The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World-Chapter 29: The Fundamentals of Mana and Spells (2)

Now that he had a proper grasp of how channeling and gathering mana worked, he decided it was finally time to cast a few spells.

Other than learning a new spell, he still needed to polish what he already had.

He exhaled, steadying his thoughts.

’Obviously, let’s start with this one... again.’

To chant a spell, one needed to recite its verse in the Dead Runes Language, a requirement that stopped most beginners before they even started.

Fortunately for him, he had spent enough time proofreading the author’s spell descriptions that many of those chants were already familiar.

He did not know every single one, of course, but he remembered more than enough to use some of them properly.

Ruvian channelled his mana first and then began chanting the spell at the same time.

"Hear me, mortal frame. By what is mine to wield, let it magnify beyond its bounds. Transcend this limit."

"[Body Enhancement]"

Then, a faint sensation answered him. The warmth spread from his Spellcore, pushing through his limbs like lukewarm water.

He didn’t feel any dramatic surge of strength, nor was there any sudden clarity in his senses. No, the world still remained exactly the same.

But he did feel something nevertheless.

During his first casting of the spell, back when he was fighting the thugs, he realized that its effectiveness was not on par with his expectations.

From the novel he had read, the physical enhancement it provided was supposed to be... tremendous.

Yet it wasn’t.

Those sensations were weak, fragile, but undeniably there.

’It made sense. After all, I had no Affinity for this type of spell. No, wait. I was not attuned to any affinity that would amplify any spell...’

He inspected his [Runeheart], his status window to reconfirm it.

[Magic Affinity]

– [N/A]

[Affinity Mastery]

– [Pure Mana (Basic)]

Yes, he didn’t have any talent for any affinity, even his mastery over Pure Mana was basic at best, thus, what he produced was the bare minimum of what [Body Enhancement] could offer.

Not to mention that he was still lacking proper training.

[Body Enhancement] was a spell that strengthened the user’s physical abilities. It was an active spell under Pure Mana spell classification, which meant it consumed Mana Essence for as long as it remained activated.

Despite its simplicity, it was considered one of the most basic yet universally useful spells in this world. Mages, warriors, knights and even some laborers relied on it for their daily tasks.

But again, there is a drawback. Since it required constant activation, most people could not maintain it for long without draining their mana reserves.

"And for mages in particular, the spell posed an added problem. Sustaining [Body Enhancement] while trying to prepare another spell is difficult and sometimes dangerous," he mumbled, while rubbing his chin.

"Only those with a higher Spellcore Tier have the capacity to manage multiple spells at once without running themselves dry."

Even now, after only a few seconds of activation, the spell had already drained a significant portion of his Mana Essence.

Most of the loss came from the simple fact that he had no affinity for this spell at all. The rest was due to his poor mana control, which made it difficult to maintain the spell efficiently without wasting the mana.

And, of course, there was the matter of his Tier 1 Spellcore. It was the lowest tier, the weakest foundation, and it did nothing to help him conserve his mana.

He sighed dejectedly.

"Starting a new life as a weak extra is truly a pain in the ass..."

"Well, let’s focus on perfecting this [Body Enhancement] spell first. In the future, I’ll be needing it a lot."

Ruvian’s goal right now was to raise his mastery of Pure Mana Affinity from the Basic stage to at least the Intermediate stage.

If he could reach that level, he would no longer need to rely on incantations every time he used a spell related to that affinity, and that alone would greatly increase his speed and flexibility.

In this world, every affinity had three stages of mastery: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. This was common knowledge. Each stage changed how a mage interacted with their mana.

At the Basic stage, a mage had to chant the correct incantation in order to cast a spell, since the words acted as a structure that shaped and stabilized the mana.

Without the chant, the mana would be unstable or might not form properly.

Which was why scholars at this level were limited to the spells recorded in basic textbooks. They followed fixed patterns and fixed results. There was very little room to change or adjust the spell on their own.

When a mage reached the Intermediate stage, things became different.

Incantations were no longer required in the same way, because the mage could shape mana through understanding and mental control instead of spoken words.

They could imagine the form of the spell and guide the mana directly, allowing them to adjust its shape, strength, or direction depending on the situation.

The Advanced stage was the highest level of mastery. At that point, the mage did not rely on incantations or even deliberate effort, because the affinity responded naturally, almost like breathing.

The mana reacted instantly to thought, as if it were a part of the mage’s body.

Ruvian knew that aiming for Advanced was unrealistic for now, but reaching Intermediate was possible if he trained hard enough.

’I need to master my Pure Mana affinity first.’

’Then, after that... I need to learn as many spells as I can.’

The more variations of spells he has in his arsenal, the higher his chance at surviving. Of course, mastery over them was crucial too.

Because both quantity and quality were equally important to be recognised as a great mage.

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[Chapter 29: The Fundamentals of Mana and Spells (2)]