Even if you blasted that thick stone wall directly with an Arcane Missile, it would only leave a large crater.

In contrast to the continuous, wide-area damage of the Flame Breath Skill and the piercing, explosive nature of the Arcane Missile, Water of Cutting emphasized its cutting properties.

The highly compressed stream of water was extremely lethal, undoubtedly a powerful tool for breaking through tough defenses. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

All three spells of Magic had their own specialized applications.

Zelir could also see that Water of Cutting consumed a tremendous amount of Magic Power.

After finishing the cast, Riley looked more exhausted than if he had just continuously cast ten Level Two spells.

The Water Blade only lasted for a brief moment, dissipating immediately after it finished cutting.

’What a rush! Watching all this Magic today has been a real treat!’

"Very well done."

Marvin nodded. "Among all Level Three Elemental Magic, Water of Cutting is considered one of the most difficult."

"However, it’s not enough," Marvin said, his tone shifting. "Your Casting Speed exceeded five seconds."

"Your understanding of this spell’s Spell Structure isn’t perfect yet, and the Water Blade’s form was unstable. There are still areas that need improvement."

As he spoke, Marvin patted Riley’s shoulder. "Keep up the good work. Use Meditation to strengthen your Magic Manipulation Level. You’ve made great progress today, and I believe you’ll be able to take that next step very soon."

Riley looked a bit dejected, but he quickly composed himself.

"Yes, Instructor Marvin!"

Although he had failed the assessment, the Mages in the viewing stands still gave Riley a round of applause.

"That was already amazing, Riley!"

"You can do it! You’ll definitely pass next time!"

"You’ll surely be the youngest Junior Mage in the Black Stone Town branch!"

Cries of encouragement came from all around.

Riley waved to the viewing stands in thanks, and Marvin’s gaze followed.

However, his eyes immediately found Zelir in the crowd.

A smile crept onto Marvin’s lips, and he waved to Zelir.

The other Mages followed the direction of Marvin’s wave, and many eyes suddenly fell upon Zelir.

Zelir was a little stunned.

He had just added these spells to his analysis queue and was about to slip away.

Zelir pointed to himself and asked loudly, uncertain, "Instructor Marvin, are you looking for me?"

"That’s right, you. Come on down!" Marvin nodded.

Zelir felt a bit uncertain, but he walked down the steps from the viewing stand and into the center of the arena.

"Come now, you’re both outstanding Mages for your age. You two should get acquainted," Marvin said.

"Hello, my name is Riley Schwache." Riley extended a hand toward Zelir.

"Hello, I’m Zelir."

’Zelir...’ Riley’s thick eyebrows arched slightly.

"Zelir, how has your Magic training been going lately?" Instructor Marvin asked.

"It’s going pretty well. I’ve been practicing diligently every day," Zelir said.

"Then come on. Instructor Manlin told me you know the Flame Breath Skill."

Marvin gestured. "Demonstrate your Level Three Magic. I’m quite curious."

This piqued Riley’s interest as well.

He had heard Instructor Marvin mention Zelir before, saying he was a very talented Mage.

’But didn’t he just pass his Magic Apprentice assessment a short while ago? He’s mastered a Level Three Magic spell this quickly?’

’And he’s supposedly an Adventurer, too...’

’When he’s constantly out on quests, does he really have time for Meditation and training?’

Zelir thought for a moment before saying, "Instructor Marvin, I’d like to demonstrate a different spell of Magic. Could I ask for your guidance on my Arcane Missile instead?"

’Instructor Manlin once said that Instructor Marvin is an Upper Level Arcane Mage. He must have a profound understanding of Arcane Magic.’

’Both the Flame Breath Skill and Arcane Missile are Level Three Magic, but he could cast Flame Breath Skill in a little over six seconds, while Arcane Missile took him over seven.’

’He could never figure out what caused the difference.’

’If I demonstrate an Arcane Magic spell in front of Instructor Marvin, maybe I’ll get some unexpected pointers?’

"Oh? You know Arcane Missile as well?"

Hearing this, Marvin grew even more surprised. "Go on, let me see."

"Then I’ll begin."

Zelir controlled his breathing.

He cleared his mind of stray thoughts, focused his Spirit, and began to follow the established path, outlining the Spell Structure for Arcane Missile.

Magic Power flowed from his Spring Seed, surging swiftly under the guidance of his Spirit.

Wisps of light began to swirl in Zelir’s palm, coalescing into a rhombus-shaped crystal that radiated a dangerous aura.

Arcane Missile!

WHOOSH!

The Rhombus Missile shot forward, striking the stone wall Riley had just summoned dead center.

BOOM!!!

A violent explosion erupted, sending stone fragments flying everywhere.

The rampant Magic Power scattered, blasting a crater the size of a washbasin into the stone wall!

From the viewing stands, many of the Magic Apprentices let out gasps, their eyes filled with envy.

’That Magic Apprentice, Zelir, looks so much younger than all of us, yet he’s already mastered Arcane Missile with such skill.’

’Even though he didn’t meet the Junior Mage standard of casting it in under five seconds, the spell was executed to a very high degree, and its power is shocking.’

"Hmm... Not bad."

Marvin’s face was filled with approval.

"Your Power is far greater than I imagined. To think you’ve already mastered the Level Three Magic spell Arcane Missile this quickly. Why didn’t you come to me for guidance sooner? Did you think I wouldn’t be able to teach you anything?"

"That’s not it... I just wanted to practice on my own for a while," Zelir said, a bit embarrassed.

"Generally speaking, improving Casting Speed relies on you slowly optimizing the Spell Structure yourself. However, you have a major misconception about the charging process, and it’s severely impacting your efficiency," Marvin said seriously.

"Arcane Magic and Elemental Magic are fundamentally different in their casting methods. Take Riley’s Water of Cutting, for example. He first had to perceive the Water Element, then gather and channel it, and finally complete the Magic Release."

"This is an external-to-internal process, which is the core principle behind charging Elemental Magic. But the Arcane Magic System is different."

"The primary medium for Arcane Magic is your own Magic Power. It doesn’t rely on the external environment, nor does it require you to perceive any Elements. In other words, when you cast Arcane Magic, you don’t go from outside to inside. You start directly from within and complete the construction."

"But when you were Casting just now, I could sense that you spent at least one second perceiving your surroundings—a step that applies only to Elemental Magic, but is completely redundant for Arcane Magic."

Marvin concluded with his correction, "Skip that step. Just focus on the flow of Magic Power inside your body."

Zelir mulled over Instructor Marvin’s words, and sudden understanding dawned on him.

’So that’s how it works!’