Free Web NovelChapter 11: Spell Comprehension
The system screen almost made Luke chuckle if not for the unnerving silence in the room. In the front, Valeria and the student interpreter were rapidly signing to each other as they read off a piece of paper. Their movements were so fluid and smooth. Luke found himself stuck in a trance admiring their silent conversation
He thought back to his shoddy attempts using the book’s picture as a guide. His signs were alright, but with the system he was able to move his arms with a natural dexterity that would have taken him months of tutored learning.
Eventually the gestured conversation came to a close and Valeria calmly wheeled herself into the middle of the stage, with the interpreter taking a stance behind a nearby podium.
Valeria scanned around the silent room, her distant eyes seeming to absorb any bit of life from the lecture hall.
As she began to sign, the silence was broken by the voice of the female student interpreter.
"Professor would like to remind you all that from here on, she expects that you refer to her as Professor Kreuger, now that she has married."
Once again, Luke caught glances from his nearby classmates.
"She would also like to remind everybody that the practical comprehension exam is coming up in a few days. This exam doesn’t just reflect on your grades, but also your talent as an explorer."
The interpreter paused as Valeria started to sign again, without skipping a beat she jumped straight into the lecture.
"Spell comprehension is the pinnacle of power for an explorer, as you all are well aware. The problem is spell comprehension appears differently for all people. Some can take one look at a spell and know exactly how it works. While others spend their whole lives dedicated to a spell just to lack the affinity to comprehend it."
Valeria continued signing, while the interpreter was actively trying to translate and catch her breath. This was a common sight in Lucius’s memories. Even after months of interpreting Professor Kreuger’s lectures, keeping pace with her rapid signing remained exhausting.
Every so often, Valeria would glance over at the girl. Noticing that she wasn’t keeping up, she re-signed her previous points for the interpreter.
"That is why many explorers end up hitting a bottleneck. Without spell comprehension there are limits to growth, mainly past the point of S-Rank. The simple spells one can find in spellbooks are limited in comparison to their comprehended brethren. For example, if we take two F-Rank explorers who have both learned the Spark spell, but one of them has partially comprehended the spell, while the other is still casting the original version. When they hit the same target, one spell might dissipate directly on contact, while the other spell is capable of a localized explosion."
Luke watched the interpreter pause to catch her breath, her shoulders rising and falling after trying to keep pace with Valeria’s rapid signing. Valeria also noticed this and waited for the girl to prepare herself again. After a couple of deep breaths, Valeria started signing once more.
"Comprehension is 100% dependent on the person. Let’s continue using the example of Spark. Through comprehension one explorer found that the spell is capable of a small explosion on contact, but another found that the spell is able to be cast twice as fast, or maybe even optimized their mana usage to reduce the cost of the casting. Now all of these spells have become unique in their own right, but they are significantly more deadly when compared to the base version. This is the reason most explorers won’t surpass S-Rank."
Valeria paused before even looking at the interpreter, who had already walked towards the edge of the stage.
Luke wasn’t sure what she had planned, but continued watching.
"This is the standard form of Spark."
The interpreter cast a small flame above her hand, it flickered in the presence of a draft in the lecture hall.
Her fingers snapped as the flame disappeared into the air.
"This is also Spark."
Instantly a roaring flame hovered over her hand, before she quickly extinguished its mana source.
Luke could hear a few gasps as they watched the demonstration. Luke couldn’t help but feel a thrill. Even after everything he’d experienced, seeing magic with his own eyes still felt surreal.
Valeria started signing again, as the girl translated while walking back to the podium.
"As you can see, her comprehension of the spell allowed her to increase its size by more than double. I was told about multiple different kinds of Spark comprehension, but still ended up finding one that wasn’t on the list. This goes to show just how unique these comprehended spells can be."
The girl paused to catch her breath again, watching Valeria sign before continuing.
"Does anyone have a guess as to why this spell in particular has so many different variations?"
A few hands went up, Valeria pointed to one; signing the student’s name to the interpreter.
The blonde boy stood up, seeing he was called on.
"Professor Kreuger, I believe this spell is very common which makes it easy for a lot of people to comprehend, leading to an abundance of variations. This is a result from the rarity of the spell."
The interpreter signed back to Valeria, whose expression drooped slightly, before signing back to the girl.
"What if I told you there was a B-Rank spell with even more recorded variations than this F-Rank Spark? The answer has nothing to do with rarity."
Another hand shot up from the crowd and a girl with brunette hair stood up.
"Professor Kreuger, is it because it is easier to imagine fire as a malleable element compare to something like a lightning spell? You mentioned in one of your previous lectures that imagination is directly linked to comprehension."
The two on stage gestured back and forth, this time longer than usual. While trying to translate, the interpreter seemed to be confused by something Valeria was signing, before getting it after a couple repetitions.
"Your answer is partially correct. Imagination is very important in spell comprehension, but there is something more important. Affinity. Spark has so many variations because almost all humans have a natural affinity towards fire spells, making their manipulation much easier. Without the affinity towards a spell or its element, it is impossible for a spell to be comprehended. That is the reason why many people are stuck at S-Rank. Most spellbooks at that rank are comprised of elements that aren’t common to our affinities; it is also the reason why those who do break through to SS and SSS-Rank usually specialize in a single type of magic."
Valeria had stopped signing, while the interpreter seemed to be contemplating her words.
Luke finally understood why Lucius had struggled with Spell Comprehension. The class wasn’t about memorization. It was about understanding something that couldn’t be taught. And in only a day or two, he would have to prove he could do exactly that.
As the class ended, he couldn’t help but let out a loud sigh.
