Chapter 66: Basic Spells
On the lab table, only ten Source Energy Fragments remained.
In her dormitory, Janna picked two cactus magiplants that weren’t growing particularly well and divided the fragments into two portions, burying each into the soil of the two pots.
“When I get paid next time, I really should buy an Interdimensional Storage item. Otherwise, I have no place to store valuable items that need to be kept on me.”
On this recent team expedition to the Mirror Plane, almost everyone had some sort of storage item, except Janna.
The convenience had left her genuinely envious.
“The interdimensional storage bracelet I saw last time in ‘Raccoon Cat’s New Outfits’ had a one-cubic-meter capacity and started at five hundred Gold Surrel. If the space gets any larger, the price just multiplies…”
Thinking of her nearly depleted wages, Janna shook her head and snuffed out any thoughts of splurging.
Even though she had already signed a formal contract with the Nightingale Opera Troupe and had a stable source of income, before the year-end bonuses were distributed, her monthly fixed salary of five hundred Gold Surrel wasn’t enough to grant her the financial freedom to buy anything she wanted like Vivian did.
Savings took time. Equipment upgrades also took time.
Moreover, Janna made a rough financial plan at the start of every month, allocating budgets based on the importance and urgency of expenses.
High-cost purchases like interdimensional storage items, given her current savings level, fell into the category of indefinitely postponed proposals.
It wasn’t like the “transfiguration-specific robe” she bought previously — that had been an essential purchase.
Otherwise, every time she used Transfiguration and ended up “bursting out of her clothes,” the cost of replacing her robe would’ve been a constant wasteful expense.
“Oh right, sometime soon, I’ll also need to go to the library and rent some books related to Laws… That’s another unplanned expense…”
Until she figured out the details of the [Law of Growth Fragment] shown in the “System Character Panel,” Janna’s overwhelming thirst for knowledge would remain unsatisfied.
And that kind of clueless frustration, for someone with her top-student disposition, was nothing short of torture...
“All right, you two should head back and rest now.”
Shaking her head to clear out the clutter in her mind, Janna noticed the Celestial Finch and the Thornflower Sprite still lingering in the dorm room.
She raised her hand to dismiss the power of the contract.
“Goodbye, Master. Aph awaits your next summon——”
“Hiss—hiss——”
As the light from the Contract Array flickered and disappeared, both the Celestial Finch and the Thornflower Sprite vanished with it, returning to the Spirit Realm.
“Is it already past eleven?”
Seeing the time on the clock, Janna swept her long hair back from her shoulders.
With a little time left before noon, she decided to pick up the opera she hadn’t practiced for several days and rehearse it again.
After all, this Saturday would be her first official day reporting to the Nightingale Opera Troupe.
She didn’t want her lack of practice to cause constant mistakes during rehearsal, leaving a poor impression on her future colleagues.
“In both past life and present, wherever there’s competition, there’s conflict. Especially in high-stakes fields like opera and performance, where resources are limited, both overt and covert battles become even fiercer. Especially for someone like me, who appears to have connections — if I leave a bad impression on the veteran staff due to poor preparation, it’s just unnecessary trouble…”
The contract Janna signed was only for one year.
Judging by her own talent and potential, she believed that as long as she could leverage her early acquaintance with someone like David Berg, she wouldn’t have to worry about missing a shot at a lead role.
By then, when she held more bargaining chips in hand, Janna had confidence she could negotiate better terms for herself in the next contract.
“Caw—caw—”
It was May, a season of new life and warm sunshine.
Apart from the occasional rasping cries of rooks outside the window, the temperature was just what Janna liked best.
“Summer’s almost here. The weather’s going to heat up…”
Bathed in the warm light pouring through the window, Janna picked up the script for Bloodshadow Rose and gradually immersed herself in her vocal practice...
…
Fifth floor of the Magic Tower, Year One Apprentices’ Public Classroom.
“Good afternoon, apprentices.”
“Good afternoon, Professor Margaret.”
Just like the Introductory Herbology class, the Basic Spellcasting course for first-year apprentices was also taught by a First Tier Wizard, Mary Margaret.
“Today’s lesson: learning the incantation and casting gestures for [Mage Hand]. You’ll only be considered proficient if you can use [Mage Hand] to lift an object equal to your own body weight. This will also be a key focus in the end-of-term spellcasting exam.”
“That’s way too hard… If [Mage Hand] can lift a flower pot, that’s already impressive. And now I have to lift myself?”
Hearing Mary Margaret’s words, a few apprentices who had only recently advanced to First Tier Witch Apprentice status, sitting behind Janna, couldn’t help but murmur complaints.
“I remember Professor Margaret’s past spells were all apprentice-level tricks. Why is today’s lesson suddenly so much harder?”
Vivian, who also heard the lesson outline, wasn’t startled like the others.
After all, [Mage Hand] was a basic spell every apprentice had to master. She had already practiced it back when she was still with her family.
However, even at her current level, she could only lift objects weighing about half her body weight.
“Well, most of the class has already advanced to First Tier Witch Apprentices. Teaching tricks like [Flash Spell] now would just be too easy.”
Since enrolling at White Coral Academy, all the apprentice-level tricks Janna had learned came from classroom instruction. The selection wasn’t vast, but the benefit was that it was free.
Spells like [Mage Hand], [Grease Spell], [Shrink Spell], and [Sheep Transformation], which would be taught later as part of the core curriculum, Janna didn’t plan to spend money on learning them. Her financial philosophy was simple: “Save wherever possible, and eliminate waste.”
Unless it was something like [Contract Studies], [Mykethan], or [Transfiguration] — courses that clearly required extra Academic Credits and elective enrollment — Janna had resolved not to spend even a single coin unnecessarily.
“But Professor Margaret jumping straight into a high-difficulty spell like [Mage Hand] is definitely going to scare a lot of people… Oh, by the way, haven’t you already mastered this spell? It’s way easier than [Transfiguration], after all…”
“Credit exchange is too expensive. I haven’t learned it yet.”