Mental Shock

The morning sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting mottled light and shadow on the floor.

Robb arrived early to the classroom and chose a seat that wasn't too conspicuous.

Today was the first lesson after the Mental Control course had been upgraded to its advanced version. Students were already trickling in, mostly Intermediate Apprentices, with a few having already reached the High Apprentice level.

Unlike the noisy atmosphere of the basic courses, the mood here was notably more subdued. Everyone was focused on learning.

"So these are the geniuses in the reserve wizard track?" Robb scanned the room, silently evaluating his potential competitors.

Each student exuded a sense of strength and confidence, their speech and behavior radiating self-assurance and pride.

Compared to the basic classes, the number of students here had decreased significantly, only twelve in total, but the quality was clearly much higher.

Of course, not everyone here belonged to the reserve wizard track. Many in the track, such as Hugo, Oliver, and Cynthia, had already completed this course long ago.

Those from the track who were in this class were mostly recent additions, like Robb himself.

Robb noticed that Talisa wasn't present, perhaps because her mentor, Corinna, had already arranged special training for her.

Just as Robb was deep in thought, the classroom door opened again. It wasn't Erik who entered, but a familiar figure that made Robb instantly alert, Solon Griffith.

The stern middle-aged man who had once overseen Robb's promotion to Intermediate Apprentice, and also one of the overseers of the reserve wizard track.

Solon walked slowly to the podium and glanced at each student. His gaze lingered briefly but noticeably when it swept over Robb, before moving on.

"I am Solon Griffith," he said. "Starting today, I will be taking over from my students Erik and Lia. With the merger of the two basic courses, I am now your instructor for this advanced class."

Solon's voice was calm and gentle, but carried an undeniable authority:

"This course will be far more challenging than anything you've encountered before. I expect every student here to be fully aware of that."

He slowly raised his hand. In the center of the classroom, a complex energy structure appeared out of thin air, formed from countless tiny points of light, constantly shifting in shape and color.

"To advance your mental control and spell construction, the first concept you must understand is multilayered construction theory."

With a gentle flick of his fingers, the energy structure split into three layers, each with a distinct energy flow.

"In the basic course, you learned to construct a single spell model. In this stage, you'll need to learn how to maintain multiple spell models simultaneously and build connections and coordination between them."

Robb watched the demonstration model intently, inwardly marveling at Solon's precise control over mental energy.

The energy flows were accurate to the millimeter; every tiny fluctuation perfectly calibrated.

A true wizard, without a doubt!

Even with the bonus trait "Stabilized Mode" that gave Robb an edge in mental control, he suddenly felt like a schoolkid solving a puzzle while an international Olympiad champion looked over his shoulder.

"Your first exercise today is to try stacking two independent spell models."

With a wave of his hand, a crystal ball appeared in front of each student:

"Choose any two spell models you're already proficient in and attempt to construct them simultaneously inside the crystal ball."

Naturally, the goal of this course wasn't to create compound spells, that was a high-level technique only full-fledged wizards could master.

Right now, building two models simultaneously was just training for faster spellcasting in combat.

The room fell silent as each student focused on manipulating the crystal ball before them.

Robb took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began channeling his mental energy.

He chose two spells he was quite familiar with: Sonic Tremor and Mucus Splash, and attempted to stack them.

It was his first time trying to construct two spell models at once, and it was far harder than expected.

The two different types of energy, vibrational and liquid, both attracted and repelled each other, creating a strange tension in his mental space.

Robb carefully guided the energies, searching for a point of balance.

[Spell Construction (Adept) +1 EXP]

An hour passed. Only three students had managed to complete a preliminary dual construction, Robb was one of them.

Inside his crystal ball, the two spell models coexisted in a relatively stable state. Although still rough, the basic structure was in place.

Solon walked around the classroom, observing everyone's progress.

When he reached Robb, a subtle expression flickered across his face.

"A good attempt, Apprentice Robb," Solon said softly.

"You picked two spells with highly different properties, which should have made this harder. But you found a clever balancing method."

He pointed to a node in the crystal ball:

"See here? You've designed the intersection between sound energy and water energy as a vortex. That's a very insightful idea."

Robb respectfully nodded in thanks: "Thank you for your guidance. This is just a first attempt, there's still a lot to improve."

Solon seemed pleased with his humility and lightly patted his shoulder: "Keep that spirit of exploration. This course isn't just about learning, it's about innovation and breakthroughs."

After Solon moved on, Robb noticed a few gazes shifting toward him.

The students who had previously ignored him were now looking at him with reevaluating eyes.

At the end of class, Solon gave a brief summary, especially highlighting the coming weeks' focus:

Multi-model construction, energy efficiency optimization, and most importantly, the preliminary theory of Mental Shock.

"Mental Shock is one of the hallmark abilities of official wizards."

Solon's voice was low and resonant: "Although none of you can perform a full mental shock yet, you are all candidates for future wizards. Learning its theoretical basis and simplified versions now will greatly improve your mental control."

After class, Robb deliberately took his time packing up. Once the others had bowed to the instructor and left, he walked up to Solon.

He noticed that Solon had remained, and didn't seem to be waiting for the next class.

"Professor Griffith…" Robb steadied himself and asked quietly:

"You mentioned Mental Shock, is it related to the focused mental interference beam I've been practicing?"

Despite Solon trying to suppress his pressure, that aura unique to a true wizard still weighed on Robb.

The man, seated and appearing deep in thought, looked up in mild surprise:

"You've already mastered high-precision focused mental interference? That's quite rare among Intermediate Apprentices. It's not particularly practical compared to direct attack spells."

"I've found it useful in some situations," Robb replied cautiously. "Especially against opponents who rely heavily on perception and cognition."

A glimmer of approval appeared in Solon's eyes:

"You're on the right track. Mental interference is indeed a simplified or foundational form of Mental Shock. A full-fledged wizard's version amplifies that effect a hundredfold and adds direct physical impact."

After a moment's thought, he added: "Since you've built that foundation, I can offer you some extra guidance to help enhance your mental interference."

Robb immediately expressed his gratitude: "That would be an honor, Professor."

"Good." Solon nodded. "Stay after next class. I'll prepare a special training for you. Now go to your next lesson."

Leaving the classroom, Robb felt an unexpected sense of relief.

Though Solon's identity and power naturally made him wary, their interaction today had gone surprisingly well.

"He seems interested in me," Robb thought. "But I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

That afternoon was the weekly alchemy test. Professor Thompson gave Robb high praise.

Ever since demonstrating impressive energy containment skills, Robb had gained some recognition in class.

"Apprentice Robb's alchemical perception is quite exceptional," Thompson declared before the class. "His latest creation, a modified energy conversion array, has nearly 20% higher efficiency than the standard model. This is exactly the kind of innovation we encourage."

After the test, Thompson kept Robb behind.

"Starting next week, you can join the advanced alchemy course directly."

He said with satisfaction: "You've clearly mastered the basics. No need to waste more time in the entry-level classes."

"Thank you for the recognition, professor," Robb replied sincerely. "I'll keep working hard."

A similar situation unfolded in the Elemental Affinity class.

After observing Robb's exceptional control over light and fire elements, Lady Lyra also approved his early transfer to the advanced class.

"I must say, your elemental affinity talent is quite impressive."

She noted: "Especially your sensitivity and guidance with light elements, that's already at the level of a High Apprentice."

In just two weeks, Robb had qualified for three advanced courses, a rare achievement within the academy.

"Everything is going according to plan," he murmured one night in his private workshop.

"As long as I keep this momentum, the path ahead will only widen."

He pulled out the ranking list of the reserve wizard track. His position had climbed from 30th to 24th, and now to 19th.

His rapid progress exceeded expectations and proved his efforts were paying off.

Another half-month passed.

Robb's days were filled with intense study and lab work.

In his workshop, his bloodline modulation experiments made great strides.

The devouring slime showed all kinds of strange changes in his hands, from simple color shifts to short-term complex shape transformations.

[Bloodline Modulation EXP +1]

[Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Novice 42/50)]

His study of supernatural biology also didn't lag behind. Through extensive reading and hands-on practice, he had acquired deep knowledge.

[Supernatural Biology EXP +1]

[Current Progress: Supernatural Biology (Novice 48/50)]

The growth of the little sea siren, Daera, was especially astonishing.

Under Valenwood's careful care, she had grown to around 70–80 cm, about the size of a human toddler.

Even more surprising, her language skills had developed by leaps and bounds.

"Master, look at me!" Daera chirped joyfully as she spun in her crystal tank.

"I learned how to swim upside down!"

Valenwood watched proudly. She and Daera had developed a bond close to that of mother and child.

The dryad's vines would often gently stroke Daera's hair as encouragement and praise.

"Daera is progressing fast," Valenwood's leaf wrote. "She's starting to control water flow. It's faint, but clearly shows her innate siren talents."

Robb nodded in agreement: "Yes, her potential is far beyond what I expected. In another two months, she should be ready to begin memory editing."

Meanwhile, in his academy courses, Robb was starting to stand out.

Solon's advanced mental control class was deep and demanding, but it only pushed Robb to grow faster.

His progress was astounding, especially in enhancing mental interference.

During one-on-one sessions, Solon personally explained the theory behind Mental Shock:

"The core of Mental Shock is energy compression and release," he said patiently.

"Normal mental interference just slightly disrupts an opponent's thinking. But Mental Shock compresses mental energy tightly, then releases it instantly, causing both mental and physical damage."

He demonstrated a simplified version: a wave of invisible energy burst from his fingertips, shattering a crystal glass five meters away.

"It looks simple, but requires immense precision. The tighter the energy is compressed, the greater the impact, but the mental burden on the caster also increases."

Robb practiced intensely, imitating Solon's technique.

At first, he could only create faint ripples of energy, just enough to flutter a paper scrap.

But as he improved, his control became more refined, and the wave's power steadily increased.

[Mental Disruption (Adept) +1 EXP]

"An impressive rate of improvement," Solon said with approval. "Your mental control talent is rare."

He leaned in, lowering his voice:

"I've noticed your accumulation of mental contamination is almost negligible. Is that due to your 'Potion Resonance' talent?"

Robb pretended to ponder: "Possibly, sir. I've found that after taking certain potions, my mind feels particularly clear and stable. Maybe that's a manifestation of Potion Resonance."

A strange, unreadable look flickered in Solon's eyes:

"It's a rare second-tier talent. Not much has been recorded about it, but it might indeed offer resistance to mental corruption."

He paused, then added:

"Still, don't become overly reliant on it. Mental corruption is complex. Small changes, over time, can lead to serious contracks."

Robb nodded respectfully: "I'll heed your warning, Professor."

As he left the classroom, Robb pondered Solon's words, feeling a bit uncertain.