Night fell.
In her dorm room, Carrie was still tirelessly working on her spell model.
Although Mentor Lucian had been helping her perfect the model, Carrie felt that since she was the one who needed this bow-enhanced version of Scorching Fire, it was up to her to refine it. Determined to make progress on her own, she spent the night in intense concentration.
"The Scorching Fire spell attached to an arrow needs to be more stable…" Carrie's eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, but her mind was alert. Her desk was scattered with papyrus covered in scribbled symbols, and broken bows and damaged arrows littered the floor around her.
"This time, it has to work!" Carrie looked at her latest sketches, feeling a surge of confidence.
She grabbed her bow and arrows and headed to the training grounds, drawing her bow and mentally constructing the adjusted Scorching Fire model.
The sulphur powder and ambient magical elements gathered at the arrowhead. Unlike the previous gel form, this new version was more solid, resembling a ghostly blue amber.
She released the arrow.
It flew swiftly, striking the target with a small explosion upon impact. This time, rather than merely burning, the fire's force unleashed a controlled detonation.
"I did it! I did it!" Carrie cheered, raising her arms in excitement. At that moment, exhaustion and sore muscles were the last things on her mind.
...
The next morning, Lucian found Carrie asleep on the training ground, clutching a large rock with her bow still in hand.
Lucian shook his head, his face darkening slightly. He could only imagine what this little troublemaker had been up to the night before.
Reckless! Despite the academy's security measures, absolute safety wasn't guaranteed. For Carrie to sleep outside with no protection showed an alarming lack of caution.
Sighing, Lucian gave her a gentle nudge with his foot.
"Mmm…" Carrie groaned, groggily opening her eyes. As she recognized Lucian, she relaxed, letting her head droop back down.
"Up!" Lucian, unimpressed by her lack of concern, nudged her again, this time with a bit more force.
"Ow…" Reluctantly, Carrie sat up, only to find Lucian pinching her ear.
"Do you know how dangerous it is to sleep outside?" Lucian scolded, though his tone softened when he saw tears forming in Carrie's eyes. "Alright, let's get back to it—"
"Lucian, I did it all on my own!" Carrie puffed out her chest, pride shining in her expression.
"Good… huh?" Lucian blinked, surprised.
Carrie gave him a playful wink, then drew her bow and began constructing the spell model.
In moments, an arrow infused with Scorching Fire materialized. She released it, and it flew toward a boulder acting as a target, detonating on impact and leaving a visible crater on its surface.
"Energy output is approximately 25-35 pawas," Lucian estimated, assessing the crater. While slightly weaker than the standard Scorching Fire II, the arrow variant had a much greater range, making it a balanced trade-off.
"Impressive, very impressive." Lucian applauded, not holding back his praise.
He opened Carrie's progress panel and saw that a new section had been added alongside Scorching Fire II.
[Scorching Fire Arrow]
In the system's teaching framework, Scorching Fire Arrow was considered a branch of Scorching Fire II. This meant that to unlock the upgraded versions of both spells, the mastery of Scorching Fire II would need to reach 100%.
However, this didn't bother Lucian too much. This arrow-based spell was a better fit for Carrie than for him.
Carrie, meanwhile, was basking in Lucian's praise, a satisfied smile on her face. Her late-night efforts felt thoroughly rewarded, and she closed her eyes with a contented sigh.
[Your student Carrie feels deep reverence for you. +5 Reverence Points]
"So, Carrie, are you ready?" Lucian asked, his eyes conveying encouragement.
Carrie gripped her bow tightly, nodding with determination.
...
"Try lowering the power slightly, or it'll be hard to collect the beaks afterwards." Lucian gave her a final piece of advice as they set off on the mission again.
Carrie nodded, instinctively patting her bow and quiver.
Lucian glanced at her—a bow slung across her back, a quiver at her side, and clad in light armour. She looked nothing like a traditional wizard apprentice and more like a small, spirited ranger.
"Oh well, I'm not exactly a traditional wizard myself," he thought, rubbing his chin with a wry smile.
Almost at the same location as before, they soon spotted another Blood Crow.
Without needing a reminder, Carrie crouched down and crept forward, slowly drawing her bow.
Whoosh—
The arrow sliced through the air, reaching the Blood Crow in a flash.
A small explosion followed, and the crow's body fell from its perch with a pitiful squawk.
Staring at the fallen Blood Crow, Carrie was momentarily stunned before turning to Lucian with a look of joy.
[Your student Carrie has mastered Scorching Fire II. Choose an upgrade path for the knowledge!]
[Your student Carrie has mastered Scorching Fire Arrow. Choose an upgrade path for the knowledge!]
Two system messages appeared simultaneously, making the smile on Lucian's face even brighter.