Previously, constrained by tight finances, Gaode had never gone to purchase Magic Formulas.
After all, the time he needed to construct Magic Models was incredibly short, so there was no rush. A little delay wouldn’t affect anything.
But now, having completed the [Mountain Patrol] mission, he had suddenly obtained a "massive sum" of 51 Gold Coins. Gaode couldn’t hold back anymore.
He planned to buy a few more Magic Formulas to further expand his Magic Library, while also accumulating his Magic Amount for a possible "Super Specialization."
The Elder Mage took Gaode’s identity nameplate and scanned it on the Alchemy Machine.
"Ten credits... A new student enrolled this year, I presume?" He glanced at Gaode, then pulled a sheet from a stack of parchment on the table and handed it over. "This is the list of Magic you can purchase with your current credits."
At Cyrus Academy, it wasn’t just the academy facilities—even "paid knowledge" required credits to purchase.
And to buy Magic Formulas at the academy, the minimum credit requirement was 10.
Fortunately, Gaode had earned a 5-credit reward during his enrollment mission; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to spend his money even if he wanted to.
Gaode took the parchment and browsed through it.
The Magic listed on the parchment were all 0th Ring Magic, but there were quite a few. At a glance, there were about thirty of them.
Most of the Magic Gaode had already mastered were also on the list.
Compared to the Mage Association, the Magic Formulas offered by the academy were far superior in both quality and quantity.
At the very least, the list included many Damage Magic, unlike the Mage Association, which only sold Magic Formulas for functional utility.
Gaode first eliminated the Magic he already knew, finding that there were still eleven options left to choose from: [Fire Control], [Dancing Light Technique], [Light Technique], [Spark Skill], [Divine Guidance Skill], [Dancing Wind], [Lightning Attraction], [Earth Shaping], [Primordial Barbaric Strike], [Water Manipulation], and [Fire-Burning Skill].
He pondered for a moment and eventually chose seven Magic Formulas from the list.
First were the four Transformation Series Tricks that manipulated the four major Elements of Nature: [Dancing Wind], [Earth Shaping], [Water Manipulation], and [Fire Control].
Next was the [Divine Guidance Skill], which he had secretly sworn to obtain the Magic Formula for the very first time he saw it.
Now that he saw it here, it was naturally a must-choose.
Finally, there was the Strong Damage Magic, [Lightning Attraction], and the Lighting Magic he would inevitably need in the future, [Light Technique].
"Are you sure you want to select this many Magic Formulas all at once?
"The academy generally doesn’t recommend that new students learn Magic first, because once your Mage Level is higher, learning Magic becomes much more efficient.
"Before reaching Third-class Mage Apprentice, it is more worthwhile to focus your time and Energy on your courses and cultivation," the Elder Mage advised with a frown, seeing Gaode pick out seven Magic spells in one breath.
Although he wasn’t an academy instructor, he oversaw the second floor of the Library and interacted with students year-round, making him half an instructor himself.
"I’ll buy them first. Whether I learn them or not depends on if I have the Energy and time," Gaode replied, coming up with a casual excuse so as not to disrespect the Elder Mage.
"I see..." Seeing Gaode put it that way, the Elder Mage had no reason to persuade him otherwise. "Seven 0th Ring Magic Formulas. The flat rate is six Gold Coins each."
The price was identical to the Mage Association’s.
"Is there no discount?" Gaode asked instinctively.
"If your credits exceed 50, it would only cost you five Gold Coins each." Surprisingly, there really was one, but Gaode simply didn’t meet the requirement.
"All right." Gaode honestly counted out 42 Gold Coins from his recently earned 51-coin reward and handed them over.
After receiving the money, the Elder Mage stood up and entered one of the closed book vaults in the back.
A moment later, he reappeared, holding seven beautifully bound booklets.
They were exactly the seven Magic Formulas Gaode had requested. The bottom-left corner of each booklet bore the crest of Cyrus Academy.
"Your Magic Formulas." The Elder Mage handed the seven booklets to Gaode.
After hurrying back to his dorm with the seven newly purchased Magic Formulas and some fruit drink ingredients he had bought along the way, Gaode first brewed the Leakless Water fruit drink following the same process as last time.
Then, he walked into the Meditation Room on the second floor, took out the Magic Formulas, and eagerly opened them to read one by one.
[Divine Guidance Skill] (Prophet, 0th Ring):
Cast this Magic on a chosen target to temporarily and slightly improve its performance in an upcoming skill or craft.
This includes but is not limited to: lockpicking success rate, archery accuracy, item crafting success rate, and more.
Gaode was already quite familiar with the Divine Guidance Skill.
Of course, after attending several classes of [General Magic (0-3 Rings) Recognition], Gaode actually knew a great deal of Magic now. He was no longer the ignorant novice he once was.
In short, the Divine Guidance Skill was a highly useful functional Magic that could be applied in almost any scenario.
Although he didn’t know exactly how effective it would be without specific testing, having it was definitely better than not.
[Fire Control] (Transformation Series, 0th Ring):
Target a non-magical flame occupying a 5-cubic-foot area within your line of sight and range, then affect it in one of the following ways:
Instantly cause the flame to spread 5 feet in one direction, as if there were wood or other fuel in the new location.
Instantly extinguish the flame within that space.
Double or halve the bright and dim light radius created by the flame, and/or change its color. This alteration lasts for one hour.
Cause the flame to form a simple shape—such as the blurred image of a creature, a stationary object, or a location—which appears within the fire and animates as you desire. This shape lasts for one hour.
If you cast this Magic multiple times, you can have up to three non-instantaneous effects active at once, and you can dismiss any of them at any time.
[Dancing Wind] (Transformation Series, 0th Ring):
At a point you can see within range (60 feet), you seize control of the air, forcing it to produce one of the following effects:
A Medium or smaller creature of your choice is pushed a certain distance, depending on its own strength.
You create a small blast of air capable of moving an object that is neither held nor carried and weighs no more than 5 pounds. The object can be pushed up to 10 feet away from you. The force generated is insufficient to cause damage.
You use the air to create harmless sensory effects, such as making leaves rustle, blowing shutters closed, or making your clothing flutter in the breeze.
[Earth Shaping] (Transformation Series, 0th Ring):
You choose a pile of dirt or a rock occupying a 5-cubic-foot space that you can see within range (60 feet). You can alter it in one of the following ways:
If you target loose soil, you can instantly excavate it, making it travel along the ground and depositing it up to 5 feet away. The force of this movement is insufficient to cause damage.
You alter the shape and/or color of the dirt or rock, writing words, drawing images, or carving patterns. This alteration lasts for one hour.
If the targeted dirt or rock is on the ground, you can cause the terrain to become difficult. Alternatively, you can cause an area of already difficult terrain to become normal. This alteration lasts for one hour.
If you cast this Magic multiple times, you can maintain up to two non-instantaneous effects simultaneously, and you can dismiss any of them at any time.
[Water Manipulation] (Transformation Series, 0th Ring):
Target a body of water occupying a 5-cubic-foot space that you can see within range. You can manipulate it in one of the following ways:
Instantly create or alter the flow of the water in a direction of your choice, shifting it up to 5 feet in any direction. The force of this movement is insufficient to cause damage.
Cause the water to form a simple shape and animate according to your will. This alteration lasts for one hour.
Change the color or opacity of the water. The water must be altered entirely. This alteration lasts for one hour.
Freeze the water, provided there are no creatures within it. The ice melts within one hour.
If you cast this Magic multiple times, you can maintain up to two non-instantaneous effects simultaneously, and you can dismiss any of them at any time.
These four Tricks could manipulate the four common Nature phenomena—Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire—and were all highly practical Magic.
According to the instructor in the [General Magic (0-3 Rings) Recognition] class, it was recommended to either not learn these four Magic spells at all, or to learn all of them together.
Gaode had paid close attention in class, so he selected all of them in one breath.
[Light Technique] (Shaping Series, 0th Ring):
You touch an object no larger than 10 feet in any dimension to cast this Magic. Until the Magic ends, the object emits bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
The color of the light is up to you. When the object is completely covered by something opaque, its light is blocked.
If you cast this Magic again or wish to dismiss it, the current instance of the Magic ends.
Both the Light Technique and the Dancing Light Technique were Lighting Magic, but there were significant differences in their functions, effects, and usages.
The Light Technique made a specific object glow like a torch, thereby illuminating the surrounding area.
The Dancing Light Technique, on the other hand, was much more flexible and versatile, allowing the Caster to create multiple light sources within a certain distance.
These light sources could manifest as torches, lanterns, or glowing orbs that hovered in the air and could be moved around.
It seemed the Dancing Light Technique was a bit more practical.
But the Light Technique also had its own merits.
It lasted much longer, capable of remaining active for hours, and provided stronger illumination. Furthermore, it could act as a marker—for instance, if he managed to cast the Light Technique on an enemy’s clothing or equipment, the opponent would have no choice but to either strip off their gear or remain helplessly marked.
After careful consideration, Gaode felt that the longer-lasting Light Technique might ultimately be more practical.
Of course, once he had the money, Gaode would inevitably acquire the Magic Formula for the [Dancing Light Technique] sooner or later.
Finally, there was the Strong Damage Magic, [Lightning Attraction].
[Lightning Attraction] (Shaping Series, 0th Ring):
You create a whip of lightning Energy to strike a creature you can see within range (15 feet).
Depending on its own strength, the target will be pulled a certain distance toward you in a straight line. If the target is pulled within 5 feet of you, it will take lightning damage.
If the target is already within 5 feet of you, it will take lightning damage regardless of whether it is pulled closer or not.
Mage Falon had once said in the [Magic Application and Combat] class that mastering Magic of various damage types was one of the most fundamental requirements for becoming a qualified and powerful Combat Mage.
Because there were so many types of Earth Vein Creatures, if one only specialized in one or two types of Damage Magic, it would be easy to find themselves heavily countered or unable to exploit an enemy’s weakness.
Even in internal conflicts among Mages, the concept of elemental countering existed.
In the world of Mages, especially for Combat Mages, one had to be an all-rounder.
Therefore, upon seeing the [Lightning Attraction]—a lightning-type damage spell he had yet to master—Gaode selected it without hesitation.
After reading through the seven Magic Formulas, Gaode grabbed a pen and paper, started setting up a Cartesian coordinate system, and quickly converted the nodes of the seven Magic Models into corresponding coordinate arrays. This would facilitate his rapid "modeling" later on.