Chapter 301 – Soul Borer

Being in the Thought of Truth was relatively safe, and Punk didn’t have many exchange points to spare. Thus, he decided to focus on carefully studying spell improvements while relying on transactions with Ben Lajie to obtain the daily exchange points needed for his research. The matter of the golem had to be set aside for now.

Selecting a spell to improve required considering various aspects, such as the spell’s practical value and potential for enhancement, as well as whether Punk’s financial resources could sustain the long-term research costs.

After an afternoon of careful consideration, Punk finally chose a summoning magic spell to improve.

The spell he intended to enhance was a rather outdated Master-Level summoning magic—”Soul Worm.”

The history of this spell was so ancient that it even predated the era of the Netherese Civilization. It was said to have originated in the same period as the first batch of summoning magic ever invented.

However, precisely because it was so ancient, it appeared very outdated compared to modern spells. In this real world, the progress of magic never ceased. As a backward spell, even though “Soul Worm” once held an unquestionably significant historical status, it eventually became a niche “research material” after numerous superior and more cost-effective spells were invented.

Now, Punk planned to improve this “research material” abandoned by time, allowing it to shine anew in a refreshed form.

As a Far-Sky Scholar, Vedrasha had once read all the magical books in the entire Far Sky Library and had a fairly good understanding of this outdated “Soul Worm” spell.

As a summoning magic, “Soul Worm” was invented based on a Master-Level magical creature called the “Echni Worm.”

During that backward era, mages had not yet recognized the importance of specialized spell effects, and the number of spells invented was extremely limited. As a result, when creating a spell, they tended to incorporate as many magical effects as possible, indirectly achieving a “jack-of-all-trades” state of “one spell, multiple uses.”

This “Soul Worm” was a typical product of the “jack-of-all-trades” magical philosophy.

The semi-energy worm it summoned could not only quickly infiltrate an enemy’s body through ambush to devour their soul but also rely on its rapidly enlarging size and sturdy magical energy to act as a shield against attacks. After consuming the enemy’s soul, it also possessed the functions of extracting the enemy’s memories and delayed self-detonation.

It sounded versatile, but as the saying goes, “jack of all trades, master of none.” None of the spell’s numerous magical effects were outstanding; in fact, they were hardly noteworthy even at the Master-Level.

Moreover, as a trade-off, the spell’s model became extremely cumbersome, with various runes overlapping one another. Not only did this unnecessarily increase the mana consumption by two to three times during construction, but the casting time also became tediously long.

Thus, after spells like “Soul-Devouring Parasite,” “Mage Armor,” “Memory Reading,” and “Self-Detonating Fire Wolf” were invented, “Soul Worm” was naturally phased out.Indeed, compared to mature modern spells, this ancient spell had numerous flaws. However, precisely because of its many shortcomings, Punk had substantial room for improvement.

Thus, Punk decided that his path of magical practice would begin with this forgotten Master-Level Summoning Magic—”Soul Worm”!

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“Alright, you can place the items here.”

Punk addressed two apprentices who were carrying over a dozen large boxes using “Levitation.”

After deciding to improve the “Soul Worm” spell, Punk had placed an order in the Thought of Truth’s trading district for fifteen “Ferocious Corpse Worms.”

The best way to study a Summoning Magic spell was to start with its “prototype.” After all, most Summoning Magic spells were inspired by the innate spell-like abilities found in the souls of original magical creatures. The virtual souls of summoned creatures also heavily relied on the prototype magical beings as a crucial reference. Attempting to create a summoned creature from scratch, completely detached from any prototype, was a difficulty unimaginable even for a Master-Level Caster.

However, the history of “Soul Worm” was simply too ancient. The species “Eikony Worm” had long gone extinct at some unknown point in time. Therefore, Punk had no choice but to settle for the “Ferocious Corpse Worm,” which shared many bloodline connections with the Eikony Worm, as his research subject.

These Ferocious Corpse Worms lived in the distant Green Basin Swamp, and there were none available at the Thought of Truth’s branch. Transporting them alive had cost Punk a considerable number of exchange points.

Fortunately, although the price was somewhat exploitative, the delivery speed was commendable. On the third day after Punk placed the order, these large worms—each weighing over seventy kilograms—arrived intact at his Magic Tower!

Upon hearing Punk’s command, the two apprentices transporting the Ferocious Corpse Worms sighed with relief and quickly placed all the large boxes in the living room.

From the moment they retrieved these boxes at the teleportation array until they entered Punk’s Magic Tower, the two apprentices had been extremely anxious. The low, faint howls emanating intermittently from the over a dozen boxes felt as though they were screeching directly into their souls, sending chills down their spines.

It wasn’t until they entered Punk’s Magic Tower and saw Punk himself that the howls from the boxes abruptly ceased. The two apprentices, drenched in cold sweat, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After setting down the boxes, one apprentice cautiously stepped forward and asked:

“Respected Master Cyan, all fifteen boxes have been delivered. Do you have any further instructions?”

The apprentice kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Punk’s eyes. The pressure Punk exuded was far greater than that of the dozen or so “harmless” boxes. However… although he desperately wanted to turn and run, such an impolite act in front of a Master-Level Caster was simply unthinkable.

“Hmm, good. There’s nothing else. Here are two bottles of ‘Spirit Refinement Potion.’ Take them.”

Punk sensed the fifteen boxes, confirmed everything was in order, and casually tossed two Apprentice-Level potions to the apprentice. Then, he turned and left with the boxes, much to the relief and delight of the anxious apprentice.”The Spirit Refinement Potion” was nothing more than a “small toy” that Punk could casually produce, but for two minor mages stuck at the fourth-level Apprentice Rank, it could truly be called an invaluable treasure.

Ignoring the two ordinary apprentices who left with ecstatic expressions, Punk placed all dozen or so boxes into the “Near-Void Chamber” on the lower level of the Magic Tower.

“Ferocious Corpse Worm, a Formal-Level magical creature. Low intelligence, but possesses innate soul-related spell-like abilities. Lifespan approximately 1,400 years. It’s said their ancestors were ancient ‘Ekonni Worms’…”

Putting away the information displayed on the Ring, Punk calmly waved his hand and opened all the boxes.

“Indeed, these are the ‘little ones’. I hope my exchange points weren’t wasted.”

Everyone, please give some votes, thank you all mwah mwah~

(End of Chapter)