CHAPTER 216: FINISHED LEARNING

Orion’s fingers traced the scrolls, carefully absorbing their contents as Eldric continued.

"Chain Lightning excels in crowd control. Storm Cage isolates and disables foes, and Velocity Strike is perfect for a swift assault or retreat."

Orion examined the rune formulas thoughtfully, immediately raising a question. "Grandpa, the Storm Cage spell—can the dome be strengthened or expanded by adding more runes or altering its current formula?"

Eldric smiled approvingly, appreciating Orion’s proactive thinking. "Yes, lad. But you need good mastery of Mana Circuits as well as Runic Inscription for that. And the spell will become a Tier 3 spell then as well. But it will also increase the mana consumption drastically."

Orion nodded, noting the advice mentally before moving eagerly to the final scrolls, clearly the most intriguing. Eldric’s eyes sparkled knowingly, unveiling two impressive Tier 3 scrolls.

"These are Tempest Maelstrom and Skybreaker Lance," Eldric introduced calmly, emphasizing their names as if they were above Tier 9 spells.

"These spells are the highest tier a person can master before the Mortal Evolution stage. Tempest Maelstrom provides continuous area suppression, and Skybreaker Lance—well, that’s your devastating single-target finisher."

Orion’s eyes flashed with subtle excitement as he studied the complex rune sequences. He carefully examined the Skybreaker Lance scroll, brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"Grandpa, this Detonate rune—does it activate internally upon impact, or is it possible to trigger it manually after penetration?"

Eldric nodded appreciatively at Orion’s perceptive question. "Good observation. Naturally, it detonates internally upon fully penetrating a barrier. But you can slightly modify the rune formation to trigger it manually, once again if you are experienced with Mana Circuits and Runic Inscriptions."

Orion smiled lightly, clearly excited by these possibilities. "Then it’ll be even more versatile. Excellent."

Eldric patted Orion’s shoulder gently. "Take your time to understand thoroughly, lad. Remember, strong fundamentals build strong spells."

"Yes, Grandpa," Orion answered confidently, settling himself at the desk. Eldric observed briefly, pride evident in his gaze, before leaving Orion to his focused study.

The following hours saw Orion completely immersed, meticulously tracing each rune onto high-grade parchment provided by Selene, mana-filled ink flowing effortlessly from his quill.

After what felt like both an eternity and an instant, Orion placed the final stroke, exhaling deeply in satisfaction as the completed formation shimmered vibrantly on the parchment.

"Good lad, it’s only late afternoon but you’ve finished learning all of the Thunder spells." Eldric stroked his beard, pride evident on his face.

He had long forgotten to get shocked at his grandson’s feats, as that would be rather idiotic after everything he had already done.

Orion lightly smiled and exhaled a long breath, "You helped me with the questions as well, Grandpa. I might have taken a few more hours without you."

"Hahaha, look at you boasting now." Eldric laughed out loud hearing his words. "Will you rest now or inscribe them in your Sea of Consciousness?"

He smiled lightly and stood up. "Of course, I’ll inscribe them right now. I have more things to do after this."

Eldric smiled and stood to the side, fully expecting his workaholic grandson to finish all the spells in one session.

Orion moved to the center of the room, settling cross-legged onto the meditation mat. Closing his eyes, he calmly entered the boundless blue expanse of his Sea of Consciousness, ready to engrave each spell deeply into his internal world.

He first inscribed the Tier 1 spells one after another around the Affinity Rune before slowly inscribing the higher tiers.

After a long time, he finished inscribing the last Tier 3 spell and mentally exhaled a long sigh, ’Phew, finally done.’

[Master, you’ve successfully engraved all the spells! Lumi is so proud of you! (≧▽≦)]

He chuckled before exiting the SoC and slowly opening his eyes. He exhaled gently, satisfaction deeply etched into his calm expression.

Eldric stepped forward, his gaze warm and appreciative. "Well done, lad. Inscribing spells, especially those Third Tier level ones at your level, is never easy. Your progress these past few days has truly been astonishing."

Orion smiled warmly, rising gracefully from the meditation mat. A faint wave of exhaustion lingered, but it was shoved to the side by an overwhelming sense of achievement.

"Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll head back and rest for a bit for now—I still have sword training with Uncle Edgar and Brother Lucan later."

Eldric nodded approvingly, gently clapping Orion’s shoulder. "Good. Rest well. You’ll probably need all the strength you can muster, especially considering how he has increased the intensity of the training."

Orion chuckled softly, fully aware of how demanding Edgar’s sessions had grown. With a respectful nod toward his grandfather, he quietly exited the study, making his way toward his own chamber.

Upon reaching his room, Orion closed the door gently, letting out a long, contented sigh. He allowed himself to fully relax, lying back on his plush bed and briefly closing his eyes.

Warm sunlight bathed the room, its comforting glow easing the lingering mental fatigue from engraving the intricate spells.

[Lumi hopes Master feels alright! Today’s progress was especially taxing, wasn’t it?]

Orion smiled faintly, eyes still gently closed. ’It was mentally tiring because I did too many things in too little time. But the rewards are well worth it. I can’t wait to zap some idiots. But I still need combat experience with my Thunder spells—can’t use them without learning how to properly utilize them.’

Lumi giggled lightly, enthusiastically saying,

[Those at the academy would have gotten the shock of their life if you could have revealed your Thunder Affinity as well.]

He chuckled softly in agreement before gradually rising, aware that rest couldn’t last too long.

Stretching leisurely to shake off lingering stiffness, Orion soon departed his room, heading directly toward the mansion’s training grounds.

Arriving there, Edgar and Lucan awaited him, leisurely sunbathing beside the training ring. As soon as they saw him, they stood up and greeted him. Orion didn’t waste much time and entered the ring with them.

The two of them stood opposite him and unsheathed their swords while looking at him with varying expressions.

Edgar’s smile was firm but kind, while Lucan’s mischievous expression hinted at his playful anticipation of their coming spar.

"Ready, Young Master?" Edgar asked, adjusting his sword grip calmly.

Orion nodded decisively, unsheathing his obsidian longsword. "Always, Uncle Edgar."

Without further delay, their rigorous session commenced. Lucan and Edgar attacked simultaneously, perfectly synchronized, pushing Orion relentlessly.

The next several hours flew by in intense combat, Orion steadily sharpening his reflexes, awareness, and practical sword mastery, gradually incorporating glimpses of his newly acquired Sword Aura insights into combat.

By evening, Orion was thoroughly exhausted yet satisfied with his clear improvements. Sweat-soaked and slightly breathless, he returned to his room, immediately welcomed by the comforting presence of Rina and Fiora.

They swiftly and carefully helped him bathe, their gentle chatter and soft laughter easing his fatigue further.

After dressing comfortably, Orion descended to the dining hall, joining Eldric and Selene for a warm, family dinner.

Pleasant conversation filled the room, their affectionate interactions reinforcing the comforting sense of stability that always soothed Orion deeply.

Once dinner concluded, Orion habitually visited Seraph’s quiet chamber. As always, he softly spoke to her, recounting details of his busy day.

Seraph listened silently, her emerald eyes gradually warming, her occasional nods increasingly confident and reassuring—yet her smile remained lost, something Orion deeply wished to someday see.

Returning finally to his own room, Orion sat determinedly at his desk, resuming his nightly routine of thoroughly memorizing and practicing the foundational Primary Runes.

With Lumi’s gentle encouragement, he studied diligently until deep into the night, finally surrendering to sleep when fatigue overtook his concentration.