Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience
Chapter 161 - 036: The eighth one

Chapter 161: 036: The eighth one

Somda finally took on some responsibility as a mentor and taught Lynch three spells—each of them formidable High-level Apprentice spells.

One offensive spell: [Time Blade].

Time Blade: High-level Apprentice magic that integrates attacks with Rule Power of Time. It launches time-rule slashes on enemies, and the targeted area’s time is quickly obliterated. The intensity of its energy is as much as 50 units, nearly reaching the maximum energy units accessible to a High-level Apprentice.

One defensive spell: [Retrospect].

Retrospect: High-level Apprentice magic that merges body cells with Rule Power of Time. When the body suffers injuries or negative effects, it utilizes time retrospection to restore the body to a prior state. The energy for retrospection also stands at 50 units.

Lastly, a buff spell: [Time Acceleration].

Time Acceleration: High-level Apprentice magic that harnesses Rule Power of Time to adjust one’s personal timeline and accelerate it, achieving enhancements across all aspects of speed.

It’s worth noting that these three spells are not simple single-type spells. Instead, they are complex spells integrating multiple spell structures, supplemented by countless magic formulas and spell constructs.

It is not appropriate to strictly categorize them under any one of the three major spell types. To define them more rigorously, they should be classified as Rule-based Spells, as they delve into Rule Power-level knowledge in the Wizard World.

The required skill level for learning these three spells says it all.

[Time Blade lv0:16/10000]

[Retrospect lv0:28/10000]

[Time Acceleration lv0:36/10000]

Even learning them at just the entry-level requires a staggering 10,000 skill points—far more difficult than anything Lynch had previously learned. It was entirely on a different level.

Since beginning his magical studies, Lynch had rarely encountered anything particularly challenging, but diving into this realm truly felt like an uphill struggle. After a full day of studying, his skill points would often increase by mere single digits.

He endured plenty of scolding for it.

"Idiot! Can’t you grasp such simple concepts?"

"Life is life, and time is time. The two are not the same. Life is merely a segment of time’s measuring scale—it cannot fully represent time."

"Time is the ultimate metric by which all things in this world are measured. Life is merely one of them."

"Fool! Fool, I say!"

Lynch was reprimanded almost daily.

Still, whenever he ran into problems and sought out Wizard Somda, Somda would put down whatever he was doing to patiently explain things to Lynch.

Beyond the Rule-based concepts, Lynch could also rely on Somda for clarification on other general magical knowledge.

Previously, Lynch had always thought of Somda as an irresponsible mentor and had barely expected to learn anything substantive or receive proper guidance from him.

But in actual practice—more accurately, ever since Somda began mentoring apprentices—Lynch was pleasantly surprised to find Somda to be an exceptional tutor.

Somda’s mastery of magical arts seemed boundless, extending to domains such as Spirit, Body Refinement, Dead Spirit, and element magic. No matter what issues Lynch encountered, he almost always found answers from him.

Many of the concepts Lynch had previously mastered were simply brute-forced into his system through panel-based skill point enhancements. While these upgrades enriched his understanding, they largely left him knowing "what" without fully grasping the "why."

Thanks to Wizard Somda’s meticulous guidance, Lynch gained a fresh perspective on his prior knowledge and the entire magical domain, achieving genuine comprehension and integration.

Although this new understanding did not yet create tangible improvements in his abilities or spells, Lynch knew it would significantly aid him in advancing to the rank of Wizard, learning new spells, and even exploring Rule Power in the future.

...

Daily routines of study, meditation, and cultivation.

Time passed day by day. Lynch couldn’t tell how long he had been in this place. It felt like only two or three days had passed, but at the same time, it felt like years.

This peculiar space was rife with temporal distortion, rendering all time-measuring tools ineffective. Perception of time became exceptionally faint here.

At first, Lynch attempted to track time through various methods but eventually gave up after realizing they were futile. He immersed himself fully in study and cultivation, relying on skill point increases as his sole guide in this timeless place.

[Time Blade Skill Points +6]

[Retrospect Skill Points +8]

[Time Acceleration Skill Points +11]

The difficulty of these spells was indeed immense; increasing skill points felt like trudging through mud. Nevertheless, every study session yielded incremental progress.

Step by step, one point at a time, Lynch gradually worked his way toward the entry-level mastery of these spells.

[Time Blade lv1:68/20000]

[Retrospect lv1:12/20000]

[Time Acceleration lv1:33/20000]

While the required skill points had alarmingly doubled from 10,000 to 20,000, Lynch had finally learned them. Once mastered, he could rely on [War Comprehension] to steadily improve their skill points.

Somda was delighted by this progress.

He praised Lynch: "You may not possess remarkable talent, but you’re undeniably the most resolute apprentice I’ve ever come across. Tsk, tsk! No wonder you managed to read all the books I left behind."

Lynch’s days of study were apparent to Somda—slow and laborious. This wasn’t solely due to a lack of talent but rather because the knowledge itself far exceeded Lynch’s current level. It shouldn’t have been something someone at his level could comprehend or learn.

If placed in front of another apprentice, such knowledge wouldn’t even be understood, let alone fully mastered and realized in magical practice.

Lynch’s ability to learn stemmed mainly from having thoroughly read the foundational texts Somda had left behind, which provided the necessary groundwork. Even then, progress was arduous, with Lynch often studying until he nodded off, his furrowed brow never relaxing, and even gritting his teeth from concentration.

Strangely though, despite how visibly painful the process looked, Lynch managed to persist—steadily studying, comprehending, and ultimately mastering the High-level Apprentice spells.

Quite extraordinary.

Somda reckoned that any other apprentice faced with such difficult material, which appeared insurmountable, would likely have given up long ago. But Lynch had stuck with it throughout.

Should Somda describe him as earnest? Or perhaps call his determination extraordinary?

Time continued marching forward, and Lynch suddenly noticed he had made a breakthrough in his meditation skill points.

[Meditation lv8]

The eighth Basic Will Rune had condensed.

’Just how much time has passed?’

Lynch was left speechless.

Although he couldn’t measure the exact duration, the emergence of the eighth rune indicated that it hadn’t just been a matter of a few days or months—surely several years had come and gone.

By now, the outside world might have changed considerably. Lynch wondered if the Tower was investigating his disappearance or something of the sort.

Soon enough, those questions found their answers.

Just after Lynch condensed his eighth rune, Wizard Somda came to inform him.

The Space Gate was fixed.