Six levels up

  Back in his bedroom, Penny packed up and tidied everything, locked the doors and windows tightly, organized his desk, sat cross-legged on the bed as he used to, and if nothing unexpected happened, he would spend half a day practicing his upgrade.

  This is what Dean Zhan meant, it's obvious that no matter what kind of future the dean has arranged for Pan Ni, he will not be allowed to continue fooling around with his zero-level mage identity.

  This point has already been made very clear by Zhan Hua Shi.

  Besides, Penny had already figured it out. He was already fourteen years old, and the Red Robes were unlikely to take in an over-aged him as a formal apprentice. Probably Zhan Huashi had other arrangements for him.

  He didn't know what Zhang Hua's intention was, but he didn't sense any bad omens, probably it wouldn't be a bad thing.

  But thinking of the outside world is unfamiliar to him, so he must have some coping skills.

  He opened several thick books, which were the data of various first-class spells he had copied from the data room.

  Learning magic is a complex process.

  1: Determine the magic you want to learn.

  2: Identify the spell from various types of magical materials, such as textbooks and other people's spellbooks, to grasp the essential characteristics of this spell.

  3: Communication spell web, according to the characteristics of the spell, construct and weave on the magic web, and repeatedly test until the spell construction is successful. This process takes the longest time in the learning process, often requiring a very long time.

  4: Record the process and result of weaving in a spellbook, and the imprint of this spell will remain within the soul, completing the learning of the spell.

  Each mage can touch a different 'area' of the magical net, so the number of spells that can be constructed with a single layer of the magical net is limited. This concept is called spell slots. As mages delve deeper into their study of magic, they will increase, but each layer of the magical net has a limit to the number of spell slots it can hold. For Penny at present, this limit value is approximately 6.

  After casting a spell on the magic net, both the individual's soul and the magic net will experience bilateral fatigue. Every morning, the empty spell slots on the magic net will be automatically refreshed, while the mage can remove mental fatigue through rest and interval.

  Therefore, Ferelden's mages can only cast a certain number of spells per day.

  Panny spent eight years in this college that specialized in providing basic education to Red Robe apprentices, and he had a solid foundation in the study of magic. In fact, three years ago, he had already touched upon the first layer of the Magic Web, but he had not delved deeper into it. He knew very well that he had six zero-level spell slots, and based on his own qualities, he estimated that his actual magical research ability should have reached the peak level of a First-Level Mage.

  However, the result of his first in-depth exploration of the Demon Web surprised him greatly. He found that the part of the first layer of the Demon Web connected to his soul actually had 4 spell slots. A thin membrane-like shadow appeared behind the first layer of the Demon Web, indicating that Penny already had the ability to connect to the second layer of the Demon Web.

  But this surprise is of no use to him now, as he doesn't have any second-level spell data on hand; otherwise, he could try skipping levels. The urgent matter at hand is still to learn a few usable first-level spells, so he calms his mind and opens the magic book.

  The next spell choice is crucial.

  Zero-level and first-level magic may be relatively simple and their effects are not strong, but they are the foundation of arcane research.

  For example, zero-level spells, although useless to the point of being called tricks, are the most critical process for mages from nothing to something. During this period of practice, mages complete the foundation of arcana. Most mage apprentices may stay in this stage for several years, and it is very likely that they will far exceed the time spent by mages in the 1st layer of the magic net. In the early stages of magical research, they occupy the largest share.

  Next from zero to first level, although it may take less time, but more critical.

  Zero-level magic net is actually just a pseudonym, in fact it's just a free structure scattered from the magic net system. It wasn't until the first layer of the magic net that it became a true magical network entity.

  At this level of study, one must begin to pay attention to the selection and rejection of categories of magic spells, and it is impermissible to be careless.

  Magic is divided into categories, and the classic Arcane Academy divides it into eight types according to its nature. These eight types of magic have some conflicting properties and cannot be well compatible with the magical network linked to the wizard's soul. When choosing magic, wizards must make choices, although some confident controllers can do everything, but unless favored by Mistress, being a versatile talent is difficult to go far.

  So most high-level mages are specialized mages. As an extreme specialist, the Red Robe Mages have taken specialization to the extreme.

  As for how to choose a spell, it depends on which system of magic the caster is suitable for. For Penny Sienn, this category is undoubtedly curse magic.

  His powerful soul force allows him to produce a stronger effect when using the Law Enforcement Technique, and his extraordinary perception enables him to summon spells more efficiently than others...

  More importantly, the spellcasting system does not require high intelligence for mages...

  In fact, in the study of zero-level magic, Penny also felt that the spellcasting of the curse system was indeed easier to use, while those with complex spell structures that required extremely high intelligence to play with, such as transformation, illusion, and prophecy, made him very headache.

  So his specialized road is not difficult to choose, and the schools that require high intelligence are not suitable for him. Change, illusion, prophecy all need to be abandoned in whole or in part. The most suitable ones left are spellcasting and energy manipulation systems. Defense is also not easy to grasp for Penny's IQ, but it involves breaking spells and defense, so it can't be abandoned. Necromancy and enchantment are useful for Penny in many cases, and the learning conditions are not harsh, so they should also be considered.

  So as the first formal study of a level one spell, Penny decided to learn 'Mage Armor' from the Evocation school.

  Due to the oppressive atmosphere of the academy, many apprentices like to learn some destructive spells, such as the secondary magic ball series of the curse system.

  However, Pani was well aware that most low-level spells had limited lethality, and it would be more practical to use bows, crossbows, and guns to kill people, so he decided to choose some spells with auxiliary functions.

  Low-level mages have extremely low combat effectiveness. In battle, survival is the top priority. Wearing mage armor is equivalent to wearing a relatively sturdy leather armor. If the person attacking him has average strength, he might be able to withstand two more hits. Even if shot by a crossbow bolt that doesn't hit a vital spot, it's hard to achieve a fatal blow.

  The learning process was unexpectedly smooth, normally the third step of learning magic requires repeated experimentation and consumes a large amount of same-level spell slots. Generally, an average mage would need a considerable amount of time to complete the study of a single spell, but Penny seemed to be truly gifted, as after only one attempt, a layer of nearly invisible barriers appeared around her body.

  Penny hastily recorded the experimental process in her spellbook.

  This is a necessary step.

  Even the simplest zero-level spells require a full two pages of large paper just for the incantation, and it's obvious that if not for Mystara's special favor, ordinary wizards wouldn't have such good memories.

  Everyone's conditions are different, and the magic net is not a dead object, often with changes such as tidal fluctuations. Therefore, for a spell, the casting process will have certain differences at different times, so an original record used for correction is very important.

  Moreover, in theory, a mage can learn many spells, but some are commonly used and others are not. Over time, they will be forgotten, so it is necessary to write them down in a spellbook for frequent review.

  So spellbooks are not some kind of magical tool or treasure, but for wizards they are very important. If damaged, it will cause considerable trouble for the wizard.

  The second spell is the defensive 'Endure Elemental Damage', which can protect the caster from harm in environments ranging from -45°C to 60°C, with limited heat resistance but strong cold resistance and a long duration, making it extremely cost-effective.

  Panny spent more than seven hours cross-referencing a large amount of data to identify the spell, tried it once, wasted one spell slot, and found that the experimental results were far from being fully mastered. In fact, it proved that defensive spells were indeed too difficult for him, so he gave up very simply and decided to study slowly when he had time in the future.

  The third spell is Summon Mount of the Curse System.

  Being able to withstand a few more knives is of no great use, wanting to escape requires long legs, but the first-class spells suitable for escaping are all in the Transformation System, unfortunately Pan Ni and the Transformation System have no fate, so I can only borrow the summoned creature's legs to run.

  Panny successfully guided the spell, through the magic web, and seemed to have reached another space. He 'saw' dozens of animal silhouettes running, Panny knew that these were the creatures he could summon as mounts, and was overjoyed at once. This perceptual ability was indeed very powerful, if it were an ordinary spellcaster, they probably wouldn't be able to see so clearly, and now he still had a chance to choose.

  He focused his mind on the most majestic of them, stopping his gestures and incantations. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard in the room, 'Hsss~' a horse whinnied, and a five-foot-tall red-maned horse appeared in Penny's bedroom, galloping wildly. Penny didn't expect the spell to have such an astonishing effect and was momentarily stunned. How could the big horse tolerate being confined in a small bedroom? It raised its four hooves and kicked violently, almost kicking Penny's head. Penny immediately became dizzy. The horse's body crashed into the wall, causing a loud noise as the dormitory building collapsed. A series of screams reached Penny's ears. Penny came to his senses, hastily dispelled the summoning spell, and a flash of light appeared as the big horse disappeared.

  Pang Ni let out a few rough breaths, not expecting such a big twist. The bedroom was filled with smoke and dust, and one side of the wall had been knocked down.

  "Bad luck..." Panni muttered to himself as he walked over to the collapsed section of the wall. The academy didn't care about this kind of thing, since dormitory damage was a common occurrence for Red Robe apprentices. If an apprentice froze to death, their mentor wouldn't even bother to investigate. If the dormitory was damaged, they could just fix it themselves (if the damage was too extensive, the academy would activate a terrain restoration spell array once a year).

  But Penny wouldn't do something so tasteless, which means he's going to have a chilly and windy night, but thinking about it, it's just one night, so Penny calmed down and decided to endure it.

  He examined the break in the wall, and suddenly noticed a body curled up at the bottom of the wall. He recalled the scream from earlier and furrowed his brow: "What are you doing here?"

  "I...I'm sorry." A faint voice.

  Penny pursed her lips, deciding not to waste any more cheap pity on this kid, which would only make his future days pass faster. She stopped talking and turned around.

  From noon till night, this magic trick unexpectedly made Penny very displeased, lost interest, didn't even want to eat dinner, and just wanted to sleep.

  He returned to bed and suddenly remembered: "Right, I'm leaving tomorrow."

  "Oh."

  After a while.

  "Thank you."

  Then fell silent.