章 5: Chapter 5 The Origin of Sorcery
If it were later stages now, Cassius would have chosen the mage without hesitation. After all, being a mage master wasn't just for show.
A fully prepared and well-equipped mage had the assurance of defeating any enemy of the same level, with powerful branch occupations like time mages that mastered spatial and temporal powers in the later stages.
However, the mage had one critical flaw in the early stages: the need to transcribe spells.
Yes, magic seemed like a science to mages, something that needed to be studied.
Only through detailed understanding of spell prototypes via spell scrolls, mastering various Magic Web parameters, and thorough learning could one successfully acquire a spell.
And right now, Cassius was penniless, with only a few pieces of magic equipment on him.
He couldn't possibly run to a human town to learn magic in his dragon form, could he?
Would he have to advance through a magic academy?
Warlocks were different. Their spells were "heaven-sent." A better word to describe it would be innate talent.
After contemplating for a moment, Cassius made his choice.
[Choose to advance the Warlock occupation]
[Detected that you have dragonkin bloodline]
[Automatically selected as Dragon Vein Sorcerer - Red Dragon Bloodline]
Dragons were powerful magical creatures, naturally adept at various supernatural phenomena.
Any age dragon, even a hatchling, could possess occupational levels in sorcery.
Ancient scholars believed that a sorcerer's abilities were inherited from dragons, possibly from intermarriages long ago.
More importantly, a warlock's casting level could add to a dragon's innate spellcasting level, enabling the dragon to fully utilize its bloodline, producing even stronger effects.
The renowned Ancient Red Dragon Imwalnao dedicated himself to mastering fire magic, possessing a casting level as high as level 40.
[Your warlock level has been raised to 1]
[[Origin of Sorcery]: Magic itself is part of a warlock, this latent power permeates their body, mind, and soul, waiting to be released.]
[No one can choose sorcery; sorcery chooses you.]
[You have acquired 4 Cantrips, 2 first-level spells]
A rich spell table appeared on the screen.
[Acquired Cantrips [Mage's Hand], [Act Before the Enemy], [Magic Tricks], [Minor Illusion]]
[Acquired first-level spells [Cloud Mist Technique], [Magic Missile]]
Still the standard early-stage setup.
In his previous life, when advancing his occupation, Cassius only got cold data displayed, never realizing anything different.
Only now did he notice how incredible this power felt.
"This feeling..."
Each spell appeared in his mind out of thin air.
No, not out of thin air.
More like innate, gifted talent.
This precious knowledge penetrated his body, memory, and even attached to his will.
[Mage's Hand]
Cassius thought, and an invisible hand appeared out of thin air, picking up and throwing a stone from the ground.
Even the lowest level spells and simple actions amazed the Red Dragon.
Because this power didn't come from a magical item or program; it came from himself.
Compared to the rigorous scientific casting of a mage, warlock casting was more like art.
No need to meticulously construct a spell prototype or calculate Magic Web parameters, just use his consciousness to feel the Magic Web and project his will into reality, making it happen.
Therefore, warlocks with innate talent in easily casting powerful spells often garnered envy and disdain from mages. They were ridiculed as "barbarians among spellcasters" and "orcs with magic wands."
"Truly fascinating."
The Red Dragon walked out of the cave with a light step, stepping over the enormous carcass of an owl bear half-eaten.
He understood why Erezer's spellcasters were so arrogant, given this sense of controlling the real world created an illusion of being godlike to ordinary people.
However, the text prompts on the panel hadn't ended yet.
[Bloodline Tracing from Ancient Red Dragon fills your body with scorching flame power.]
[You gain affinity with fire element magic; flame damage will be enhanced]
[Breath Weapon (Fire) has been enhanced]
[Acquired additional Cantrip [Fire Arrow]]
In Cassius's golden vertical pupils, fierce flames reflected, and his body surged like an erupting volcano.
His heart thumped vigorously, pumping this fire elemental energy throughout his body, while his blood flowed like pulsating magma, hot and vibrant.
[Tracing your bloodline heritage…]
The Red Dragon closed his eyes, and illusions appeared in his mind.
It seemed to be an ancient battlefield of unnamed outer planes, with vast metallic city walls hundreds of meters high in the distance.
An Ancient Red Dragon flapped its gigantic wings, stirring a whirlwind; heavenly troops with wings were thrown over helplessly beneath him.
He opened his massive maw, spitting out a terrifying flame unimaginable to mortals. The air distorted from the heat,
melting the sturdy wall into a giant gap as the metal flowed down as scalding liquid.
Asen angels with dragon heads and human bodies wielded magic wands to cast divine arts, several Heavenly Colossuses towering tens of meters jumped high, lunging at the Ancient Red Dragon in the sky, and more silver-haired Barani angels took shared aim with their bows, shooting up toward the sky.
Yet, even the Ancient Red Dragon seemed insignificant compared to the vast battlefield.
"Roar—"
In the far distance of the vision, an appalling creature with five fierce dragon heads howled skyward, spreading its wings that blanketed the sky, slowly rising into the air.
Instantly, a hurricane surged, dust swirling high.
A shadow enveloped the earth, resembling the descent of the apocalypse.
In the illusion, Cassius couldn't help but look up to the sky.
However, he clearly saw, among the heads overlooking the beings below, one red dragon head very similar to his own gazed down at him, a slight curve in its formidable mouth.
The head slowly spoke: "My child..."
The voice seemed to originate from the depths of his soul, and the Red Dragon immediately felt a strong bloodline pressure.
This horrifying force made him involuntarily want to bow and kneel, yielding under this divine might.
"It noticed me!"
Alarm bells rang within the Red Dragon's heart.
In the next moment, the illusionary sky fractured like shattered glass.
Be it the Ancient Red Dragon, the Heavenly Colossuses, or the fearsome five-headed figure in the sky, everything in the illusion broke apart.
"Huff, huff."
"Huff..."
Cassius barely escaped the suffocating pressure, gasping for air, his entire body shaking and stiff.
With a look of utter astonishment, the Red Dragon glanced at the game panel before him, discovering it was frantically refreshing information as if it had been infected by a virus.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[You have drawn the attention of the deity [Mother of Evil Dragons Tiamat]]
[Mind Shielding System activated]
[Having faced the deity [Mother of Evil Dragons Tiamat] directly, you may undergo unforeseen changes.]
Staring at the data streaming across the panel, Cassius felt apprehensive but helpless.
"Is this the power of the deity? Truly terrifying."
"Ancient plane battlefield..."
"Did I actually see Tiamat's true form?"
In Erezer, even when the players maximum level had reached legendary level (21), the powers of the deities remained a mystery. Almost no one had witnessed the true form of any deity, be it even a minor god.
As for so-called "god-slaying," it was pure fantasy.
Some top-tier players once said, "If it has a health bar, even a god can be killed."
Yet, in reality, a deity's level of power was unimaginable to mortals and were set to "have no health bars."
This was the power of a deity. Just gazing at its true form in an illusion could lead to dire consequences.
But for this fledgling dragon, Ancient Red Dragons, inter-planar wars, and Tiamat all seemed too distant, too grand.
If any mighty existence indeed had designs on him, he had no means to resist right now.
Thus, rather than worrying about outer plane deities, it was more practical to steadily increase his power and consider his future plans.
"Since I've already been noticed, as a Red Dragon, I better offer incense to Tiamat, for she is quite aged."
"Don't want her holding grudges against me."
Gently leaping up, Cassius flapped his strong wings, gradually spiraling into the sky.
"Next, it's time to earn some experience."
Gazing at the vast forest and distant mountains, the Red Dragon couldn't help but let out a roar, his youthful voice carrying a touch of a mighty dragon's majesty.
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