"Visualization is the process of imagining what we wish to achieve with mana, the flow of mana inside the skill or spell, the effect/shape it would undertake as we use the skill. To accomplish this task, one needs a calm mind to visualize better the flow of mana, this allows to manipulate the shape the mana is taking and what we intend to do with it easier. For magus and wizards..." Izuriel started the lecture in a slow but eloquent manner. He talked about skills requiring various magic circles or more complex and how visualizing each part can help the overall spell.
"A clearer image of what the skill can accomplish leads to better results than an abstract image."— Izuriel projected a giant cube in the making above him—" instead of shaping as we cast why not visualize the cube in our mind so the walls are placed correctly from the start? ." Izuriel stopped the projected cube and soon after a giant stable perfect cube was formed above him.
"When one visualizes the skill before casting, the most apparent effect when its cast would be the firepower, but it can also help with the casting time. Let me demonstrate this point with some examples." Izuriel snapped his fingers and three pillars appeared a few meters to the left of him, above them a stone tablet.
"As most of you now these pillars report the damage received by mana, so its proper to reflect the differences visualization can bring. To fastened things up I would be using some time skills to accelerate my skill cooldowns. For now, let start with Mana Bomb, the first cast will be the base skill, that is, casting it depending fully on the system without visualizing, second one I´ll visualize a little before casting the skill with the system and lastly I would create a clear image." Izuriel stated as he turned to see the pillars.
Izuriel then sent a Mana Bomb to each pillar as he had said, Xol being in the front row could appreciated better the improvements from each cast and was surprised when the last one almost tripled the first cast. He then reported the results for the whole hall before moving to other examples, he casted fireball and one could see the casting time also improved, he then combined both spells into one making it so the new spell required two magic circles, one inside the other before casting and how visualizing improved the damage and the casting time. From there he also showed some other complex spells and the improvements one could perceive as they visualized the spell.
"Now then"— Izuriel pulled his left hand behind his back —"Some may said teacher in the battlefield there isn't enough time to visualize each spell as there are many factors, the monster moved, its circling and changing direction constantly, attacking you or a teammate, etc. Why shouldn't we just depend on system by casting the base skill and wait for it to end? Isn't visualizing adding more pressure to the battle?. I like to ask you something aren't these factors also affecting the monster, aren't they even casting faster, while moving, fighting as they cast and such. Why is that?" Izuriel said with a solemn face toward the crowd.
"The answer is that casting skills for them has become second nature or an instinct. For the past years, I have been studying magical beasts and other types of monster. This has led me to various discoveries, one of them is that these beasts have become so used to using their skills and all what it implies as an instinct but when their born this instinct isn't really present. They develop this second nature or instinct as they grow up."
"As they hunt they use their skills to sneak up but when their prey flee there are forced to use this skill as they gave chase, they may slow down at first to cast but after some time they can maintain full speed while casting, this also applies when they are being attacked and are force to use this skills to escape. Why don't we don't do the same and get used to multitasking so visualizing, casting the skill and interacting in the battlefield become our second nature similar to the monsters?" Izuriel gestured the hall.
"There are various ways to improve in our visualizing and multitasking it as we fight, we could enter a weaker dungeon and fight them as we move so it be easier and safer than other monsters, but this approach would a little less efficient that fighting same level monster as it take the sense of danger that can help us improve more, we could cast a spell with casting time as we move"— Izuriel walked as he casted Fireball onto a pillar –" recreate a figure with mana in one hand while casting making sure it doesn't lose form …" Izuriel explained various method and how one could step up the difficulty as they achieve success in a method.
"Mana sensibility refers to way we can manipulate the mana inside of us and in the environment to create a spell and how easy it is to make it. Its also what directly affect most of the effects of the skill, this is due the fact that it determines how much one can manipulate the mana to accomplish the visualization one has of the skill one is casting. The amount of mana…" Izuriel explained the term as smooth as the flow of water, not making complicated nor stuttering.
"As one improves from good to having high mana sensibility added with a good visualization the most apparent change would be the casting time one would need as he use a skill, other could be firepower, range and many more. When one sees the description of the skill, it would state the capabilities of the skill when you created/discovered the skill. As your mana sensibility improve and visualize the skill it may reflect the new capabilities of the skill with your improvements, it may take some time to reflect the change or maybe you need to improve more for the changes to be reflected."
"Mana sensibility doesn't improve when we level nor there is a stat that directly affect it in making so one must keep training it. For now, let me explain some of ways of improving it, similar to training a muscle, the most basic would be casting magic skills over a period of time but this method slowly lose its effect as one dominates the skill. Another method would…" Izuriel named various forms to train mana sensibility. One of the described methods was the task he asked Xol, recreating complex objects until your mana empties.
"Finally, we have skill comprehension, what it´s the skill objective, how does the mana affect it and the effects it has for the skill. We need to fully understand the skill if we wish to improve its effect through our mana sensibility, the way we cast it and such. Once we grasp this knowledge, we can start making a combo, for example let me cast again Mana Bomb + Fireball I showed." Izuriel stopped himself and casted the combo skill again.
"In some extreme case if our visualization and compression of the skills we used are really unique the system MAY create a new skill based on it. This skill may vary from the base skill used or the combo we used at first, so comprehending what we wanted originally could lead to an overall improvement in the mana usage, firepower and other factors of the new skill making better in the long run."
"Adding all together having a good visualization paired with the knowledge of the skill fueled by our mana sensibility leads to an overall improvement in our performance in the battlefield. I would conclude the lecture up to this point and pass to the question round, I would answer as best of my capability and if I see many similar questions, I will consider making it a topic for the next lecture. If you have a question stand up and come to the front in an orderly manner." Izuriel nodded and glanced to the hall. Soon there were various who stood up and a queue was formed. Some student asked various points of the lecture, other asked more elaborated cases, finally some asked if their were ways of using the knowledge in improving one attunment.
"Well, now that the lecture has ended, it's time to officially start all the academies functions." Izuriel said with a smile, a very peculiar form of mana starting to form in his left hand. Some second later Izuriel let the mana 'drop' to the ground.
Once the mana touched the ground, Xol could feel as a huge accumulation of mana dispersing in the air as if a formation came into an active state.
"Now that the formation is active, please check your ring and make sure they are bound to you. The persons that reported Henley and Darren before the lecture come forth, don't worry I have memorized your voices and should remind everyone what could happen if you try to fake that it was you them who report it." Izuriel said with an icy smile.
Hearing the announcement many persons glanced at their ring, those who didn't were seniors that already had bound it in their previous years. He student that reported Henley and Darren came to the front and reported what hey hoped for the accessory. Izuriel nodded a he their requests and gave them instruction on when to come to his office for the reward. As this happened Xol glanced at his ring.
[Mana Academy´s student ring (Ring, Purple)
Bound to Xol.
Student Generation: 75.
Current Contributions on ring: 1,000.
Achievements: [-] (tap to hide)
Rank in generation: 2nd.
Overall current rank: 5753.
Pure Mana Hall visited (2/16).
+ 10 INT
+ 3 VIT
A ring made by various teachers from the academy, as the student improve in the academy, the ring would also improve.]
Seeing the description Xol was bewildered, it was the firs time he heard of a purple color equipment. He knew it was a tool of the academy for taking care of the contributions but didn't expect for it to give some stats once the formation was active.
"Asteria, what's does the purple color in the ring has stand for?" Xol decide to ask he person that had the most probability to knowing about the ring.
"Well, have you heard of growth equipment?" Asteria said as she crossed her arms.
"Un, equipment that can evolve and becomes stronger when meeting some criteria." Xol answered.
"Correct, purple means that is a growth equipment and as you make use of all the academy facilities, we could improve the rings effects. Once we graduate the ring would switch from purple to the corresponding color of how strong we managed to make the ring. Knowing the teachers that took part in the creation I can tell you that the ring would be around a level 30 green ring on average and shouldn't need to replace it for 25 to 30 levels after graduating." Asteria raised her index finger as she explained.
"I see." Xol nodded understanding the explanation. "Are all growth items like that?"
"Not really, the system only categorized those growth items that can jump between equipment tiers as purple, some growth items may state the color from the start, it mainly due the material used and the knowledge used in the making of the item for it to be purple colored." Asteria replied
"All right, thank you" Xol smiled.
Saying their respective goodbyes, the group disbanded and Xol took the chance to take into practice what he learned it didn't take much time for hm to finally recreate the dormitory and soon went toward Izuriel´s office. Seeing Xol recreation Izuriel gave him some pointers to corrects before he give him the next set of tasks, Xol had to improve the railing, make the door and window to have some profundity inside the building instead of just seeing them and finally make the roof tiles more visible.