Chereads / The Sorcerer's Totem: A Tale of Power and Magic / Chapter 21 - Improvements and Qualms

Chapter 21 - Improvements and Qualms

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[Name: Andrew Robinson, Bone Age: 18 years]

[Attributes:> Physique: 22.7, Agility: 24.3, Mentality: 20.5, Maximum Mana: 33.9]

[Combat Power Evaluation: Pseudo Rank-One Sorcerer, Quad-Attribute Limit-Breaker]

[Awakened Bloodline: Primordial Valkyrie]

[Accumulated Origin Energy: 403 units, Accumulated Fate Energy: 0.009 units]

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As Andrew scrolled through the thrilling details of his newly acquired powers, his soul space quivered with excitement. The bloodline awakening had bestowed upon his mortal self an array of advantages that he could hardly believe.

His attributes had skyrocketed beyond the limits of his expectations, crossing the apex stage threshold of apprentice sorcery. He had grown by leaps and bounds and became a pseudo-rank-one quad-attribute limit-breaker.

Firstly, he had experienced a significant increase in his physical abilities, with his physique surging from a mere 11.5 to a staggering 22.7. That made him just over twenty-two times stronger than an average human male, a remarkable feat for any sorcerer below rank one.

His agility also witnessed a notable improvement, with a surge from 15.5 to a remarkable 24.3. His mentality did not lag behind either, as it saw a significant increase from 11.5 to an impressive 20.5, placing him among those with mental strengths in the ranks of true-blue rank-one sorcerers.

And lastly, his maximum mana also witnessed a remarkable leap from 11.5 to a dazzling 33.9. The value was just enough for him to cast about six rank-one spells without rest, showcasing the significant increase in his magical abilities after awakening the Primordial Valkyrie bloodline.

Andrew was overjoyed at the realization of his newfound powers. He couldn't contain his delight, especially since his past memories allowed him to understand the benefits of an apprentice sorcerer having higher base stats before breaking through to rank one.

In the magical realm of Edhen, apprentice sorcerers had distinct attribute values ranging from 1 to 12, with mentality and maximum mana often being the highest. As for rank ones, their other values, including physique and agility, could be below 12. But their mentality and maximum mana stats had to be between 13 to 99 times that of a healthy adult human male.

If an apprentice sorcerer with lower base stats managed to break through to rank one, they would face a significant challenge ahead. They would have to train harder and invest more time in meditation to overcome the deficit. It could take them a few years to catch up with those who made it to rank one with higher stats, which would ultimately delay their efforts to ascend to the next rank.

That aside, having a robust and agile body was also a crucial asset for combat.

Those sorcerers who advanced to rank one with higher stats usually possessed more powerful physiques and quicker reflexes, giving them undeniable edges over those who reached rank one with lower stats during battles. That was, of course, if other factors like the might of innate spells didn't vary between the two parties significantly.

Andrew was feeling pretty good about himself as he assessed his abilities. He couldn't help but compare his current situation to his previous life and was glad to realize he was in a much better position now.

All his stats were well above twenty, suggesting he was considerably more "powerful" than the typical primary-stage rank-one sorcerer. He already knew his abilities would become even more potent once he embedded his first innate spell into his totem and became an enlightened rank-one sorcerer.

'I should check out if there are other changes in the totem before thinking about how to deal with Aeon. I wonder why Mother made a deal with such a dangerous being! How was she sure that he wouldn't try to steal my body?'

Andrew's mind was still racing with doubts and fears about Aeon.

Initially, he had faith in the sorcerer's good intentions, all thanks to the message from his mother. But the newly awakened Valkyrie transcendent eyes could sense something ominous about Aeon's spiritual form.

The 'danger' notification that had flashed in front of his eyes had made him question his trust in the ancient sorcerer. And despite Aeon's warm smile and friendly behavior, Andrew's instincts kept warning him of the potential threat. He felt torn between his belief in his mother and his gut feeling that he couldn't fully trust Aeon anymore.

'I should check out the other changes in the totem first,' sighed Andrew.

He knew he was acting like an ostrich, burying his head in the sand as if danger would disappear by simply ignoring it. Deep down, he understood that the problem with Aeon would not solve itself. It was a tough spot to be in. But with his meager apprentice powers, he had no immediate solutions to get himself out of the predicament.

He shook his head and quickly turned to the second page of his book-type totem. To his surprise, the Aeon's Blessing of Death magical circle that he had always relied on to absorb energy from the beings he slayed was nowhere to be found on the golden page.

The innate spell model had simply vanished into thin air! The realization slowly dawned on him, and he felt his heart rate increase as he wondered what it could mean.

'Did the bloodline awakening ceremony play a role in this, or did Mother have doubts about Aeon to the point of taking preventative measures against an innate spell he created? And is it possible that her magic circle was the cause of its disappearance?'

Andrew felt a range of emotions, from utter confusion to a bittersweet sense of relief. Even then, he racked his brain, trying to figure out what could have caused the innate spell's disappearance, but even after several minutes of deep thought, he was still unable to come up with a logical explanation.

'With the loss of the magic circle, Aeon's threat has significantly decreased, assuming his intentions were indeed malicious.'

As he floated in his soul space, lost in thought, he sighed deeply and turned his attention back to his prized book-type totem. He was totally lost in examining the changes it had undergone when suddenly, a realization struck him like a bolt of lightning - the totem had evolved!

Without hesitation, he eagerly navigated to open additional pages and was awestruck to discover three more available for him to access. He could interact with them and imbue them with innate spell models, thus granting him the ability to ascend to the rank of a first-rank sorcerer in no time if he so chose.

'Wow, I can't believe it!' Andrew thought with enthusiasm. 'I now have three more pages to fill with top-tier spells, in addition to the one previously occupied by Aeon's Blessing of Death. That means I can now imbue this totem with four first-rank innate spells, and it must be of at least high-tier earth grade! This is truly remarkable!'

Andrew's excitement was palpable. He had just discovered that his book totem had undergone a remarkable transformation - it had evolved from a lowly human-grade to a powerful earth-grade totem!

This meant that he could now fully unleash the extent of his sorcery and hone his skills without being held back by any totemic limitations.

For the next few years, he could push himself to the limit and make strides toward becoming a rank-four saint sorcerer without any bottleneck. The possibilities were endless, and Andrew was eager to explore the new horizons ahead of him.