Chapter 489 – Spell Improvement Experiment (Three)

Punk didn’t know if anyone before him had studied the “Soul-Eating Worm” spell or the species of “Ferocious-Bodied Worms.” If there were, he didn’t know whether those individuals had been screwed over as miserably as he was. But at this moment, Punk felt he certainly deserved a place among the unlucky ones!

Generally speaking, such sudden accidents during experiments were undoubtedly disastrous. Particularly when certain factors abruptly increased the research difficulty, it could easily render all prior investments futile. And now, Punk had undoubtedly encountered such trouble.

If it were any other spellcaster who suddenly found their research project and plans completely derailed, they might curse and abandon the study altogether, resigning themselves to the loss of previously invested effort and resources.

But Punk wouldn’t do that!

On one hand, Punk wasn’t someone who liked giving up!

On the other hand… he had spent quite a few exchange points to purchase the Ferocious-Bodied Worms. To abandon them just like that… even though Punk could now be considered “well-established,” it would still feel painfully wasteful!

Of course, Punk wouldn’t stubbornly cling to dead ends like semi-mad mages such as Sorsend. If evidence showed a path was impassable, Punk would never waste time being obstinate. But now, Punk felt the spell improvement for “Soul-Eating Worm” was far from reaching an “impassable” stage.

Moreover, Punk’s purpose in researching and improving spells wasn’t merely to acquire powerful techniques. If it were about formidable spells, he hadn’t even learned one percent of those obtained from Grand Arcanist Vedrasha’s memories!

Punk’s goal in studying spells was to enhance his understanding of magical knowledge through practice and strengthen his precision in spell model construction. For him, the process of researching spells was far more important than creating a powerful trump card. If he retreated at the first sign of difficulty… how could he ever train his ability to apply knowledge?

Thus, calming his mind, Punk stopped thinking about disposing of those Ferocious-Bodied Worms. He calmly retrieved a cup of premium coffee (Ben Lajie’s) from his Storage Ring and drank it. Simultaneously, Vedrasha’s knowledge about spell research began flooding into Punk’s consciousness.

Vedrasha was undoubtedly the epitome of a “scholar” immersed in the ocean of knowledge—his title of “Far-Sky Scholar” wasn’t just for show.

As a scholar, Vedrasha not only dabbled in spells from various schools but also adhered to the principle of “learning from history” by meticulously studying the development of spellcraft!

History was undoubtedly a highly useful witness. It wasn’t just an interesting story or cultural heritage—it was a teacher that could offer inspiration and warnings, providing spellcasters with crucial insights. In this regard, those old pedants studying history deserved respect, for while they researched the past, they were cautioning the future!

Since Punk now needed to study Summoning Magic, understanding the developmental history of summoning spells became particularly valuable.Of course, understanding the insights of that lost history is a rare privilege, one that only a Master-Level Caster like Punk—blessed with such opportunities—could truly appreciate the successes and failures of ancient casters.

Like several other schools of magic, Summoning Magic had already begun to sprout in very ancient times.

Due to the scarcity of spells in that primordial era, casters of that age once strayed into the misguided path of “one spell for all purposes.” They constantly attempted to devise methods where a single spell could solve every problem, and as a result, Summoning Magic—the most versatile school—experienced a period of extreme prosperity.

The spellcasting systems of that ancient era were far from the perfected and widespread systems of today. Under the prevailing ideology of “one spell for all purposes,” mages desperately researched a plethora of absurd and even laughable “multi-functional” spell models.

In their frenzy, ancient casters disregarded the stability of spell structures, ignored the immense mana consumption that would leave most mages vomiting blood and collapsing after a single casting, and overlooked the increasingly lengthy spell preparation times…

Particularly in the development of Summoning Magic, ancient summoners always sought to incorporate every ability of a magical beast into their spell models. There was even a period when mages arrogantly attempted to research a “perfect summoning spell” to create a “perfect magical creature” through summoning magic!

They hoped this “perfect magical creature” would possess all the advantages of every magical being in the world while eliminating all their shortcomings…

What foolish and insane conceptions these were! Perhaps the dreamed “one spell for all purposes” truly exists, but how could such an inconceivable level be something a few provincial Legendary Mages had the right to fantasize about?

Thus, inevitably, as history progressed and the Age of Ignorance ended—especially with the establishment of the great caster civilization, Netheril—those ancient foolish and arrogant ideas were finally swept into the dustbin of history.

New magical philosophies were rapidly established. Through countless demonstrations of reality, awakened casters soon understood what the correct path entailed:

The stability of spell models is paramount—because if an unstable spell model explodes in your hands… setting aside the injury issue, we mages simply can’t afford that embarrassment!

A spell’s mana consumption should offer optimal value—because a mage who collapses from exhaustion after casting a single spell won’t survive on the battlefield!

Having a spell with singular effects is acceptable—because casters can learn numerous spells, and skillfully combining them to achieve “one plus one greater than two” effects is a fundamental skill for mages.

Spell preparation time must be as short as possible—because your enemies won’t foolishly watch you prepare your ultimate move without interference!

“………………”

These summarized experiences represent the essence of countless mages’ wisdom. No matter how much time passes, these sparks of thought will continue to illuminate the path forward for future generations!

Now, after carefully studying history, Punk’s slightly restless heart quickly calmed. Because… Vedrasha’s knowledge and experience had once again provided Punk with crucial inspiration.”A single effect, a single effect… Why am I so fixated on a bunch of messy solidified spells? Perhaps discarding all those useless things and focusing on amplifying one single effect as much as possible is the right research direction.”

Thinking this, Punk gently stroked his chin while muttering to himself, and the brilliant magical glow in his pupils grew increasingly azure.

“Gaa? Boss, what did you say? Gaa!”

Hearing Punk’s muttering, Vector – who had been playing with the Fierce-Corpse Worm – momentarily froze in surprise.

But Punk paid no attention to Vector. With numerous inspirations flooding his mind, Punk had already started arranging the Fierce-Corpse Worm’s body organs in sequence!

(End of Chapter)