MTLNOVEL Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Measuring Strength
Whoosh!
Inside the sorcery testing room, as Lynn muttered the incantation in Wizard Script and guided his spiritual energy, the fire element factors began to arrange and combine in a specific order.
Each syllable of the incantation acted like a precise gear, triggering the power of the world.
With the guidance of his spiritual energy, the fire elements gradually coalesced in his hands, forming the pre-cast animation of the Fireball spell.
Boom!
Lynn suddenly pointed at the dummy.
In an instant, a fist-sized fireball formed in the air, letting out a sharp whistle like an arrow piercing through the sky. It shot toward the dummy with a scorching aura.
Kaboom!
The fireball collided with the dummy's chest and exploded violently.
The intense flames instantly spread, engulfing the dummy almost entirely.
The explosion's radius extended over two meters, with flames surging and scattering in all directions. A wave of heat instantly filled the testing room.
Lynn squinted slightly as the sudden wave of heat hit him, but his heart was filled with a mix of excitement and exhilaration.
Although the room wasn't very large, the heat from the Fireball made him feel as if the entire space had been consumed by scorching flames.
"Maybe I'm not skilled enough. The preparation time for the spell alone took over twenty seconds…"
Lynn chuckled softly to himself. Though he was slightly dissatisfied with the imperfections in his spellcasting, a satisfied smile still lingered on his lips.
Even though the Fireball spell wasn't executed perfectly, he had already deeply felt the wonder and allure of sorcery.
"Spiritual energy is like a lever, allowing one to pry open the energy factors hidden within the world. The power unleashed is truly astonishing."
He took a deep breath, marveling inwardly at how captivating the power of sorcery was.
"A single Fireball, and how could any mortal body withstand it? Even a body as strong as a knight's couldn't endure the instantaneous impact of the explosion."
Lynn's thoughts quickly returned to the essence of the Fireball spell.
The power of the Fireball's explosion wasn't just in the initial violent impact but more so in the subsequent continuous burning.
If a mortal body were unfortunate enough to be hit by this, they wouldn't only suffer the intense pain of the initial explosion but also endure the relentless burning of the flames until their energy was completely drained.
"The essence of sorcery is to harness the energy of the world. How could a mortal body withstand such powerful forces that naturally exist in the world?"
As his thoughts flowed, Lynn turned to look at the scale tablet.
The surface of the tablet, which had been blank, now showed a subtle change.
"1.5 Degrees, roughly equivalent to the explosive damage of one and a half Flame Stones…"
Lynn pinched the bridge of his nose, a bitter smile flashing in his heart.
While the result was gratifying, it also made him acutely aware of his limitations. The spiritual energy he could currently use barely met the minimum requirement for casting the Fireball spell.
In other words, as a newly promoted second-level wizard apprentice, even if he pushed himself to the limit, he could only cast five Fireball spells at most.
However, the reality was far more complicated than he imagined.
Because within Lynn's spiritual domain, there was still that powerful seed of life Yfgríd.
It was this seed that occupied the majority of his spiritual energy, leaving Lynn with only 20% of his spiritual energy available for spellcasting.
This meant that the spiritual energy Lynn could freely use was only enough to cast one Fireball spell.
"The power of sorcery is closely tied to the amount of spiritual energy. After all, the more spiritual energy one has, the more energy factors one can harness. If I were to use 40% of my spiritual energy, the power of this Fireball might reach three Degrees."
Lynn's eyes flickered as he pondered inwardly:
"Of course, I've only just been promoted to a second-level wizard apprentice, and my spiritual energy is still accumulating. As my meditation deepens, my spiritual energy will grow stronger. By then, using 20% of my spiritual energy might allow me to cast multiple Fireball spells."
He took a deep breath. After confirming the power of the Fireball spell, he turned to check the time display on the door. Seeing that he still had enough time, he decided to test his other abilities.
His current arsenal wasn't extensive, but it wasn't lacking either.
The two zero-circle basic sorceries could be ignored for now. He still had the offensive Fireball spell, the defensive tool given to him by his mentor "Heart of Floral Language" and the desperate measure of Yfgríd.
"Let's test the Heart of Floral Language first."
Lynn's gaze fell on the table beside him. The tablet's panel had an option to switch modes, allowing the dummy to take on various forms.
He touched the panel, switching it to attack mode.
Then, Lynn activated the Heart of Floral Language badge hanging on his chest.
Rustle!
As the badge activated, colorful flowers suddenly bloomed around Lynn. The petals gathered and spread like shimmering light spots, forming a solid barrier resembling a petal eggshell.
The flowers were delicate and dense as if growing in mid-air, completely enveloping Lynn's body and creating a perfect protective net.
In an instant, Lynn seemed to transform into a giant egg made of flowers, standing quietly in the center of the room.
At the same time, the dummy began to prepare its attack. Its eyes shot out two blazing pillars of fire, which surged toward the flower barrier almost instantly.
Boom! Boom!
The pillars of fire struck the flower barrier violently. The scorching flames collided fiercely with the colorful petals, and the sound of burning became a low rumble.
Lynn felt an intense wave of heat, but thanks to the protection of the Heart of Floral Language, he didn't suffer any direct harm.
On the tablet, the scale began to rise slowly, showing the increasing power of the dummy's fire pillars as they tested the defensive capabilities of the Heart of Floral Language. Lynn watched the scale intently, holding his breath.
As the fire pillars continued to burn, the scale quickly climbed, approaching fifty Degrees.
"Fifty Degrees, it's getting close…"
Lynn's heart raced. Suddenly, he noticed that the flower barrier was becoming unstable. The edges of the petals began to char, and the luster of some flowers started to dim.
Finally, as the scale approached fifty Degrees, the barrier emitted a faint cracking sound.
"Shut it down!"
Lynn hurriedly turned off the dummy's attack mode, and the barrier stopped collapsing.
The air was filled with the scent of scorched flowers and a faint burnt smell. The Heart of Floral Language barrier had barely held, but it was nearing its limit.
"The Heart of Floral Language can withstand sorcery attacks of over fifty Degrees! This is truly a powerful defensive enchanted item!"
Lynn was quite satisfied with the defensive capabilities of the Heart of Floral Language. Finally, he decided to test the desperate effect of Yfgríd.
The disparate effect of Yfgríd could unleash the 80% of spiritual energy that had been occupied by the seed of life, creating a powerful defensive effect.
"If we calculate based on the conversion ratio of the Fireball spell, 80% of my spiritual energy should be able to produce six Degrees of damage or defense."
Lynn thought silently, focusing his mind. He gently pricked Yfgríd, triggering this powerful effect.
At the same time, he activated the dummy's attack mode, preparing to test Yfgríd's defensive capabilities.
In an instant, the seed of life within Lynn's spiritual domain seemed to twist and rapidly expand.
A surge of vibrant green energy erupted, spreading around Lynn and forming a green, armor-like shield.
Unlike the Heart of Floral Language, which confined him to one spot, this green armor granted Lynn greater freedom of movement.
It even made him feel lighter and faster, with his reflexes noticeably sharper than usual.
Lynn's figure darted swiftly, easily evading the dummy's fierce attacks as if he were teleporting.
"This is an all-around enhancement!"
Lynn's heart leaped with joy. He was about to move again when he suddenly remembered that he was in the most basic sorcery testing room. He shouldn't move around recklessly, as it might affect the test results.
So, he stopped, steadied himself, and leaned against the stone wall, patiently waiting for the scale to change and preparing to shut down the dummy's attack at any moment.
"If it's purely defensive, it should be around six Degrees. But with this all-around enhancement, the defensive power will be somewhat weakened."
Lynn quickly calculated in his mind, keeping a close eye on the scale that was constantly fluctuating on the stone wall.
The scale rose slowly from one Degree, two Degrees, three Degrees, all the way to four Degrees, five Degrees. The armor remained stable, showing no signs of collapsing.
Lynn began to feel a hint of surprise: "The defensive power is still this strong!"
When the scale approached six Degrees, the armor finally showed subtle signs of instability. The green light on its surface flickered, and small cracks began to appear.
Lynn acted swiftly, immediately shutting down the dummy's attack mode. His heart was filled with joy:
"The conversion rate of Yfgríd's desperate effect is so high! Hahaha, this is truly astonishing!"
He couldn't help but laugh, his smile spreading across his face.
However, as the effect of Yfgríd ended, his laughter suddenly stopped. He felt a wave of intense dizziness, and his vision went dark.
Lynn's limbs went weak, and the chaos in his spiritual energy made him lose control. His body felt as if it had been drained, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Lynn's arms braced against the floor as he gasped for breath:
"This… this is… the side effect of 'desperation'?"