Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 89 Blind Fooling
"The consequences? When your mental strength is not strong enough, it will often be washed away by the constantly flowing power of the magic network itself when it comes into contact with the deep magic network. This process will not only make you mentally weak, but in severe cases, it may even permanently lose a part of your mental strength, which you will have to work hard to make up for."

"If your knowledge and understanding of spells are insufficient, even if you enter the deep magic network, you can easily be confused by spell-related information that you cannot understand or analyze. If you're unlucky, you might be hit with a confusion spell on the spot. If things get worse, hehe."

Old Banter kept it a secret.

"Could it get any worse?" Zhang Yuan was getting anxious when the conversation deliberately stopped at this moment.

"The worst one I heard was a berserker who turned himself into a true 'berserker.' When he recklessly peered into the deepest magic network, he was directly driven mad by those terrible mysteries and fell into permanent madness," Old Banterley chuckled.

Hearing this rumor, Zhang Yuan's eyes widened, and he kept swallowing hard. Good heavens, is this Feren? How did it create such a blind and foolish effect?

"Then why didn't I experience any side effects when I first came into contact with the magic network and obtained spells? What about those born awakened?" Zhang Yuan felt that he had found a blind spot.

Old Banter glanced at the other person: "I already told you, those born to awaken are people that the Magic Network favors and actively approaches. When you awakened, it was your first contact with the Magic Network. People with insufficient mental strength cannot awaken. The spells you obtained are a gift directly from the Magic Network, directly poured into your brain, and you don't need to understand them at all."

"You know what warlocks and spell-like magic are, right? You can understand if I put it that way, can't you?" The old mage even used an analogy.

"But they rely on bloodlines, while we rely on our brains?" Zhang Yuan guessed.

"That's a very accurate understanding. Whether we have brains or not is the fundamental difference between us and them."

Well, as expected, rivals are enemies. Old Banter, seizing the opportunity, didn't hesitate to stab the other spellcasters in the back.

After the idle chatter ended, Old Banter began to seriously fulfill his responsibilities as a mentor.

Don't let his unserious manner and sharp tongue fool you; his years of accumulated knowledge and wisdom are no joke.

Although Bantley Mirror Shadow was only a level 11 mage, still a little short of being a high-level mage, let alone comparable to those archmages, she was more than capable of teaching a novice like Zhang Yuan.

What's even more remarkable is that in the past, Old Banter had mentored many younger monks, and many young monks had received his guidance. However, the old monk no longer wanted to be so busy. If he hadn't been unable to suppress his curiosity, he wouldn't have mentioned teaching this time.

But it was precisely because Old Bentley was experienced and had seen countless people that he understood even more how difficult it was to comprehend the notes he held, which came from a beginner.

If the other party truly did as they claimed, completely relying on self-study or even mastering two books in just one day, then such a learning pace would be rather alarming.

Even considering the other party's status as a naturally awakened being, which was already an overestimation, the analysis, insights, and questions in his notebook were all rushing to tell him the reality that he had underestimated him.

The other person hadn't just "read" these books; they had genuinely understood their content and drawn their own conclusions and opinions. Although some of these views were indeed somewhat far-fetched and naive, it still exceeded Old Bentley's expectations of a beginner. Old Bentley didn't hide his surprise and was generous with his praise. In his view, excessive praise might lead a genius astray, but that didn't negate the positive significance of praise for an apprentice, especially a beginner.

Among the many apprentices he had seen, there were certainly a few who, due to their pride, arrogance, and even hubris, failed halfway through and never got to see the higher levels of learning. However, many more chose to quit or stop progressing early on due to the obscure and difficult magical theories, the arduous and tedious repetitive practice, and the dangerous magical experiments in the initial stages.

Perhaps this young man will not be blocked from the door of truth by these difficulties. After all, as a born awakened person, he is naturally gifted. Coupled with his learning ability and comprehension, some seemingly insurmountable peaks on the path of arcane magic may not be so far away after all.

But he was still willing to encourage this often bratty and arrogant kid in front of him. This had nothing to do with the kid's personality; he just hoped that the younger generation would have more courage to face, understand, and explore this mysterious, obscure, and dangerous field.

As for whether the other party will get too cocky, the harsh reality will bring this kid back to his senses. After all, this guy is cunning and shrewd, and he doesn't seem like someone who can be easily blinded by arrogance.

Thus, with Lao Ban Teli's patient and meticulous answers, interspersed with occasional praise and approval, Zhang Yuan was almost overwhelmed with gratitude and trepidation as he finished the more than three-hour-long questioning and answering session.

Zhang Yuan was a little confused as to why his usually jovial and unserious boss, Teli, had suddenly become a different person. But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him; perhaps the other party saw him as a promising talent and was willing to mentor him.

Zhang Yuan himself probably didn't realize that his shameless act had actually worked in the best of luck.

The first explanation took an unusually long time, partly because Zhang Yuan poured out all the questions he had accumulated before. The exhilarating feeling of having all his doubts cleared up was like suddenly having a big, satisfying bowel movement after a week of constipation, and he even lost three kilograms in weight.

Zhang Yuan, who originally wanted to try meditation and sensing the magic network again tonight, was persuaded to stop by his teacher.

"You can sense the magic network anytime, don't rush it. Although you are naturally strong in spirit, you still lack some knowledge of arcane magic. It's not too late to try it after you have read through the books on spell construction and rune knowledge. However, meditation is fine, and you can use it to adjust your state."

Zhang Yuan thought it made sense. Sharpening the axe wouldn't delay the work of chopping wood, and one more night wouldn't make a difference. So, after obtaining the old master's permission, he picked out a few related books and went back to his bedroom to read.

Having not eaten all day, he first went downstairs to have dinner, then took a few slices of bread with ham to have as a late-night snack, and then closed the door to read.

Zhang Yuan also made up his mind and put in the same effort he had when he took the college entrance exam and wrote his thesis after graduating from university. He was determined not to give up until he had finished reading all sixteen books.

So what if it's liver? So what if it's reading books? So what if it's cultivating immortality? Do you think I'm afraid of this? Do you think my perfect constitution is afraid of this? Someone said, "It's all a drop in the ocean."

Thank you for the generous donations from "When We Meet, My Soulmate" and "Rolling Around," thank you all for your love and support!

By the way, after much thought, I've decided to adjust the protagonist's age to 24. This is because this book is no longer just something I'm doing for my own amusement; I need to consider the readers' feelings.



(End of this chapter)