Published at 16th of February 2024 2:22 pm

Chapter 58. A Good Mentor Need Not Be Perfect

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“The gods weren’t satisfied just making our lives miserable. They meddled in other dimensions, too. When planewalking mages attempted to help them, the locals mistook them for gods, too. It wasn’t the worst thing ever. The people of these realms jumped at the opportunity to reproduce with individuals they mistook as the divine. As a result, arcane blood populated their worlds and gave them a chance to rise above human limitations. These realms are still in grave danger of attracting the remaining gods’ ire, but they now have mages and heroes to fight the good fight.” - Daniel Das, Keeper of the Vedas, Planeswalker, Essence Eater.

“You’re a keen scholar, an accomplished alchemist, and a talented mage,” Kris said. Nox had waited for the professor outside of her class. Her Stealth, Concealment, and Illusion class had a surprising number of students in it. Nox didn’t think so many delving mages built their systems around the concept. When it ended, Louis brushed passed, looking everywhere but at Nox. “However, not everyone will appreciate what you do or how you do it. I wasn’t there to hear how Professor Lorenzo said whatever he did or gauge his intention, but you’ll need to accept such friction, especially in the field of academia.”

“I get that but—”

“I’m not going to force you to take any of his courses. To be fair, Lorenzo’s style of defensive magic might not be well-suited for you. He favors conjuring heavy immovable defenses or reactive spells. Your mana system and zone aren’t well suited for such magic without significantly draining you. Given the uniqueness of your star, it was hard for me to judge what would function well with it. I’ll take responsibility for the unfortunate pairing. I’m sorry."

"Don't get me wrong, Professor. It's not that the course was pointless. I'm more than happy with my layered pyramid defense. It will only grow stronger as my star and planet grow. I can add more sides to it as time goes on. It's an excellent deterrent against ranged and mana-fuelled attacks. However, I feel Professor Lorenzo's strict parameters and my capabilities are incompatible. My second defensive spell is far too expensive for his standards. Caitlin produces the same thing but weaker at a more acceptable cost. I can't make a more reliable low-cost defense unless my mana zone grows and I get a Manipulation planet."

"So, what would you like to do?"

"I feel the course has given me the foundation for what I need to develop personal defenses," Nox replied. "I've looked up the other classes Professor Lorenzo teaches, and I feel they're not well suited for my mana zone or mana system. I'd like to pursue more Finesse Shaping and Beginner Essence Manipulation next semester and continue to develop my defenses independently. My available essence glass will also determine what defenses I utilize, so perhaps Battle Enchantment or Live Spell Weaving will help in that department, too."

"You realize you're expanding your course load, right? You need Intermediate Dungeon Theory for your adept license and Advanced Dungeon Combat to eventually get the expert. The latter needs you to have a minimum of the adept rank, of course, but given how quickly you and Lillin are growing, I don’t see that being an issue.."

"I expected as much. I foresee at least five modules with more combat, dungeon theory, spell weaving, Shaping, and Manipulation. It's still less than my load from this semester."

"That might be true, but you're underestimating the difficulty that'll accompany more advanced spell weaving and Finesse Shaping," Kris said. "I'd rather not discourage you, Nox. Your determination and ambition are admirable. I can't imagine launching a company while simultaneously developing new realms of arcana."

"I know how to compartmentalize, Professor. Alchemy relaxes me. I'll be sure not to burn myself out."

"That's fine. However, I'd like you to attend at least some of Professor Lorenzo's lectures. I understand your blood might be boiling right now, but it's best to maintain decent relationships with the department staff. You never know when or why you'll need them. Don't burn any bridges."

"Yes, Professor." Nox sighed. “I suppose I can use the class to practice my shaping.”

Kris approved of his final spell form and advised him to continue practicing with the new planet. The less concentration basic Shaping needed, the less strain his mind would suffer. The mana cost for making arrowheads and vials wouldn't change much, but speed and fluidity would improve the drain during shield creation or anything else Nox designed in the future.

Discussing the matter with his mentor helped calm Nox and ease his frustrations. Nox came to a realization. No one outside the Gedges and their people had ever put him down for his crippled magic circuits. The guards and thugs they sent after him on the Golden Isles just beat him and moved on. After coming to Woodson University, Nox felt his skill and talent were valued by people outside Mou and her husband. Professor Lorenzo’s words and tone had struck a chord.

Nox met his party and the Woodson siblings for dinner just after the fifth bell. Their excitement over his new planet and encouragement helped push aside negative thoughts. Then they made plans for delving on Fifthday.

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Nox’s profits had grown over the past couple of weeks. It wasn’t enough to fund the next semester, but Annabelle was receiving returns on her investment, Pudge got paid for his time, and he had funds for delving, too. The party agreed that Nox deserved ten percent more of all profits because of the time and coin he invested in preparing brews for them. They didn’t know that he received all of Lillin’s money, too—except what she spent on clothes and drinking with Pudge—and he let them live in ignorance. They’d probably discover the truth sooner or later, but Nox didn’t feel obliged to go into details.

Everybody took on new responsibilities for the expedition. Since Lillin was a journeyman and Michelle an adept, they had access to the dungeon below the city. However, because of the variance in rank and experience, they wouldn’t get to delve deep enough to earn a profit or gain good experience. The upper levels only had a handful of boss-ranked monsters, and they were all highly contested.

Fortunately, Annabelle’s deep pockets and the Oakheart family connections meant she could grease palms and gain intelligence on the rifts that opened around the city. She accepted the responsibility for finding a target and ensuring no one else got to them first. The party agreed not to attempt anything more challenging than a journeyman rift. Going any higher would be far too dangerous. They needed more adepts or a first-circle expert like Kris on their team before daring to take on such a challenge.

Meanwhile, Michelle planned to spend the next few days adapting Ernest’s physiology for the expedition. The enemies the party faced in Intermediate Dungeon Combat were on the high-end of journeyman. Professor Wolfhammer dedicated over a hundred mana to the hammer-wielding man and a couple of dozen to the wolves. He didn’t need a lot of adjustment. Michelle planned on adding more protection around his phylactery and back. She hoped to prepare the monstrous weapons and organs hidden in his body, too. Ernest hadn’t used them all semester, and they needed fine-tuning to adjust to his current dimensions.

Nox dedicated all of his time to alchemy—Noxian Brews had so many orders he doubted the rest of the semester would be enough to fulfill them—and the subject he had neglected the most over the past handful of weeks: Intermediate Mana System Theory. He had ignored the early contents of the module and only focused on the subject of essences. Now, they were moving on to Binary Star Systems. It was the topic that interested him the most.

“There is no natural way to create a second star,” the professor said, drawing a helix on the blackboard. A star floated inside each loop. “We most commonly find them in powerful summoners. Once their bond with their partner gets powerful enough, the contracted entity shares a part of their magic with the mage. If it's potent enough, the power might manifest as a star. It might give the mage direct access to an entirely new field of magic or might fuse with an element of their current core concept to birth something new.

“Some of you already know Professor Wolfhammer. Others will eventually meet him if you pursue delving as a future career. He’s given the staff permission to use his mana system as an example.” The professor drew a hammer. “Professor Wolfhammer made a covenant with an ancient divine weapon. Its previous owner died before the university's founding during the Great Divine War. Initially, it allowed the summoning of multiple copies, which empowered the wielder. Most mages contracted to inanimate objects build planets dedicated to Manipulation and Animation. Professor Wolfhammer understood his contracted partner and didn’t do that. Instead, he sought out spirits and bonded with them. They became the wielders of his hammer.

“Eventually, the weapon recognized the summoner’s dedication and gifted him with a mote of its power, which blossomed into a new planet. Professor Wolfhammer might not use it in class, but he now has mastery over snow and stone. Shaping it lets him adapt the battlefield to benefit his party and summons.”

“What about the second type, Professor?” a student asked.

“You mean when the essence combines with a core to create something new? There aren’t many examples of the variety. The few individuals with the gift keep their cards close to their chests. I suppose we can use one of the famous Woodsons descended from the druid who gave us Ygg. The family is open about their mana systems. So, I’m sure they won’t mind us discussing it.

The professor sketched a tree. “Eddard Woodson built his system around the growing and manipulating of plans. He Shaped them into grand defenses and structures. Many of which still populate the campus and the city. At some point during his development, he decided he wanted tree golems. So, he befriended a nature spirit and dedicated a planet to their relationship. By the time he approached the second circle of the Expert rank, their bond was so close the entity wanted to gift him a mote of its true power. Edward Woodson accepted it without a second thought. They’d become good friends, after all.

“Much to his surprise, the concept of life and his star’s focus of Tree Friend combined. Instead of a planet, the union birthed a second star. It created the concept of tree elementals. There aren’t a lot of records detailing how he utilized them, but some of his descendants inherited the secrets to the star. I believe one of them is a student in the dungeon studies department now. They wear the summoned tree elemental like a suit of living armor.”

Nox had often wondered how Caitlin created her living armor. Now he had a rough explanation. It also left him questioning the possibility of creating a second star. He doubted the same would be possible with Otis. The little gremlin had little to offer. However, if he befriended a decent spirit, elemental, or magic beast in the future and dedicated a planet to them, it was possible he’d gain a second star, too. Nox had no idea what that would entail, but he hoped it would grant him enough power to stand a chance against Sundarshahar. In the meantime, he needed to grow his mana zone which meant ascending to journeyman.

Nox hoped the upcoming delve would help him achieve his goals. He felt optimistic about his progress thus far. He had grown by leaps and bounds in just under three months. No one knew that Lillin had a lot to do with the sudden increase in his star’s maximum mana level. Nox wondered whether they could safely do the same. It wasn’t just a matter of finding the opportunity for his friend to consume a Rift Lord. They would need to explain any jarring improvements to the party and Kris.

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