Learning Cantrips, They Have Arrived

Lynn first ruled out purely utility spells like shaping water or controlling flames.

These cantrips were only useful for taking a bath in the wild or lighting a campfire.

Even if mastered to a higher level, the most they could do was increase the water flow during a bath, which, when paired with controlling flames, might let him enjoy a hot bath.

But what Lynn currently needed were spells that could immediately boost his combat strength, so these utility spells were not his primary target for now.

If he had time in the future, he would still want to practice them.

After all, who wouldn't want to enjoy a nice, steaming hot bath in the middle of the wilderness?

Among the utility spells, only one was actually applicable in most combat scenarios: "Taunt."

The other cantrips, such as "Weather Prediction," which could only forecast weather changes within the next hour; "Infestation," which only summoned mindless little insects to annoy people; or "Friends," which could only be used on neutral beasts...

It wasn't that they were completely useless, but their range of application was simply too narrow.

Then again, Lynn had no idea which bored Mage had gone out of their way to research a spell like "Taunt."

As the main damage dealers of a party, Mages were already targeted by the enemy the moment a battle broke out.

Learning "Taunt" on top of that...

Was it to give the enemy extra motivation to beat them to a pulp?

Thus, utility spells were things he could practice in his spare time; there was no need to dedicate specific time to learning and leveling them up now.

Therefore, aside from the Abjuration spell "Blade Ward," which was a must-learn, Lynn planned to learn two more offensive spells.

Comparing the spell descriptions left by the rogue mage, Lynn carefully weighed his options and finally selected two cantrips: "Booming Blade" and "Eldritch Blast."

Among them, "Booming Blade" was a melee spell that coated a weapon with a layer of lightning element, temporarily increasing its damage.

"Eldritch Blast," on the other hand, was somewhat like a lesser version of "Magic Missile."

It fired a beam of magical energy and detonated it. While its power was weaker than a Magic Missile, its low mana consumption made it highly spammable. Furthermore, since it was a pure magical attack, it was effective against almost all types of enemies.

Having selected the three spells he wanted to learn, Lynn began to analyze and summarize the spell models left behind by the rogue mage.

The first step in learning any spell was to firmly commit its model to memory. This step wasn't particularly difficult, as most cantrip models weren't overly complex.

But as he organized them, Lynn finally understood why most Mage apprentices couldn't use this book.

Although the rogue mage had a complete spell model in his head, his poor explanation had resulted in an incredibly chaotic and complex record.

It was like a complete machine assembled from various parts, but with its components scattered here and there across different corners of the book by the rogue mage. To learn it, one first had to put the "puzzle" together.

Fortunately, the thought-acceleration effect brought by his high Intelligence attribute came into play. Moreover, as a self-taught practitioner himself, Lynn could easily understand this guy's train of thought. Once he got on the same wavelength, it didn't take long for him to engrave the spell model of "Booming Blade" into his mind.

Lynn closed his eyes first, repeatedly confirming that he understood every detail of the spell model.

A moment later, Lynn opened his eyes and stood up.

With a flick of his arm, a shortsword slipped out from beneath his leather armor, sliding into his hand.

It wasn't the "Good Village Sword," but the one he had bought at Old Henry's blacksmith shop. He wanted to test the effects of "Booming Blade."

Lynn mobilized the mana within his body and, following the formula recorded in the book, began to gradually convert his non-attributed mana into lightning element.

Then, guided by hand gestures, he directed the mana to coat the shortsword.

The mana successfully converted into lightning element, surging out from his body and climbing onto the shortsword.

However, just as the mana was about to pass the tip of the blade and completely wrap around it, it suddenly trembled violently.

The mana went out of control, and the electrical current instantly disintegrated, scattering in all directions and even scorching a few leaves nearby.

Lynn let out a long breath, remaining calm.

Casting spells wasn't something that could be mastered overnight; failing was perfectly normal.

This failure occurred because it was Lynn's first time using a spell that required coating an object with mana rather than simply throwing it out, making him slightly unaccustomed to the process.

Seeing Lynn attempt to cast a spell after reading for only a few dozen minutes and failing, the Monk, who was resting nearby, teased, "You can actually study in this kind of environment? If you really can't quiet your mind, just wait until we return to the inn to study. It's not like you're pressed for time anyway."

As a veteran adventurer, the Monk had seen other Mage apprentices learn spells before.

But which of those Mage apprentices didn't first meditate in a quiet environment to empty their minds of distracting thoughts, slowly memorize the spell model, and only attempt to cast the spell after ensuring absolute focus and tranquility?

In the Monk's eyes, Lynn's actions were a bit too rushed.

However, the Monk also understood that it was normal for young people to be impatient. If a highly talented and combat-capable guy like Lynn could truly quiet his mind to study under these conditions, the Monk would have been genuinely surprised.

Yet, Lynn did not stop because of the Monk's words.

He didn't reply, choosing instead to focus all of his attention on the surrounding environment, sensing the flow of mana.

Lynn entered a state of flow once more.

With a single thought, mana surged out from his body.

It transformed into a visible electrical current that crackled along the shortsword, yet caused almost no damage to the blade itself.

“Booming Blade proficiency +8, current Lv.1 (8/10)”

"Booming Blade" learned.

With the help of Evocation Control, learning this kind of Evocation spell seemed like second nature.

The Monk on the side, seeing Lynn, who had just failed a moment ago, suddenly close his eyes and effortlessly execute the spell in a state of "enlightenment," was left dumbfounded.

He had just failed a moment ago, yet in the blink of an eye, he had not only learned it but also seemed to have gained quite a bit of proficiency...

The Monk could only sigh in relief that there were no other spellcasters in their party. Otherwise, seeing this scene, they would probably have retired on the spot.

Unaware of the Monk's internal laments, Lynn began to learn the remaining two cantrips.

...

“Booming Blade proficiency +1, current Lv.2 (1/10)”

“Booming Blade Lv.2 Skill Effect · Undamaged: When using this spell, the burden placed on the weapon is lower.”

“Blade Ward proficiency +5, current Lv.1 (5/10)”

“Eldritch Blast proficiency +3, current Lv.1 (3/10)”

Time quietly slipped away in Lynn's cycle of "practicing cantrips, meditating to recover, and practicing again."

The sun slipped away, and the gentle moon began to cast its glow over the Graveyard.

Yet, the bright moonlight failed to dispel the chill of the cemetery; instead, the pale light seemed to shroud the burial grounds in an eerie, dim veil.

The surroundings grew colder, and a faint restlessness began to stir in the air.

Lynn, who had brought his state to its peak through meditation, opened his eyes.

Not far away, the black soil of the cemetery shifted slightly.

They had arrived.