Chapter 62: Insights of a Mage

Chapter 62: Insights of a Mage

Nathan furrowed his brows, looking across at the three students as they tried to explain how to cast [Force Block] to him. It had been an hour since theyd snuck out of class, and they werent getting anywhere.

His suitemates assumed he had force mana, as it was a requirement to enroll in the Ascendant Academy. To their knowledge he had some kind of powerful Insight that let him cast [Dispel] but made it harder to cast anything else. So they were just hoping that if he fully understood the spell, hed be able to cast it.

[Thief of Sorcery] could do it. But then I would be helpless against wizardry.

Nathan raised a hand, cutting off Ronis impassioned explanation on how he should think of the force mana like crystallized sugar. I think the mana wont flow clean because of my [Dispel] Insight, not because I lack understanding. Ill keep trying, but this accomplishes nothing. Lets talk about your [Mage Armor] first, and return to my [Force Block] afterwards.

Yelun frowned at him but nodded, turning to the two boys. If you can both cast faultless [Mage Armor] it might appease Bran.

Then she launched into another explanation of [Mage Armor], straight out of the textbook. Build the flows of force above your skin, starting with the eleven primary panes. Head, chest, back, upper arms, forearms, calves, shins. Then use those as anchors to build attachments, linking each of them to the other with Sussus Insight of flexible force. She nodded, repeating the memorized words that had worked for her. Once all of the force panes are joined together, use Baduds Insight of sympathy to link it to your body. Then the force will move with you, and protect you from all attacks.

Both Roni and Hibor listened with tired acceptance and tried to cast the spells. They failed, but they kept trying.

Nathan frowned at their attempts. Hed broken a lot of [Mage Armor] spells, which gave him a practical grasp of how the spell worked. It wasnt enough for full understanding, but when paired with theoretical explanations and broken-down demonstrations, he had a pretty good grasp on how the magic worked. It involved the Insights Yelun had just mentioned, as well as a fundamentally different understanding of force mana from what any of the mages in Gemore used.

With his practical experience dismantling the spell, Nathan was pretty sure he knew what the two boys were doing wrong. They were following the instructions, but they hadnt quite internalized the proper structure that the force mana needed to take. It was a subtle difference, but it was enough to prevent proper melding of the separate panes of force. Even if they somehow forced themselved past that step, the magic wouldnt have enough flexibility to mirror their movements.

Theyre a bit closer to how Stella casts force spells. Should I correct them? Yeah, because itll make it seem more like a mage. Also, if I cant find Bran tomorrow morning then its possible that them casting [Mage Armor] and vouching for me is enough to deflect him. Lets call that the backup plan.

He leaned forward, waiting for a break in the conversation. Lets try something else. Can each of you cast two simple [Force Block] spells instead of a whole set of armor? Then try to link them together with Amohs Insight and see how strong they are.

All three paused, then shrugged and went ahead with his suggestion. Yelun was able to meld her two panes of force together in a smooth arc that maintained the overall strength of the spell. Both Hibor and Ronis final pieces of magic had a sharper, brittle junction that shattered under moderate pressure.

Nathan nodded. The spells join together, so its not the Insight youre having problems with. Its the [Force Block] itself. Go back to the basic force weave and try to get it to stay strong when you meld two of them together.

Yelun was surprised by the outcome, but she was appreciative of his comment. Together she and Nathan walked Hibor and Roni through rebuilding their force spells from the ground up, pausing only to let the two boys regenerate mana. It took a few hours, but with Nathan's senses and Yelun's recitation of the necessary Insights they made rapid progress.

After the two boys could successfully meld their force spells together, they went back to [Mage Armor], pausing only to break for dinner. The three of them ate quickly and returned to keep practicing. A couple of hours later, both boys were standing proud in their very own [Mage Armor] spells.

Tutoring 3 achieved!

Then they seemed to remember that Nathan had yet to even cast [Force Block]. Yelun blew out a long breath, looking at him and scratching her nose. You know the magic. Your Insight makes force magic impossible, verified truth?

He nodded sadly in response. I think I need a Development to break that limit. Itll happen, but not by class tomorrow.

Mid-tier Disguise 8 achieved!

Roni tossed a half-eaten fruit across the living room in frustration. Then were a splintered spell. Today was a prophecy of doom.

No path for us to stay together. Hibor agreed, flopping onto a couch in frustration. He glowered across at Nathan, then caught himself. At least its not a failure of knowledge. Should we skip class and hope he forgets? Switch to a different class?

I think Id prefer to stick to my murder plan. I think I can come up with something to make it less obviously point to me.

Nathan cut across their pity party. Raise your hands and see your strength. You both learned to cast [Mage Armor] in a day. Its an impressive deed. You have nothing to be ashamed of. He turned to Yelun. Hes shown you favor, and if you claim credit for this teaching, then he will see the light in your eyes. If he moves anybody, it will be me. But if we do demonstrate our learnings, maybe then he will listen to reason. But for that, well need to do the homework.

Nathan lifted both hands towards the ceiling. I am not ashamed of my Talent, for it will lead me to greatness. We are mages of Giantsrest who have learned new magic, and we will use it to raise Giantsrest higher.

His suitemates looked around with new resolve. Hibor cheered. Yeah! Lets feed mana to it, and get these assignments done perfectly!

Inspiration 2 achieved!

Nathan rolled his eyes at the notification.

Some time later Nathan went to bed, shaking his head at the last few hours of work. He was somewhat impressed with how his suitemates had thrown themselves into their work, first learning [Mage Armor] and then powering through their homework. It was night and day to how seriously they usually approached their schooling.

Yeah, but contrast them with my antimage students. These kids are soft, spoiled brats. Theyve never had a truly serious challenge in their lives. The privilege of magic makes them deadly threats, but they havent had to really work for it yet. Any of the new antimages would eat all three of these kids for breakfast.

He took off his robe, placing it in the empty bin. Then he looked at the clean pile. Every robe in it was pressed and folded. That included the clothing hed worn last night, which had been torn by splinters when hed fought the golem in the dining hall. Hed tucked the garment in question at the very bottom of the pile, underneath all of his clean robes. He pulled out the garment in question and examined it.

All of the splinters stuck in the garment had been removed, and the damage sewn shut with an expert hand. He wouldnt have been able to see the traces of damage if he werent looking for them. Nathan shot a troubled look in the direction of the central living area, and the space beyond where the domestic slave slept.

She has to know, or at least suspect, that Im an assassin. But this took dedicated time to repair. Time she could have spent reporting me. Either she doesnt have enough agency to do anything, or I have an ally. Should I free her?

Nathan exhaled a sigh. He could break the enslaving magic on the woman, but it would introduce a whole raft of complications. The Academy tracked her every moment, and it was likely that freeing her would trigger some kind of alert. He could try to blind the Academy inside the suite, but then it wouldnt be able to open doors for anybody.

I dont think its tenable right now. Things are stable, I havent been discovered. Ill try to free her before I go full murderhobo.

He slipped out a few hours later, leaving the low-tier student housing behind. His first destination was the room labeled with Bran dho Jasts name. Hed assumed it was an office, but it could be the mans sleeping quarters. Or he could be working late. Either way, Nathan would jump at the chance to kill the lecturer now instead of having to find an excuse to slip out tomorrow morning.

He was considering the least suspicious way he could get away from his suitemates when he heard the first patrol around a corner up ahead. He reached out with his magical senses and could feel the mana pools of both mages and construct.

Dodging the patrols delayed Nathans progress through the Academy. He never saw them, but his magical and normal senses made it clear each patrol had three or four mages and two golems. The two golems alone would be a challenge, and he definitely wouldnt be able to take out the mages before they fled. There were more patrols than thered ever been before, and Nathan had to stay on his toes to avoid getting within line of sight of any of them.

Alertness 7 achieved!

Eventually he approached the door marked Bran dho Jast and set about manipulating the wizardry of the lock. It was more complicated than the one on the dining hall, but not by much. After a few minutes the wall slid smoothly aside to reveal a dark and empty space beyond.

Nathan stepped into the room and used his antimagic to activate a light crystal on the wall. There was a large desk that dominated the space, next to some kind of spell circle and a finely furnished sitting area complete with a well-stocked drink cabinet. He focused on the desk, finding what looked like a draft of next weeks homework. To the side was a stack of graded homework that was due to be returned to them the next day. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 9

Permanent Talent 2: Immortal Body 1

Permanent Talent 3: Airwalking 5

Class: Void of Magic level325

Deepened Stamina: 8019/10050

Void of Feeling

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Magic Anathema

Airborne Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Voluminous Aura

Denial of Wizardry

Mana Severance

Class: Magekiller level 170

Regenerative Focus: 993/1800

Catastrophic Blows

Battle Stealth

Mage Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Antimagic Stealth

Spell Redirection

Lethal Index

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 10

Inspiration 2

Acceleration 4

Wizard Senses 9

Alertness 7

Wizards Intuition 10

Effortless Dodge 3

Mental Fortress 9

Tutoring 3

Parkour 2

High-tier Noticeability 6

Mid-tier Disguise 8

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7

Mid-tier Aura Manipulation 9