Chapter 67: Skill Point Allocation
Upon hearing Janna’s response, which was completely in line with her usual conduct, Vivian merely shrugged and did not press further.
After all, whether it was [Transfiguration] or [Witch's Hand], Vivian, who had already deeply understood Janna’s “monster rookie” essence, was used to her freakishly fast learning aptitude.
Naturally, Janna’s meticulous habits when it came to financial planning were something Vivian had also long become accustomed to.
“I know that some of you still haven’t reached a Spirit Power of ten points yet, and technically aren’t even first-tier Wizard Apprentices. However, that can’t be used as an excuse to delay the progress of others. After all, time waits for no one. Whether you’ll be able to seize the opportunities ahead depends not just on talent, but more so on the effort you put in during your apprentice years…”
Mary Margaret, who herself came from the lower districts, was well aware of the hardships of growing up without background or resources.
Though talent and origin were set from the moment of one’s birth, the truth was that the differences in talent between most people weren’t that extreme.
Even if some fell behind early on due to lack of resources, that slight gap was negligible compared to the difference between fully fledged witches.
If trying once wasn’t enough, then you had to try again with everything you had.
Being a little late to the starting line could still be made up for through hard work during the apprentice phase.
Of course, this didn’t apply to apprentices who had no desire to pursue the path of a witch.
“The incantation for [Mage Hand] is short. Anyone with a mouth should be able to learn it.”
As soon as she said that, Mary Margaret recited a brief but forceful incantation in a booming voice.
“Then watch my casting gestures carefully—this part is the key.”
Seeing that the apprentices followed the chant fairly well, Mary Margaret nodded with some satisfaction.
She then proceeded to execute about fifteen precise arcane gestures with deft fingers, like threading flowers through her hands.
“Now add the chant and repeat after me.”
Upon hearing that, Vivian, who had already learned [Mage Hand], promptly conjured a complete, white hand about the size of a forearm.
Although there was some resistance in the process, the casting was overall fairly smooth.
“See, Janna? It’s really not that hard…”
Just as Vivian turned to show off a little, a slender, emerald-green hand of the same size swiftly formed in front of Janna.
“It really wasn’t too difficult.”
“……”
Even though she had already gotten used to it, Vivian still found it just a bit hard to accept…
After all, she had practiced dozens of times by herself before she was finally able to conjure even a palm-sized [Mage Hand]. Only after gradually gaining proficiency had she achieved her current level.
“Well… I guess we’re both just geniuses.”
Vivian gave an awkward laugh, then turned to the others in search of some comfort.
Sure enough, just as Vivian expected, the majority of the apprentices hadn’t even memorized the basic casting gestures yet.
Only a small handful from wizard families wore expressions that said “This spell isn’t that hard,” casting hand-sized [Mage Hand] spells with a proficiency similar to Vivian’s.
“Ugh, quit acting like hotshots—you all just learned this at home ahead of time…”
Vivian grumbled inwardly. But aside from Janna, she did notice a few commoner apprentices who genuinely succeeded on their first try at casting [Mage Hand].
Though the hands they conjured were pitifully small—only about the size of a baby’s fist—and their magic circuits were unstable, they had still succeeded.
“Why the hell did that damn Andre succeed too? Ugh, what rotten luck!”
Spying the fire-element apprentice who had nearly hit her face with a fireball during their last duel, Vivian rolled her eyes and looked away, still holding a grudge.
Meanwhile, Janna was quite satisfied as she looked at the green hand before her, perfectly shaped and identical to her own.
“I thought I’d have to try a few times before I got the hang of it. Didn’t expect to succeed on the first try. And the casting was pretty decent, too.”
Compared to the other apprentices who had only managed baby-fist-sized versions, Janna’s [Mage Hand] was clearly much larger.
Still, it wasn’t significantly ahead of the apprentices from wizard families.
“Looks like this time, I’m not the top performer…”
Lifting her gaze slightly, Janna saw Mary Margaret observing a few students who had cast even faster than she had.
Without hesitation, Janna chose to allocate skill points.
“System, upgrade [Mage Hand] to its current level cap.”
Shua—
As light flashed across the skill panel, the description for [Mage Hand] instantly updated to [Mage Hand (Level 19 – Temporarily Cannot Be Upgraded)].
Along with the rapid level-up, a torrent of knowledge and experience regarding [Mage Hand] flooded Janna’s mind like a dam burst open.
“Vivian, I think I just suddenly grasped the full casting technique for [Mage Hand].”
“Huh? Didn’t you already grasp it earlier…”
Before Vivian could finish, an enormous green hand—about half the size of a person—appeared in front of Janna.
“You… How did you manage that? In such a short time… never mind, I’m already used to it.”
Staring at the green hand that was noticeably larger than her own, Vivian felt completely numb.
Even the bit of disbelief she’d initially felt had entirely vanished.
Unlike Vivian’s forced composure, the surrounding apprentices immediately turned their attention to Janna’s unusually large [Mage Hand].
Some were stunned, others suspicious, but the moment they realized it was Janna who had cast it, all doubts evaporated.
What remained was the same resigned acceptance Vivian had shown, or even a kind of peace that surpassed envy.
After all, back when some first-tier apprentices were still struggling to cast [Magic Missile], Janna had already mastered [Transfiguration] ahead of schedule. Her talent had long since defied conventional understanding.
Moreover, thanks to her high Charisma score, most apprentices held a very favorable impression of Janna.
Especially since her demeanor and manners gave no reason for criticism whatsoever—aside from her background as a commoner apprentice…
But that very “flaw,” which wasn’t even truly a disadvantage, only made Janna all the more admirable to her fellow commoners whenever she displayed her extraordinary talents.