Zhang Ye currently only had two Copy Slots, meaning he could only copy two spells. Since 【Copy and Analysis】 was restricted to magic of the same tier, he naturally prioritized Tier One spells.
After a moment of thought, he decided to copy 【Metal Derivation】 and 【Fireball】.
Metal Derivation could condense metal and shape it at will. It was highly functional, and Zhang Ye felt it would be very useful.
As for Fireball, he figured it would surely deal more damage than a Water Droplet.
With limited options, he chose these two for now.
Copy!
【Copy Duration: 15 minutes.】
Immediately, the methods for casting both spells surfaced in Zhang Ye’s mind.
Analyze!
【Analyzing. Time required for Tier One magic: 10 minutes.】
The analysis time was quite fast, taking only ten minutes. However, the copy duration was fifteen minutes. This meant that while he could use the copied magic for fifteen minutes, he had to wait for that duration to expire before he could copy and analyze new skills again.
Zhang Ye wasn’t greedy. On the contrary, he was quite satisfied. He thought this setup was incredibly powerful.
“Hehe, I guess I’m officially a magician now!” Zhang Ye spread his hands. In one palm, he condensed a metal sphere the size of a marble, and in the other, a fireball the size of a ping-pong ball. He grinned triumphantly.
“Gujiu, gujiu~” Seeing him so happy, Gujiu also became excited and let out a cute sound.
Seeing Gujiu happy for him, Zhang Ye laughed. Suddenly, an idea struck him.
“Gujiu should have magic too. Let me take a look.”
Even though he had no free slots, he could still inspect it.
Copy!
Immediately, Gujiu’s magic skill appeared before Zhang Ye’s eyes. There was only one, but it left him dumbfounded.
【Devour: Unranked innate magic. Devours everything to strengthen oneself.】
【Copy Duration: 1 second.】
【Analysis Duration: 1 second.】
【Current Copy Slots are full. Cannot copy.】
Although the description was short, the phrase “Devours everything to strengthen oneself” sounded incredibly potent.
With this skill, Zhang Ye would essentially possess Gujiu’s ability. He could devour everything—stones, trees, plants—and turn them into nourishment to become stronger. Even dung could...
Cough, no, definitely not that!
In short, he could devour anything to strengthen himself. It was incredibly domineering!
Such a skill would be a top-tier existence in any novel.
Moreover, the copy and analysis times were both only one second, which sufficiently proved the special nature of this skill.
Thus, Zhang Ye decided that as soon as his current copy duration expired, he would immediately copy and analyze this skill!
Zhang Ye headed outside, intending to test the power of his magic.
“First up—Fireball!” With a flick of his wrist, a fireball flew forward, moving slightly faster than a Mana Ball.
It struck a nearby tree trunk with a sharp pop. The bark on the surface shattered, leaving behind a charred mark and a wisp of blue smoke.
Zhang Ye rushed over and patted out the sparks on the tree, muttering, “Set the mountain on fire, and you’ll spend your life behind bars.”
Ella: “...”
Zhang Ye looked at the mark on the tree and nodded.
“This would probably break the skin if it hit a person, right?”
Ella replied, “You could always try it on yourself.”
Zhang Ye gave a sheepish laugh. “I think I’ll pass.”
Next was Metal Derivation.
He opened his hand, and a marble-sized piece of metal condensed in his palm. It looked a bit like copper and could be shaped at will. Zhang Ye molded it into the shape of a copper coin and grinned. “With this Metal Derivation, will I be able to condense gold in the future?”
Ella shook her head. “High-tier metal magic can condense gold, but it would only be gold from the Otherworld. It would possess a magical aura and cannot be used as common currency.”
Zhang Ye nodded.
That made sense. Otherwise, every magician could just mint their own gold coins.
Metal Derivation was much more fun than Fireball. The lump of metal in Zhang Ye’s hand was like playdough, allowing him to shape it however he liked. He eventually molded it into a set of brass knuckles, slipped them onto his hand, and threw a few practice punches.
“These Tier One spells are quite mana-intensive. Casting four of them used up nearly a fifth of my mana. That means I can only cast twenty Tier One spells on a full tank. That’s not quite enough,” Zhang Ye remarked.
Ella shrugged. “That’s already very impressive. The mana in your body is refined by the system; it is the purest form of mana. Furthermore, your mana reserves are much larger than those of an average magician. A typical magician who has just reached Tier One can release five Tier One spells at most. You are much stronger than the average person.”
“Is that so?” Zhang Ye scratched his head and smiled, immediately satisfied.
“Of course. As you continue to cultivate, your mana reserves and quality will gradually far exceed those of your peers. That is the benefit of the system—and, of course, your own physique,” Ella said. “To put it in the terms of your world, you have a gifted physique. You were born with a larger mana capacity than most.”
“Naturally. I am the protagonist, after all,” Zhang Ye said smugly.
Ella: “...”
Really, this guy couldn't be complimented. He didn't know the meaning of the word humility.
“Gujiu~” Suddenly, Gujiu let out a cry, its small eyes fixed on the fireball in Zhang Ye’s hand. Through the Equal Contract, Zhang Ye could feel its longing.
“Right, I remember Gujiu can devour magic!” Zhang Ye recalled. He crouched down and held the fireball out to Gujiu.
“Can you eat this?” Zhang Ye asked curiously.
“Gujiu!” Gujiu immediately hopped onto Zhang Ye’s hand and engulfed the fireball. The fireball tumbled inside its body before vanishing completely. Gujiu let out a burp, and its body grew slightly larger.
“It really can eat it!” Zhang Ye said in surprise.
Ella said, “Of course. Why else would it be known as the ‘Slime that Devours All’?”
“Moreover, compared to ordinary food, magic is much richer in mana. It’s a great supplement for a slime. You should cast more magic for it to eat; that way, it will grow faster.”
“Got it!” Zhang Ye nodded, condensing a fireball in each hand. “Eat up, Gujiu. Grow up fast. I’m counting on you to help me dominate this Otherworld later.”
“Gujiu!” Gujiu cried out happily and began devouring the fireballs.
Every time it ate one, Zhang Ye condensed another. After it had devoured over a dozen fireballs, Zhang Ye suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and his body felt slightly weak.
He shook his head and asked, “So there are side effects to running out of mana, right?”
“Correct. If your mana is completely exhausted, you will feel physical discomfort. Overdrawing your mana can lead to fainting or even life-threatening danger. Therefore, it is vital for a magician to ensure their mana remains plentiful,” Ella explained with a nod.
“Understood. And to recover mana, I just need to use meditation, right?” Zhang Ye nodded.
“Yes. Also, while the system is assisting your cultivation, it will accelerate your mana recovery. At your current speed, even without entering meditation, you can recover ten percent of your mana every two seconds. In meditation, that recovery rate increases by three to four times.”
Zhang Ye was pleasantly surprised. “Doesn’t that mean even without meditation, my mana will be full in twenty seconds?”
“As long as I cast a spell once every second, I should be able to keep using magic indefinitely, right?”
“Yes,” Ella confirmed.
Without another word, Zhang Ye activated the system’s cultivation and kept it running non-stop from that moment on.
He could immediately feel the surrounding mana flooding into his body, and his depleted mana reserves began to replenish.
“Alright, the time is about up. Let’s continue copying and analyzing magic!” Zhang Ye chuckled. He then proceeded to copy and analyze Gujiu’s 【Devour】.
One second later, the analysis was complete. Perfect mastery!
Feeling the wondrous utility of the magic, Zhang Ye nodded. “Now I’m just like Gujiu. I can eat anything, including magic. Everything I eat will be converted into energy to strengthen my body, soul, and mana.”
“The better the supplement, the greater the improvement!” Zhang Ye laughed.
However, Ella shook her head. “That only applies to slimes. In your case, while the result is limitless, the process has restrictions. After all, you aren't a slime. You can devour everything, but only on the condition that the energy of what you devour doesn't exceed your body's physical limit. Otherwise, you’ll explode!”
Zhang Ye nodded.
He felt this was more reasonable. Otherwise, he could just find some heavenly treasures to munch on in the early stages and become a Saint-tier in minutes.
Physical strength determined the limit of his devouring!
After feeding Gujiu another dozen fireballs, the slime suddenly stopped eating. It closed its eyes, and the gel inside its body began to swirl like a whirlpool, resembling a drum washing machine.
“What is Gujiu doing?” Zhang Ye asked curiously.
“Digesting. After devouring a large amount of energy, a slime enters a digestion state.”
“Gujiu is still very weak right now. Those dozens of fireballs were a huge supplement for it. It needs time to digest, though given a slime’s digestive capabilities, it should be finished in no time.”
“Once it finishes digesting, it will become stronger, and its digestive capacity will increase further.”
“I see... So if Gujiu suddenly ate a Saint-tier spell, would it explode?” Zhang Ye asked.
“No. Slimes are different from humans; their devouring limit is extremely high. Forget one Saint-tier spell—it could devour a hundred if given enough time. However, after devouring such a massive amount of energy, it would immediately enter a digestion state. While it could continue to devour, its efficiency would be low until the digestion is complete.”
“Furthermore, the more energy it devours, the longer it takes to digest. If the current Gujiu were to devour a hundred Saint-tier spells at once, it would probably take over a decade to digest them all.”
“It takes time to grow to a point where it can instantly digest Saint-tier magic. So, while a slime’s appetite is virtually limitless, its digestive capacity still has restrictions. It needs to progress step by step.”
“Moreover, a slime is extremely vulnerable while in its digestion state. During this time, it is not immune to physical attacks. A single punch could shatter it and kill it. Thus, the easiest way to kill a slime is to feed it until it's full and then deal enough physical damage while it's digesting.”
“Of course, that 'easy' part only applies to the early stages. A dozen low-tier spells are enough to satisfy it and force it into a digestion state now, but in the later stages, even a hundred Saint-tier spells might not be enough to fill a slime.”
“I see...” Zhang Ye nodded. He then carefully scooped Gujiu into his arms. “Then I’ll have to make sure it's well-protected.”
Seeing this, Ella smiled faintly but said nothing.
...
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