Burning Hand, although it is a 1st Ring Spell like Magic Missile, consumes more Magic Power than Magic Missile.
It is considered the most energy-consuming spell he has mastered so far.
This also increased the difficulty for Gauss to practice this spell.
Fortunately, he has the "Secondary Core Spell Slot."
Though it requires a cooldown period of more than two days to switch, he had already removed Magic Missile from it before focusing on practicing Burning Hand.
Just as well, he probably won’t be involved in any battles for some time, so the temporary "combat power reduction" is entirely bearable.
After removing the "Secondary Core Spell Slot," using Magic Missile again, he clearly felt it wasn’t as smooth as before.
Moreover, it reverted from the three-burst version to the two-burst version.
Fortunately, in exchange, the enhanced Burning Hand drastically increased practice efficiency.
"Boom!!"
The crimson fan-shaped flames tore through the cold wind once more, fiercely igniting the frozen ground.
The constant barrage had already evaporated all the snow in this area, exposing the moist soil, which steamed wispy white vapor, stubbornly maintaining a hint of late spring warmth in the brisk cold wind within this ten-meter radius of small realm.
"1st-level Spell Burning Hand lv2 (19/20)"
Checking the progress, he was only a step away from lv3.
He sensed the Magic Cup within him that was still gently trembling, feeling somewhat helpless.
During these two days of practicing Burning Hand, it trembled along for two days, always giving a misleading impression of imminent breakthrough.
But the critical point of upgrading to level 2 seemed to be getting closer, like a thin layer of window paper ready to break with a poke.
Only, when to poke through didn’t seem to be his decision.
Forget it... Just follow the steps and keep practicing.
He just focused on effort and left the rest to fate.
After observing the status of the Magic Cup, Gauss sat down to eat, waiting for his Magic Power to recover, while picking up the book beside him to read.
In this world, no matter what profession, one needs to read more.
Casters especially.
Although some Professionals often become slack in this path due to long periods of reading without progress, this is a very short-sighted practice.
Gauss would seize free time to read and enrich himself.
The materials he reads are generally divided into a few types, the first being books on basic magical theory, reading this type of knowledge helps to deepen the understanding of the nature of Magic Power and regulate casting logic.
The second type is spellbooks and related application books, mainly for learning spells and acquiring some tips on spell casting.
For instance, the book he was holding called "Battlefield Spell Usage: 17 Streamlined Casting Techniques for Handling Ambushes" explains how to face various scenarios during unexpected ambushes in the wild, take appropriate actions, and find suitable opportunities as quickly as possible to shorten casting time for counter-attacks.
The third type is relatively interesting content, mostly comprising folklore hero novels or biographies, though he doubts the authenticity of the dragon-slaying and demon-killing stories, by reading them Gauss gets to know more about this world’s humanity and historical background.
And there are some professional encyclopedias, like his "recipe book," and some books explaining various types of demons and common toxins found in the wild, like the "Demon Codex," a pictorial record of the behavioral patterns and weaknesses of common demons.
On the cold stone wall of Gray Rock Town, the guard captain wrapped in a heavy fur coat patrolled through the snow.
The campfire flickered in the cold wind, providing warmth to the stationed soldiers.
"Stay alert!" The captain’s reprimand echoed on the wall.
A few young guards immediately straightened their backs, their eyes scanning the open snowy plains vigilantly, displaying an earnest working demeanor.
As the captain’s footsteps faded, their tense nerves relaxed, and low complaints began to sound.
"Why are there so many issues this winter?"
"Yeah, usually only half the manpower is needed for patrol as now. My wife’s been complaining, after working hard all year, still no peace at the year’s end."
"Hush, I know a little inside story, don’t spread this around..." An older-looking guard lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, which triggered curiosity among his two young colleagues.
"Speak, we won’t tell anyone."
"You can trust my mouth."
"I also heard someone say, reinforcing city defenses this year is mostly due to the impacts from a failed winter hunting expedition not long ago. It seems we encountered a formidable demon, many of those bronze Adventurers died..."
"Could it be the forest’s Green Dragon Queen..."
"Nonsense! What are you saying! If that demon came out, the Guild Leader would also... cough, you know!" The topic touched upon Guild Leader Abelhard, and the group immediately fell silent, not daring to speak further.
"Alright, brothers, let’s just admire the distant snow scene."
Through the lookout’s telescope, they could take in the details of the snowy field.
"Hey, that ’weirdo’ started reading again..."
"I’m really impressed, wearing so lightly in snowy weather, doesn’t he get cold? And still manages to read."
"That’s why he’s a young bronze Adventurer, while we’re just rank-and-file soldiers."
"Got you right there, buddy..."
For safety reasons, Gauss practiced spell casting at a spot only about a hundred meters away from the city wall.
The guards atop the wall had long noticed this "weirdo" who continuously cast fire in the icy world and then sat down to read books.
Though incomprehensible, they held great admiration.
If they, having achieved financial freedom as bronze Adventurers, had the time, wouldn’t it be delightful to indulge in food and fun in town, rather than braving the cold for spell practice?
Gauss vaguely felt the gaze from atop the wall but was uninterested in investigating further. His mind immersed itself into the words between pages.
Once his Magic Power was fully restored within him.
He closed the book and stretched his muscles.
"Continue!"
Time silently flowed amidst the focused practice.
When the sun dipped west, and dusk colored the sky, finally appearing before Gauss were the long-awaited words.
"Burning Hand proficiency +1"
"1st-level Spell Burning Hand lv3 (0/50)"
As the fan-shaped flames departed from his front and quickly expanded to ignite the ground, the spell model of Burning Hand within him underwent subtle yet stable changes.
Becoming more efficient and more concise!
The proficiency of Burning Hand finally stepped into the threshold of lv3.
Though not of utmost importance, sooner or later progress was inevitable, what mattered more was...
Gauss sensed the profession tier revealing Magic Cup within him, which now displayed a new change after days of trembling.
The surface wrapped in complex runes began to emit intense white light.
It seemed the energy stored within had overflowed, constantly striking against an "invisible barrier."
At a certain moment, the tier essence cup, which had accumulated to its peak, seemingly found the perfect opportunity for release and transformation!
"Buzz buzz buzz!"