Chapter 4

First, he took the monster's blood and poured it into a bowl. Then, he dropped a Mana core into it.

The monster blood contains traces of mana, even after it has left the body. As the Mana core made contact, it started glowing, instinctively merging with the blood. 

Dean waited for an hour, stirred the mixture and noted that it was saturated. He withdrew the Mana core, its size was notably smaller than before. 

As for the monster blood, it became more dense. Some thick sludge was floating within. The mana core had combined with a special element within the blood that made it mana conductive. The undissolved sludge that had formed was parts that were unable to merge with the mana core.

He set up a flask with a funnel and stuffed it with a filter paper. He then poured the mixture into it.

What dripped into the flask no longer looked like blood; it was a transparent fluid with a blush hue. 

Time passed, and the flask was nearly full. Red black sludge had formed in the filter paper.

He set aside the flask containing the bluish liquid. 

Holding it under the sunlight and feeling like a scientist in movies, creating the substance crucial for the plot.

This was the ink.

He dipped his new brush into it and drew a line on a normal paper. 

Dean frowned because he did not see a visible line form. He tried again, but to no avail. 

Then his eyes flashed with realization. He drew on the paper once more. This time, he moved his mana along his fingers, then through the tip of the brush where it combined with the ink. 

With his mana wrapped on the brush, it felt like another part of him. He could control it as he wished. 

As a result, a deep blue line appeared on the paper.

Dean smiled, "Success!" 

"Next, I have to draw the formation." 

Drawing an array isn't as hard as designing them from scratch, but that's just relatively speaking. It still requires some skill.

He used a blank white paper as a canvas for his first time, knowing full well he's gonna mess it up.

He opened his workspace and displayed the fireball diagram he imported before minimizing it and pinning it on the upper left side of his vision.

His brush touched the paper, his Mana moving in a specific rhythm to adjust the rotation of the node he just made.

This was the first node. Stopping the movement, yet still maintaining the flow of mana and never lifting the tip of the brush, he drew a line. It was surprisingly smooth.

His mana made a strange movement again, setting up another node.

He did this again and again, losing his mind in a trance during the process. His arms moved smoothly, without any hesitation. His lines were clean and straight, even the ink distribution was even.

Finally, the fireball formation was completed. 

A notification flashed in his retina.

[Fireball spell mastery + 11]

[Fireball [Beginner -> Intermediate 1/30]]

[Achievement unlocked! First Formation

Rewards: Formation Appraisal.]

He even learned a skill. It sounded useful, so he immediately used it on the fireball formation he just made. Its details appeared on his mind

[Fireball Formation - Beginner level

Quality - Good

Material durability: 0.9/1.0 points (material is destroyed when it reaches 0. When durability is less than the load, deduct 20% of the load per hour)

Load: 3.5 units

(deducts 10 points of durability from the material each use)(equivalent to 1% of nodes)

Activation: 0.35 Core Unit (1 core unit = 200 grams of mana core, equivalent to 0.1% of the nodes)

Nodes: 350]

Dean studied the individual parameters carefully. Noting that the number of nodes will affect the cost efficiency and lifespan of the formation.

His paper fireball formation only has 1 point of durability, which was understandable since the base was just paper.

It would only last for more than an hour.

He put the finished formation inside his inventory. After an hour, he made two more fireball formations. His speed increased with his proficiency.

[Fireball Formation - Intermediate level

Quality - Good

Material durability: 0.9/1.0 points

Load: 3.15 units

Activation: 0.315 Core Unit (1 core unit = 200 grams of mana core, equivalent 0.1% of nodes)

Nodes: 350]The material and number of nodes remained the same; however, the Load and Activation have been slightly reduced.

It was the spell mastery at work, making spells 10% more efficient at the intermediate level, and even increasing the damage.

Armed with three fireballs, Dean went to the practice dungeon again and got 3 new mana cores.

While other players have started real dungeons and have probably reached level 5, he was still grinding mana cores in the practice dungeon. 

This was the disadvantage of his talent. He would be stuck in the early stage, trying to earn resources and learning formations, while his fellow mage could just throw fireballs. If their mana runs out, they could rest for a few minutes, and they could throw fireballs again. 

Meanwhile, Dean's every spell is a consumable, and he had to manufacture his own 'ammunitions', which cost time and effort. Even the materials require credits.

Just thinking about it made him almost tear up.

If only he had someone he could trust with his secrets, he could have partied with them and earned lots of mana cores and leveled up as well.

Suddenly, a light went on his head. 

"Wait, no. I'm a Formation master. I could join a guild! As long as I don't reveal my second trait, no one would discover it, and no one would force me to raid a dungeon either. If it comes down to it, I'll make an excuse. Formation masters don't need to level up after all."

With the resources of a guild, many things could be accomplished. Of course, not just any guild. He would find a guild in the top 20.

The study of formations is very abstract, and there was no way for a regular mage to study it without a Formation master's help.

Sure, they could study the spell model. But how exactly could they study those lines that looked similar on the surface? Unless they, like Dean, had the workspace that allows them to visualize nodes separately.

Even Formation masters themselves struggle with this. They only know that moving mana in a specific way generates certain effects. By repeatedly trying out different movements and rhythms, combining them, they came up with their systems of interpretation.

However, those interpretations do not capture the whole, and at worst, are flawed. 

Because of this, most Formation masters could only imitate existing spells. If they study for a long time, they will be able to modify an existing spell. This was already impressive, on the realm of the top experts in this field.

Due to the high barrier of entry, few people could make it, and even fewer are interested in studying. Aside from players with talent related to it, most would just choose another side profession, such as alchemy.

Therefore, Dean's hope of joining the top 20 guild is feasible. Being able to draw a fireball formation means his skill has already reached a commercial level. 

While fireball is just a beginner spell for a mage, for a Formation master, this was already far ahead of entry level. 

"Later, I'd look for the right guild."

Dean murmured.

He entered the school library and bought 4 pieces of bond paper, and started drawing another formation. His goal was to reach the Advanced proficiency, and eventually he Master level. Master level gives him another stack of [Enlightenment.]

After a while, he finished four fireball formations and reached Advanced proficiency.

While studying formation is hard, the rate at which proficiency increased is almost tenfold compared to regular mage.

This was indeed true, but unbeknownst to him, it was easier said than done. His foundation in formation studies was worlds apart from other formation masters. This was the advantage brought by the Workspace, the guidance of the Tutor, and even the Enlightenment buff.