this, only for the high-ranking officials to mock us when we presented it, saying they had always known it, that it was a test."

The two students were stunned, understanding why the professor was so angry with the nobles.

Then, the old master went on to explain runes, glyphs, magical circuits, receptive materials, and affinity resonances. The class became a marathon of theory and practical examples that devoured the entire day without them realizing it. When it finally ended, the old man slumped into his chair as if exhausted.

"Practice casting spells without reciting. That will be your homework. See you in the next class... if you don’t give up beforehand. By the way, brat, you’re doing well; don’t let us down."

William and Lia left the classroom with the sun setting on the horizon.

"That class was incredible...," Lia said.

"Yes, and exhausting. But it opened my eyes."

"And now?"

"I need to go to the library. I have to study more."

"I’ll go with you. Just let me eat something, or I’ll die."

They quickly passed by the cafeteria. They took trays piled high with food: rustic breads, dried meats, bright fruits, and a couple of bottles of magical water for the rest of the day.

Once in the library, Lia went straight to the theory section and took several books on rune structure and the evolution of magical materials, as well as the mana control book for the next day.

William, on the other hand, headed to the basic spells area. He stopped in front of a shelf full of grimoires and reached for one that read "Light Sphere."

"Light Sphere," he read softly.

A message appeared in front of him:

"Do you wish to acquire this spell for 10 Black Rock points?"

Surprised, William confirmed.

And then the grimoire released itself from the shelf, allowing William to take it. After reading the content and engraving it in his mind with Angel’s help, he repeated the process:

"Water ball... fire sphere... dark sphere... wind sphere..."

Spell after spell, William acquired level-one elemental abilities. Angel, in his mind, precisely assisted him, reinforcing memorization, optimizing absorption, and classifying each spell by type, cost, and synergistic potential.

Hours later, he returned to Lia, who had a pile of books in her arms.

"How was it?" she asked.

"I learned a lot, but I spent too many points, almost 10,000 on about 200 spells," he replied with a smile. "I have a lot to test."

"Why do you want so many spells?"

"My master told me that if I wanted to be the best, I should learn as many spells as possible. I’ll find a way to transmit them to you since they cost too many points."

"Don’t worry about me; I’ll progress at my own pace. If I have any questions, I’ll ask you."

They said goodbye with a kiss before parting ways in the dormitory hallways. William entered his room and collapsed onto his bed.

Angel spoke immediately.

"William... I think I’ve found a way to return to the other world faster."

"How?"

"I’ve been monitoring your transitions. Every time you enter, there’s a pattern: your gray energy reserves are empty. The first time, you had nothing, that’s why you were dragged in. The second time, you emptied yourself using the shield against the three apprentices. Then, during the Kraken attack. And finally, when the mages attacked you by surprise."

William became thoughtful.

"It makes sense. So... the key is to empty my reserves?"

"Exactly. If we manage to do it intentionally, we can force access to the other world. The problem is how to do it without anyone noticing? If you do it in public, you’ll raise suspicions. We need a controlled environment... the training ground is the fastest way, but we don’t know who is monitoring you, so it would be quite easy for them to find a mistake."

William closed his eyes with a solemn look.

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