"You missed a class! How is it? Can you keep up?"
Charlie handed over a stack of sketches from his desk.
Narl laughed, still a bit smug, and casually flipped open one of the drawings.
The course assistant, a sweet girl, took a step forward, peeking in curiosity, her mouth dropping open in astonishment.
In the center of the white paper was a pattern composed of a single line twisted repeatedly, representing the magical array for area fear. The lines were winding and intricate, seemingly reflecting Charlie's emotions as he drew, and the ink-soaked tip of the pen effectively showcased the depth of the pattern, bringing the magical array to life on the page.
Reaching this level was already perfect; during the whole class, only apprentices who also studied art could barely achieve a resemblance, but they could not express the intricacies in the weight and fluidity of the lines.
How could it be so precise?
Narl was puzzled, comparing the image in his mind to the sketches he held. Aside from being different in size, the lines contained not a single error; the scaling was so perfect that if he were to nitpick, he could only find a few minor points where the strokes showed some stiffness, indicating places where the ink had to be reapplied.
This was illogical!
Narl blurted out, "Charlie, have you studied sketching?"
If Charlie denied it, that would only confuse Narl further.
"I studied for a few years," Charlie replied, "but I haven't practiced recently, so my hands are a bit rusty."
In fact, Charlie's drawing skills were the result of a combination of his chip's enhanced memory and agile muscle control. To further refine his skills, he needed extensive practice until he deeply understood and mastered form, structure, characteristics, rhythm, and flow, finding a sense of art while moving away from dependence on calculation and precise control.
Moreover, thanks to the chip, he required much less practice time compared to ordinary people to achieve the same results.
Narl chuckled, "I forgot you come from Haines. Haines City is the artistic capital of the empire. It seems your father has been quite strict with you!"
Hearing this praise, Charlie could only smile awkwardly, relieved that the teacher was unaware of his reputation in Haines.
Narl flipped through the subsequent sketches, all maintaining a high standard, and it was evident that each one showed improvement, with increasing skill. The final sketch not only depicted the magical array but even attempted to illustrate a gradient halo with varying shades of fine lines, giving it a subtle aura.
Narl took a deep breath. "Not bad; you have some foundation. Your greatest strength is precision! I've never seen such accurate strokes in my years of teaching. No apprentice has ever achieved this level—it's comparable to many seasoned masters. At your young age, having such talent is something to be proud of.
Precision is a prerequisite for becoming a magical rune carver.
However, your strokes still have some stiffness. When facing more complex magical arrays, these flaws will be magnified, and the failure rates will increase exponentially. You must refine this skill and practice more; it's very important."
"Okay," Charlie nodded, then asked, "Teacher, what is a magical rune carver?"
At this question, Narl had a brief moment of distraction as he gathered his thoughts and slowly said, "A magical rune carver is a profession that has transformed the magical landscape of the Vagrant continent. They are creators of miracles, changing the structure of the continent. To understand its origins, we must go back over two hundred years."
Charlie sat up straight, listening carefully to Narl's exposition. "Two hundred years ago, the magical civilization of the Vagrant continent was still in its infancy. At that time, the church was the most powerful force, ruling over everything. Any secular power had to bow to the church, and kings could only exercise their authority after being crowned by the pope. That era was the pinnacle of theocracy, referred to by the church as the 'Glorious Age.'
The background is simple: led by Kroze the Dark Blade, the Vagrant pantheon gathered nearly 85% of the believers on the continent. Numerous churches emerged, with the Church of the Holy Blade being the largest. The church not only plundered the wealth of believers but also brutally persecuted non-believers. Countless souls were wrongfully judged as heretics during those years.
In the Glorious Age, learning magic was considered a taboo.
The church feared the power that people could wield through magic, terrified that absolute force could be shattered by magic. They launched frenzied persecutions against magicians and violently suppressed magical institutions.
However, the extreme nature of theocracy began to reveal its negative consequences; those who prided themselves as the representatives of the gods became increasingly corrupt and reckless, their actions increasingly absurd. Many secular powers grew weary of and resisted the theocracy.
Democracy is the voice of the people; no one wanted to be a puppet of the church, nor did anyone desire to remain perpetually beneath others.
As secular forces intervened, magic circulated in secret underground, transmitted through the master-apprentice relationship. The tradition of apprentices in the Arcane Circle pays homage to ancient magicians, continuing the practices of that era.
Back then, there was no such thing as elemental magic, nor were there the various types of equipment, magical jewelry with different functions, or alchemical potions we see today. For an apprentice to become a genuine magician with a certain level of combat power was incredibly challenging!
It wasn't until the first magical rune carver appeared that the history books failed to record who the first user of runes was. Certain techniques gradually became known, and the utilization and transformation of tools by magical rune carvers became commonplace.
Ordinary arrows engraved with 'explosive runes' could be filled with enchanted oil made from a blend of oil and powdered energy crystals, increasing their power by dozens of times.
A wizard's branch, engraved with 'clarity runes,' combined with several magical guiding arrays and embedded with a magical crystal from a magical beast, became a qualified staff.
Energy jewelry with intricately carved 'current runes,' when combined with suitable array patterns, could create magical jewelry with equipment skills.
With the existence of auxiliary tools, the power of magicians continually increased, and magic became more widespread.
Magical runes also spawned many professions: enchanters, scroll makers, jewellers, weapon smiths, equipment masters, and so forth. Runes brought immense added value to these professions.
Moreover, runes are a new system outside of the belief system, despised by the gods, and thus were not utilized by the church. As magical rune carvers continued to permeate every aspect of life, the power of magicians grew stronger, leading to the establishment of magical guilds, enabling the magician community to gradually have the capital to confront the church head-on.
It wasn't until a hundred years ago that a peak battle occurred, in which several legendary mages clashed with Kroze and his gods in a cataclysmic battle, resulting in mutual destruction. The plane's chief god, Kroze, fell into a deep slumber, while several legendary mages also perished one after another.
Since that battle, the church had to acknowledge the status of the magical guild. Under pressure, the higher-ups from both sides signed a peace treaty, with the church relinquishing most of its interests, strictly regulating its clergy, and abolishing many unreasonable clauses.
From then on, the 'Glorious Age' ended, and the post-magical era began. You apprentices are fortunate to enjoy the fruits of the efforts of the sages, born into a peaceful era." Master Narl outlined the historical grievances between the church and the magical guild over the past few centuries, clarifying the role that magical rune carvers played in history.
Charlie finally began to grasp some little-known truths that differed somewhat from what he had heard from Master Ron. It was likely that some lower-level secular forces, under the church's blockade, had not realized the true reasons for the church's compromise, nor did they know that the chief god Kroze had been in slumber for a hundred years due to injuries.
Charlie carefully considered and picked up on some key phrases. He asked, "What is a legendary mage?"
Upon hearing this name, Narl sighed and said, "Legendary mages are beings far beyond the level of great magisters, possessing the power to explore the infinite cosmos, wielding strength comparable to that of deities. They can move mountains and fill seas and are also the sages of the Arcane Circle; the current Archmagi are their disciples and descendants."
"Do the Archmagi possess the strength of legendary mages?"
Narl shook his head and responded, "Not even close. Currently, there are no legendary mages in the Arcane Circle, which is unfortunate. We are quite worried; if the Vagrant pantheon revives, the shadowy age from centuries ago may return. After all, with the endless power of belief from the mortal realm supporting them, the revival of the chief god is just a matter of time."
At this point, the topic became somewhat heavy, and Narl seemed to bear a significant sense of responsibility.
Narl paused for a moment and said, "Since you have the talent to become a magical rune carver, my expectations for you will be stricter. I will assign you some daily tasks: one magical array drawing per day. As long as it meets the standard, you can move on to the next one.
If you master over 100 magical array drawings, I will teach you the next step, whether it be scroll drawing, enchanting, or
magical rune carving. All of these are very valuable skills. They not only allow you to earn points but also facilitate your understanding of spell models. You have no objections to this, right?"
Charlie beamed, "I couldn't ask for more!"
Seeing his positive attitude, Narl was quite pleased. He laughed, "It seems Anthony has given you quite a bit of leeway! Didn't he assign you any homework?"
Charlie shook his head, "The teacher is busy with his own research and hasn't taught us anything so far. He doesn't have time to manage us; we're basically left to our own devices."
"Absolutely irresponsible!" Narl slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang, startling the assistant. "I think he's fallen into a magical delusion! It's strange that anyone could achieve results with that mindset!"
After a pause, Narl asked, "Does he not know that you and Peter have a life-and-death battle at the end of the year?"
"Of course he knows."
Narl scoffed, "Given his current approach, it's as if he doesn't care at all!"
Charlie sighed, "Perhaps it's a matter of being willing but unable. After all, he doesn't have the level to engage in this kind of confrontation."
Narl nodded slightly, saying angrily, "During this period, stay away from him. Come to my magic tower instead. Whenever I have time, I'll help you catch up. If he tries to find you, I'll deal with him!"
Charlie felt a surge of gratitude and asked, "Won't this put you in a difficult position with the teacher? Will it go against the basic rules of the Arcane Circle?"
Narl contemplated for a moment. "Don't worry. I won't break ties with him; there's no need for that. I believe he will give me some face."
"Alright."