Ch. 26 - The Mage Armory

"Meditation is incredibly important to ancient mages -- as we all know, mental strength is fuelled by the soul and our soul is the foundation for mages to cast magic," he explained. "This means that the mage's power directly correlates to the mage's mental strength, so meditation is important for a mage to cultivate and recover their mental strength."

James referred to his notes, and continued his lecture, "In ancient times, meditation was rigid. Mages practised it cautiously, and only a few people dared to innovate, think outside the box. Ancient mages were weak because of this -- if we still adhere to ancient standards, I'd be a mage by now."

"Today, this has completely overturned. The innovators dared to try again and again and became strong, and meditation fell out of favour. They discovered that everyone's 'meditation' differs."

James finished his explanation, then tapped on the podium. A ray of light projected a screen, and Adam couldn't feel any energy fluctuations from it. He predicts that it is a product from alchemists, and it worked similar to a 3D projector.

Sure enough, a set of nine runes appeared on the screen.

James stepped aside, and pointed to the first rune, "Everyone knows this rune -- the mental strength solidification rune."

The apprentices nodded.

"This, and the other eight runes, are the foundation of all meditation methods for mages. These runes were developed by the Great Archmage, Prometheus -- a brilliant mind, he created these while he was still an apprentice. This is universally regarded as the strongest runes used for meditation, and the first rune is free for all mages to use."

James then manipulated the ray of light, combining the nine runes together, forming a complex 3D structure.

"This set of runes are called the Basic Meditation runes, but it was once called 'Prometheus' Mage Armour' and true to its name, shields the soul of a mage. After completing this set of 'armour', one can make this armour become denser by cultivating themselves. Even Great Archmages practice this today."

"The biggest advantage of meditation is how compatible it is -- when you accumulate more knowledge, you can have your own unique set of runes, and you can alter it without any adverse effects."

"Now, its main function is to familiarise apprentices with rune construction, but do not underestimate its power. This 'armour' is key for mages to traverse through different dimensions, as it shields the soul from otherworldly, unexplained threats."

"This armour is integral to every single mage."

Adam memorised the form of these nine runes carefully, and couldn't help but admire the Great Archmage Prometheus. Thanks to his innovation, they are able to break free from traditional norms.

James paused, letting the apprentices digest this information before continuing, "In your first year, this class guides you to build your own method of meditation. I will not guide you since only you can figure out what rune set works for you. If there are any problems, consult me and perhaps I can help you stabilise your runes."

"Every month, I will give each of you free guidance -- any more visits and you need pay me."

To conclude the class, James asked, "We'll only be meeting once a week, but I'll leave this projection here for your own reference. Any questions?"

James is just asking out of formality. He was sure that they wouldn't want to waste their budget of one-question-a-month.

While the class was happening, Adam had already successfully constructed a few prototypes of 'armour' in his head, and is very interested in the class, so he didn't hesitate to ask,

"I would like to ask a question, Mr James."

"Are you sure?" James looked at Adam suspiciously. Did he really want to waste his one question already?

The other apprentices looked at Adam, some even mocking him.

Randy whispered to the group, "Look at how arrogant he is. Sooner or later, he will pay. I hate show offs."

Ophelia frowned; she didn't want Adam to ruin their future because of his arrogance.

Crystal wanted to defend Adam, but remained silent.

"Yes," Adam replied.

"Okay then, come with me," James had no reason to refuse, since it was his job anyways. Besides, he receives a fairly generous salary, and teaching apprentices is a good way of improving himself to become a mage.

"I sure hope he doesn't have any stupid questions, though," James thought. If Adam asked anything stupid, he would project his question to the public -- not to shame him, but to send a message for apprentices to not waste his time.

Adam followed James to another building, where James had his own laboratory. James motioned Adam to sit, and asked, "Ask away."

In mage culture, conversations are direct and quick to the point, so Adam quickly said, "What is the method of constructing runes using our own knowledge?"

James answered, "I'm impressed, but you aren't at the stage of learning that yet. You must know that you have not even successfully constructed your own form of basic meditation."

Adam knew that simply asking wouldn't suffice, so he conjured a set of runes in front of James and formed it into a complete set of armour, and placed it in his soul.

James was stunned at the scene before him. With what he knew, Adam was a new apprentice, and it wasn't easy to simply construct a set of runes and form it into armour. Even senior apprentices face difficulty while doing, but a new apprentice was able to do it!

He grabbed Adam's hands and asked, "How long did it take you to fill the crystal ball during the qualification test? Did the crystal ball inform you of any affinities that you are drawn to?"

Adam looked at him weirdly, unsure why James was hurrying him.

James smacked himself in the forehead and got up from his seat and scurried away. He returned with a crystal ball, "Quickly! Try it."

Adam remained silent and looked at him quizzically, and James reassured, "Do not worry, this is a normal crystal ball to gauge your power. Try it."

Adam trusted James. In mage culture, there was no need to hide anything.

Adam placed his hands on the crystal ball -- unlike the qualification test, he didn't need to 'inject' his mental strength into the ball. This crystal ball was different -- it syphoned his mental strength, so Adam didn't need to put any effort.

It lit up instantly, and the light instantly blinded both of them. Shielding his eyes, Adam noticed there was a numerical display on the crystal ball, which kept rising. It eventually stopped at 100+.

James looked at Adam and the crystal ball, and exclaimed, "You're great! This is amazing!"

Adam let go and asked, "Mr. James, what is this?"

James snapped out of his admiration, and looked at Adam as if he was a precious gem, "100+... dear Prometheus, I can't believe it! Do you know the implications of this?"

"Obviously not."

James picked up the crystal ball and walked circles around Adam, "This crystal ball is an advanced product of the talent tester, and it accurately depicts the total amount of mental strength in you," he continued. "The value of each unit represents the initial mental power of an apprentice with the most basic mage qualifications, and its upper limit is 100. My Prometheus, you exceeded its upper limit!"

Adam wasn't that surprised, really. He knew deep in his heart that, if mental strength is equivalent to the power of his soul, then devouring all 10 billion souls from Earth meant that he could be considered a god in this world.

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