Chapter 55: Finding a style.

Chapter 55: Finding a style.

Zeke stood in front of the field his combat class was held on, his heart pounding with excitement and nerves. He had spent the past week pouring over his recordings and experimenting with different techniques, determined to make breakthroughs in his [Analyze] spell. And now, as he stood before his classmates once again, he was confident that he had succeeded.

Zeke had learned a lot about the different stats that were displayed by his system over the past week. The most important discovery was that what he had named 'Intelligence' was not actually intelligence. It did not indicate the ability to solve complex problems, instead it only measured the capability of the brain to process information. Zeke had learned that a higher intelligence stat gave you better dynamic vision, for example. The brain was simply faster in processing the visual data that were recorded by the eyes, allowing a Mage to follow faster movements and react in time to incoming attacks. But all those revelations still paled in comparison to his new additions.

He had added new metrics to his spell, to compensate for the missing parts that had previously hindered its effectiveness. Experience, instinct, and synergies were the key components he had identified as missing, and he had worked tirelessly to incorporate them into his spell. Experience, in this case, referred to combat experience - the ability of a fighter to adapt and react to new situations in battle. Instinct was the fighter's innate ability to respond to danger and unpredictability, and Synergies referred to the compatibility of all bodily stats, spells, and fighting styles.

Zeke had spent hours devising a metric to incorporate the realizations that had come to him during his last week of combat classes. He had, for example, seen the same spell, [Levitate], used by different students with vastly different results.

When Viola, a prodigy in wind magic, used the spell, she became an agile, flying terror that was almost impossible to pin down. But when bulkier, less proficient Mages tried to copy her style, they often lost mobility and became easy targets instead. This was a perfect example of how stat and spell synergy worked and how it could affect the outcome.

Zeke had finally found a way to incorporate this information into his [Analyze] spell. He had realized that it was not enough to simply measure a person's bodily stats to determine real combat strength, but also to take into account the unique characteristics and abilities of the spell and the fighter using it. He had spent the last few hours working on a new formula to incorporate this data, and he was excited to test it out in this combat class. Zeke focused on the fight happening in front of him and scanned the first of the two mages.

[Results of Analyse]

First name: Hans. Mage name: None. Last name: None. Age: 15. Gender: Male. Height: 1.65m. Strength: 10 Constitution: 9 Agility: 13 Intelligence: 14

Wind magic (Greater affinity), Rank: Mage, Engraved spell: [Gust].

Wind magic:

[Gust] Active

Sends a gust of wind against a target, can destabilize a target and cause it to fall.

[Wind Steps] Active This spell allows the caster to step on air and increase a moderate boost to movement speed with each step. [Wind Blade] Active This spell allows the caster to summon blades of wind that can strike at distant targets.

This target has an estimated combat experience of 22.

This target has an estimated instinct rating of 13.

This target has an estimated combat synergy rating of 20.

Estimated real combat strength: 120.

Zeke could see that his spell was working as intended. But he didn't need to see all this information, so he focused for a second to shorten the result the spell would show him before using it on the second fighter.

[Results of Analyse]

First name: Tobias. Mage name: None. Last name: Luftschloss. Age: 15. Gender: Male. Height: 1.75m. Real combat strength: 100. Strength: 15 Constitution: 13 Agility: 9 Intelligence: 8

"Earthen Armor" - This fighting style focuses on utilizing earth magic to create powerful defensive barriers and constructs to protect the user while they launch counterattacks.

"Tempestuous Tactics" - This fighting style focuses on utilizing wind magic to allow the caster to move around the battlefield with blinding speed and attack the opponent with precise long range spells.

"Aqueous Assault" - This fighting style focuses on utilizing water magic to create powerful waves and currents to control the battlefield and trap the opponent in powerful water-based attacks.

Clenching his fists with a sense of triumph, Zeke began to crystallize the styles down to a single concept each. He scribbled furiously in his notebook, breaking down the core elements of each style and distilling them into something tangible:

Fire - Offense.

Earth - Defense.

Wind - Speed.

Water - Control.

He began to think about his own three affinities and how he could use these core concepts with each of them. The first thing that became immediately clear was that space magic was perfect for mobility. This was the concept that almost all wind mages based their fighting styles around. The concept was incredibly simple to grasp: if you're not getting hit, you can't lose.

Zeke's mind was alight with possibilities as he considered how he could incorporate this universal truth into his own fighting style. He knew that his space magic gave him a unique advantage in terms of speed. He was certain that by focusing his space core on mobility, he could become a formidable force in battle.

As he thought more about his second affinity, Mind, an idea began to form in his head. He remembered how the water mages he had observed had used their magic to control the battlefield and therefore their opponents, guiding their movements and actions to gain an upper hand in battle. He was starting to believe that this was a tactic he could also use to great effect, and he began to develop a plan to incorporate mind magic into his fighting style.

With each new idea, the image of his fighting style became clearer in his mind, and he knew that with the right combination of his affinities, he could stand unrivaled amongst his peers.

"Mobility," he muttered to himself, his eyes flicking to the notes on the wind mages and their emphasis on evasive tactics. "That's the key concept for space magic. If I can keep myself out of harm's way, I can't lose."

He turned his attention to the mind magic and the strategies employed by the water mages. "Control," he murmured, a sly grin creeping across his face. "That's the key concept for my mind magic. If I can control my opponents, I can dictate the pace of the battle."

But as he considered his blood affinity, his expression grew more uncertain. "Offense," he said hesitantly. "That has to be the key concept for blood magic. But how can I use it at range? My [Blood Whip] spell is only medium range at best, and it's too costly to use in every battle."

He leaned back against his bed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I'll have to think on this one," he said to himself. "But I'm getting close. I can feel it." And with that, Zeke returned to his notes, eager to continue his search for the perfect fighting style to compliment his unique affinities.

As Zeke delved deeper into his research, he quickly noticed a problem. He had an almost complete list of all the abilities available to first-year students, and even knew how to cast them all by having recorded his classmates using them in combat. However, the problem was that pure space and mind mages didn't attend combat class. The students who had an elemental affinity as well as a mind or space affinity were not yet skilled enough to use either of their elements effectively. This meant that Zeke didn't have a selection of space and mind magic spells to fight with.

Zeke sat on the floor, surrounded by stacks of notes and diagrams, feeling a sense of both excitement and frustration. He had spent the past few hours pouring over his research, trying to piece together the perfect fighting style for his unique combination of affinities. But now, as he looked at the rough outline he had created, he realized that he was missing an important piece of the puzzle.

He knew that mobility was key for his space affinity, control was key for his mind affinity, and offense was key for his blood affinity. But without the specific spells to put those concepts into action, his plan was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Sighing, Zeke leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that he needed help, and there was only one person he could turn to, Maximilian.