Chapter: Magic Progress
After lunch, Barney and Ebel returned to the Northern Fortress.
Under the shade of the garden tree, Cheng Yu flipped through the magic book—first-tier magic: low-level freezing.
Because he had top-tier magic talent, the complex and difficult-to-understand magic array structures and magic condensation methods that ordinary people struggled with became very simple in Cheng Yu's eyes. He could understand almost everything at a glance.
Following the method recorded in the magic book, Cheng Yu raised his right palm and condensed magic.
The magic in the surrounding environment flowed and gathered toward Cheng Yu's palm at an extremely slow speed.
Ordinary people couldn't perceive the existence of magic. Cheng Yu had top-tier magic talent and could clearly sense a thin, loose group of weak magic appearing in his palm.
Ivennie had the same magic talent as Cheng Yu. She could also perceive the extremely weak magic in his palm and looked at it in surprise.
"Cheng Yu, you can use magic?"
"I just started learning."
He carefully lifted the magic power in his palm and tried using it to construct a magic array.
"The magic power you condensed is too weak. It's more efficient to use a magic staff."
Ivennie suggested.
Mages could condense magic power in all parts of their body to construct magic arrays, but using a magic staff to condense magic power for spellcasting was more efficient and more powerful.
"No, I'll try it barehanded first."
Cheng Yu sensed the changes in the magic power in his palm and controlled its movement with his mind, allowing this weak magic power to linger on the tip of his index finger.
Then he silently chanted a magic incantation.
Under the blessing of the incantation, a very thin white cold mist appeared on Cheng Yu's fingertip.
Each type of magic had its corresponding incantation.
Though directly releasing magic was fast, the power was greatly reduced.
Chanting an incantation to release magic had a long wind-up time but was more powerful than direct release.
Because Cheng Yu was a beginner, even when he chanted the complete low-level freezing magic incantation, only weak cold mist appeared—far from actual freezing.
"Interesting~"
Cheng Yu tried magic for the first time. It was a supernatural power—very novel.
Over the next few days, Cheng Yu practiced low-level freezing magic every day.
As the number of practice sessions increased, the magic power he could condense grew stronger.
While practicing magic, Cheng Yu used positive emotion points to exchange for strength and defense points every day, enhancing his attributes.
When Ivennie practiced plant growth magic, she planted many seasonings like onions, ginger, and garlic, as well as crops like corn and tomatoes on the farm.
No need to consume positive emotion points exchanging seasonings from the system—saving tons of points.
All the saved positive emotion points were used to exchange for strength and defense points.
Unknowingly, eight days passed in a hurry.
Relying on top-tier magic talent, Cheng Yu initially mastered low-level freezing magic.
Though low-level freezing magic was a very simple spell, it was still difficult for ordinary mages to learn. It took at least two or three months to master.
This proved the importance of talent to the mage profession.
Mages with high talent learned magic quickly and could go far in their careers. Mages with low talent struggled even with low-level magic and might only reach second-tier mage level in their lifetime.
A basin of clean water was placed in the middle of the yard.
Cheng Yu held a wooden magic staff, condensed magic power, and slowly chanted the incantation.
The incantation lasted over ten seconds.
A circular magic array over a meter in diameter appeared at the tip of the wooden staff.
Affected by the magic, the water in the basin quickly froze. White cold air overflowed, forming a lump of ice.
"Wow, Cheng Yu, you're amazing!" Mina said in surprise.
"It's average."
Cheng Yu's freezing magic could only freeze things within a one-meter range. It couldn't be said to have much lethality.
However, he'd learned freezing magic mainly for preservation. This level was enough.
There was a cellar behind the manor. If he converted the cellar into a freezer, he could store more meat and wouldn't need to go to the market to buy meat every day.
"Mina, go to the farm and pick some tomatoes. We'll have tomato pork rib soup for lunch."
"Okay!"
Mina went to the farm in front of the manor to pick tomatoes.
Cheng Yu sat in the garden and opened the system panel. Today's positive emotion value had been credited. Time to add some points.
Today he'd gained 1,856 positive emotion points.
"System, give me 9 defense points and 9 strength points."
One strength point = 100 positive emotion points. One defense point = 100 positive emotion points.
[Host has spent 1,800 Positive Emotion Points. Strength +9, Defense +9]
Cheng Yu looked at the main interface, which displayed his current attributes.
Host: Cheng Yu
Cooking Skill Level: Max
Strength: 501
Defense: 501
Skills: Silver Moon Shockwave, Magic Mastery (Passive)
Equipment: Dragon-Pattern Golden Knife
His strength and defense attributes had exceeded 500 points. Cheng Yu clenched his fists. His strength had increased significantly.
He walked over to a tree with a diameter of over a meter, clenched his fists, and punched it.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the thick tree was broken in half by Cheng Yu's punch.
Cheng Yu spotted a pile of boulders over ten meters high beside the farm—about the size of a four-story building, estimated to weigh two or three hundred tons.
He walked over to the boulder, wrapped both arms around a corner, and lifted.
He held the boulder aloft for over ten seconds, set it down, and punched it.
Bang!
The boulder exploded. Broken stones flew everywhere.
Cheng Yu's body defense was too high. His fist was harder than the boulder. He'd struck the stone without getting hurt.
Seeing Cheng Yu smash a four-story-high boulder into pieces with his bare hands, Mina was stunned.
"Cheng Yu, your strength is no worse than the strongest warrior of our Silver Wolf Tribe."
"It's just so-so. Actually, I prefer magic."
Though Cheng Yu had amazing strength, he didn't like this style of fighting.
Compared to pure power, Cheng Yu preferred flashy magic—ice magic, fire magic, water magic, plant magic...
Being strong was one thing. Being stylish was another.
"Uh..."
Mina was a bit speechless.
It was common sense on the Celsis Continent that mages had weak bodies and weren't good at close combat.
Cheng Yu was a mage with maxed-out strength and defense.
Is that even reasonable?
She couldn't imagine how desperate someone would be if they fought Cheng Yu—dodged all kinds of flashy magic attacks, finally rushed up to him in close combat, only to discover they still couldn't beat him in melee.
Outside the manor, a young person walked toward them.
The young person had a handsome face, wearing a red cloak. Their legs were wrapped in white stockings, with puffy shorts and black rounded shoes. They stood about 1.6 meters tall—about the same height as Ivennie.
Is this person a woman or a man?
From appearance and dress alone, Cheng Yu couldn't tell this person's gender.
The white-haired young person saw Cheng Yu and smiled. "Excuse me, is this Cheng Yu's home?"
"That's me."
"My name is Charles, a wandering bard who travels the world. I heard from the town residents that you can make delicious egg fried rice, so I came to try it."
"I don't sell egg fried rice anymore," Cheng Yu refused Charles's request.
"Handsome boy~ Make it for me~"
Charles came over very familiarly, tugged at Cheng Yu's clothes, and begged.
"No."
Cheng Yu rejected the request with two words.
Charles smiled slightly. "If you make me a fried rice with egg, I can give you a hundred gold coins."
"How much... a hundred gold coins?"
As everyone knew, the profession of bards was either poor or drunkards.
This bard being so wealthy was absurd.
"Then I'll make you one."
Cheng Yu turned and went into the house to make fried rice with egg for Charles.