Chapter 32: Skill Choices
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Benjamin must admit that he was a fan of the skills faction.
Back in the original world when he played computer games, the most important factor to him was not the graphics nor the plotline but the skills. As long as there was a myriad of strange and imaginative skills, he would love that game. He was also not too interested in advancing to higher levels in the game. Everything he did was for the purpose of learning a new skill, and every time he succeeded in doing so, his sense of accomplishment would be off the charts.
Now....
How could it be that after finally teleporting into a world of magic, he was told that he could only have 3 skills? And one of it was wasted on the goddamned Waterball Spell?
"Clear this account, I want to delete it," he looked forlornly at the sky as if he was speaking to someone.
"You should also know that no one would reply you, and this would only show how immature you are," the System chided him.
Benjamin was quiet for a moment before he laughed at himself, "Who said no one was going to reply me, didn’t you just do exactly that?"
The System seemed to not get the joke, "I’m not even a human."
Benjamin sighed. He stretched, cheered himself up, and once again picked up Divine Arts 101.
If it was really 3 skills, then so be it! He could not really delete this account and start over, right?
No matter how displeased he was, he needed to continue reading so he could learn how to master the two remaining skills. In this world, not everything can be as he wished, but he would never waste this great chance to test his abilities.
After all, the 4th Pope only used 3 skills to change the face of the church, right?
Benjamin believed that as long as it was used properly, water could also be a strong weapon.
Just like that, Benjamin accepted the fact that he could only learn 3 spells in his life. He used his optimism to once again lead himself into the calm state of learning, and he continued reading Divine Arts 101.
In the book, the last part of this paragraph revealed details on the method to enhance the Crest of Holy Light and condense new Crests. The enhancing procedures were similar to Benjamin’s ‘meditation’, so he merely scanned through those pages. His priority laid with the sections on the method to condense new Crests.
The book mentioned that in order to condense the Crests of Holy Light, the individual will need to continuously accumulate and compress the stored Holy Lights in the Zone of Prayer. This process should be repeated until the light materializes, then the person would just need to chant the divine spell of his/her choosing at the materialized light. The second new Crest would then be formed.
If he changed this narrative to the perspective of magic, this was basically the accumulation and compression of water particles, right?
Hmm, it did not sound too difficult to execute.
After he read this part, he put down the book and started practicing without any delay.
He went into his Space, focused his attention to command the floating water particles to gather. This process was very similar with meditation, and the water particles in the Space did start moving under his command, albeit rather slowly.
Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly without any hiccups.
However, Benjamin soon found a new problem: It was too slow!
Due to his low affinity with the water particles, the process was moving at the pace of a snail. For him to reach the level of materialization as described by the book, he did a calculation and estimated that he would need another year of ceaseless work.
Fuck, a year?
Although the year would only be approximately half a month in real life terms, it was still unacceptable.
Benjamin tried to stop directing the water particles. Immediately, the particles dispersed.
This thing does not function like the Xunlei Thunder Download Manager, where a few KB/s of download speed was acceptable because it would accumulate as long as you put it in the background. The download would probably take ten to fifteen days, but it would finish regardless. However, this requires Benjamin’s full attention, as once he lost his focus, he could only start over.
How could he possibly be able to do this?
If he stayed in the Space for that long of a time, he would probably become a dry corpse in real life!
No, there must be another way to this.
After some contemplation, he suddenly had an idea. First, he casted a Waterball Spell in the space of his consciousness, and once the water ball was formed, he did not let it dissipate. Instead, he used it as a centre and guided the water particles to go towards the water ball.
This was his idea. If he could not keep the gathered water particles together, he could just produce something akin to a nucleus to reel the water particles in.
As the first water particle came into contact with the water ball, a soft ‘ding’ was heard somewhere within the space.
Benjamin once again found himself in the blue world, with countless symbols orbiting around him like a lively universe. This time, he stayed much longer in this world than he did last time, but it was still not long enough for him to take a clear look before he was once again back in the dark space of his consciousness.
He was stunned for a moment before he recovered.
"Did I succeed?"
He asked as he looked at the levitating water ball, his face brightened in surprise and delight as he realized what he was looking at.
The water ball was functioning like a magnet, slowly but steadily attracting the water particles around it. He did not deliberately guide the water particles when he was stunned, and yet the water particles still voluntarily gathered towards the water ball like ants going back to their nests.
The problem that haunted him just moments before was solved.
This was not a water ball, this was literally the floating window for Xunlei Thunder Download Manager!
Benjamin was as delighted as a man who found a treasure.
Now, he only needed to wait for the signal to notify him that the download was complete, which
coincidentally sounded almost similar to Xunlei’s notification - a ‘ding’.
The process of condensing a magical emblem was way simpler than he ever expected, as if Fate empathised with his 3-spell-limit and decided to compensate in other aspects.
To be honest, he preferred to have more skills than receiving compensations like this.
Speaking of skills, it was time for him to seriously choose the 2 remaining spells that he wanted to learn.
According to the book, the divine art that was solidified by the Crest of Holy Light could be bolstered without limits in terms of power and controllability. In other words, there was not much difference in learning beginner-level spells or master-level spells. The worst was just that it sounded uncool.
Additionally, Benjamin had to learn new spells as fast as possible as he was in a hurry to improve his abilities. Thus, he could only choose from the existing beginner-level spells he had around him.
Initially, he wanted to learn the Water Barrier Spell to possess some level of defense, since he could increase his attack powers by strengthening the Waterball Spell. He would leave the last skill for a suitable spell that he may encounter in the future.
However, he changed his mind when he saw the water ball that was gathering the water particles around it.
This water ball was not an average water ball.
Benjamin realised the ‘no limits’ that was written in the book had a deeper meaning. It was not only about enhancing the spell to the point where one water ball could flood the city; instead, it was to give the water ball unlimited possibilities.
The water ball could do whatever the water barrier could do. After all, a hollowed water ball would become a bubble, and if there was enough compressed water particles in the bubble, its defense powers can’t be too bad.
The same applies to the Water of Life. As long as he formed the water ball with a specific molecular structure, it could become a water ball with healing effects.
All in all, not only could he increase damage and decrease cooling time for the spell, he could also attribute qualities of defense, healing, and control that are effective in combat to the water ball as long as he strengthened the symbols and improved his Waterball skills.
If he were to think strategically, having 3 spells would be excessive now as the Waterball Spell could cover almost all of the different scenarios in battle. The Waterball is great, the Waterball is almighty; what use would a Water Barrier Spell be?
Suddenly, he felt that the 3 spells may be a hint for him.
He needed to do another experiment.
He summoned another water ball by chanting the spell, but this time he attempted to control the water ball to change its state. The water ball compressed, expanded, and became a bubble like a barrier, turned into a bird and a fish.... The water ball transformed in his hand, and Benjamin enjoyed playing with it.
He realised how amazing of a spell Waterball Spell was.
However, he did not do this just for games.
He was trying to find the limits of the water ball, and find out what the water ball could not do. Then, he would use the other 2 spells to compensate the flaws.
After messing with the water ball for approximately 30 minutes, Benjamin finally halted and dispersed the water ball.
Through this experiment, he could finally confirm his hypothesis: The Waterball was all-powerful. He could change anything - shapes, durability, volume, density, or even its properties as long as Benjamin has a strong enough magical symbol to back him up.
He could transform the water ball into all that, aside from one thing - to change the water ball to become not a water ball.
Essentially, it could not turn into ice or steam.
This finding sent Benjamin back in time to his Physics classes during Junior High. The teacher gave him a quiz with a question: What are the 3 states of water? When the other kids were scratching their heads, Benjamin wrote down confidently, ‘Solid, Liquid, Gas’.
Fate works in mysterious ways, and he found it hard to believe that this memory would come back to him in this way.
How should he choose his 3 spells?
He did this question before. This was a bonus question for him.
He quickly found 2 suitable spells among the 50+ in the Holy Bible: the Ice-breaking Spell and the Pillar of Steam. According to the introduction, the Ice-breaking Spell attacks via shards of ice, while the Pillar of Steam would injure the enemies by summoning hot steam.
The Holy Bible defined them as attack spells, which is in the same category with the Waterball Spell. However, in Benjamin’s eyes, they were given unlimited possibilities.
Benjamin also had a gut feeling that once these 3 magical emblems were successfully materialized, they would result in new combinations due to interactions with each other.
The 3 states of ‘water’ combined sounded very impressive.
Benjamin’s confidence rose after he decided on the spells he wanted. He felt that he made the correct choices, and that something has secretly changed after he made this decision.
If there was really a wheel of fortune, it must have had a new parameter just minutes ago.
This world will change, and that would be all due to him.
Benjamin suddenly shook his head and chuckled at himself, emerging from the cloud of optimism and purpose.
He really had an active imagination. What he should do now was to focus on solving the problems laid in front of him.
He looked at the ‘floating window of Xunlei’, and decided that the ‘download speed’ was still too slow. Thus, he joined in the ranks of gathering water particles, and used his probably very low affinity to water to quicken the process of condensing the magical emblem.