Translator: CinderTL
Because Roland had once asked Mr. Bronson for lessons in trickery, the scholar had demonstrated Flame Arrows for him on multiple occasions.
But Mr. Bronson's Flame Arrows were merely feeble sparks, no larger than a knuckle, that flickered at his fingertips.
To be honest, Roland's observation was that their power was even less than that of a regular fire arrow.
Yet the Flame Arrow he had just cast was entirely different.
Not only did it form a palm-sized, scorching fireball above his fingertips, but its power was...
Roland's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the shore.
The massive reef that had once stood tall was now shattered into countless fragments by the explosive flames.
Tiny pebbles, tossed by the waves, washed onto the beach at his feet, shimmering like scattered stardust in the sunlight.
"Why such a vast difference?"
Before he could unravel this mystery, a searing pain ripped through his mind.
It felt as if someone were slowly and cruelly splitting his skull open with a dull axe.
His vision warped abruptly, the world around him dissolving into murky, oil-painted hues.
Waves, reefs, and sky all twisted into blurred blocks of color.
A sharp, piercing buzz filled Roland's ears, as if countless tiny needles were stabbing his eardrums, completely drowning out even the roar of the waves.
"Ugh..."
Unable to suppress a groan of pain, Roland stumbled and collapsed onto the beach, his fingers digging deep into the damp sand to steady his swaying body.
But the ground seemed to tilt endlessly, each breath sending a throbbing pulse through his temples.
A metallic, rusty sweetness rose from the depths of his throat, and cold sweat streamed down his back, soaking through the linen lining of his robes.
"Can't... pass out..."
Roland bit through the tip of his tongue. The metallic tang of blood briefly jolted his consciousness awake, and sweat continued to drip down his forehead.
By this desperate measure, he managed to fight off the encroaching darkness and prevent himself from completely losing consciousness.
He didn't know how long it took, but eventually the world around him began to sharpen, and his senses gradually returned to normal.
"Hah..."
Roland pushed himself up slightly with his hands, then lay back on the beach, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.
Having experienced the effects of activating his [Focus] ability before, he quickly recognized his current state: mental power exhaustion.
He slowly raised his palm, holding it before his eyes for careful examination.
The lingering heat from the exploding fire arrow still seemed to burn on Roland's fingertips, and the question that had been nagging at him resurfaced in his mind.
"The runes are correctly inscribed, and the method of absorbing Magic Elements is correct... Could it be that Mr. Bronson's spell pattern etched onto the skeletal remains is flawed?"
The moment this thought surfaced, Roland dismissed it.
"No... When I tested this Magic Element absorption pattern yesterday, I only felt slight discomfort. There were no signs of mental power depletion at all."
After a moment of contemplation, a sudden realization struck Roland.
He immediately summoned his Job Panel and focused his gaze on the Traits section.
[Furnace Heart: Significantly enhances fire affinity and dramatically increases fire resistance.]
"Could it be that the fire affinity granted by Furnace Heart caused the fire arrow's power to surge just now?"
He recalled the scene of casting the fire arrow.
The dense fire elements had gathered around his fingertips like docile cubs, playfully swirling and clustering together.
This unusual affinity immediately sparked a theory in Roland's mind.
Feeling his spirit partially restored, Roland pushed himself up from the beach and reached into his pouch for two Energy Potions, which he downed in quick succession.
As the throbbing pain in his temples gradually subsided, he slowly stood up and cast Light, Mending, and Mage Hand in succession.
The three tricks flowed smoothly, without any anomalies.
Light conjured a soft sphere of light around him, dispelling the darkness far more effectively than a torch.
Mage Hand materialized mental power through runes, allowing him to manipulate objects remotely. Its strength was directly proportional to the caster's mental power.
Mending worked similarly, repairing damaged items to varying degrees depending on the mental power invested.
These tricks were identical to those taught by Bronson and consumed very little mental power.
Roland estimated that with his current mental power, which was close to 5 points, he could cast these tricks a dozen times in a row before feeling fatigued.
"It seems the abnormal power of that Fire Bolt must indeed have been due to the Furnace Heart's affinity for fire..."
Recalling the astonishing destructive force of the Fire Bolt, Roland couldn't help but feel a surge of longing.
But after a moment of calm reflection, he shook his head with a sigh.
"Though its power is astonishing, the mental power consumption is simply too extravagant. It can only be used as a last resort, or..."
Roland carefully recalled the sensation of his mental power being rapidly drained, his brow furrowing deeper.
"I could try controlling the output of my mental power, keeping the consumption within a manageable range. This would enhance the spell's power without completely depleting my mental reserves with a single fire arrow, leaving me unconscious."
Having made up his mind, Roland held his breath and focused his mind, attempting the spell again.
With his previous experience, the Magic Element resonated smoothly with the runes etched in his Consciousness Shoal.
In an instant, a crimson light burst from his fingertips.
As before, a steady stream of fire element flowed through the white skeletal remains. The tiny spark of flame, initially no larger than starlight, gradually grew into a blazing, radiant glow.
However, during this process, his mental power began to drain rapidly once more.
"Tsk!"
Feeling a sharp pain in his temples, Roland gritted his teeth and consciously began to regulate his mental power output.
Under his deliberate control, the rate of mental power depletion gradually slowed, eventually stabilizing.
The fire element gathering at his fingertips also reached a manageable level.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, a fireball shot forth.
Because Roland had controlled his mental power output, this fireball was only the size of an egg, and its power was significantly reduced.
Though Roland was still teetering on the brink of mental exhaustion, he at least maintained a clear mind.
"It seems this approach is viable!"
Watching the sea surface, disturbed by the fiery arrow but quickly returning to calm, Roland's lips curled into a faint smile.
This successful experiment immediately sparked a flurry of new possibilities in his mind.
For instance, by precisely controlling his mental power, he could reduce the power of each individual shot while increasing the casting frequency.
With this idea in mind, Roland immediately plunged into another round of practice.
However, the results were far from ideal.
Fine-tuning mental power control proved far more challenging than he had anticipated.
Even as the sun began to set, he still hadn't achieved the desired effect.
"Ah, well."
Gazing at the shattered rocks on the beach, remnants of his fiery arrows, Roland sighed deeply.
"This can't be rushed. I'll have to practice gradually. For now, my top priority is to complete the Juggler class's requirement of casting a hundred spells."
"But it's getting late. I'll continue tomorrow."
Watching the sky darken, Roland suppressed his mental fatigue and mounted his horse, slowly riding towards Far Ocean Port.
The next few days passed uneventfully.
However, Roland noticed that King Monen's frequent strolls through the streets had drawn a flood of admirers to Far Ocean Port, all eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary king.
Even the secluded inn where Roland was staying had become bustling with activity.
Fortunately, the Spirit Summoning Potion was now fully prepared, and the commotion didn't significantly disrupt Roland's training.
Five days slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Despite his slow progress in mastering precise control over his Flame Arrows, Roland's relentless practice and the aid of Energy Potions finally allowed him to meet the requirement of casting a hundred tricks to qualify for the Juggler job.
Now, the only remaining hurdle was meeting the mental attribute requirement.
In the past, this might have seemed daunting, but now...
Huff
After draining the remaining Spirit Summoning Potion, Roland gently rubbed his throbbing temples and opened his Job Panel.
Confirming that all conditions for becoming a Juggler had been met, he silently recited in his mind:
"Become a Juggler!"
(End of the Chapter)
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