NOVEL WEB Chapter 20 – Wizard
I test the new Bonus Spell, hoping I have the Mana for it--just in case, I have moved up to the first layer, using Dungeon Gate. If the Wizard Class can be acquired simply by this, it will be very good.
I had already hunted 2 Needle Woods, to make sure my Mana was full.
Now for the Demon that appears next.
“Meteor Crash!”
***
I look around, but nothing has happened.
Is my Mana still too low?
The Needle Wood used my confusion as the chance to attack me with a branch-like arm. I quickly and easily block it with my shield and kill it using Excalibur.
So, even with Hero level 5, I don’t have enough Mana…How much does this spell cost to use?
It’s unfortunate, but it was within my expectations.
I quickly set my 3rd and 4th Classes to Alchemist and Merchant, both of which increase Intelligence. Then I spend a few hours to get both classes up to 5.
Okay, this should hopefully do it.
Let’s try it out near the small room which I encountered the beautiful female Knight, the ‘safe room’. It’s so I can get somewhere safe in the case I use the Spell and it drains all of my Mana.
I also use the Wooden Cane.
Wooden Cane
Effect: -5% Mana Cost
I thought it would be useless, and was planning on selling it--but maybe keeping it was a good idea. I look for a nearby Demon, but there aren’t any nearby; after some wandering, I finally find one a distance away.
Attracting its attention with a thrown stone, I run towards the safe room again. The Needle Wood follows me, sprinting along on root-like legs, faster than I expected.
Managing to arrive near the safe room, I spun and held up the wand.
“Meteor Crash.”
There is a small sizzling noise and I feel Mana being sucked out of me--faster and faster; I start feeling dizzy and my mood plummets. A small red rock appears above my head and falls into the Needle Wood.
With a soft ‘pop’, the stone went straight through the wooden body and hit the floor--everything was silent for a second…
Without warning, a brilliant red flash filled my vision, flooding down the corridors away from me.
I didn’t feel the joy of success, my head hurt and I wanted to just lay against the wall. Maybe the remaining Demons will finish me off, maybe then I can get some rest--
No, I have to fight.
Barely holding Excalibur, in one hand, I stumble down the corridors and store the branches I found on the ground. I have no idea how many I picked up, I was moving without much thought.
Memories of always being alone, of being left behind by friends, flooded my head.
Damn, it hurt.
I finally found an enemy--I had cleared out many rooms and corridors with that single spell; it was definitely worthy of the Bonus Spell name, even though it basically depleted my Mana…if it had been used outside the Dungeon, I may have accidentally destroyed Vale, or at least a portion of it.
Ahh…I feel so much better!
Killing a Needle Wood restored enough Mana, I only have a pounding headache now.
Unfortunately, it seems that while my Alchemist and Merchant Classes reached 14, they capped out. And I got no more levels in Explorer--there is definitely a level cap to each floor it seems.
I got almost 50 Branches and 3 Leaves.
That was very, very unpleasant. I don’t want to run that low on Mana again, it was purely because of instincts, and a lot of practice with crippling depression, that I survived; I will probably have nightmares for a few days though.
With hope in my heart, I check my Class Settings.
There it is!
Wizard - Lv1
Effects: +2 Intelligence, +10% Mana Recovery Speed.
Skills: Beginner-Grade Elemental Magic (Fire/Water/Earth/Air)
There is was.
Beginner-Grade Magic in all four Elements…I wonder if that is normal, or if it is because of my easy-mode; which is unfair, but helps me in survival…If I ever find the being that made that website and transferred me, I would thank them--and ask them how and why they did what they did.
I quickly rearranged my Classes to Explorer, Hero, Swordsman, and Wizard.
With a quick Dungeon Gate, I arrived at the entrance room to the second floor.
Excalibur sheathed on my waist, I held the Wooden Cane in my hand. It was time to try out my Magic; to see if there were any AOE Spells.
While walking the corridors, I practice thinking of Spells; I may have the Class and Skills, but I didn’t know any of the Command Words.
Fire!
Nothing.
Flame!
Nope.
Burn!
Not this.
Incinerate!
Hmm, I felt something--a feeling that my Elemental Skill was too low, a subconscious knowledge. So, Incinerate seems to be a Fire Magic Spell of a higher Grade, I will have to remember that.
Fireball!
Yes!
That’s it!
A Fireball the size of a tennis ball floats above my head. It seems that while I made a Fireball, since I didn’t have a target--it floated for a few seconds before going out with a sputter.
Awesome…Real Magic!
Unfortunately, it’s neither big, nor AOE--which is the reason I learned Magic in the beginning.
My Mana didn’t decrease much, and I tend to start feeling depressed if it reaches half; the depression gets dangerous if I reach a quarter or under. Going by feeling, and my Character Screen, I can use Fireball maybe 4 times before I get depressed.
Now, let’s try out the other Elements.
Time for Wind.
Wind Blade!
Have to try a famous spell, but again I get the knowledge that I need a higher level in Wizard, and my Magic Skills.
Fine.
Wind Ball!
Hmm, I can feel it, and see a slight distortion in the air--it seems I have the Elemental Ball Spells.
A Green Caterpillar appears and I use Excalibur on it to recover my Mp; following behind it was a Needle Wood.
Fireball!
This time I have a target.
The Fireball flies through the air, impacting the chest of the enemy--halting it’s momentum, and leaving burns on the wood, but not killing the enemy. Well, this was to be expected of a level 1 Spell against a Level 15 Needle Wood.
The Demon starts approaching again, letting out that wood-on-wood piercing shriek.
Fireball!
There is a slight thud, and the Fireball hit the Needle Wood in the same spot, briefly setting the Demon on fire--and drilling a hole through its chest. Stumbling a few more steps, its arms still swinging at me, the Needle Wood collapsed to its knees and green smoke poured out of the hole.
It almost seems that the Demon’s life-force is the green smoke, and once it starts coming out, the Demon starts properly dying--so, does that mean that penetrative attacks are the best counter?
After a few seconds, the stream of smoke slows to a stop and the Needle Wood disappears, leaving a single leaf. Now I have 4 leaves to make into antidotes and sell, which should give me something like 8 silver or so--I still need to make a lot more before going back to Vale…since this is my third day and I am still 8 gold short.
I keep walking, hunting Demons to recover my Mana. Quickly killing a Green Caterpillar, this time using Excalibur.
After recovering Mana, I find two Needle Woods traveling together. Yep, there seem to be groups of Demons on the second floor; I sheath Excalibur and hold the Wooden Wand in my right hand, my shield in my left.
Hmm?
My shield seems to have cracks in it, I think I may need to buy another--probably after I buy Roxanne.
Fireball!
Fireball!
I cast Fireball twice in a row, both spells aiming for the same spot on one of the Demons--efficiently drilling a hole through its chest. Fireball is surprisingly easy to aim, I see something like an aiming reticle and then I can guide it with my will.
The second Needle Wood ignores the death of its companion, still charging at me and slamming into my shield; pushing me sliding back along the stone floor.
I could do the same again, but I would risk depression.
Storing the wand into my Ring, I swing Excalibur and kill the second Needle Wood, cutting its head and killing it instantly.
Alright, there should be some form of AOE attack, especially in the Fire Elemental Branch, if Magic here is like fantasy.
Hmm…what was the name of that spell that was popular again?
Firewall!
It appears. In front of me is a wall of fire that fills up the corridor, and is two meters high. For about ten seconds it burns brightly, and causes quite a bit of heat.
Well, it would be good as a defense, not sure about an attack.
Burning Hands!
Ooh, fire shoots out from my outstretched hands, making a sheet of flame that shoots off down the corridor. So I can block with Firewall, or set things on fire with Burning Hands.
I wonder if Water Magic includes ice?
Nope…
The instinctive knowledge tells me no--I need to wait for a higher level. Though with my 4 kills so far, my Wizard Class probably has leveled up, I will check it in a bit.
One last check.
Fire Storm!
Hmm, I can feel my Mana being used--a slight dampening of my mood…I think just over half my Mana was depleted, but nothing seems to have happened--I guess I will have to try this on a Demon, after getting some Mana back.
I hunt two Demons to recover my Mana, I would only need 1, since my Mana is still low, but they were traveling in a group.
Alright, a single Green Caterpillar, time to test Fire Storm.
Fire Storm!
It takes more Mana than Burning Hands, so I have the feeling it will do more damage, at lower levels at least.
My Mana is sucked out and red sparks--like crimson fireflies--dance around the corridor. They begin to gather around the Green Caterpillar, darting in and out of the Green Caterpillar’s green body like lasers, leaving holes throughout its body.
Green smoke pours out through the dozens of holes, causing the Green Caterpillar to shriek and thrash for a few seconds before dying and leaving a ball of thread.
Nice!
Now, I hope it can hit multiple targets with the same power, unfortunately it is possible that the damage will decrease with the number of targets--but I still need to test that hypothesis.
After searching around, and killing singular Demons for Mana, I finally find a pair.
A pair of Green Caterpillars.
Fire Storm!
The firefly-like sparks dart around and then rapidly penetrate the two squishy green bodies. There are double the number of sparks, and the Mana cost seems to be the same--maybe the cost is for a certain number, but only an appropriate amount of sparks appear depending on the enemies.
With ear-piercing squeals, the Green Caterpillars die, leaving behind two balls of thread.
Alright, I will now head outside for a bit.
It’s still dark outside the Dungeon, and when I look towards Vale, I can see a pale light coming from the other side. It seems like the sun will soon rise, my timing was perfect. I don’t have a watch or phone, but after coming to this world, it feels like my biological clock has become more accurate.
It’s time to go back to the Vale Pavilion for some breakfast, before making 40 Antidotes and selling them.
After breakfast and sales, I am back at full Mana--so I use Warp to enter the Dungeon second floor, then hunt down some Demons to recharge my Mana.
Since I no longer have to walk to the Dungeon, I can get there almost instantaneously; I no longer waste almost 30 minutes walking each way, and Warp uses just under half my Mana, so it’s quite efficient.
A Green Caterpillar is the first thing I see, so I cast a Windball at it--the Spell does about as much damage as a normal Fireball; requiring two shots to kill it.
Then I try out Waterball on the next Demon--which was a Needle Wood. Unfortunately, it seems to have a high resistance to it, and I have to still finish it off with Excalibur after two Waterballs; I would have done more damage against a Fire-Type Demon.
Hmm.
I make a Waterball and aim it at the canteen I had bought yesterday--it bursts, filling it with water. The receptionist suggest I do this if I get thirsty, or run out of water; even if it is created by Mana, it is pure water and drinkable.