Copy and Analysis

It seemed he needed to learn magic.

But how?

According to Ella, as long as someone released magic, he could analyze it. Once the analysis was complete, he would be able to master that magic. Therefore, he needed to find someone to learn from.

His gaze naturally fell upon the still-unconscious Leona.

He sighed.

She still hadn't woken up, and there was no sign of human life nearby. It seemed he could only wait.

However, he didn't lose heart. “First, let’s find some food!”

He headed back into the woods to find more edible plants, then caught some Stone Crabs in the river. He even managed to snag a fish.

【Spawn-shooting Fish: A female Spawn-shooting Fish. When in danger, it ejects unfertilized eggs from its body to distract predators. It is a creature without magic power. Its meat is fresh and edible. As for the male of this species, it is called...】

“Stop right there! This fish is just wrong!” Zhang Ye looked at the catfish-like Spawn-shooting Fish with a bit of disgust. But despite the distaste, food was food.

As for other animals, there were none. Likely due to the magic fluctuations Leona was emitting, no wild animals or magical beasts could be seen in the vicinity. His current food sources were limited to the edible plants in the woods and the seafood from the river.

He didn't dare venture any further yet.

According to Ella, although he now possessed magic power, his rank was only the lowest Sub-tier. The only uses for his magic power were glowing and slightly enhancing his physique; it had no other utility. Encountering even a Tier One magical beast would be trouble.

Zhang Ye returned to the cave feeling satisfied. After boiling a pot of soup using the mushrooms and wild vegetables from the forest along with the river seafood, he first fed the soup to Leona. As he fed her, he muttered, “Drinking this much soup... won't she feel the urge to go?”

“She won't wet herself, will she?”

Ella: “...”

Your focus is really weird!

“You don't need to worry about that. The magic power within a magician's body will erase food residue. The more powerful a magician is, the less need they have for excretion.”

“They eat but don't poop? That’s way too domineering!” Zhang Ye exclaimed in wonder.

Ella: “...”

After finishing with Leona, Zhang Ye filled his own stomach along with Gujiu. Then, Zhang Ye began his cultivation again.

He needed to cultivate to Tier One as soon as possible. Once he reached Tier One, his magic power could be condensed into Mana Balls, giving him a basic means of self-defense.

Given Zhang Ye's cultivation speed, a flash of light enveloped him by the afternoon. He opened his eyes.

“Nice, Tier One!” Zhang Ye pumped a fist, looking excited.

He then opened his hand. A faint light emanated from his palm, and a white orb of light the size of a marble condensed in his hand.

“Go, Kamehameha!” Zhang Ye struck a cheesy, chuunibyou pose. The Mana Ball in his hand flew forward at a moderate speed, striking the cave wall. It burst with a soft pop, like a small firecracker, leaving a tiny white mark on the rock.

“Eh, so weak.” Zhang Ye scratched his head.

Ella said, “Of course it’s weak. You’re only Tier One. Once you reach the Saint-tier, a single Mana Ball condensed from all your magic power could destroy a city of a hundred thousand people!”

“That powerful?” Zhang Ye was shocked.

“Of course. However, Mana Balls are just the most basic application of magic power. True power lies in spells. With the same amount of magic power, a spell's power is several, dozens, or even hundreds of times that of a Mana Ball!”

“But Mana Balls have their advantages. They don't require chanting, guiding, or the drawing of magic circles. You only need to condense your magic power. It’s very simple.”

“So, in battles between magicians, Mana Balls are also a very effective means of attack.”

“Basic attacks, I get it,” Zhang Ye nodded.

Ella was caught between laughter and tears at Zhang Ye's direct and simple understanding, but his interpretation was indeed correct.

Using Mana Balls was the equivalent of a magician's basic attack, much like a swordsman's slash or an archer's arrow.

“However, other people's magic power has attributes, while yours does not,” Ella suddenly said, staring at Zhang Ye's glowing hand.

Zhang Ye froze and asked, “What attributes?”

“Like Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Light, Darkness, Wind, Thunder, and Ice. Everyone’s physique is different, and their corresponding attributes differ as well. Some are born with a high affinity for the fire attribute, so their magic power leans toward fire. Those with a high water affinity have magic power that leans toward water...”

“Before Tier Three, magicians can learn spells of all elemental attributes. This allows them to quickly increase their comprehension of magic. But after Tier Three, they must focus on learning and breaking through in a single attribute's magic based on their own affinity. This allows them to improve faster and become more powerful.”

“But you are different. Your magic power has no attribute.”

“So you’re saying...” Zhang Ye stroked his chin. “My magic power has no attribute, and combined with my magic analysis, does that mean I can learn all types of magic? Instead of specializing in one, I can specialize in everything?”

“Full-attribute mastery?”

Ella: “...”

You really are a little genius!

You actually hit the mark!

“That’s correct,” Ella nodded somewhat helplessly.

She was starting to feel a bit of respect for Zhang Ye’s deep understanding of the ‘tropes.’

“Even if an ordinary person had non-attribute magic power like you, they could learn various attributes without conflict. However, due to their own limitations—such as the efficiency of learning magic, time, and talent—it is generally impossible to achieve full-attribute mastery. At most, they achieve multi-attribute mastery.”

“But you have the system’s help. As long as the analysis is complete, you can perfectly master all kinds of magic. Thus, a non-attribute magic physique truly allows you to become a magician with full-attribute mastery, unaffected by attribute counters!”

“Plus, leveling up by killing monsters will improve my physique and spirit. With all-around development in every area, I’ll become a man without weaknesses!” Zhang Ye added.

Ella: “...Right.”

“Hahaha, I really am the protagonist!” Zhang Ye laughed heartily, feeling very satisfied with himself. He even wanted to give himself a thumbs up.

“Right, I’m Tier One now. Are the Copy Slots unlocked?” Zhang Ye asked.

“Yes,” Ella nodded. “At Tier One, two Copy Slots are unlocked.”

“You can copy anything that possesses skills. Once a skill is copied, you can analyze it. Once the analysis is finished, you will master that magic directly.”

“It can do that too?” Zhang Ye was instantly overjoyed. He then turned his gaze toward the unconscious Leona.

Without a word, he used Copy and checked her skill panel.

【Metal Condensation: Sub-tier magic. Condenses a piece of metal. Power is negligible. Can be used for shaping.】

【Water Droplet: Sub-tier magic. Condenses a drop of water. Power is negligible. Can be used for drinking.】

【Spark: Sub-tier magic. Condenses a spark. Power is negligible. Can be used for ignition.】

【Illumination: Sub-tier magic. Condenses a point of light. Power is negligible. Can be used for lighting.】

【...】

A long string of Sub-tier spells left Zhang Ye stunned.

“So... I can only copy magic of my own tier or lower?” Zhang Ye asked.

Ella shook her head. “No, you can copy any magic the opponent has mastered.”

“I need to make this clear to you.”

“【Analysis】 itself has no tier restriction. As long as the opponent releases magic and you see or perceive it, you can analyze it directly regardless of its tier.”

“However, if the opponent doesn't release it directly, you can only analyze their magic through the 【Copy】 ability. This is what we call—【Copy and Analysis】. ”

“There are no restrictions on 【Copy】 or 【Analysis】 individually.”

“But for 【Copy and Analysis】, you can currently only analyze copied magic that is at your own tier.”

“Currently?” Zhang Ye caught the keyword.

Ella nodded. “Yes, currently. Once your tier is higher, 【Copy and Analysis】 will be able to analyze magic that exceeds your tier. However, I estimate you’ll need to reach Tier Four for that. Tier Four, Tier Seven, and Saint-tier are the major watersheds.”

“Of course, this applies to living beings. If the magic is stored in objects like books or staves, you can analyze and copy any tier as long as it's within your perception range.”

Zhang Ye nodded.

【Copy】 and 【Analysis】 versus 【Copy and Analysis】 were two different concepts. He had to keep that in mind.

Then he asked, “So when a target releases a spell many tiers higher than mine, I can also copy and analyze it directly, right?”

Ella said, “Yes, but analysis takes time. Whether you can actually release it after copying is another matter. After all, some high-tier spells require magic power far beyond your current maximum, and there are other restrictions. It’s very difficult to release them if your tier isn't high enough.”

Hearing this, Zhang Ye said solemnly, “Then I’ll just have to raise my tier!”

Then came the Tier One spells.

【Metal Derivation: Tier One magic. Condenses metal and allows for arbitrary shaping. The metal's hardness is low. Power is very weak.】

【Wood Vine: Tier One magic. Summons a wooden vine for lashing and binding. Its toughness is low. Power is very weak.】

【Fireball: Tier One magic. Condenses a fireball for short-range attacks. Power is very weak.】

【Light Condensation Ball: Tier One magic. Condenses a light-attribute magic ball for short-range attacks. Power is very weak.】

【...】

Well, “very weak power” was still better than “negligible power.”