Chapter 451 - What a Rank 6 Wizard Can Do

Hope you like the chapter! Six days. That was how long it had taken to charge his spellbook with enough essence to prepare Erupting Core. Si

Hope you like the chapter!

Six days.

That was how long it had taken to charge his spellbook with enough essence to prepare Erupting Core. Six days of channelling at every spare opportunity, meditating on the River and Waves to recover what he could, and then pouring that energy back in, over and over, broken only by the excursions into warlock lairs and his own training. Hump had burned through every bit of patience he had, but he had done it.

With the spell ready after so much work, he had been torn between testing it out and saving it for when he needed it. Truthfully, the latter was hardly a choice. It was safe, and something he only considered due to the precarious situation they were in, but he needed to experience the spell. If he were to master Erupting Core in time, he needed to see it in action. He needed to feel it. There was no other way to do that but this.

And now, standing in the centre of the palace’s ancient training hall, it was finally time to witness his first Tier 7 spell. This was what all his effort had been for.

Prince Gregory, Captain Halvon, leader of his bodyguards, and Hump’s party all sat in the spectators stands. Nisha loomed behind Celaine, taking up the row behind them on her own. Kassius had been disappearing on Celaine recently—an impressive feat by Hump’s standards, and one that as of yet, they lacked an explanation for. The fact was, every couple of days, he was suddenly gone. So far, they had yet to figure out why.

“There’s really no need for you to be here, Prince Gregory,” Hump said from the walkway leading into the hall.

He’d wanted to finally escape his audience, and now here he was with a royal watching him work. Specifically, on a spell he was no confident he could control and was quite possibly going to explode in his face.

“How could I miss it?” Prince Gregory asked with a sparkle to his eyes. “I’m most curious to see such powerful magic myself. I haven’t seen much of wizards. What about you, Halvon?”

“I can’t say I have, your Highness,” the captain of the guard said. “And what I have seen was unimpressive compared to what Chosen can accomplish.”

“Perhaps that will change today,” Prince Gregory grinned down at him. “I’m hoping to see a true spectacle, Wizard Humphrey. Hold nothing back. Give us a show!”

Hump glanced at his party. Celaine muttered something, a hint of amusement in her eyes. Dylan laughed, Emilia looked concerned, and Bud gave him a thumbs up before summoning his blessings. First, Ice Armour coated him, and he stepped ahead of everyone else. Aegis of Sanctuary followed after, a wall of ice forming before them, so clear that Hump could see them on the other side.

Hump glared at Celaine. “What did you say?”

“I just reminded everyone of some of your previous experiments,” Celaine said, a little too innocently.

“You’re predictably unpredictable,” Emilia said. “Think nothing of it. It’s just a precaution.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Stop stalling!” Bud said. “It’s just a precaution. We’re Prince Gregory’s bodyguards after all.”

“An excellent point,” Prince Gregory said cheerfully. “It wouldn’t reflect well on you if I were incinerated during your demonstration.” He chuckled. “That would cause quite a bit of trouble I imagine.”

Captain Halvon appeared significantly less amused. His lips were a thin line. “Please don’t joke about such things, your Highness. Perhaps it would be best if you left the chamber for the demonstration.”

“Nonsense, Captain. I trust Wizard Humphrey completely. He is one of the most capable wizards in Alveron.” He leaned forward slightly. “Aren’t you?”

Hump smiled. “That’s more like the confidence I need! Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

Hump shot a glare at his party. “Once, you were all as supportive of this.”

Celaine turned to Bud. “Do you remember that time I almost chopped Hump’s arm off, and you returned just in time to help?”

“I do indeed, Celaine,” Bud said. “Something to do with Kassius’ dagger.”

“You’re both in luck,” Hump said. “If it goes wrong today, there won’t be any arms left for either of you to chop off.”

With that, Hump left them behind and went to the centre of the hall.

In truth, Hump had little idea how the spell would manifest either. The description indicated it would be a molten ball of stone, and his understanding of the spell formation led him to believe it would gather essence to it until he was unable to maintain it any further, at which point, it would erupt. If he was in control, it would unleash a blow at his target. If he lost control… Boom.

He took a breath and called, “Is everyone ready?”

“Get on with it!” Prince Gregory said, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Hump’s eyes flickered to the enchantments in the walls and floor, laid by an eight circle Chosen of Loften centuries ago. It had endured war drills, divine duels, and the most powerful members of the royal family. Now, today for the first time, a wizard would take advantage of it. And it would surely endure him.

Hump opened his spellbook, the pages falling open to a prepared Erupting Core. The runes leapt to life, glistening like fire and gold were surging through ink. Power radiated from the runes alone, descending on the room with a pressure that made Hump’s heart thunder.

As he channelled his will into the spell formation, it leapt to life. Red and bronze essence spiralled outward in streams of molten light. Heat blossomed around him, building fast. the book floated before him, its pages blazing with runes that seemed afire on the page, pulsing with essence. Hump reached deeper, pressing his will and intent into the runes, feeling the way the essence flowed through him to the very core of his being.

The power rushed back through him. His staff blazed. His soul throbbed with essence. His body burst with energy that made him feel heavy and urged him to move to dispel such power.

He kept it sealed tight, letting it rush through him. Familiarising himself with the feeling of it as one would a hot bath. Acclimatising to the sensation of such power and focusing his mind. He threw any nerves and anticipation to the waves, clearing way for him to concentrate on this singular task.

“Erupting Core,” Hump said. Essence burst from his lips. The room resonated with his voice, echoing as if he’d roared the words.

Light surged from his spellbook, his staff, and him. It gathered before him. At first a dust cloud of essence—bronze and flame—swirling together and gathering into a narrow point. As seconds passed the movement of the cloud became more intense, until suddenly it was a gale. Hump’s hair whipped his face, his cloak billowed behind him, the wind roared in his ears.

At the centre of the cloud, the light grew brighter by the second, until it was white and brilliant as burning magnesium. The dust continued to pour in, and slowly, a bead too form. Small, dense, and glowing like a fragment of the sun.

It cracked and hissed, spitting arcs of molten energy as it drew in more power. Dust and loose grit on the floor trembled, then lifted, orbiting the core. Even the air itself felt drawn toward it, like the world’s breath was siphoned away by a growing storm. Red lightning burst from the above, drawn to the core. More streaks followed, each accompanied by a bang like thunder.

Sweat beaded on Hump’s brow. He’d never held a spell with so much pressure. He felt it fighting him with every moment. One slip up, and all of it would escape his grip at once. But his focus did not waver. He continued to gather power. Continued to infuse it with his own essence, and that of the Book of Infinite Pages. Minutes passed, and the bead grew bigger, until it was the size of his fist. Molten cracks shifted and spit across its surface. Plates of stone moved like slowly shifting glaciers. Bronze essence lashed at the ground, while red lightning. continued above.

Now, with ever second, the cracks spit more. The plates started to break. The lashings and lightning became stronger and more frequent.

This was his limit for today. Any further, and he risked losing control. He had learned enough.

With a breath, he focused all that power on the target ahead of him.

And he released it.

The beat erupted from one side, stone and molten rock exploding toward the target like volcano. The bead ripped itself apart with a thunderous boom. Essence, fire, and stone streaked forward through the air in a single beam. It struck the target and exploded with a molten fury that engulfed the target in a sphere of shrapnel and scarlet fire. The floor cracked, the walls shook, and streaks of lava ran from the blast, carving scars through the reinforced floor.

The roar of the detonation slowly faded, and Hump could only stare at the bits of broken metal that were once the dummy.

Silence followed. Hump’s heart was pounding in his ears. The thrill of such power was… breathtaking. Awe-inspiring. Unimaginable. He wanted more. Wanted to feel such essence surging through him all the time. Wanted to command such power with ease, like a wizard out of legend.

But as the seconds passed, reality struck him. A chill lanced through his body, cold, but not unbearable. The brunt of the essence had come from his spellbook, but this was still an enduring task. If he were casting this himself, he would need to rely more on the residual essence in the air rather than his own reserves.

Or perhaps I need to stock up on some powerful essence stones, Hump though. He had something to draw from; he could prepare the spell faster.

“Well,” came Prince Gregory’s voice. “What do you say, Captain? Has that changed your mind on wizards?”

Hump looked over to see Bud’s Aegis of Sanctuary cracked and melted. He was fully coated in Ice Armour and standing in front of Prince Gregory. Heart of Frostfire filled the air around him with an aura of cold. Dylan’s only blessings encompassed them, shrouding them in the essence of nature.

“I think so,” Captain Halvon muttered, eyes wide.

Prince Gregory laughed heartily. “The warlocks will not know what’s coming for them, Wizard Humphrey. That was spectacular. This, Captain, is another reason I requested he join us. And his party are just as impressive.”

Hump grinned. He had to admit, that was even better than he’d expected. Then his shouldered sagged a little. Now he just needed to spend another six days to prepare the spell again and put some of this application to use in his training.

Next time, he might not have its support.

As he rejoined the others, Bud let his blessings fall and Celaine walked over.

“Well done,” she said. “I liked the spell.”

Hump smiled. “Thank you.”

“And you see why I mentioned your experiments now, don’t you?” There was a playful smirk on her lips. She nodded to the hall. “Fortunately, you didn’t burn the palace down.”

Hump turned and gazed over the damage. It was minor. The old enchantments were already repairing the worst of it. runes across the walls glowed, still reinforcing the walls even as restoration magic stitched the cracks and cooled the lava.

He wasn’t quite strong enough to defeat the enchantments of an eight circle Chosen, but one day… one day not even this would hold him. One day, he would truly master magic.

But for now, he would need to content himself in mastering Erupting Core.