Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Decrepit Village (Please Follow)
The Elite Troll was, in all likelihood, dead, perishing under the "Ma Youfu's Strong Acid Arrow."
Even though Matthew Serl had never learned or remembered this spell, Matthew cast it successfully.
Moreover, he hit the Elite Troll's head, dealing a total of 8 points of damage, which just happened to take away its remaining Hit Points.
"Ding, you've killed an Elite Mutant Troll, earning 2000 Experience Points, double Skill Points, and you've obtained 231 Destiny Coins."
"What? Destiny Coins?"
"So, if I hadn't taken down this Elite Troll ahead of time, there would have been at least dozens of people killed by its hands..."
"Or does it mean, the little girl who was saved, her future achievements are also not simple? At least, her potential should be like this..."
His mind was racing, but his movements did not slow down. Matthew waved Butler Ralph over and whispered in his ear:
"Send someone to inspect the corpses, see if there's anything that can be salvaged. Remember to be careful."
"Take potions and treat the little girl and the others in the village, arrange for night patrol."
Then, Matthew returned to the carriage. He had just put on an act, and now the "backlash" arrived!
The surging Mana flowed continuously into his body, bringing wave after wave of energy and intense pain.
"This is... a gift from the Magic Net!"
Under Matthew's incredulous gaze, his Mana Points limit soared from 260 to 280 points before it stopped changing.
And Matthew felt a mysterious will silently glanced over him, then discreetly vanished without a trace.
Only then did Matthew remember, the real Ma Youfu's Strong Acid Arrow had not yet been created by Arcanist Ma Youfu!
This moment was set about 8 years in the future.
Which meant in the memory of the Magic Net, it was a brand-new, unprecedented spell.
Moreover, the Magic Net held it in high esteem, awarding Matthew the maximum Mana limit increase that one could receive for creating a Second Tier Spell!
Matthew wasn't surprised by this result; after all, "Ma Youfu's Strong Acid Arrow" had astonishing damage and a remarkable effect, and would be ranked as one of the highest cost-effective Second Tier Spells in the future.
Practically all Spellcasters would learn this Second Tier Spell in the future and to achieve the highest acclaim was only natural.
Furthermore, Matthew could distinctly feel that the gift from the Magic Net was not just an increase in Mana limit.
His construction and understanding of this type of spell model had also significantly advanced.
"If that's the case, there are many more spells in my head that have not been invented yet..."
Matthew felt an inexplicable urge, but he quickly came to his senses, his back breaking out in a cold sweat as he curbed this inappropriate greed.
"Occasionally creating a spell can still be seen as a matter of personal talent and gift."
"But continuously producing many complex, ingenious, and practical spells would absolutely make people see me as a monster!"
"Even if it's the former, one would still encounter many inexplicable dangers, like an assassination at the age of six, or like the one that just ended..."
"If it's the latter, it might attract the attention of some terrifying beings..."
Without sufficient ability to protect himself, Matthew did not believe he could hide his secrets under the scrutiny of those terrifying beings.
Once they learned of his memories, it would be a disastrous consequence...
Subduing his restless heart once more, Matthew continued to strengthen his psychological foundation, to prevent getting carried away in times of triumph and also came to a vigilant realization:
"Being this passive isn't a solution; going it alone is always at a disadvantage..."
While thinking this, Matthew turned his head towards Yaya, who was fast asleep, noticing the carriage had already entered Bay Village.
The wave of exhaustion and sleepiness struck together, and after setting up several alarm spells, Matthew slowly closed his eyes and began his first session of meditation in this new world.
Many meticulous memories and detailed scenes surfaced in his mind, one by one, Matthew accepted them, absorbed them, and integrated them.
However, the flood of these memories didn't shake Matthew in the slightest; he simply absorbed these memories as bits of knowledge to be learned without letting them influence him.
Unwittingly, Matthew felt his consciousness as if entering a mighty river, drifting up and down with the waves.
This feeling was addictive, until he heard Yaya's urgent calling in his ear:
"Daddy… come back quickly…"
Suddenly snapping awake, Matthew felt his consciousness rapidly withdrawing, his thoughts once again becoming clear and sharp, gradually reclaiming awareness.
Then, he saw within his mind an image outlined with simple lines, depicting his own face.
Interestingly, as Matthew delved deeper, he could see that the lines forming the sketch were composed of spell models.
"Well, is this the essence of meditation?"
"Engraving spell models into the soul, bit by bit reshaping and transforming the soul's form?"
"This is the Light Technique, with a total of eight mana nodes. Three of them have been optimized—is this what being at LV3 entails?"
"It is indeed so. The Sleep Technique has ten mana nodes, and five are already shining bright. If I can optimize and reform the sixth, does that mean I can elevate it to LV6?"
"This is…"
The unprecedented meditation scene kept Matthew thoroughly entertained, but soon he felt fatigue and quickly realized why.
The meditation session's limit had been reached; both his soul and body could no longer sustain it.
Matthew then truly fell asleep, and with that, his first day in this world came to an end!
March 2nd, 129.
Thick clouds obscured the sunlight.
A cool breeze gently swept over.
The persistent drizzle lasted for about half an hour before gradually receding, disappearing into the distant wilderness.
A row of circular stakes encircled Bay Village, covered with gnawing marks and claw scratches.
There was a wooden gate on each side of the village, with several soldiers taking turns standing guard—something that was not seen before.
Four muddy paths branched out from the gates and led to the center of the village.
The houses in Bay Village were mostly made of wood. Low eaves were adorned with iron hooks, where many gray-white cod hung.
Seizing the moment after the rain stopped, every household hurriedly brought out their fishing gear, meticulously mending and carefully repairing them.
The time for the twice-yearly cod fishing trip to the seaside was about to arrive.
This was almost the only source of income for the villagers of Bay Village aside from farming.
Taking advantage of the time when everyone was around, many people kept up a steady chatter, discussing family matters or talking about the harvest.
Of course, the convoys that had just arrived last night and the new Lord were also a hot topic of conversation.
Especially those villagers who had witnessed the events with their own eyes last evening were now animatedly recounting the details, giving others the feeling of being there themselves.
Of course, this was an exaggeration.
The truth is, they often tended to exaggerate even more…