Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Final Day

After spending this period in close company with Antinoia, Zhao Xu had come to understand one crucial truth. Whenever Antinoia uttered a term unfamiliar to him from his past life, it invariably signaled an astoundingly powerful specialty. He could almost hear the prompt, “Congratulations, you’ve gained a new cheat.” Who would have thought that, before leaving the novice village, he could still reap another reward from Antinoia?

Antinoia then began to describe the effect of this specialty—

[Specialty: Versatile Spellcaster
Prerequisite: Ability to cast spells spontaneously.
Effect: Use two spell slots of the same level to cast a known spell of one level higher.]

“Spontaneously? Known?” Zhao Xu was puzzled. “Mentor, isn’t this a sorcerer’s specialty?”

“That’s right. This was originally designed for sorcerers,” Antinoia replied softly.

Zhao Xu exhaled. No wonder it required spontaneity.

Sorcerers, despite sharing the same—sometimes even broader—arcane repertoire as wizards, could never quite match them. Their limitation lay in the narrow selection of spells woven into their bloodline, with only a handful per level, scarcely sufficient for the myriad of circumstances encountered.

Yet sorcerers could cast spells spontaneously; they could freely unleash any of their known spells without preparation.

“Mentor, wizards must prepare spell slots; they don’t possess spontaneous casting,” Zhao Xu corrected, though a daring guess stirred within him. Could Antinoia somehow grant him the ability to cast spontaneously? That would elevate him from wizard to archmage.

Each wizard spent their days contemplating which spells to prepare for the adventure ahead, sometimes reduced to selecting only the most commonly used spells in hopes they would suffice.

“You do have the ability to cast spontaneously,” Antinoia said, conjuring ritual materials as she spoke.

“Mentor, I can’t possibly take a level in sorcerer, can I?” Zhao Xu replied, noting that both his dual elite paths were already occupied at level one. Any further class could only be added after reaching level two.

“You youngsters, you never bother to thoroughly review your character sheets,” Antinoia chided.

Zhao Xu hurriedly scanned his sheet, and his eyes widened as he spotted his cleric abilities.

“I see a spontaneous casting ability, but it only allows me to convert any divine spell into a healing spell,” he said, uncertain.

“That’s how it works, but it still meets the prerequisite for spontaneous casting,” Antinoia explained. “Since the Cataclysm, many rules have changed. Now, a cleric’s spontaneous casting ability suffices for this specialty.”

“Most wizards don’t have dual elite paths—only a single class—so they rarely take a level in cleric, and thus hardly ever discover this loophole.”

Antinoia was already using a pen crafted from mysterious materials to inscribe the ritual array onto the ground.

Zhao Xu finally understood. Some things remain unknown until someone attempts them. Even with a library of specialties laid before him, he might have missed this treasure entirely.

After a while, the ceremony was complete. Zhao Xu sat at the critical star position. Antinoia lit incense and began chanting behind him.

As the fluctuating chant echoed in his ears, Zhao Xu felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. His head nearly drooped, but the sudden shift in posture jolted him awake.

He glanced around; Antinoia had already erased the ritual markings.

“How long was I asleep?” Zhao Xu asked, his throat parched as if he’d slept for ages.

“Not even a full round,” Antinoia replied. “Sorcerer specialties often work this way. You’ve already acquired it.”

Relieved, Zhao Xu thought how wonderful it would be if all specialty skills could be gained so easily.

Suddenly, he realized, “Mentor, does this mean I can now use second-level spell slots?”

According to the specialty’s description, he could expend two zero-level slots to cast a first-level spell, or two first-level slots for a second-level spell. And, like a sorcerer, he could freely choose which spell to cast.

This was the freedom he sought.

“That’s correct, but you don’t know any second-level spells yet, so you’ll have to use it for metamagic,” Antinoia said. “And don’t get any clever ideas—it can’t be used to fulfill advancement requirements. The Cataclysm hasn’t shattered Arthur’s rules that much.”

Zhao Xu nodded, a little disappointed.

Antinoia promptly handed him a small booklet. “Take this. It’s your remaining specialty. You’ll have to learn it yourself; there’s no ritual awakening for this one.”

Zhao Xu took it and saw it was written in Draconic—“Enduring Spell Specialty and How to Prepare Metamagic Spells.”

It was the invincible specialty that could make a spell last an entire day.

But even if he mastered it, it would be useless for now; enduring a zero-level spell required a sixth-level spell slot.

“Mentor, learning this won’t help me—I won’t be able to use it until level eleven,” he protested.

“Just take it. You can’t use spell quickening or spell maximization either; you don’t have the slots,” Antinoia instructed. “This booklet is important. When you get home, drip a drop of your blood on it. The text will then only appear for you.”

“But the writing will only display once, so if you don’t memorize it, don’t turn the page. Turning the page erases the previous content. The last section includes knowledge on how to prepare spells with specialties—read it yourself.”

Zhao Xu carefully noted Antinoia’s instructions. This was his first time encountering such a special magical booklet.

He would practice the metamagic specialty later, even if it was currently unusable. Antinoia wouldn’t mislead him.

From her tone, it was clear he wouldn’t have to wait until level eleven—he might not even need to wait that long. It was just as well to avoid a deficiency.

“All right. Congratulations, you’ve completed your studies as a wizard,” Antinoia suddenly breathed out.

Zhao Xu was stunned; it had been less than half an hour since he arrived. Did this mean he could leave the novice village already?

He had expected to spend another week studying here, and nearly missed his cue.

He had planned to linger, hoping to glean more insider information.

“The remaining skills can be improved gradually during your adventures.”

“‘Final Scroll’ organization member, secret inheritor ‘Midsummer’—as your mentor, I now assign you your task,” Antinoia said, her tone solemn.

“…”