Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 50: The Origin of Arcanists

 

"Ding, you have successfully brewed a high-quality Blood-Replenishing Potion. Alchemy level +1, current level: 99."

 

The reaction of the potion's raw solution slowly subsided, transforming into the final stabilized product.

 

With an 80% completion rate, the excellent-quality potion was highly competitive in the market.

 

Achieving higher quality was possible, but not particularly meaningful—Matthew was clear that alchemy and potions were merely tools.

 

He divided the refined potion into 40 bottles, having brewed a total of 80 bottles today.

 

Twenty bottles were stored as military supplies, while the remaining 60 would be sold as goods.

 

"Adam Smith needs to arrive soon..."

 

Matthew glanced at the two recovering trolls. These two managed to survive, but the alchemical materials were running low.

 

After tidying up the lab, Matthew sent the two trolls away and placed the sleeping Yaya among a pile of rare metal ores.

 

"She’s going to sleep for two whole weeks this time. Hopefully, after this transformation, Yaya will be able to speak clearly."

 

Matthew meticulously documented Yaya's reactions and changes, as this would be a very important and long-term research subject.

 

In the adjacent room, Liana had already fallen asleep. Matthew observed her mother, Soren, but there were no signs of any bloodline anomalies or information from her.

 

"Spontaneous mutation?"

 

He created a file for Liana as well before heading to the basement, which the former lord had used as a training area. He set up a few warning spells.

 

0-Level Spell: Light!

 

0-Level Spell: Clean!

 

The basement became bright and fresh, reflecting Matthew’s tall and slender frame.

 

He pulled out a hardwood bed, spread a blanket over it, and lay down, clearing his mind of distractions and slowly closing his eyes.

 

His consciousness entered his body, and Matthew "saw" a dense array of glowing dots—elements that made up all things.

 

Some elements were steady and heavy, some lively and energetic, others fiery and passionate, and still others gentle and fluid.

 

The purpose of a caster’s meditation was to train their mental power so that its frequency gradually aligned with the surrounding elements.

 

The goal was to incorporate more elements into the caster's essence, slowly forming a unified whole centered around the soul.

 

This process strengthened the soul, allowing it to bear more mental power.

 

Once this step was completed, using mental power to control and manipulate elements or objects marked the beginning of a mage's journey.

 

However, reaching this point only made one a 0-level apprentice mage.

 

To progress further and truly step onto the path of a mage,

 

One had to continuously strengthen the soul, train mental power, and absorb and establish more mana nodes.

 

The tangible requirement was learning at least five 0-level spells!

 

Once the soul was sufficiently strong and stable, and mental power—or mana—was abundant, one could attempt to construct a more powerful and stable mana structure and model that could channel more elements.

 

This structure formed the foundation of a 1st-level spell!

 

Only upon achieving this could one officially become a Level 1 mage.

 

However, the path of the mage originated from elven teachings, and its development and growth heavily depended on the Weave, a magical network that permeated the Material Plane and the entire universe.

 

Should the Weave become unstable, or if faced with an enemy who had deeper control over the Weave, a mage could instantly lose their combat ability, rendered defenseless.

 

The elves, having explored this path further, enjoyed unparalleled advantages.

 

Thus, they had no qualms about teaching humanity the path of spellcasting, creating more allies to combat the massive orc hordes.

 

When early human mages realized this, they sought ways to change the situation.

 

After all, while relations between humans and elves were good at the time, the proud elves never really valued human opinions, ideas, or interests.

 

Moreover, mages were limited to a certain number of spells per day, and during their daily meditation, once spells were selected, they couldn't be changed for the rest of the day.

 

This was inconvenient and rigid.

 

Thus, mages began searching for a way to break free from their deep dependence on the Weave and create a new profession that did not rely on the Weave for casting spells.

 

Ideally, this new profession would also remove the limitation on spellcasting.

 

The goal was to allow them to cast any spell they had learned, anytime and anywhere!

 

After centuries of effort and the sacrifices of many pioneers,

 

Two thousand years ago, the first Arcanist, Ion, emerged!

 

Ion drew on the lessons of those who had failed before him and expanded upon the path of the mage, creating the path of the Arcanist.

 

Unlike mages, who had a fixed number of spells they could cast each day, an Arcanist could cast any spell they had "learned" as long as they had sufficient mana.

 

By using their soul as the core, they could simulate the structure and function of the Weave, allowing them to cast spells freely.

 

The rise of Arcanists led to a significant increase in humanity’s mid-level combat power.

 

However, as a newly developed profession, each step forward for Arcanists required pioneers willing to forge ahead.

 

Breaking through the limits of extraordinary power and reaching the legendary tier remained incredibly difficult.

 

After a thousand years of development and countless sacrifices from previous generations, the Arcanist system was gradually perfected.

 

Eleven hundred and twenty-nine years ago, Iolem shattered the curse that prevented Arcanists from becoming legendary, becoming the first-ever Grand Arcanist!

 

From then on, alongside the title of Archmage, Grand Arcanist became the new mark of legend.

 

Iolem, hailed as one of the greatest Arcanists, taught many Grand Arcanists.

 

Moreover, 129 years ago, Iolem created one of the Netheril Empire's most powerful weapons—the floating city!

 

Humanity had finally filled the gap in top-tier combat strength. Though they could not yet rival the elves’ thousands of years of accumulated power, they had begun to show the ability to survive independently and establish their own influence.

 

Finally, humanity had taken the first step toward breaking free from the elves’ deep control and influence!

 

Typically, an Arcanist could only be born from a mid-level mage who successfully completed an advancement ritual.

 

The earlier one became an Arcanist, the greater the chance of becoming a Grand Arcanist.

 

At just 22 years old, Karsus of the Karl family, known as the most talented genius in history, had already ascended to become a Grand Arcanist!

 

Matthew, who possessed comparable talent, had only recently "repaired" the damage to his soul, becoming a Level 2 Arcanist.

 

Now, Matthew had to carefully consider which path of the Arcanist to follow!

 

This decision would have an immensely profound impact on the future of the Arcanist profession and the development of his territory.

 

After all, Matthew was the only Arcanist in the territory, and the future of the territory’s growth could rely entirely on his power alone!

 

That’s right, in this world, in Netheril, Arcanists are the primary driving force of progress!