The Sigil Meditation method belonged to the third generation of meditation techniques.
As noted in the black book and the initiation legacy, the era of the first-generation methods had extremely high barriers to entry. Wizard apprentices were not divided by rank; there was only a single, grueling stage between being an apprentice and becoming an Official Wizard.
By the second generation, the landscape of the wizarding world shifted. The difficulty of entry was successfully lowered, and apprentices were divided into three clear, hierarchical levels. Depending on the school of meditation, a student would generate different "Innate Spells" upon reaching the third level.
With the advent of the third generation—thanks to the efforts of the Archmagi—the requirements for mental aptitude were lowered yet again. The apprentice stage was expanded to five levels, making each step smoother and the mental energy more condensed. The difficulty of ascending to an Official Wizard was reduced (relatively speaking, of course; stagnation remained the norm for the masses on the path of the transcendant).
This third-generation method no longer granted the Innate Spells of the second generation. Instead, it provided a "Temporary Spell Slot" at every level.
Temporary slots, also known as "Pseudo-Spell Slots," were designed by the Archmagi to bolster the survivability of low-level apprentices. By the time one reached the fifth level, they would possess five of them. As the name implied, these slots were temporary; once a spell was cast, the wizard had to re-energize the spell model during meditation to store it again. Every casting required preparation.
In the Sigil Meditation method, these temporary slots were the Sigils themselves. A Level 5 apprentice would have five Sigils, each capable of storing one Zero-Ring spell. Like true spell slots, these allowed for rapid casting with low consumption. Their primary drawback was that they could not be replenished during the heat of battle, nor could they help a wizard grasp the fundamental "truth" of a spell. However, their great advantage was their flexibility: the stored spell could be swapped out depending on one's needs or environment.
Tars looked at his resources, reflecting on the choices and confusion of Karyu, the author of the diary.
Many apprentices chose Firebolt for their permanent solidification. It was a Zero-Ring spell, much weaker than the First-Ring Fireball, but in many ways more practical. It was smaller—about the size of a human fist—traveled faster, and cost far less energy. Even Official Wizards occasionally used it to quickly ignite distant targets when raw power wasn't required.
Solidifying Firebolt transformed an apprentice instantly. The ultra-low consumption of a solidified spell allowed a Level 1 apprentice to act like a walking, long-legged magical turret. Constant use would lead to deeper insights, lowering the cost even further.
Tars thought for a moment, picked up a book on Firebolt, and set it to his left as a candidate. Then he looked at the remaining books and the six scrolls.
From the diary, he learned that these scrolls were crafted by Karyu himself; selling them had been his primary source of income. They were "Legacy Scrolls," not meant for combat but for teaching low-level spells that were necessary to know but not worth the time to study deeply. Two of the six were for Arcane Mark, likely because they were popular sellers. Arcane Mark was a staple for every wizard, yet few felt the need to waste months researching it when they could simply spend a few Mana Stones on a scroll. Upon unfurling it, the spell model would be guided into the mind and constructed automatically.
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Aside from the two Arcane Mark scrolls, four others remained:
Depilation: A Zero-Ring spell. A minor spell for hair removal that most ignored, preferring a sharp razor. However, it was a "great invention" for pranks; for a few Mana Stones, one could permanently master the art of making a friend go bald to "strengthen the bond."
Bull's Strength: Slightly weaker in raw power than Giant's Strength, but it granted the recipient incredible stamina—a superior choice for wilderness survival.
Fetid Skin: A spell that was as powerful as it was pungent. It could nauseate or even stun enemies, though the caster had to endure the stench as well. The beauty was that the caster would gradually adapt, and residual traces from repeated use could eventually lead to a permanent effect. It was a peculiar spell, mainly used by low-level apprentices to avoid large subterranean beasts; it might earn you a beating, but it would keep you out of a monster's maw.
Mental Seethe: This briefly heightened mental activity, keeping the caster clear-headed and providing a slight resistance to confusion. Generally unremarkable, it was famous for one reason: if solidified and fused with the mental space, it slightly improved an apprentice's aptitude and meditation efficiency. While the effect was weak, it was permanent—something combat spells like Firebolt couldn't offer once a wizard reached higher ranks. However, choosing this meant sacrificing offensive power during the apprentice years.
Tars set the scrolls down. He suspected the descriptions were a bit hyperbolic—commercial puffery from Karyu. The "incredible stamina" of Bull's Strength was likely just "decent."
The half-man had predicted Tars would learn a Zero-Ring spell before mastering the six runes, though the mysterious cripple's timing was often off. The implication was that Tars shouldn't settle for these "fast-food" scrolls. The other books, besides Firebolt, were Mage Armor, Ear-Sprout, and Frost Ray. The half-man likely expected him to spend time mastering one of these properly.
Among the items was an hourglass-shaped object with a diamond-shaped crystal inside instead of sand. Tars sensed its function: it was a clock. The top and bottom ends glowed alternately to represent day and night. It was much more accurate than his "Stomach Timer" and gave him a clear concept of days in this sunless world.
He calculated his food supply and decided to spend two days skim-reading the four spellbooks to test his "affinity." He believed in affinity because he could already feel it. When he touched the scrolls for Depilation and Fetid Skin, a strange, indescribable sensation stirred in his heart—as if he had found long-lost friends.
Karyu's diary called this the "Throb of the Light of Spirituality." When faced with impossible choices, many wizards simply followed this inner light.
His first reading was faster than expected. In less than a day, he had finished his initial pass of all four books. He laid them out before him and ran his hand over them.
He didn't want to keep waiting. His mindset needed to shift.
He looked at the grub shells and beast hides stored in his cave. In his past life, he had always liked to do things "perfectly" in one go. He thought it was more cost-effective, even if it meant long waits and suffering. But this wasn't that world. Here, there was no "perfect," and there was no guarantee of a "later."
He had to make the choice that suited him now. He was a weak little kobold; Aiskin could probably knock him flat in three punches, and she was his friend.
"Perhaps this really is the best choice..."
He set the books aside and picked up the scroll for Fetid Skin. If he were to use a Legacy Scroll, the choice was between this and Bull's Strength. Bull's Strength lasted for a set duration, making it a great "Temporary Slot" spell. Fetid Skin, however, required constant mental maintenance, making it perfect for permanent solidification. For a loner like him, it was the ultimate survival tool.
The black book advised those of average talent to build only one spell model before becoming a Level 1 apprentice to avoid interfering with the Sigil. Once he ascended and recovered, he could use the other scrolls—including Depilation.
He took a deep breath, slowly unfurled the Fetid Skin legacy scroll, and let his mental power resonate with it.
