...
{3rd Pov}
After Astreo advanced to the stage of an intermediate mage, his stardust underwent a tremendous transformation.
The previously existing seven stars that had formed the foundation of his power multiplied and expanded dramatically, turning into a total of forty-nine stars.
This change was not a small improvement but an overwhelming enhancement, where both the quality and the quantity of his magic energy increased at an exponential rate, far beyond his earlier expectations.
Taking in a deep breath, Astreo focused inwardly and gazed at the vast scene unfolding inside his spiritual sea.
He observed the magnificent pink star nebula that represented his psychic element, glowing brightly with vitality and energy.
Then his attention shifted toward another area, where his silver-colored stardust rested quietly.
Compared to the vivid nebula, this silver stardust appeared dim, and it represented the space element that he had not yet begun to cultivate seriously.
A thought immediately surfaced in Astreo's mind as his eyes lingered on it: "Now I can start practicing my space element."
His heart filled with genuine excitement at the realization.
However, he understood that rushing recklessly could bring instability, so for the moment, he concentrated on stabilizing his newly advanced intermediate Psychic Nebula, ensuring that the foundation of his progress was solid before moving forward.
When the next day arrived, Astreo prepared himself mentally and physically to officially begin the process of cultivating magic in his space element.
His first action was to command the system to increase the magic density around him by one hundred times, creating a highly concentrated environment that would accelerate his progress.
This amplification did not act alone, as it stacked upon the benefits provided by his Sacred Grade Nebula tool.
Alongside that, he also consumed and made use of additional magic crystals, which further boosted his cultivation speed and efficiency.
After calculating the total effect of these overlapping enhancements, the combined speed boost initially reached two hundred and fifty times.
Yet Astreo was not satisfied.
He felt within himself that his body and mind could handle more pressure, more acceleration, and more density.
Testing his limits, he pushed the system to raise the magic density even further.
As the layers of boosts stacked one on top of another, the total cultivation speed eventually reached an astonishing five hundred times the normal rate.
Only when he confirmed that he could maintain stability at this level did Astreo begin his true cultivation of the space element.
As expected, his cultivation speed soared like a rocket.
The progress was nothing short of shocking.
In just five hours of focused practice, Astreo managed to gain full control over all seven initial stars of his space element.
This level of rapid mastery was something that would normally take other genius mages weeks or even months to achieve.
By the end of that very same day's cultivation session, he had already broken through into Novice Tier 2, solidifying his advancement without any signs of instability.
His growth did not slow down after that.
Over the course of only three days, Astreo's cultivation of the space element advanced at an unprecedented pace.
He broke through barrier after barrier, and by the third day, he successfully stepped into the intermediate tier for his space element as well.
At the same time, his spiritual attainment integrated and merged flawlessly with the space element, elevating its grade to the Spirit level.
This marked a significant leap in his power, ensuring that his space element was no longer just a secondary force but a true strength on par with his psychic abilities.
Now, the Space Element was considered one of the most special and unique elements among all known forms of magic.
Unlike other elements that only enhanced combat strength or utility spells, the Space Element granted the user a practical ability that could be applied almost everywhere.
It provided dimensional storage space, where the user could store items, materials, or even entire objects, with the capacity of that storage being determined by the mage's tier, their spell level, and the depth of their spiritual attainment.
With Astreo's current breakthrough into the intermediate stage of cultivation, combined with his achievement of Level 3 Spiritual Attainment in the Space Element, the dimensional storage space he obtained was surprisingly large for his current level.
At this stage, his personal storage capacity had already reached the point where he could fit and hold something as large as a small truck inside without difficulty.
However, this was still only the beginning, since he had not yet invested effort into strengthening the stars of his Space Element.
Once those stars were enhanced, his spatial capacity and utility would grow significantly larger.
After making a brief assessment of his progress, Astreo turned his focus back to strengthening his stars.
He chose to begin with the Psychic Element, which was still his main force and foundation. His decision was to push the strengthening of this element to its absolute limit, ensuring that he fully maximized its potential before turning to anything else.
His reasoning was straightforward: his cultivation speed was already astonishing.
At its maximum potential, it could reach one thousand times the normal rate, and at present, he was already sustaining cultivation at nearly half of that level.
With such an advantage, it would be a waste not to push his Psychic Element as far as possible.
The strengthening process began with his Novice Tier stars.
To advance them, he needed to fuse his stars with high-quality soul cores.
Starting with Commander-level soul cores, Astreo spent long hours focusing his energy and spiritual control into the fusion process.
Each star enhancement took him nearly three full hours of continuous effort, during which he could not afford the slightest mistake.
The process was both mentally and spiritually exhausting, but the results were worth it.
By maintaining this intense pace, he worked through his stars one after another, and by the time the second day concluded, he had successfully advanced all of his Psychic Element stars to Novice Tier 6.
However, reaching Novice Tier 6 was far from the end of his strengthening path.
From that point onward, the requirements grew much harsher.
It took him four full days of magic cultivation to advance his Psychic Element stars further and reach Tier 7, this time through the difficult and energy-intensive process of fusing with Monarch-level soul cores.
The strain on his body and mind was far greater compared to fusing with Commander-level cores, but his progress continued steadily.
Finally, the most demanding stage of all came when he attempted to raise his stars to Tier 8.
For this level of enhancement, Emperor-level soul cores were required, and the amount of spiritual concentration necessary was immense.
Each fusion consumed an enormous amount of time and energy, so much so that the entire process stretched out over nearly two full weeks.
In the end, it took him a total of thirteen grueling days to fully raise his Psychic Element to Tier 8, marking another significant milestone in his cultivation journey.
The moment Astreo finally reached Tier 8, his entire star nebula began to tremble violently, despite the fact that only seven of his stars had been strengthened to that stage so far.
The transformation was so intense that even the foundation of his nebula quaked as though it was reacting to the immense surge of power flowing through it.
Normally, for most mages, spells would gain a standard multiplier of two times their effectiveness with each succeeding level while maintaining the same mana usage, starting from Tier 3 onward.
This steady scaling already represented a significant growth in strength for the average practitioner.
However, in practice, every successive tier was not just a simple multiplier but a dramatic all-around improvement.
Each sub-tier brought enhancements that were several times stronger than the previous one, while a jump to the next major tier often increased power anywhere from seven to nine times.
That kind of leap alone was enough to create massive differences between cultivators of different stages.
But the leap from Monarch-level power to Emperor-level power was on an entirely different scale.
It was no longer just several times stronger, but rather several dozens of times, or in some cases even hundreds of times stronger, representing a level of improvement that completely surpassed ordinary understanding.
Because of this, when Astreo finished absorbing the essence of the Emperor-level soul cores and fully completed his upgrade to Tier 8, something extraordinary occurred within his star nebula.
Instead of simply stabilizing after the breakthrough, his nebula underwent an unexpected transformation, shifting and evolving as though it had unlocked a new hidden potential that had been lying dormant all along.
Then, as his consciousness resonated with the change, a system notification appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations! You have awakened the Innate Talent of Higher Recovery Rate in Psychic Element!]
Astreo's eyes widened almost unnaturally, nearly bulging out of their sockets as he stared at the message in disbelief.
For a moment, he could not process what he was seeing.
The shock only lasted a second, however, before excitement overwhelmed him.
A smile crept onto his face uncontrollably, growing wider and wider until it transformed into a full-blown grin that stretched across his expression.
A surge of joy erupted within him, and unable to contain the overflowing emotions, he threw his head back and laughed without restraint.
"Hahahahahaha!" The sound of his laughter echoed wildly, carrying the tone of someone who had just stumbled upon an unimaginable fortune.
It was not the refined laugh of a calm cultivator but the raw, unrestrained laughter of a man who felt he had been blessed beyond measure.
Thankfully, Astreo was inside his System's Dimensional Space while all of this was happening.
Otherwise, if anyone else had been present nearby, they would have surely been disturbed and perhaps even terrified to witness him laughing so manically, like a madman who had lost control.
Here, in the isolation of his personal dimension, Astreo could indulge freely in his madness-like excitement without fear of anyone noticing or misunderstanding him.
"System, will I awaken a talent every single time I advance a tier to level 8?" Astreo asked eagerly, his tone filled with excitement and anticipation.
The idea that every breakthrough could bring him not only raw power but also a new innate ability was thrilling beyond measure.
The system responded in its usual calm and analytical voice.
[Current analysis indicates that there should be over a 90% chance of awakening an innate talent each time you advance a tier to level 8. However, further observation and continued data collection will be required before reaching a concrete and absolute conclusion.]
Astreo listened, but in his mind, he already felt that the answer was practically guaranteed. He didn't believe there was any uncertainty at all.
In fact, he considered it to be a given. The reasoning was simple—he was cultivating and upgrading using Emperor-level soul cores, which were treasures of the highest class.
In his eyes, it was obvious: if a cultivator did not awaken a talent after fusing with something as valuable as an Emperor-level soul core, then could it even be called a true Emperor-level soul core?
For Astreo, that possibility was laughable.
With that understanding firm in his mind, his focus quickly shifted toward his other element—Space. Having already raised his Psychic Element to Tier 8, he decided it was now time to bring his Space Element to the same level, beginning with strengthening its Novice Tier all the way to Tier 8.
He wanted to test if his assumption held true across different elements as well.
The process, was quick. Even so upgrading his Space Element stars required patience, focus, and an enormous supply of resources.
It ultimately took him nearly twenty full days of consistent cultivation and fusion before he successfully pushed his Space Element's Novice Tier to Tier 8.
The moment he finally completed the last fusion and stabilized the upgrade, his entire star nebula once again began to shake and shift, just like it had during his Psychic Element breakthrough.
Not long after, the familiar notification message appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have awakened the Innate Talent of Higher Recovery Rate in Space Element!]
Astreo's reaction this time was calmer compared to his previous breakthrough.
He had already expected that a new talent would awaken upon reaching Tier 8.
However, when he noticed that the awakened talent was exactly the same as the one he had received for his Psychic Element, his mind began to analyze the pattern.
After a short consideration, Astreo deduced that perhaps the rule was consistent across all elements.
In other words, it was possible that every time he advanced an element's stars to Tier 8, he would awaken the same innate talent for that element, instead of something completely new or different.
This deduction was not disappointing to him at all.
In fact, it only confirmed his earlier belief that his magic cultivation path was progressing exactly as it should, and that Emperor-level soul cores were living up to their reputation of producing guaranteed results.
After that, Astreo decided to inquire with the system regarding the specific strength and multiplier of his spells, wanting to clearly understand the true extent of his current combat power.
The system responded in its neutral tone:
[Master currently possesses a Natural Multiplier of six times across all Novice and Intermediate Magic spells. To elaborate: Master's Tier 6 spell carries a strength that is forty-eight times stronger than a base spell, giving it roughly the equivalent power of an Advanced Tier 1 spell. Meanwhile, Master's Tier 7 spell achieves ninety-six times amplification and, with the addition of a moderate Spirit Element buff, it reaches the equivalent of an Advanced Tier 3 spell in destructive force. Furthermore, Master's Tier 8 spell has deviated from the normal multiplier pattern. Instead of the usual two-times increase per tier, the Tier 8 spell includes an additional three-times multiplier, pushing its total amplification to two hundred and eighty-eight times the strength of a standard Tier 3 spell. With the moderate Soul Element buff applied, its effective might is comparable to that of an Advanced Tier 3 spell.]
Hearing this detailed explanation, Astreo carefully analyzed the implications.
While his Novice Tier 8 spell did not yet reach the level of a true Super Tier spell, the strength was still overwhelming for his stage of magic cultivation.
Most importantly, the mana consumption was astonishingly low in comparison to the power output.
The system confirmed that even though his spell strength was equivalent to Advanced Tier 3, the mana cost remained at the level of a Novice Tier 3 spell.
This fact alone brought great satisfaction to Astreo.
At his current intermediate stage, with his mana reserves and efficiency, he could cast dozens of such devastating spells in a single battle without exhausting himself.
And this calculation did not even take into account the newly awakened Innate Talent of High Recovery Rate, which would allow his mana to replenish at a far faster pace than before.
In reality, his casting capacity was significantly greater than what the system's base assessment indicated.
Having obtained this information, Astreo felt the urge to test his newfound abilities in actual combat rather than relying only on system reports.
For this trial, he chose to use exclusively his Space Element, wanting to evaluate its practical battle potential now that he had advanced its stars and merged his Spiritual Attainment with it.
His very first test was with the Novice Tier 1 Space Spell known as "Telekinesis: Space Claw."
Despite being only a Tier 1 spell, because of his Level 3 Spiritual Attainment, the power of the ability was magnified tremendously.
When unleashed, the Space Claw could easily shred through minion-level monsters, tearing them apart as if they were nothing more than fragile sheets of paper.
In addition, with precise control, it could even inflict lethal damage on warrior-level monsters, provided they were not of the evolving variety.
Against non-evolving warriors, the Space Claw was more than sufficient to bring them down with brutal efficiency.
Now, the next major decision Astreo needed to make was to determine which path he should take for his cultivation progress.
At this stage, he had two clear options.
The first was to concentrate fully on strengthening his currently awakened elements, raising them further until they reached the level of Intermediate Tier 3.
The second option was to spread out his focus and awaken entirely new elements, thereby expanding his arsenal and versatility.
After careful thought, Astreo considered his current circumstances.
With his existing power, especially after reaching the equivalent strength of an Advanced Tier mage, there was practically no opponent within the entirety of Bo City that could challenge him, particularly if he chose to equip himself with his magical equipment and artifacts.
This fact gave him the confidence and freedom to expand his horizons rather than simply consolidating.
Since there was no immediate danger, spreading out his attention toward awakening new elements would not pose a risk but instead grant him long-term advantages.
He had already decided on which elements he wanted to awaken next.
The choices he made were the Summon Element and the Undead Element.
Astreo's reasoning was simple but extremely practical. His resources were effectively unlimited at this point.
With such overwhelming wealth and access to high-grade items, cultivation materials, and soul cores, it would be nothing short of foolishness not to take advantage of them to form a powerful and reliable army under his direct control.
By awakening the Summon and Undead Elements, he would be able to command forces that could fight for him, shield him, and overwhelm enemies in ways that raw destructive spells could not.
Another major factor influencing his choice was that the Summon and Undead Elements shared a number of similarities.
Both elements drew their strength primarily from the Spiritual Attainment of the user, making them ideal for someone like Astreo, who had already proven his ability to rapidly cultivate his spirit.
In both cases, the cultivation did not focus on achieving raw damage multipliers the way traditional elements did.
Instead, their power was determined by the quality and strength of the creatures they could summon, as well as the depth of contracts and connections they could establish with those creatures.
For Summon Element, each higher Tier allowed the summoner to call forth more powerful and diverse creatures, ranging from beasts to contracted spirits, their might scaling with the summoner's spiritual level.
Similarly, the Undead Element relied on Spiritual Attainment to command increasingly stronger undead beings, each successive Tier unlocking the ability to control and sustain entities that could grow from simple skeletal warriors into fearsome undead monarchs.
In essence, both elements worked on the principle of contracts and control rather than direct elemental damage.
Astreo, therefore, concluded that choosing Summon and Undead Elements at this stage was the most efficient and logical decision.
With them, he would not only expand his elemental foundation but also establish a means to build a nearly limitless army that could grow stronger alongside him.
Now, Astreo did not attempt to create an awakening stone that could potentially awaken a mutated element combining both the Summon Element and the Undead Element, simply because it was impossible with his current circumstances.
The reason was straightforward: there were no resources available on Earth that were capable of producing such a result.
Mutated awakening stones required extremely rare and special-grade resources that could only be found in other planes or dimensions, and Earth simply lacked such materials.
The system itself could not solve this problem either.
While it was capable of analyzing, replicating, and manufacturing items it had already scanned or studied, it did not have the ability to invent or generate resources that had never been analyzed before.
In other words, unless Astreo managed to acquire those unique materials from another world or plane of existence, the system could not provide them.
Theoretically, if he one day traveled to another plane, then there might be a chance for him to obtain the necessary resources to attempt the fusion of elements into a mutated form.
But that was only a possibility for the distant future.
At the present moment, Astreo was not foolish or suicidal enough to start recklessly searching for other planes just for that purpose.
The dangers involved in crossing worlds without sufficient strength and preparation were far too great.
Thus, for now, he simply set that idea aside.
His plan was straightforward: he would awaken the two elements separately and, if the opportunity presented itself later, he could explore the possibility of fusing them together into something greater.
With that decision made, Astreo used a Special Divine Grade Awakening Stone, a resource powerful enough to ensure a guaranteed awakening.
With it, he successfully awakened both the Summon Element and the Undead Element.
Once awakened, his cultivation speed once again displayed its shocking efficiency.
Within a span of only five days, he had already cultivated both of the new elements to the level of Intermediate Tier.
For most mages, this level of progress was unthinkable.
Normally, reaching the Intermediate level in a newly awakened element would take years of effort, constant practice, and countless battles for real-world experience.
Yet for Astreo, it was merely a matter of days.
The absurd speed of his progress made Astreo feel as though he was not even cultivating magic in the traditional sense but rather speedrunning through a game.
His situation felt unreal, almost as if he were skipping past the normal struggles that ordinary mages endured. What took others years of sweat, blood, and patience, he was accomplishing in less than a week.
'I guess this is what a magic cultivation world truly is,' Astreo thought to himself with a long sigh. 'As long as you have the resources, even a donkey could eventually become a god.'
But Astreo knew very well that he was no donkey.
His talent, determination, and system advantage placed him far above ordinary cultivators.
Because of this, he had no intention of being satisfied with such basic achievements.
He expected far more from himself, and his goals were set higher.
With all the boosts, advantages, and resources at his disposal, he decided it was finally time to shift his focus once again—this time toward evaluating and improving his combat strength.
When night finally arrived and Astreo laid down to sleep, he did not simply rest in the conventional sense.
Instead, he entered directly into the virtual combat test provided by the system.
This combat simulation was unique in that it required only his consciousness to participate, yet every form of progress, experience, and growth that he achieved inside the simulation would still be reflected onto his actual body in reality.
The only exception was magic cultivation itself, which could not be advanced through virtual training.
Nevertheless, the combat test remained one of the safest and most efficient ways for him to test his strength against higher-level opponents without the risk of real injury or death.
This time, Astreo set his sights on fighting Commander-level monsters.
Unlike minion-level and warrior-level monsters, which he had already tested himself against in earlier sessions, the Commander-level category represented a completely different tier of challenge.
Not only did he plan to battle ordinary Commanders, but he also decided that if the opportunity arose, he would test his luck against the terrifying Evolving Commander-level monsters as well.
Before starting, Astreo reviewed the classification of monsters within the Commander tier.
The hierarchy was highly structured and divided into six categories: False Commanders, Lesser Commanders, Small Commanders, Standard Commanders, Great Commanders, and at the very peak, the Evolving Commanders.
Each stage represented a significant leap in power, and understanding the distinctions was vital for measuring combat strength.
A False Commander was the lowest classification.
While such a creature was technically not strong enough to be considered a true commander-level monster, it was still far beyond ordinary opponents.
In fact, an Intermediate mage would find it impossible to defeat one, since even Intermediate-tier magic was insufficient.
At minimum, the strength of Advanced-tier magic was required to bring down a False Commander.
Moving up from there were the Lesser Commanders.
These creatures could not be handled by a single mage alone.
Defeating one required at least two Advanced-tier mages working together, since their durability and strength far exceeded what a single individual could manage safely.
The next rank, Small Commanders, demanded even greater force.
A group of three to five Advanced-tier mages was generally required to deal with one of these monsters.
Any smaller group would risk being overpowered by the monster's resilience and destructive capabilities.
Then came the Standard Commanders, which were acknowledged as true threats to cities and armies.
To handle a Standard Commander, no fewer than ten Advanced mages working in cooperation were needed.
Without this level of manpower, attempting to defeat one was considered suicidal.
Above them stood the Great Commanders, whose presence was enough to devastate entire regions.
To take down such a monster required either dozens of Advanced mages combining their power, or alternatively, the intervention of a single Super Tier mage.
Anything less would be futile.
Finally, at the very peak of the Commander category were the Evolving Commanders.
These monsters represented the greatest danger short of Monarch-class threats.
They possessed growth potential and adaptability that placed them far above ordinary Great Commanders.
By common understanding, an Evolving Commander could only be defeated by Super Tier mages.
Even groups of Advanced-tier mages stood no chance against them, which highlighted the enormous disparity in power between humans and monsters at the higher levels.
This hierarchy demonstrated an undeniable truth: for every powerful monster, it usually required multiple humans of the same realm or even stronger to defeat it safely.
Monsters were born with natural advantages that far surpassed humans, forcing mages to rely on numbers, cooperation, and strategy to close the gap.
Astreo understood this reality well, which was why testing himself against Commander-level monsters in the simulation was the perfect way to measure just how far his overwhelming cultivation speed had truly carried him.
Astreo decided to begin his test by facing a White Raksha, a huge serpent-like monster classified at the level of a False Commander.
The creature manifested before him in the virtual combat arena, its massive white-scaled body coiling menacingly as its golden eyes locked onto him with primal hunger.
Without hesitation or wasted movements, Astreo immediately activated one of his offensive abilities.
"Telekinesis: Space Jaw!" he commanded, unleashing his Tier 4 Novice spell.
In an instant, an enormous spatial construct resembling a colossal set of jaws manifested and snapped down on the monster's body.
The spell's destructive force tore through a large portion of the snake's flesh, obliterating scales and muscle in a violent burst.
The White Raksha let out a deafening hiss, thrashing wildly as venomous blood spilled across the battlefield.
The blood itself was so toxic that it corroded the ground wherever it landed, releasing thick, poisonous fumes.
Not giving the monster a chance to retaliate, Astreo followed up with another ability.
"Telekinesis: Spatial Float!" The Tier 5 Novice spell wrapped his body in a shimmering, translucent forcefield while simultaneously lifting him into the air.
The barrier acted as both protection and propulsion, allowing him to maneuver freely above the battlefield.
The effect was somewhat reminiscent of the so-called biofield associated with Superman in fictional depictions, though admittedly weaker in durability and speed.
Still, it provided more than enough defense and mobility for his purposes.
The White Raksha, enraged and severely injured, lunged at him with incredible speed, its massive jaws opening wide in an attempt to swallow him whole.
Astreo's eyes narrowed as he prepared his finishing move.
"Telekinesis: Spatial Glitch!" he invoked, activating his Tier 8 Novice spell.
Reality itself seemed to distort as the space surrounding the snake's head fractured violently.
Cracks of unstable space-time spread outward like shattered glass, and within a blink, the entire head of the White Raksha was obliterated, dissolving into fragments before being swallowed by the collapsing void.
A second later, the cracks in space repaired themselves naturally, leaving behind only the headless corpse of the monster that fell lifeless to the ground.
Astreo floated silently for a moment, staring at the aftermath.
His thoughts echoed with astonishment.
'Damn… this magic is truly strong.'
The Space Element was already known to be one of the most overpowered elements in existence, but combined with the absurd multiplier of two hundred and eighty-eight times, even his Novice Tier 8 spell carried power on a scale that could rival, or possibly even outright kill, certain Monarch-level beings.
Encouraged by the result, Astreo continued experimenting with his space magic, cycling through the newly unlocked spells one after another.
He practiced them repeatedly, testing their destructive power, utility, and efficiency until he gained solid mastery and confidence in his control.
Through this training session, his limits were pushed further and further.
His progress was so immense that he eventually managed to bring down even an Evolving Commander-level monster within the simulation — an achievement that would normally require a Super Tier mage in the real world.
However, his triumph was short-lived, as the moment he attempted to challenge a Monarch-level opponent, he was utterly crushed.
Despite all his advantages, he was instantly overwhelmed and plummeted in defeat.
Classic.
To be continued...
[Novice Psychic Magic
Tier 1 – Spirit Ripples: Pacify
This spell emits gentle waves of psychic energy that directly influence the emotional state of the target. Its primary effect is to calm the target's emotions, reducing aggression, fear, or panic. Secondary effects can include stunning, mild confusion, or pacification depending on the target's mental resistance. While not highly destructive, it is extremely useful for controlling hostile situations without brute force.
Tier 2 – Spirit Ripples: Spirit Wall
This ability forms a defensive psychic barrier capable of blocking or weakening spiritual shocks, mental attacks, or oppressive pressure generated by a stronger-realm monster. While not unbreakable, the Spirit Wall can buy valuable time for the caster to recover, counter, or escape. It is particularly effective when dealing with monsters that rely on psychological suppression rather than pure physical might.
Tier 3 – Spirit Ripples: Expand Senses
By expanding the user's awareness through psychic perception, this spell greatly enhances sensitivity to magical phenomena. It allows the mage to detect subtle shifts in mana flow, identify hidden enemies, or sense incoming attacks earlier than normal. In many cases, Expand Senses acts as a form of "radar," making it indispensable for reconnaissance and survival in dangerous environments.
Tier 4 – Spirit Ripples: Stun
This technique delivers a sudden burst of disruptive psychic force into the target's mind, causing immediate disorientation and temporary loss of motor function. The stun effect typically lasts a short duration, but in combat even a momentary pause can determine victory. Against weaker enemies, the stun duration can be extended significantly.
Tier 5 – Spirit Ripples: Confusion
This spell manipulates the target's thoughts, causing them to become disoriented, distracted, or irrational. A confused monster may hesitate, attack its allies, or even retreat without reason. While not guaranteed to produce the same effect every time, the chaos it creates in enemy formations can be decisive in turning the tide of a battle.
Tier 6 – Spirit Ripples: Paralyze
A stronger and more dangerous progression of Stun, this spell sends concentrated psychic waves into the target's nervous system. Unlike simple stunning, the Paralyze effect has a high chance of locking down the body permanently, depending on the target's resistance and spiritual strength. In certain cases, weaker creatures may never recover from the paralysis.
Tier 7 – Spirit Ripples: Mind Shock
This is a lethal psychic attack that delivers an intense surge of mental energy directly into the target's consciousness. The resulting shock can instantly kill weaker beings and even severely harm stronger monsters if their spiritual defenses are lacking. It is regarded as one of the most dangerous Novice-tier abilities due to its potential to eliminate threats well above the caster's own cultivation level.
Tier 8 – Spirit Ripples: Abolish
The ultimate Novice-tier psychic spell. Abolish directly targets the soul of the enemy, tearing away fragments of it with every successful cast. Even if the target survives, the damage to their essence is permanent, leaving them weakened and vulnerable. Against sufficiently weak Monarch-level monsters, Abolish has the potential to cause real harm, making it a terrifying ability at the Novice stage.
Novice Space System
Tier 1 – Telekinesis: Space Claw
A fundamental telekinetic ability that allows the caster to control physical objects or strike with invisible force. The "claw" of space acts like an extension of the caster's hand, capable of grabbing, crushing, or tearing enemies apart. Against minion-level monsters, it can kill effortlessly if used with enough focus and force.
Tier 2 – Telekinesis: Spatial Shield
Generates a protective field of compressed space around the caster. This shield is effective against both physical and magical attacks, absorbing or deflecting damage depending on its strength. Although it has limits, Spatial Shield can protect the caster long enough to recover or counterattack, making it a core defensive spell for space mages.
Tier 3 – Telekinesis: Spatial Wall
Creates a solid barrier made entirely of compressed and stabilized space. Unlike the shield, which surrounds the caster, the Spatial Wall can be erected at a distance or in front of allies. Its density makes it extremely durable, often capable of withstanding attacks that would obliterate ordinary barriers.
Tier 4 – Telekinesis: Spatial Jaw
An advanced variation of Space Claw. This spell manifests two massive telekinetic constructs that act like jaws, snapping shut with overwhelming crushing force. The power is magnitudes greater than Tier 1, making it capable of obliterating sections of large monsters or breaking through reinforced defenses.
Tier 5 – Telekinesis: Spatial Float
Encases the caster in a protective forcefield while simultaneously granting the ability to float and maneuver freely in the air. This ability provides both moderate protection from damage and enhanced battlefield mobility, functioning somewhat like a weaker version of a flight spell. It allows repositioning mid-combat with minimal energy cost.
Tier 6 – Telekinesis: Spatial Hammer
This spell combines the offensive aspects of the Spatial Jaw with the density of the Spatial Wall, producing a telekinetic weapon of enormous destructive force. The Spatial Hammer can crush through enemy defenses, flatten groups of opponents, or shatter durable barriers that would normally withstand lower-tier spells.
Tier 7 – Telekinesis: Spatial Blink
Allows the caster to perform short-range teleportation by instantly folding space. This provides a massive advantage in combat, enabling near-instant dodging, repositioning, or surprise attacks. Although the distance is limited at the Novice stage, the versatility and survival benefits make Spatial Blink one of the most valuable spells in the Space system.
Tier 8 – Telekinesis: Spatial Glitch
The pinnacle Novice-tier ability of the Space Element. This spell destabilizes and cracks a localized section of space itself, creating a glitch-like phenomenon that obliterates anything caught within it. The destructive potential is immense, and even Monarch-level monsters can be harmed if they are within the area of effect. The space tears automatically repair themselves after a short duration, but the damage dealt before that repair is absolute.]