"Oh, I’m not that amazing..."

Bev coughed lightly, though her vanity made her want to take the credit.

"The main Spell Structure for this celebratory Fireworks Magic was already completed by Mage Hedley from the Guild."

"But there are still some minor details that need to be perfected—specifically, the part that displays the different patterns."

"Since I’ve been researching this area recently, Mage Hedley assigned me the design for a portion of the circuit structure. Think of it as a pro bono commission."

"I see..."

Zelir nodded slightly. "So, the circuit you’re responsible for, what effect does it need to achieve?"

Bev picked up a draft and pointed to a very rough design on it.

"To fit the theme of the Autumn Harvest Festival, I need to create a circuit structure that forms a wheat-ear pattern after the firework explodes."

"In that case... it doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?" Zelir mused.

Just making the Magic explode into a wheat-ear pattern.

"Exactly! It’s not difficult in theory, and I already have a preliminary concept!"

Bev clenched her fist, looking full of motivation.

"In a bit, I’ll inscribe a temporary Spell Structure on a Scroll. Then, Zelir, you’ll be in charge of casting it, and we can see what the actual effect is."

"If it were just me... I’d have to design it, inscribe it, and then test it by casting it myself. It would be exhausting, and I might not even have enough Magic Power. With you here, it’ll save a lot of trouble."

"You got it!" Zelir agreed readily.

He was actually quite curious about the process of creating Magic, so this was a good opportunity to observe.

Bev opened the *Elemental Effects Overview* and *Basic Rune Logic* on the table, quickly looking up the sections she needed.

Her fingertips danced nimbly across the pages. She would occasionally frown, then scribble a flurry of calculations and corrections in her notebook.

Her focused, earnest expression truly had the air of a research-oriented Grand Mage.

Finally, after a brainstorming session, Bev confidently picked up a piece of parchment and began to inscribe the first version of the Spell Structure using her Spiritual Power.

If one were making a formal Magic Scroll meant for long-term preservation and study by others, the amount of Spiritual Power required for inscription would be astronomical.

The Caster would have to concentrate intensely, ensuring every branded Spirit Mark was perfectly clear to prevent it from fading over time.

But for someone like Bev, who didn’t care about the Spirit Mark’s longevity and was just doing a temporary test, it wasn’t nearly so troublesome.

Besides, this wasn’t some complex High Level Magic, so the Spiritual Power consumption was much lower.

Soon, Bev handed the inscribed parchment to Zelir.

"Here, give it a try."

Zelir took the Scroll.

Thanks to his high Intelligence Attribute of 114 points and the extraordinary analytical power from his Technique Celestial Calculation...

Zelir merely swept his Spiritual Power over the Scroll, and Bev’s Spell Structure was instantly committed to his memory.

Then he casually set the Scroll aside.

Seeing Zelir put down the Scroll, Bev was a little surprised.

"What’s wrong... Did I not inscribe a part clearly enough for you to understand?"

"No, it’s fine."

Zelir blinked. "I’ve already memorized it."

"Huh...?"

Bev was a bit stunned.

From the moment Zelir picked up the Scroll to the moment he put it down...

Did the whole process even take ten seconds? He memorized the entire Spell Structure just like that?

’Isn’t he a little too talented?!’ Bev screamed internally.

Now she finally understood how someone could become a Junior Mage at sixteen.

Zelir, however, was oblivious to Bev’s inner thoughts.

He reviewed the Spell Structure in his mind. The Difficulty wasn’t high; in terms of complexity, it barely met the standard for Level Two Magic.

Then, Zelir raised the Night Peace Staff and began to channel his Magic Power according to the Spell Structure Bev had designed.

With the powerful amplification of the Night Peace Staff, the Magic Power completed the entire circuit almost instantly!

At the tip of the staff, a brilliant ball of golden light rapidly gathered, and then...

"BOOM!!!"

Before the ball of light could even be launched, it burst violently at the tip of the staff, like an overinflated balloon!

"YAH!"

Bev jumped in fright at the sudden explosion. As a blinding light flared, she instinctively turned away and squeezed her eyes shut.

A strong gust of wind swept through the courtyard, kicking up a swirl of fallen leaves before slowly subsiding.

Once the commotion died down, Bev turned back to look.

She saw Zelir squatting on the ground, covering his face with both hands.

"Ughhh... Zelir! Are you okay?" Bev rushed over to check on him.

"I think I’m blind..."

Zelir kept his eyes closed, his voice pained.

He waited a long moment before carefully opening them, tears welling in the corners from the intense flash.

Just now, at the very instant he was about to complete the Casting, the flow of Magic Power had violently clashed at a certain node.

This caused the entire Technique to spiral out of control on the spot, essentially backfiring.

Luckily, it was just a decorative Magic with no real destructive power.

Plus, Zelir had reacted extremely quickly, shutting his eyes the moment it exploded. That’s why nothing serious happened; he was just left seeing stars from the flash.

"Ahh, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!"

Bev immediately understood the problem. She pressed her hands together, apologizing profusely with a face full of guilt.

"It must be my fault! When I was designing the circuit to stabilize the Magic Power output, I must have miscalculated the structure!"

"It’s all my fault! J-Just give me one more chance! I’ll definitely get it right this time!"

"It’s okay, it’s okay..."

Zelir stood up and dusted himself off. "Just carefully revise the circuit structure..."

He was now personally experiencing just how terrifying Fantasy Mages could be.

Even a formally educated, academy-trained research Mage like Bev could make this kind of mistake in the design phase.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of earth-shattering chaos that bunch of free-spirited, reckless scribblers got up to on a daily basis.

Bev went back to work at the table, and a short while later, she handed Zelir a second piece of parchment, full of confidence once again.

"Done! This time, I specifically reinforced the stabilization circuit for the Magic Power output and even added an energy buffer structure. It definitely won’t go out of control again!"

"Are... you sure?" Zelir looked at her, feeling a little uncertain.

"I’m sure!" Bev clenched her fist, psyching herself up.

After memorizing the improved circuit, Zelir raised his Magic Wand again.

This time, however, he was smarter. He turned his face to the side, almost casting the Magic with his back to it.

The Magic Power flowed, and the pattern was complete!

"WHOOSH!"

This time, the Magic was successfully cast.

A crooked golden spark shot out from the tip of the Night Peace Staff.

But it didn’t fly straight up into the sky.

The spark bounced on the ground twice, then shot around the courtyard like an out-of-control skyrocket before diving headfirst into a large water barrel used for watering flowers, where it was completely extinguished.

Zelir turned his head to look at Bev.

"Oh..."

Bev watched the wisp of blue smoke rising from the water barrel and scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"It seems the trajectory guidance rune wasn’t set correctly... Hold on, hold on, let me try again."

"I seem to recall you looking down on Fantasy Mages, didn’t you?" Zelir said.

"Hey! It was just a mistake, that’s all. I can definitely get it right." Bev scurried back to the table and continued to fiddle with her old tomes and draft paper.

Soon, thanks to Bev’s tireless efforts, the third version of the design was ready.

Zelir raised the Night Peace Staff and channeled his Magic Power according to the new Spell Structure.

A soft ball of light emerged from the staff’s tip. This time, it didn’t explode or fly about wildly. Instead, it obediently rose toward the azure sky.

A successful launch!

Zelir and Bev looked up in anticipation, ready to admire the magical effect.

"..."

The weather was really nice today.

Not a cloud in the sky. You could even see a few leisurely birds flying high above.

The two of them just stared up at the sky, holding the same pose in silence for a long time.

After a good while, Bev stiffly turned her head and asked Zelir in a low voice,

"Did you see it?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Zelir said, "I thought my eyes were still acting up from the flash earlier, and that’s why I didn’t see it."

"Right..."

Bev let out a long sigh.

"It seems I overdid it with the stabilization circuit this time. The Magic Power output was so restricted that the visual effect was practically zero."

"Creating Magic really is hard."

Looking at the messily scribbled-on drafts on the table, Zelir could somewhat empathize.

It wasn’t just a simple matter of arrangement and combination.

The intensity of the Magic Power, the path of the circuit, the compatibility of the runes, the balance of energy...

If any tiny detail was off, the result would be a mile away from the goal.

A Mage had to walk a tightrope, precisely finding that "degree" of balance between all the elements to successfully create a new, stable, and useful Magic.

Zelir was about to offer some words of comfort to Bev but found that she wasn’t discouraged at all.

Instead, a more fervent fighting spirit burned in Bev’s beautiful eyes!

"I know what to do now, Zelir! Wait for me to revise it one more time!"

The fourth attempt.

Zelir cast the Magic.

This time, the ball of light didn’t go out of control, nor was it too dim to see.

It traced a bright trajectory and exploded mid-air with a "BANG".

Countless golden rays of light burst outward, finally outlining... in the sky...

Um... a very clear, angular...

"Is that a turtle?"

Zelir tried his best to make out the shape of the pattern. "What pattern did you say Mage Hedley asked you to make again?"

"A wheat ear..."

Bev’s cheeks flushed bright red, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

"Ughhhhh! I must have gotten the form-shaping runes wrong! Again!!" She rushed back to the table, nearly driven mad.

For the rest of the afternoon, the courtyard became Zelir and Bev’s exclusive fireworks show.

Bev’s design inspirations came one after another, while Zelir tirelessly played the role of the launcher.

All sorts of strange and bizarre patterns began to appear endlessly in the sky above the Mage’s Guild.

Many Mages passing by couldn’t help but stop and stare.

They looked up at the magical lights blooming one after another above the courtyard, their expressions puzzled.

"What... are they doing?"

"No idea. Judging by these chaotic magical fluctuations... it’s probably some crazed Fantasy Mage experimenting in there. We’d better stay far away, lest we get caught in an explosion."

"Someone should complain to the Guild’s upper management. Who let those lunatics in here?"