CH296 Learning Without Borders

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"I came up with a number of improvements to my Rune-Tech Platform while I was away. War really is the best forge for honing one's practical capabilities." Alex smirked. "That said, most of them are just minor trinkets. Only three advancements are truly worth your attention."

"After completing the fusion of my bloodline and manifesting a True Name for it, I discovered that several limitations which once restricted my Rune-Tech magic and platform had been lifted. That alone paved the way for two major breakthroughs."

He paused before continuing. "The first is that I realised I no longer need to chant at all. With Rune-Tech—and my memory—I can completely discard the chant method that ordinary mages rely on. As long as I've seen the spell cast before, can recall the spell formation, understand or deduce its effects, then I can replicate the spell directly. No chanting required."

"Remember the goblin spell I said fascinated me?" Alex asked.

Merlin nodded.

Alex waved his hand, and a complex spell formation materialised. It activated instantly, placing the goblin [Shield] spell onto Merlin.

The Legendary Mage could have resisted, but chose to let it settle upon him.

"This is indeed fascinating." Merlin tested its effects with keen interest. "It generates a shield that is magical, physical, and to a limited extent, psychic. What's more, it fuels itself by drawing upon the target's own reserves—whether mana, internal energy or otherwise."

"It has great utility for beings with vast energy pools whose natural defences are focused only to one particular area of defence," Merlin observed.

"Exactly." Alex nodded. "So, if you use it on a drake—creatures renowned for their overwhelming physical defence—then their relatively large mana pool could be redirected to bolster magical and psychic defence as well. Fighting one would become an even greater nightmare."

"Indeed… and to think this originated from goblins." Merlin stroked his beard.

"That irony is why I believe the spell is flawed." Alex countered.

Merlin's eyes glimmered with agreement. "Yes. Most goblins can't sustain the energy cost for long. Worse, since the shield draws upon the target's energy, every defence mounted by it reduces their ability to strike back. For a weak race like goblins, it cuts their combat-staying power far too significantly.

"In essence, the spell makes the strong, stronger—and the weak, weaker. A poor fit for goblins, whose survival hinges on conserving every scrap of power they can muster."

As expected, Merlin caught the direction of Alex's thoughts.

"I take it you wish to refine the spell since you went out of your way to learn it?" the older mage asked.

"Indeed, I do." Alex confirmed without hesitation. "I've already identified two points of improvement. First, the energy source. As you noted, beings with smaller energy reserves—like goblins, and frankly most humans—suffer when the shield drains their own power. It would be far better if the spell drew from an external supply, such as ambient mana."

"Secondly, the spell should be adaptive. In its current form, the stronger the target, the greater the benefit. That isn't ideal for a shield spell. If reworked to run on ambient energy, the formation could be tuned to prioritise weaker targets over stronger ones within that limited pool. That way, protection goes where it is most needed."

"A realistic modification," Merlin evaluated, stroking his beard. "That would turn it into a proper battlefield spell—one designed to keep more soldiers alive, rather than simply making elites harder to kill."

His sharp gaze narrowed slightly. "But from how you describe it, this doesn't sound like a single-target shield. Can it, by chance, be used on multiple targets at once?"

"Yes, exactly. That's why I find it so fascinating." Alex smiled faintly. "Most multi-target spells below Grade 7 rely on wide area-of-effect constructs due to limitations in the likely user's Spiritual Force, Mental Energy, and mana. But this goblin [Shield] spell is different. It actually succeeds in multiple point targeting. In battle, that means you can shield specific allies without worrying about accidentally wasting protection on the wrong targets."

"Is that so?" Merlin's eyes lit up.

It wasn't that such capabilities were unheard of. As Alex pointed out, this level of precision usually only appeared in advanced grade spells which were wielded by mages with already immense Spiritual Force and mana pools, where multi-point targeting was already the norm.

For a lower-grade spell to achieve such an effect was… noteworthy.

Alex dismissed the spell formation floating above his hand and shifted to instead project the same spell formation from the holographic projection screen of his Beta Bracer. His hands moved deftly across the light construct, isolating several rune-clusters within the array.

"The secret lies here. These components—what I call the [Link] components—are what allow the spell to chain multiple points."

Merlin leaned forward slightly. Being the ancient scholar he was, his knowledge of runes was vast. With Alex's clear highlighting of the structure, it didn't take him long to see how the pieces meshed together. The design was primitive yet ingenious, and the way it had been adapted for goblin use sparked an unusual glint of interest in his ageless eyes.

Alex cleared away the cluttered and protective junk runes embedded in the formation, isolating the essential [Link] components so that anyone with decent rune knowledge could recognise their function.

Without this, the components would be buried too deeply to discern at a glance.

"I see," Merlin murmured. "The spell comes with a preparation requirement. Either the caster marks the targets ahead of time, or there needs to be a condition that distinguishes them from the rest of the potential crowd of targets.

"The latter works well in scenarios where the distinction is obvious—say, in a battle of races, humans versus goblins. One can designate all goblins or all humans as the valid targets. The former, however, applies when the intended recipients are not so easily told apart. By pre-marking allies, the caster avoids the mental and spiritual strain of identifying them on the fly amidst the chaos of combat."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Such a simple solution to a seemingly complex problem. Almost embarrassing that it's not more widespread."

"My thoughts exactly." Alex allowed himself a small laugh. "That's why I extracted this trick and adapted it into other constructs—including the faux Grand Array Formation I deployed during the territorial war against the Kellermans."

Both master and student exchanged a glance, realising they had drifted deep into dissecting a single goblin spell.

Alex coughed lightly to redirect the conversation.

"This breakthrough would never have been possible without the restrictions on my Rune-Tech being lifted. I don't know the goblin tongue, but by observing the spell formation and understanding its effects, I was able to replicate it.

"That," he finished with a small smile, "is the first advancement of my Rune-Tech."

Merlin nodded slowly. "A worthy advancement indeed." His tone turned reflective, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Every race has its once-in-an-era geniuses—individuals who create solutions with the potential to change civilisation itself. Yet, because of barriers in language or culture, these solutions often remain trapped within their race, their true potential left unrealised."

He sighed and shook his head.

Turning back to Alex, he said, "You once claimed that the foundation of your Rune-Tech was built on the shoulders of giants who came before you. With this, you are no longer limited to the giants of your own kind—or even to those whose tongue you understand."

"Exactly." Alex's eyes glinted. "That's why I consider it a major leap forward. And the fact that I no longer need chants means I'm free from the speech-bound limitations that restrain other mages."

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