Looks like I need to learn magic.
How do I go about learning it?
According to Aira, as long as someone casts a spell, he can analyze it. Once the analysis is complete, he'll be able to master that spell. So, he needs to find someone to learn from.
His gaze then fell on the still unconscious Leona.
He sighed.
She's still unconscious, and there's no one around. Looks like I'll have to wait.
But he didn't get discouraged. "First, I need to find something to eat!"
He headed into the forest, foraging for edible plants. Then, he went to the river and caught some stone crabs and even managed to grab a fish.
[Spawning Fish: A female spawning fish that, when in danger, shoots out its unfertilized eggs to divert the predator's attention. It is a non-magical creature with delicious meat, and the male of this species is called...]
"Stop right there! This fish is weird!" Zhang Ye said, looking at the spawning fish that resembled a catfish. Though he was disgusted, he had no choice—he still had to eat it.
Aside from that, there wasn't much else to find. Perhaps due to the magical fluctuations from Leona, no wild beasts or magical beasts were around. So, for now, his food supply consisted of the edible plants from the forest and the fresh catches from the river.
He still didn't dare venture farther out.
As Aira had said, although he now had magic, his rank was just the lowest tier, a secondary rank. His magic only allowed him to shine and slightly enhance his physical strength. It had no other uses. If he encountered a first-tier magical beast, he would be in trouble.
Content, Zhang Ye returned to the cave and made a pot of soup with mushrooms, wild vegetables, and the river fresh. He first fed Leona the soup, talking to himself as he did: "If she drinks so much, is she going to have to pee soon? I hope she doesn't wet herself."
Aira replied, "…Your focus is very strange."
"Don't worry about that. A mage's magic will eliminate the food waste in their system, so the stronger the mage, the less they need to go to the bathroom."
"Only eat, no need to poop? That's way too overpowered!" Zhang Ye marveled.
Aira: "…"
After feeding Leona, Zhang Ye and Gu Jiu also had their fill. Then Zhang Ye began his training.
He needed to reach the first rank as soon as possible. Once he reached that, his magic would condense into magic bullets, and he'd have some basic self-defense.
Given his speed, by the afternoon, his body flashed, and he opened his eyes.
"Nice, I made it to
first rank!" Zhang Ye exclaimed, throwing a punch in excitement.
Then, he opened his palm, and a faint light emanated from it. A small white sphere of light about the size of a marble formed in his hand.
"Go! Kamehameha wave!" Zhang Ye struck a ridiculous pose, then shot the magic bullet forward. It flew at a moderate speed before hitting the rock wall, exploding with a sound like a firecracker. A small white mark appeared on the wall.
"Eh, that was weak," Zhang Ye scratched his head.
Aira said, "Of course it's weak. You're only at the first rank. When you reach the Saint Rank, a magic bullet condensed with all your magic could destroy a city of a hundred thousand people!"
"Really that strong?" Zhang Ye asked in surprise.
"Of course. But magic bullets are just the most basic form of magic. When it comes to true magic, its power is several, even dozens of times, hundreds of times stronger than a magic bullet!"
"But magic bullets have their advantages. You don't need to chant, guide, or draw magic circles. You just need to condense magic, and it's very simple."
"So, in mage battles, magic bullets are also a very effective way to attack."
"Basically an auto-attack, right? I get it," Zhang Ye nodded.
Aira couldn't help but chuckle at his direct and simple understanding, but he wasn't wrong. Using a magic bullet was akin to a mage's auto-attack, like a swordsman's swing or an archer's shot.
"But, other mages have elemental affinities, while yours doesn't." Suddenly, Aira looked at the glowing hand of Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye froze and asked, "What do you mean by 'elemental affinities'?"
"Think of it like fire, water, earth, wind, light, dark, lightning, ice... Every person's physique is different, so their elemental affinity is different. Some people are naturally more attuned to fire, so their magic tends to lean towards fire. Others may have a high affinity with water, so their magic leans towards water…"
"Before reaching the third rank, mages can learn magic of all elemental types. This helps them quickly enhance their understanding of magic. But after the third rank, mages must focus on one element, learning magic specific to that element to grow faster and become stronger."
"But you're different. Your magic has no element."
"So…" Zhang Ye stroked his chin, "If my magic has no element, and with my magic analysis ability, does that mean I can learn any type of magic without having to specialize in just one, but instead specialize in multiple?"
"Mastering all elements?"
Aira blinked. "...You really are a little genius!"
He nodded helplessly. "That's exactly right."
Zhang Ye grinned. "So, even though most people with non-elemental magic can learn magic of all elements without conflict, due to things like learning efficiency, time, and talent, they usually can't master all elements. They can at best master multiple elements."
"But with the system's help, once I analyze a spell, I'll be able to fully master it. So, my non-elemental magic makes me a true all-element mage. I won't be restricted by elemental weaknesses!"
"Plus, leveling up will improve my body and mind. I'll be well-rounded in every way. I'll be a man without any weaknesses!" Zhang Ye said enthusiastically.
Aira sighed, "...Right."
"Ha ha ha, I knew it! I'm the protagonist!" Zhang Ye laughed heartily, thoroughly pleased with himself, even feeling like giving himself a thumbs up.
"By the way, I'm at the first rank now, does that mean the copy slots are unlocked?" Zhang Ye asked.
"Yes," Aira nodded. "At the first rank, two copy slots are unlocked."
"You can copy the skills of anything that has them, and after copying, you can analyze the skill. Once the analysis is complete, you can directly master that magic."
"Can it really work like that?" Zhang Ye's eyes lit up with excitement, and his gaze shifted to the still unconscious Leona.
Without a second thought, he activated copy and checked the skill panel.
[Metal Solidification: Secondary Rank Magic, solidifies metal into a block. Its power is negligible and it can be used for shaping.]
[Water Orb: Secondary Rank Magic, condenses a drop of water. Its power is negligible and it can be used for drinking.]
[Spark: Secondary Rank Magic, condenses a spark. Its power is negligible and can be used for ignition.]
[Light Orb: Secondary Rank Magic, condenses a light orb. Its power is negligible and can be used for illumination.]
[...]
Zhang Ye was stunned by the long list of secondary rank magic spells.
"So... I can only copy magic of the same rank or lower?" he asked.
Aira nodded. "That's right, but it's not just limited to secondary rank magic. You can copy any magic that the target knows, no matter their rank."
"Let me clarify something."
"[Analyze] itself has no rank limitation. As long as the person casts a spell, and you see or sense it, you can directly analyze it, regardless of the rank."
"But if the person hasn't cast it, you'll have to use the [Copy] ability to analyze their magic. This is called—[Copy and Analyze]."
"[Copy] and [Analyze] have no limits."
"But [Copy and Analyze], for now, can only analyze magic of the same rank as yours."
"Right now?" Zhang Ye caught the key point.
Aira nodded. "Yes, right now. When your rank increases, [Analyze and Copy] will allow you to analyze and copy magic of higher ranks than your own. But that won't happen until you reach the fourth rank. The fourth, seventh, and Saint ranks are milestones."
"Of course, this applies to living beings. If the magic is stored in a book or staff, as long as it's within your perception range, you can analyze and copy magic of any rank."
Zhang Ye nodded in understanding.
[Copy] and [Analyze] are two different concepts compared to [Copy and Analyze]. He had to keep that in mind.
He then asked, "So, if the target casts a much higher rank spell than mine, I can still copy and analyze it directly, right?"
Aira replied, "Yes, but analyzing it will take time. Whether you can cast it after copying is another matter. Some high-rank magic requires far more magic power than you can handle right now, and there are other limitations. If your rank is too low, you won't be able to cast it."
Zhang Ye nodded seriously, "Then I'll just focus on leveling up!"
He checked his first rank magic.
[Metal Shaping: First Rank Magic, condenses metal and allows for shaping of metal. The metal's hardness is low, and the power is very weak.]
[Wood Vine: First Rank Magic, summons a vine for whipping or entangling. The vine's toughness is low, and the power is very weak.]
[Fireball: First Rank Magic, condenses a fireball for short-range attacks. The power is very weak.]
[Light Condense Orb: First Rank Magic, condenses a light attribute magic sphere for short-range attacks. The power is very weak.]
"Well, 'very weak' is still better than 'negligible,'" Zhang Ye said, feeling a bit better.