CHAPTER 178: MULTI-SYSTEM GENIUS

Evan snapped out of his shock, his voice still holding boundless regret.

In his eyes, Eric was absolutely a rare magical genius. If only he were an Elf, the tribe would surely have another powerful magic caster in the future.

After witnessing Eric’s talent firsthand, Evan was convinced that he could absolutely become a magic caster, perhaps even a grand magic caster might appear on this continent again...

Unfortunately, such high magical talent had fallen upon a beastman, and in this place, there was no mentor of sufficient caliber to guide him.

Evan looked at Eric with a complex gaze. He still held some of his race’s inherent reservations in his heart, but faced with such a good seedling, he truly couldn’t bear to watch him waste his god-given talent.

"This is giving me a headache too." Eric sighed:

"Because I don’t even know which element I’m most compatible with."

Evan froze, looking at Eric with an expression of utter disbelief.

"I tried sensing for a long time while meditating as you instructed, but I still couldn’t determine which element I’m compatible with. That’s why I took the risk of trying a little this morning..." Eric sighed dejectedly again.

"You mean... you can use other types of magic too?" Evan’s brows furrowed tightly.

His mood, which had been like a calm lake, had just had a stone thrown into it, and now another giant boulder had been added, causing the waves to surge violently.

Eric thought for a moment, then slowly opened his hand. A warm, orange flame slowly ignited, dancing in his palm, reflecting a sparkling light in the stunned eyes watching him.

"I’ve only had time to try these two systems," he said honestly.

The truth was, in the novels and anime he had watched, water and fire were the two most common systems, so he thought of them first. He didn’t know how to try the other systems yet.

Leo was the first to react. He looked at the flame, both curious and happy, and inquisitively reached out a finger, intending to touch it.

"This will burn you!" Eric quickly raised his hand a little higher:

"Anyone who touches this besides me will get hurt. Its temperature is the same as a normal fire; it’s very hot."

Leo’s eyes immediately dimmed with disappointment:

"Oh, okay then."

Seeing his little brother’s crestfallen look, Eric couldn’t bear it. He snapped his fingers, and a perfectly round, transparent ball of water materialized, floating right in front of Leo:

"Touch this one!"

Leo immediately cheered up. He carefully poked the water ball. His finger passed through, bringing a cool, damp sensation, but the ball didn’t break.

Delighted, Leo used both hands to cup it, placing it in his palms.

Evan stepped closer, his gaze on Eric no longer one of regret, but of an indescribable complexity:

"This is... fire-based magic. And you... you also cast it without an incantation."

Taking a deep breath, his expression gradually turned serious:

"You said you don’t know which system you are more compatible with, which means... it’s very likely you can use magic from more than just these two systems."

Eric pondered for a moment, then silently nodded.

"Then try to follow my nature magic." Evan said as he picked up a dry branch from the ground and slowly closed his eyes.

A moment later, the withered branch in his hand began to radiate a faint vitality, and a few tiny green buds sprouted. Evan opened his eyes; with his current magic power, this was his limit.

"You try." He handed Eric another dry branch:

"Focus your spiritual power, try to make it come back to life."

Eric took the branch, his expression a bit awkward. He copied Evan and closed his eyes, trying to imagine the scene from just now, hoping the branch in his hand would also turn green.

Because his eyes were closed, he couldn’t see that the withered branch in his hand was gradually glowing with a green tint. Strong buds pushed out one by one, unfurling soft, young leaves.

By the time Eric opened his eyes, the dry branch in front of him had completely disappeared. In its place was a tender green sprig, brimming with life. Each leaf was emerald green, as smooth as jade, and trembled slightly as if it had just been plucked from a treetop on a spring morning.

"It worked!" Eric cheered happily, looking gleefully at Evan.

"...You can indeed use nature magic as well, and what’s more, you learned it and skipped the incantation right away." Evan said slowly, his gaze complex to the extreme.

Sam and Leo crowded around, curiously peering at the branch in Eric’s hand, endlessly amazed.

"Wow! Eric, in the future, can you make fruits for me to eat!" Tullte climbed onto Eric’s leg, looking at the sprout and speaking with a worshipful tone.

When the other cubs heard this, they also clamored.

"I want fruit too!"

"I like tangerines, can you make tangerines for me?"

"It would be great if there were more balls, can Eric make them?"

The cubs’ voices chirped, leaving Eric unsure which one to listen to first. But he still patiently answered each one:

"Tullte, don’t be so greedy, look at how round your little belly is. Besides, I’ve only learned a little, see? This is the most I can do."

He waved the branch in his hand.

The corners of Evan’s lips unconsciously curled into a smile:

"Your current magic is already equivalent to that of a low-level mage. If you cultivate diligently, perhaps you really can make fruit for them to eat. Moreover, a multi-system mage with such evenly distributed talent is truly, incredibly rare."

Making fruit... Eric imagined it for a moment.

If one day, his magic level became as formidable as that Elf Funa he met at the coast, able to make a seed instantly turn into a towering tree laden with fruit, then he would probably wake up laughing in his dreams.

At that time, the tribesmen would never have to worry about food again!

He exclaimed with longing:

"If only I could really become that powerful, that would be great! Everyone could eat fresh fruits in winter, and vegetables too, just thinking about it makes me happy."

Evan’s smile brightened further, his eyes filling with goodwill.

"You are truly interesting. If your magic power can make a seed bear fruit, the lowest level would have to be a high-level mage. At that time, not only will you not worry about food, but the power of a high-level mage would be sought after by people everywhere."

Eric pictured the scene of himself becoming a high-level mage and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"If I really become a high-level mage, I will definitely grow all kinds of delicious fruits in the yard every day, genetically modify the non-tasty varieties into tasty ones, and modify the low-yield varieties into high-yield ones!"

At that time, please call him the Shennong of the other world!

Eric clenched his fist, cheering himself on.

Having such a powerful cheat tool as magic in his hands, if he still couldn’t increase crop yields, it would be a true waste of heaven’s gift. Magic couldn’t just be for fighting and killing; that was a terrible waste of resources!

Magic should be applied like electricity, like solar energy, to bring benefits to the masses. Moreover, magic was a clean, non-polluting energy source, how wonderful!

He felt a little regretful again. It was a pity the Snow Wolves had no magic talent; otherwise, coal could be replaced by the fire system, drinking water wouldn’t require digging wells but could be directly condensed with the water system, and as for the nature system, it went without saying. Every magic system had its own use.

Even though there was no one here to teach him, for the sake of this promising "new energy source," he decided to slowly explore and experiment.

Clap, clap, clap...

A round of crisp applause rang out in the courtyard.

"Eric, you must become a high-level mage!"

Leo stared at Eric without blinking, his clear eyes sparkling with anticipation, completely believing in the enticing, imaginary future his brother had just painted.