Chapter 441: Mana and elements

From here Eldrian had learned that if one managed to gain an AI/gods favor, then the gods would give you the ability to peer into the spell module. Almost like having 3D glasses, it would highlight the true spell module. 

Yet, this couldn't be captured by the recording software. Nor could Elizabeth even attempt to write it down if she wished to share it. She had tried, and as soon as she had started she had started to forget what it looked like. 

Even when offline, instead of forgetting she had already forgotten. Like a fading dream, she could remember that she knew it, but not what it was. The spell module appearing like a blurry picture. 

Regardless of all this, it had instantly boosted the power of the guild. The titles weren't just titles, they had massive stat boosts, comparable to a hidden class. Along with that, Elizabeth seemed to be able to comprehend the divine spells with ease. She had already learned the most useful Tier 1 and 2 spells and was busy trying to reach Tier 3. 

Back to Eldrian's and Zamia's conversation, Eldrian had just shown her his ability to form nearly anything he could think of. But he lacked the practice to do it with ease, it wasn't natural. In contrast to how the alicorns always controlled magic through an instinctual feeling. 

"Do you think it is so hard because I am doing something wrong, or?" Eldrian asked, Zamia taking on her elven form to make conversation a bit more normal. 

No matter what, talking through telepathy wasn't something Eldrian was used to. Talking to an alicorn (a horse with wings and a horn) was even stranger.

Still, telepathy was certainly more effective for sharing details but right now Zamia didn't feel that it was needed to share so much. 

"No, normally High Elves take at least a hundred years to get used to the feeling of mana and the elements. During their entire childhood they don't try to advance Tiers, they just attempt to get used to mana."

"I would say you just need more time."

Eldrian nodded, accepting that it indeed was most likely that he just needed more training if that was the case. Though he certainly didn't have years, heck even weeks felt like too much. But he had realized that he had to stop rushing to get out there. 

If he wanted to make any significant breakthroughs, he had to put in the time. He just had to pray that the situation in Taurus didn't worsen. 

"Right, you have exceeded what I requested you to do with Frost Needle. Next, I would..." Zamia went on to explain that she wanted him to now master a similar control with Tier 2 spells. Showcasing him this with a fire spell similar to Volida first. 

"You don't want the fire to mindlessly spread. Nor do you want the mana to run low. What I want you to master here is to keep the flames alive..." She then went on to showcase him how to have the icicles of Velona Pagetou (Tier 2 ice spell) merge. 

"This you shouldn't find hard after mastering ice to such a degree, but it will still be a challenge. If you want, you can first learn Konos Pagou to get a feel for what a larger icicle should feel like."

This continued until she had shown him five different spells, each of a different element. Three of which were hybrid spells (Velona Pagetou being one of them).

"Do you think you will be able to form the spells, or do you require spell modules of spells similar to those I have shown?"

Eldrian thought on it for a moment, trying to mimic the earth spell she had shown first. The first difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 was nearly double the mana cost. This didn't just mean more mana, but also that he needed more focus to control it all. 

During his training these past two weeks he had come to realize that he didn't need to control just the mana. He also had to keep the element in control. Sure, controlling the mana controlled the element. But it wasn't true control, it was more just 80% control. 

He couldn't control fire, or water, or any other element for that matter, directly. Hence, Eldrian had learned that he needed to accommodate for the elements.

For example, water would stay in a certain form until its surface tension (that which keeps a water drop cohesive) failed. Past this point, he had to focus on the mana to counter the tension that the size of the water spell caused. Normally he simply had it push inward to counter the pull of the atmosphere. 

For flames instead, it wanted to spread into the surroundings. To dissipate into the air. To combat this Eldrian could either focus on a smaller core area, having the flames be not from mana but from the actual air. Or, he found he could follow a method similar to how he kept the water in balance. 

The two methods were actually important for different goals. The first was better if he wanted direct damage with the fire, and the second was if he wanted an area control. 

This was also why Eldrian chose earth as the spell he would attempt mimicking. Unlike fire and water, the element was already formed and the way mana seemed to interact with it was to manipulate it. Which was in contrast with fire and water, which seemed to prefer summoning the element. 

Air was actually also similar to earth. The problem with it was that Eldrian couldn't see the element, only mana. For earth, it was hard to see the mana as mana sense didn't give him a 3D view, hence what he saw was hard to make sense of. 

Still, it was the better choice. He mostly focused on what he felt when controlling spells in any case. 

Nature, light, and dark were the elements Eldrian had to focus the least on. Nature because it became lost once it reached the target, and keeping it outside of the intended target made it just mana in the air. 

Light and dark because he had no spells of those, the only places he used them were in hybrid spells. 

Another advantage earth had over all the others was that not only was it visible and plentiful, it was also resilient. The reason why earth spells cost the same or even more mana even though they just gathered and molded the earth. 

While it was possible to change dirt into stone and stone into sand, doing so wasn't easy and required an insane amount of mana compared to the ease in which water and flames could be summoned. This also allowed Eldrian to know when he really screwed up. 

Focusing on the rock around the size of a football, Eldrian sent his mana into it and focused on the shape he wanted. Similar to how he had trained with Vrachos. However, the sheer difference in the amount of mana required left him with a headache. 

"I can't, not right away. It is too much." Eldrian said, immediately realizing that he wouldn't be able to do it even if he tried for a week. 

"I see, no problem." Zamia nodded, having expected this. If Eldrian had really managed to she wouldn't have known what to say. Learning to truly dynamic cast in just two weeks would have been far too crazy of a thing.

{AN: A big thanks to everyone who continues to support this novel on WN. Let's see if we can break the top 100!}