Inside the cave, the candlewick crackled under the strain, tiny sparks briefly illuminating Raymond's tired yet focused face.
He rubbed his eyes, dry and red from the books and flickering candlelight, his fingertip tracing the rough parchment as he meticulously cross-referenced the complex incantations with the fragmented memories seared into his mind.
Ever since he discovered Elise's diary and, with the power bestowed by the Shiba inheritance, forcibly tore open the dust-covered, heavy treasure chest, he seemed to have become obsessed.
Within the chest lay the Belleris family's inherited treasures: a jet-black Valyrian steel armor with golden lightning patterns—"Black Lightning"; a Valyrian steel sword with a flowing blade, its crossguard and hilt inlaid with mysterious amethyst—"Skybreaker"; and a soft, fire-dragon sinew whip, secretly imbued with fierce power—"Dragon Tamer."
Only a few ancient families at the pinnacle of the Freehold Empire could possess such magical artifacts, like Dianliga's prized "Dragon's Horn."
From that moment on, magic became the air he breathed, and ancient texts became the stars he dreamed of.
Currently, a worn, weathered copy of "Basic Fire Magic Spells" lay open on his bent knees.
Raymond repeatedly turned the yellowed, brittle pages, as if trying to draw lost power from them. His lips moved slightly, silently repeating the difficult spell syllables.
The cave walls, as far as his gaze reached, were already covered with countless magic circles outlined in charcoal, layered one upon another, some repeatedly smudged and corrected.
"Damn it! So close again!" A curse filled with intense frustration broke the silence. Raymond slammed the withered branch he had been using as a guide, now dim and lifeless, onto the ground.
The slight crack of the branch seemed to be his verdict; the faint glimmer of light he had just painstakingly condensed, like a pricked bubble, silently vanished in an instant.
It had been a whole month! He had practically locked himself in this secluded cave, squeezing every ounce of energy into this profound magical labyrinth, yet his progress was agonizingly slow, like a crawling turtle.
However, each time the shadow of despair was about to envelop him, he would look up, his gaze inadvertently sweeping towards the corner—the cold, deep refraction of the "Black Lightning" armor, the faint, flickering pulse of the "Skybreaker" sword's amethyst hilt in the darkness, the untamed natural curve of the dragon sinew whip hanging on a makeshift wooden rack—a burning, stubborn defiance from the deepest part of his bloodline would surge forth, forcefully dispelling his fatigue.
That was the glory of the past, the mission entrusted to him, and the ambition etched into his very bones.
"Grrr..." His stomach let out a long, clear protest at the opportune moment. Only then did Raymond realize that since he had started experimenting with the last spell array, he seemed to have forgotten all worldly matters, including eating.
He chuckled with a touch of helpless self-mockery, reaching for his worn backpack by his feet. He skillfully pulled out a plump, round Oran Berry and bit into it without hesitation.
"Crunch!" The crisp sound of the fruit skin breaking, accompanied by the clear, sweet juice bursting in his mouth, instantly filled the air with a sun-kissed fruit aroma. Like living water poured into a dry riverbed, the leaden, sticky feeling of fatigue was largely washed away by this pure vitality.
These wondrous fruits from the Pokémon world were his only sustenance for his intense training. A small Oran Berry contained enough energy to sustain his high-intensity mental consumption for almost an entire day.
With energy flowing through his limbs once more, Raymond took a deep breath, patted his cheeks, and sat back down at the simple stone table. This time, he decided to change his approach. He no longer stubbornly gnawed at the profound and obscure ancient spell syllables but focused on a single rune in "Basic Fire Magic Spells."
"True magic is not about memorization, but about comprehension. Magic runes are the whispers of the soul, the concretization of laws. Rather than being a slave to symbols, be their communicator."—The words from Elise's diary, seemingly carrying a wise sigh, resurfaced in his mind.
Raymond closed his eyes, attempting to clear his mind and activate the unusually keen mental tendrils brought by [Telekinesis] to "touch" and "listen" to the energy pulse contained within the rune.
Guiding and taming magical elements with mental power—perhaps this was the key to learning magic.
Time, in this quiet (or not always quiet, when he was irritably throwing things) little world, silently slipped away like dripping candle wax.
His only few brief outings were to observe the changes in the giant dragon.
Day after day, under almost obsessive focus, results finally began to appear: he could skillfully conjure faint orbs of light to illuminate the cave walls (Illumination); his fingertips could ignite flickering but still unstable flames (Flame Call); he could erect a flimsy barrier in front of him, barely able to block gravel sand and gravel (Protection Shield); and even most basic healing magic, largely thanks to the potent properties of [Life Drop] itself. Raymond could smoothly cast all the magic he currently mastered, and he could do so silently.
However, Raymond still felt his progress was too slow.
What Raymond didn't know was that even during the Freehold Empire's heyday, his talent would have astounded any Archmage! No guidance! One month! Instant, silent casting of multiple basic spells! This level of talent surpassed the definition of "genius."
It could only be said that the [Telekinesis] disc played an indispensable role—the foundation upon which mages prided themselves was surging mental power, and "Telekinesis" was the ultimate development and tempering of mental will.
"The foundation of magic is mostly laid. Next, I should research the issue of merit." After finishing a day of magic practice, Raymond began to ponder the merit on his body.
Although it was currently only a thin layer, unable to even manifest as golden light, in this world where good and evil went unrewarded, this thing was definitely a dimensionality reduction strike.
"Let's do it!!" Raymond took out a scroll sealed with a trace of curse power, stimulated the faint glow of merit on his body, and observed it with his [Perception] ability:
[Golden Merit Light: 1. Delivered thousands of deceased souls; 2. Generations of medical practice, healing the world, benefiting future generations (from ancestral blessings)]
[Gate of Time and Space (Inactive): Power from an ancient evil god, purified by the power of the Heavenly Dao, with attached static space]
[The "One" That Escaped: You are a variable, all Heavenly Daos hope you bring a different outcome]
"Golden Merit Light?!" Seeing the light of merit on his body transform from a faint pale gold into a pure gold, and the feedback from his [Perception] ability, Raymond knew that his "Sutra of Deliverance" hadn't been recited in vain.
"Heh! If I completely solve the curse here… that would be something else entirely!"