Chapter 176: Limitations
Last night, they received a notification from Bayen that the Grimoires had finally been successfully upgraded, and they were to retrieve their own Grimoires.
“Without the Grimoire, I can barely cast a spell. Even though I have mental power, I had to trace the Spell Model in the air several times just to barely meditate.”
“You rely too much on the Grimoire normally. The Torch-Bearer said that knowledge is power. You need to store that power in your own mind and use it flexibly.”
“I feel that being separated from the Grimoire this time made me realize how dependent I am on it. Is a Wizard Apprentice who can’t cast spells without a Grimoire truly a Wizard Apprentice? We need to catch up on our practice!”
“Look at Daina Steel Fist! She can meditate and use various Mana Crystal Shaping spells proficiently without using the Grimoire at all. She is truly a role model for us female Wizard Apprentices!”
“Too violent. I think Wizard Apprentices should be more elegant.”
While they were engaged in lively discussion, they saw Ace summoning a gigantic Spell Hand, carrying everyone’s Grimoires toward them.
As soon as Ace arrived at the square, the gigantic Spell Hand split into countless small Spell Hands, each holding a Grimoire.
Using Insight Perception, Ace confirmed each apprentice’s mental fluctuations and matched them with the mental imprints in the Grimoires, quickly distributing them.
After seeing that every Wizard Apprentice had received their Grimoire, Ace used the Soul Spell Mana Sense Retrieval to carefully observe each apprentice’s power level. This spell was a fusion of the original Perception Retrieval and Mana Sensitivity spells. With the Retrieval Rune and Mana Sensitivity Rune as its core, it could relatively accurately judge the power level of each apprentice.
The vast majority of apprentices glowed with white light, varying in intensity. Ace’s own light was already a dazzling white, with a hint of faint red flickering in and out of existence.
Through observation, Ace confirmed that there were currently over 90 Wizard Apprentices. Thirteen of them had reached the Mid-level Wizard Apprentice level, including Bayen, Daina, Ancestar, Arno, Betty, and Caruso.
Considering that nearly 600 apprentices had chosen the Enchanted Wizardry path, and fewer than 30 survived in the end—out of a total of over 700—Ace wasn’t sure if producing 13 Mid-level Wizard Apprentices in two years was considered good. He needed more frames of reference to evaluate.
He needed to start continuously observing and guiding every apprentice from now on. Besides teaching them according to their aptitude, he also needed to promote outstanding talents from among them to become magic teachers for the future High Tower Wizard School, liberating him from the heavy burden of future teaching work.
Seeing the apprentices examining their upgraded and improved Grimoires repeatedly as if meeting old friends, he asked:
“My apprentices, how does it feel to finally have your Grimoires back in your hands?”
“It feels like a rebirth!”
“I can finally use spells again!”
“Am I relying too much on the Grimoire?”
…
Listening to the apprentices’ discussions, Ace had long noticed that the apprentices were overly dependent on the Grimoire. Because its functions were so powerful, they didn’t expend much effort memorizing runes and spell types.
Once they lost the Grimoire, as mere Lesser and Mid-level Apprentices, many of them couldn’t cast spells quickly at all. In combat, this would undoubtedly be the difference between life and death.
It seems I will have to start a practical combat course for apprentices in the future.
Thinking this, Ace said seriously:
“The Grimoire is indeed a very important magical tool and a reliable partner for us. It records almost all our knowledge and experience. However!
We must never rely entirely on the Grimoire. Some apprentices found that without the Grimoire, they couldn’t even remember runes or cast spells. This is a terrifying thing.
If you don’t have time to open the Grimoire during a battle, does that mean you completely lose the power to resist?”
The apprentices in the clearing, listening to Ace’s serious words, couldn’t help but reflect on whether they were overly reliant on external objects.
After waiting for a moment and seeing the apprentices deep in reflection, Ace continued:
“We Wizards adhere to one principle: all power originates from knowledge. Knowledge is our greatest power.
You can use tools like the Grimoire to assist you because it is itself a product of knowledge and represents power.
However, you cannot rely on it completely. You must firmly grasp the knowledge. Whether you have the Grimoire or not, you must memorize the composition, classification, and meaning of every rune you master and be able to cast spells proficiently!
Today, we will go to the jungle in the western part of the territory to conduct the Overdrive Experiment again. After the experiment concludes, I will begin systematically teaching everyone magic courses in the near future.”
With that, Ace led the group of Wizard Apprentices toward the western jungle. The mirror image, transformed into Sharp, had already prepared a clearing and incantation-transformed rugs there, having driven away nearby Monsters.
They would begin the second Mental Network Link experiment there, exploring the mysteries of collective consciousness and, more importantly, Ace’s path to life promotion.
The group quickly arrived at the western primitive jungle. The morning jungle was shrouded in mist and somewhat damp. Occasionally, birds flew by, breaking the rare tranquility.
They stopped at the clearing, where Ace’s mirror image was already waiting.
The apprentices all recognized the mysterious person who lived in the same room as Ace. Because he always carried an aura of aloofness that kept strangers away, the apprentices knew nothing about him.
Ace had them sit on the rugs. He did not rush to initiate the Mental Network Link but told the apprentices directly:
“We will conduct the Mental Network Link under three different prerequisite conditions: Fully Awake, Half-Asleep, and Deep Sleep.
We will use the method of classified prerequisite experiments to attempt to determine whether these three different prerequisite conditions affect the Mental Network Link.
If there is an influence, the effects produced by the three different links will definitely differ. At that time, we need to evaluate these effects, ultimately select the appropriate one, and then conduct the next experiment.
If there is no influence, it means this does not constitute a prerequisite condition. We might need to experiment with new prerequisite conditions or simply proceed to the next experiment without prerequisite conditions.
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the influence of the three states on the mental link. Therefore, apart from these three states, other conditions must remain fixed.”
Ace explained the key points of the experiment to the apprentices in detail while organizing them to prepare.
In the design of this experiment, Ace planned to conduct qualitative research first to confirm the similarities and differences of the three states, and then conduct quantitative research to confirm the optimal number and quality of apprentices.
As for conditions like time, climate, and environment, Ace believed their influence was minimal and could be experimented on later. However, the Mana environment might have an influence, which would be a subject for subsequent experiments.
Regarding the Mental Network Link experiment, it was impossible to get results in just a few tries. This would inevitably be a long-term, continuous process.
Ace used the Soul Spell Suggestion to invigorate the apprentices’ mental state, making them extremely awake and calm.
Subsequently, Ace waited quietly, slowly lifting the Suggestion effect. Finding that the apprentices remained essentially awake and calm, they opened their Grimoires together, turned to the second page, and pressed firmly on the mental imprint.
Buzz!
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