There are three ways of using magic.
First is through instinct. The biggest problem with that is the versatility.
Those who use magic through instinct are limited to a few spells.
For example, a wind wolf, a type of mob in the game, can only use two types of spells. The first being 'wind blast', a magic attack that focuses air, compresses it and throws it at the enemy to create a miniature explosion. The second being 'Swift Step', a movement-type skill that elevates movement speed and manoeuvrability.
A wind wolf can use the above abilities skillfully, but can never learn a fire-type spell, nor can it use a more complicated wind-type spell that requires multiple sequential actions.
Therefore, the low versatility was a caveat of the instinct type.
The second way of using magic is through imagination. This was something difficult to explain because each person has different thresholds of imagination. But the consensus was that it is unpredictable, unstable and undependable.
Most of the time, emotions interfere with a person's spell-casting ability, and thus, most mages never use it, except for when doing simple tasks.
To use imagination to cast spells, there are two prerequisites. First, they must be an intelligent creature capable of thought and self-understanding. Secondly, they have to have a stable mind. So, beasts and monstrous creatures cannot use this method. Warriors and intelligent races mainly use it.
Now, for the third type of using magic. The one Zephyr was the most interested in.
It was the best way to use mana and cast spells. It is efficient, quick and replicable.
The most significant advantage is, of course, being replicable.
If a person shares their rune formation, they can be sure that when some other person uses the same runes to cast a spell, it will behave in the intended way.
Because of this feature, mages mainly depend on runes to cast spells.
From what Zephyr could see, the spells are constructed with dozens or even hundreds of runes. They behave like software programs when executed through a mage's core.
So, as a programmer, he could see the similarities.
From his perspective, if it were a program, there would be better ways to execute the same spells. He might be able to simplify, modify or rewrite the entire spell. This potential for spell optimisation and core expansion opens up a new door for him, a door filled with exciting possibilities.
This thought led Zephyr into a chain of thoughts that made him optimistic about the future.
'Currently, rune-based magic was a black box. Runes and spells are a forgotten technology of the ancient kingdom that the people of this continent use without proper understanding.'
'In the game, I had no way to reorganise runes of spells. The best I could do was chaining spells and casting them in weird sequences to exploit the features of the previous ones to increase damage output, spell lifetime or decrease cast delay.'
'But with editing spells directly, I might be able to achieve something far better.'
Zephyr thought back to the time when he chained spells to create an infinite lifetime spell. The spell could exist just by itself, forever, just by using the mana in the air. As long as no other exterior system interacts with it, it could stay there for a long time.
If chaining spells can do that, what would editing the source code of spells allow?
Zephyr was excited.
His hands, scribbling the paper, slipped.
He was carefully drawing the spell structure of the mana gathering spell. The slip of a hand caused the runes to be distorted.
However, that could not stop Zephyr. He took another paper and continued to draw.
The reason he was drawing the spell structure of the mana gathering spell was simple. He was called defective because of his inability to meditate and inscribe the same runes on his mana core. The reason for that is his small core.
So, what if he could shorten the mana gathering spell?
It was worth trying.
If he could gather mana properly, he might also be able to improve the core like normal mages and grow stronger.
If that doesn't work, he could simply create more cores.
A wide grin appeared on his weary face just thinking about it.
The dark circles around the eyes made him look like a panda. Combined with the slightly evil smile, anyone would have thought he was a madman.
Fortunately, there was no one else besides Zephyr in the room. So, his crazy expression went unnoticed.
'The goal is shortening the mana gathering spell. Then, make more cores if the current core can't be grown.'
'Using unknown sequences of runes is extremely dangerous. At the same time, trying to create more than one core was also suicidal.'
'No one has done that before. I am sure of it. There is no way for a person to control more than one core after all. But, in my case, I have the trait of absolute mana control. I can even control the core of other creatures, so having more than one core is plausible.'
Zephyr's ambitious plans would be considered reckless by most mages. The idea of controlling more than one core was known to destabilise mana, potentially leading to a fatal explosion with blood and gore flying everywhere. Similarly, modifying established spells was a risky endeavour with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Therefore, few dared to step into this domain and experiment. Safety, after all, was the reason why they preferred the tried and true methods. But for Zephyr, the danger and the unknown were part of the thrill, the risk that made his experiments all the more exciting.
Zephyr didn't have the luxury of waiting. He had to find his own answers, and too quickly.
As a player who transmigrated, he had information that allowed him to take the risk.
'I can do it…'
Zephyr quickly used the books available and drew the mana gathering spell structure.
It was a circle with the runes arranged around its perimeter. A more straightforward way to look at it is as unevenly sized pearls on a necklace.
After drawing the rune, Zephyr tapped the pen on the side.
'Mana gathering spell is used to over-saturate the core with mana. When over-saturated, the core will slowly grow larger and larger, increasing the mana capacity it has while also increasing the surface area it can use to draw runes.'
For a mage to cast spells using runes, the prerequisite was to engrave the spell onto their mana core, or some other medium like a tool.
Most mages draw important spells directly on their core to quickly cast the spell.
The mana gathering spell was one of the most important spells of a mage. Depending on the quality of this spell available to them, their growth rate can change.
Before finding out Zephyr was defective, the tower gave him a superb-quality mana-gathering spell. A spell only the elites of the tower had. He still had the spell matrix in his mind.
Zephyr thought about it and shook his head.
"But I don't need a super one. I prefer the most basic of the basics."