Without hesitation, Li Xiang extended his right hand. His Magic Circuits began to light up, like street lamps in the dead of night, forming a dark red magical circle as he pushed outward. A black ball of energy shot forth.
The gust of wind generated by the spell lifted the already ethereal ghost in front of him.
The ghost realized it was too late to dodge. A blood-red mist formed around it, enveloping its body in an instant.
Not waiting to see the outcome, Li Xiang grabbed his bed sheet with his right hand, swung it open, and hurled it at the ghost. At the same time, he performed a kip-up, launching himself off the bed.
The Yin Qi Bullet pierced through the blood mist but dissipated quickly. The ghost spat out a mouthful of magical energy, and the Yin Qi Bullet disappeared in an instant, plunging Li Xiang into darkness.
The sheet covered the ghost.
Li Xiang didn't stop. While airborne, he summoned more magical circles centered on his right hand, which formed a kaleidoscope about a meter wide.
He took a quick glance at the other ghost standing in the distance, still not moving.
Although it was strange that the other ghost wasn't helping, Li Xiang remained on guard.
With a flick of his hand, the Yin Qi Bullet transformed into a black flame.
The air crackled with the sound of burning.
The ghost threw off the sheet and smiled, revealing a horrifying grin.
Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat as a blood-red wave suddenly appeared and crashed into the black flame with unstoppable force.
In the next moment, the black flame was snuffed out with a resonant hum, utterly disintegrating.
Li Xiang's reflexes were sharp. The moment he saw the wave, he used the counterforce from the impact to dodge to the left, but he was still hit by a massive force that slammed him into the wall.
The impact was so loud that it triggered a chain reaction in the quiet dormitory.
The hallway lights flickered on.
"What happened?"
It was the voice of the dormitory administrator, Krische.
As soon as Krische spoke, both ghosts vanished without a trace.
Li Xiang rubbed his back, feeling a sharp pain.
"Nothing! I was just experimenting with some magic," Li Xiang called out. He didn't want Krische involved in this matter. If the Clock Tower took over, he doubted he would be able to help much, and his mission evaluation might suffer, making it less likely he would receive the full reward.
"Experiments should be conducted in designated areas!"
Krische sounded a bit angry. "Since you're a new student, I'll let it slide this time. But if you do it again, I'll have to dock your credits."
"I understand. It won't happen again."
Li Xiang looked at the mess in his room with a headache. Fortunately, the damage wasn't too severe, just some peeling paint on the walls.
He gazed at the spot where the ghosts had disappeared, immediately thinking of detection magic.
Detection magic was one of the most basic types of magic, with similar versions existing in many magical systems.
You could find spells like this in any library.
Li Xiang glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was exactly four in the morning.
Suppressing the urge to go straight to the library, he cleaned up his room, picked up the bed sheet, and lay back down to sleep.
After a restless two hours, Li Xiang jumped out of bed as soon as the clock hit six, signaling the library's opening.
He hadn't really slept after the ghost attack, as the incident left him too uneasy to rest. He also worried that the ghosts might come back for a second round.
Each department had its own library, and the Modern Magecraft Department's library was located in a building at the crossroads just before the main teaching building.
It was seven stories tall, but as a regular student, Li Xiang could only access the first three floors.
Upon entering the library, Li Xiang found it to be structured like a typical academic building. A spiral staircase faced the main entrance, with corridors on either side leading to the first-floor reading rooms. Further back were the stairs to the second floor.
What he was looking for was on the first floor.
Room 101: The Basic Magic Section.
Li Xiang headed down the left corridor and found a massive reading room near the stairs.
The room stretched so far that it was difficult to see its end.
Ten rows of densely packed bookshelves extended deep into the room.
Li Xiang quickly located the librarian.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for some detection magic," he asked.
A young woman with long black hair looked up from her desk. "What kind of magic are you specializing in?"
Li Xiang scratched his head. "I haven't decided yet. Do you have any general-purpose detection magic?"
"Yes, Chaos Magic. You'll find it on the seventh row, tenth shelf."
"Thank you."
After a slight bow, Li Xiang walked into the sea of bookshelves.
Chaos Magic, as the young woman mentioned, was a hallmark of the Modern Magecraft Department. It was a blend of various magical traditions, and you could find elements of many different systems within it.
"Here it is."
The Basics of Chaos Magic.
Li Xiang flipped through the book, finding the section on detection magic.
It wasn't complicated, only taking up a single page in the book.
He carefully read through it, skipping unnecessary background information and memorizing the one-syllable incantation and the spell's Magic Circuit.
In modern magecraft, the power of a spell was represented by its syllables, divided into ten levels, with one syllable being the first level. Spells with more than ten syllables were rare.
Most basic spells were one syllable, allowing them to be cast quickly, almost instantly, but with limited power. The more syllables, the stronger the spell, but also the more magical energy required. Such spells usually couldn't be cast with just the caster's own magical energy; they required magical tools or barriers to execute. The lengthy incantation times made these spells impractical in combat unless you had the High-Speed Divine Words skill.
For larger spells, as seen in the Fourth Holy Grail War, someone like Kayneth might preemptively convert a specific location, such as a temple, residence, or hotel, into a workshop. Fighting within this area would provide substantial boosts to the spell's power.
---
Side Quest 5: Generated... Mastery of the Basics
Quest Description: The simpler a spell is, the more useful it can be in both combat and everyday life. Master at least thirty one-syllable spells.
Quest Duration: Unlimited.
Quest Reward: The first Primordial Rune.
Quest Progress: 0/30.
---
Li Xiang paused as he heard Irigal's voice, then looked at the system text.
"What does it mean by the 'first Primordial Rune'?"
[There are eighteen Primordial Runes. They can be used individually or in combination. If you master all eighteen, you'll have full control over the Rune Magic system.]
Li Xiang began to ponder. He understood what Irigal was suggesting.
Every accomplished magus had their own specialized magical system. Some inherited their family's specialty, like Rin Tohsaka's Jewel Magecraft or Zouken Matou's Manipulation Magecraft. Others chose their path, like the many commoner magi at the Clock Tower, where the twelve departments generally represented twelve major magical systems.
In the Modern Magecraft system, the most commonly used magic was Chaos Magic, such as the one employed by Flat, one of the "Twin Pillars" of the El-Melloi classroom.
If nothing unexpected happened, Li Xiang would likely choose Chaos Magic.
But now the system was offering him another option.
Primordial Rune Magic was undeniably powerful. In the hands of Scáthach, it was almost omnipotent.
Primordial Runes required specific mediums to channel their power, as they were divine creations. But on the flip side, the Runes were like magical tools that could be prepared in advance.
Li Xiang remembered that Aozaki Touko had once prepared a staggering 100,000 Rune inscriptions for battle.
"So, will future quests help me collect all the Primordial Runes?"
[Yes.]
"In that case, I'll specialize in Rune Magic." Li Xiang made his decision right then and there.