Did I somehow find myself in a magical world? Lynn quickly regained his composure after the initial shock. After all, in a world where you've crossed over, nothing seems impossible.
Lynn was naturally intrigued by the wonders of magic. The strong desire to explore it briefly overcame the fear of being pursued by the Church. As an apprentice wizard with just over half a year of training, he had limited knowledge of magic, only five basic spells.
Among them, "Elementary Material Deconstruction," "Water Conjuring," and "Mage's Hand" were the most basic zero-tier magics. They were essential but lacked offensive capabilities.
The more advanced "Fireball" required specific magical materials, and as for the other zero-tier magic, "Icy Blade," Lynn hadn't mastered it yet.
Lynn reached down to his waist pouch and took out his limited resources.
Two red firestones, three Sekas silver coins, over ten copper coins, seven scrolls with complex magic formulas, a yellowed book titled "Elemental Analysis," and a small bag of gray powder—this was the spellcasting material for "Fireball," known as "Crimson Embers."
Lynn pinched a small amount of fine powder and felt a tingling excitement. Carl's memories contained the complete casting steps for "Fireball."
First, use "Elementary Material Deconstruction" to analyze the spellcasting material, then use "Mage's Hand" to make "Crimson Embers" vibrate at a specific frequency to activate the magic.
The whole process sounded cumbersome, but the time-consuming material analysis could be done in advance. If one was proficient enough, "Fireball" could be cast in just one second.
Lynn couldn't wait to experience this supernatural power, but he ultimately restrained himself. This small amount of "Crimson Embers" was worth five Sekas silver coins and was only enough to cast "Fireball" three times. It couldn't be wasted carelessly, so it was better to start with something simpler for the first attempt.
After some contemplation, Lynn chose "Water Conjuring" as his first spell.
As one of the essential zero-tier magics, "Elementary Material Deconstruction" was the key to using magical materials, and "Mage's Hand" was the best aid for a wizard. "Water Conjuring" was a fundamental lesson for apprentices.
This basic magic didn't require pre-prepared spellcasting materials like the higher-tier "Icy Blade." It could directly extract water elements from the elemental world.
Following the method provided in his memories, Lynn closed his eyes and began to meditate. Carl had given him a solid foundation, and within a short two to three seconds, Lynn successfully opened the door to this new world.
With his eyes closed, Lynn entered an incredibly magical world. With the power of his mental senses, he could "see" the room filled with countless softly glowing magical elements.
Billions, hundreds of billions, thousands of billions? No, these numbers couldn't even begin to count the vast quantity of these elements. They shimmered like stars in the dark universe, blindingly bright.
Most of these elements were highly active, constantly changing their positions. Among them, "Sylu" was the most abundant element, accounting for about seventy percent of the total. Carl's mentor, Kora, had called it a useless element.
This spectacular sight left Lynn in awe. After a while, he focused his mind on using magic.
The steps to cast "Water Conjuring" were not too complicated. It required merging two types of water-related elements in a two-to-one ratio.
The first element was relatively abundant in the elemental world, making up about twenty to thirty percent. The second element was rarer and required more effort to find.
However, there was an easier way. The elemental world naturally contained a small amount of ready-made water elements. By drawing them out and reassembling them using "Elementary Material Deconstruction," you could easily manipulate them.
Thanks to Carl's obsession with magic, Lynn had practiced these basic spells hundreds of times. His foundation was solid, and he quickly mastered the method after overcoming the initial discomfort.
But this so-called elemental world felt oddly familiar to him.
When Lynn opened his eyes again, a bead-sized water droplet floated gently in his palm, cradled by "Mage's Hand."
"Very good, it worked!" A slight smile formed on Lynn's lips. However, the momentary distraction caused the water droplet to disintegrate and drip through his fingers.
It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and Lynn quickly snapped out of his momentary celebration. As an apprentice wizard, he was still being pursued by the Church. He couldn't afford to be complacent because of this small achievement.
Not to mention, this bead-sized water droplet would be of little use in a battle.
It probably wouldn't even quench someone's thirst!
Lynn had seen Carl, his previous self, use "Water Conjuring" as a prelude to casting a second-tier spell, "Group-Icy Blade," against bandits. In an instant, more than ten fist-sized water droplets had gathered and transformed into sturdy diamond-shaped ice blades, shooting down the attackers like a swarm of locusts.
One strike had wiped out all the incoming enemies.
With that in mind, Lynn decided to sense the elemental world and give it another try.
Perhaps due to the integration of memories after the crossover, Lynn's mental power was much more abundant than the original Carl's, allowing him to harness more magical energy.
When Lynn used "Water Conjuring" earlier, it cost him very little. He had a premonition that he could achieve even more.
Lynn closed his eyes again and entered the elemental world. This time, he didn't rush to cast "Water Conjuring" but attempted to influence every kind of element around him with his mental power.
These elements had diverse appearances, giving Lynn a sense of familiarity, and some felt unbelievably "heavy," making him mentally exhausted with the slightest effort.
Fully immersed, Lynn suddenly noticed a strange phenomenon.
The elements drifting in front of him were inexplicably drawn into his body at a peculiar frequency and then expelled, repeatedly cycling.
Did wizards need to regularly ingest these magical elements?
A doubt suddenly popped into Lynn's mind, and upon closer observation, he made a remarkable discovery. This phenomenon was precisely linked to his breathing.
Wait... this is oxygen, isn't it?
Lynn was dumbfounded, continuously taking deep breaths. In his eyes, the towering and mystical forms of magical elements suddenly crumbled.
He hadn't recognized this earlier because he didn't directly see these "elements." He had sensed them in a highly mystical way through his mental power and then manipulated them using magic.
Moreover, the chemical elements in the air of this world differed from his previous life. This was why Lynn hadn't considered this possibility before.
But now, with this insight, the process of capturing elements to create a water flow had a new explanation.
What is water? It's an inorganic compound composed of two chemical elements, hydrogen and oxygen.
The air indeed contained a small amount of water vapor, perhaps what wizards called water elements.
So, he hadn't been using magic earlier; he had been conducting a chemistry experiment?
Were wizards essentially chemists?
This conclusion momentarily stunned Lynn. However, he quickly shook his head. In this world, there was a mysterious force called "magic." From his earlier spellcasting, it seemed that magic could manipulate matter on a microscopic level. If there were no restrictions, wizards were essentially gods.
According to his past scientific knowledge, everything in the world was made up of atoms. If magic could manipulate matter on that level, it could create or destroy anything.
Lynn quickly got lost in his thoughts, realizing how terrifying the combination of his past scientific and magical knowledge could be. If in his previous life, scientific theories were used to create various machines to change the world, wizards could transform these theories directly into magic, harnessing immense power.
Lynn extended his hand once more, and the hydrogen and oxygen in the surrounding air were separated, forming a small water droplet that floated in his palm.
Then another question crossed his mind. When hydrogen and oxygen combined to form water, it typically involved a combustion reaction, creating high temperatures and energy. Where did that energy go?
Could it have been absorbed by magic? Magic, this unknown field, seemed capable of anything. Lynn couldn't be sure, but he knew he would need to conduct experiments later to find out.
Lynn shifted his focus to other spells. If his conjecture was correct, then the key to the first-tier spell "Icy Blade" was transforming the water from a liquid to a solid state, increasing its lethality.
To achieve this, Lynn would need to lower the temperature of the water.
Lynn thought back to the principles of physics from his previous life. Temperature was a manifestation of the average kinetic energy of particles within an object. In other words, molecules collided and produced heat.
In this case, he needed to slow down the movement of water molecules. With a thought, he used his magical influence, causing the water molecules in his palm to slow down and cluster together tightly. In an instant, the small water droplet solidified into a transparent ice crystal.
Just as Lynn was amazed at his successful theory, a notification sound suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Special energy detected... Source unknown... No records in the database... Would you like to create a relevant file?"
Lynn was momentarily stunned. He couldn't believe it. This sound was all too familiar to him.
But wasn't he in a different world now? His body had changed, and the auxiliary chip that had been implanted earlier should no longer exist.
"071, do you know how we crossed over here? Is there any relevant information in the system?" Lynn asked anxiously.
Due to unknown reasons, the system has undergone a shutdown and restart. There are no records during the entire process.
Lynn furrowed his brows, feeling a bit disappointed. Nevertheless, he quickly composed himself and asked, "How long can the remaining energy supply the system to operate?"
Since he had already arrived in this other world and was constantly at risk of being hunted by the Church, Lynn needed to find a way to survive. The accompanying AI was an unexpected blessing. While personal implanted auxiliary chips had limited AI capabilities due to federal regulations, 071 held extensive technological knowledge from Lynn's previous life.
In this unique world where science and magic coexisted, this information was invaluable.
Energy remaining: 37.6%. Special energy detected, available for system operation.
Was this special energy referring to magic?
Lynn contemplated. The various characteristics displayed by magic left him incredibly astonished. If he were still in his previous world, he might have rushed straight into a laboratory for experiments.
But now, he was just an apprentice wizard with no money, no power, and being pursued by the Church. Whether he would see the sun rise tomorrow was uncertain.
Lynn sighed and then spoke solemnly, "071, create a new file and name this special energy 'Magic.'"
"Loading database..."
During this moment, Lynn turned to look at the diamond-shaped ice blade floating in the palm of his hand. Due to the infusion of magic, this ice blade was different from what he had seen before. It constantly emitted a chilling aura, had a sharp conical head, and a streamlined overall shape.
Although it was called an "ice blade," describing it as an "ice arrow" might be more appropriate.
This form was called the "Kora Configuration," designed to minimize air resistance.
Clearly, his mentor, Kora, had a significant background in fluid dynamics...
Lynn couldn't help but mutter inwardly. Then, his expression turned somewhat peculiar because, compared to the memory of Kolu unleashing "Icy Blade," the one in his hand seemed a bit smaller.
Even though the air in this world contained more hydrogen than in his previous life, collecting it all still wouldn't generate enough water flow.
Thinking about this, Lynn couldn't help but wonder how his mentor was able to cast the second-tier spell, "Massive Icy Blade."
It couldn't possibly involve extracting hydrogen, oxygen, and water vapor from hundreds of meters around in an instant, could it? With such a power, Kolu wouldn't need to cast "Multiple Icy Blades"; the enemies would probably suffocate due to a lack of oxygen.
Unable to figure it out in the short term, Lynn didn't dwell on it. He simply focused on the floating ice blade in front of him and had a thought.
"071, retrieve relevant information about 'Armor-Piercing Arrows' and 'Barbed Arrows,'" Lynn silently requested.
In the next moment, an abundance of data streams flashed through his retinas. Countless images, information, and simulated 3D models left Lynn somewhat overwhelmed.
"Replace the crafting material with ice. Aim for stability, reduced air resistance, and maximum lethality. Optimize and restructure!" Lynn mused, stroking his chin, and spoke again.
The images displayed on his retina rapidly faded, and after a mere second, a completely new 3D model appeared before him.
Lynn firmly memorized the new 3D image. With a light grip of his right hand, the floating ice blade instantly disintegrated.
Zero-tier spell – "Basic Material Deconstruction."
The disintegrated ice blade reverted to its most basic elemental form, compressed in his palm under the influence of magic. It continuously changed shape to align with the image stored in Lynn's retina, quickly stabilizing.
The reconstituted ice blade was narrower than before, and its conical head was altered into a more armor-piercing and bloodletting triangular shape. It also sported two long barbs at the base. Lynn could imagine that once this ice blade struck its target, it would leave them speechless with pain.
The successful improvement of the spell experiments gave Lynn hope for survival. However, the power of "Icy Blade" was still limited, and no amount of optimization would result in a significant increase. Therefore, Lynn quickly shifted his focus to the second-tier spell that Carl mastered, "Fireball."
Unlike the process of extracting "raw materials" from the air while using "Icy Blade," "Fireball" required the use of a magical substance called "Crimson Ember."
Lynn speculated that this substance was highly flammable, rapidly expanding and igniting under the friction and heating imposed by magic.
If his assumption was correct, could he use other flammable materials to cast this spell?
"071, search for information on the production and usage of white phosphorus," Lynn silently thought.
White phosphorus was a colorless or pale yellow, semi-translucent waxy substance with a low ignition point. Upon contact with oxygen, it would ignite fiercely, reaching temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius.
What made it even more terrifying was that white phosphorus fires were challenging to extinguish and had a strong adherence. Once in contact with a person's body, it would quickly burn through the skin, muscles, and even reach the bone marrow, producing highly toxic gases.
As a data storage officer in his past life, Lynn had witnessed the horrific effects of launching new white phosphorus munitions by the federation. It was an unforgettable and horrifying sight.
When the missile exploded in the air, a continuous rain of fire fell, igniting an unquenchable blaze within a few kilometers.
The scorching heat, persistent nature, and the lethal toxicity of the resulting gases meant that even those taking cover had no escape from the clutches of death.
Because of the terrifying nature of white phosphorus munitions, they had been banned as inhumane weapons early in the last century. Various regions in the federation only dared to research them secretly.
However, the manufacturing process for white phosphorus was not particularly complex, and the auxiliary AI contained detailed records. As long as he could find the necessary materials, even without instruments, he could produce it.
Just as Lynn was pondering, a dull knocking sound suddenly echoed from behind him.
Lynn's expression suddenly changed.
He was currently hiding in the slums of the Norderland territory. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to disturb him unless...
The Witch Hunters dispatched by the Inquisition had arrived!
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