Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 95 Harvest
"That's it?" Old Banter said with a wide grin after seeing the marks left by the laser gun on the target.

"This thing looks quite novel, but its power is really just so-so. The damage is only slightly stronger than the Frost Ray, and at most it's only the level of a magic missile. It's not even as good as the Sunfire Ray, and it can't compare to its missile at all."

"Nonsense, one's a normal attack, the other's a skill. How can they be the same?" Zhang Yuan thought to himself, but patiently explained aloud:

"The damage from a single attack is indeed not high, but it is enough to cause effective damage. Besides, this is not a spell, so it does not require casting time or take up a spell slot."

“That makes sense, but why don’t I just use a bow and arrow?” Before Zhang Yuan could retort, Old Banter slapped his forehead: “I underestimated this thing. As a laser beam, it has no recoil and a straight trajectory. It can be used freely without much training. The energy damage it causes can also penetrate some protective spells. The only problem is the difficulty of this technology and the possible cost in the future.”

Having said all that, Zhang Yuan could only chime in with two sentences: "Yes, if the cost could be reduced, this thing, even if it can't replace crossbows, would at least attract a lot of adventurers."

"Stop talking nonsense, come over and give me a hand, let's take this thing apart first."

After disassembling the laser gun, Old Bentley carried it into his laboratory, leaving Zhang Yuan alone with the repairman who was heartbroken over the loss of his weapon.

Looking around, even though he knew the chess pieces didn't have their own thoughts, he still patted his own repairman on the head as an apology.

A counter-summon sent the Tinker back to the chessboard space, and as expected, the Tinker was empty-handed, with no sign of growing another one.

Come to think of it, if these things could just grow out of nowhere, wouldn't that be like getting a laser gun for free? That would be outrageous! Then Zhang could be dealing in secondhand weapons every day.

Just as I was about to close the Auto Chess panel, a notification popped up:
"A defective piece has been detected. Should the administrator sell or repair the piece?"

This function is amazing? This really surprised Zhang Yuan.

After some thought, Zhang Yuan, still unable to bear selling this silently contributing chess piece, chose to repair it and received the following prompt:

"Deduct half the points required to purchase the chess piece: 5 energy. The repair work will be completed in one natural day."

"This is a rip-off!" Zhang Yuan said with certainty. Half the price for a weapon? Are you kidding me? Fortunately, it only costs five energy points, so it's not a serious problem.

He closed the panel, turned around and left. Although Zhang Yuan was also a little curious about Old Man Bentley's research, there were priorities. Right now, the most important thing was to consolidate his knowledge base in the field of arcane magic. He could only watch the old mage's research with a grain of salt. Zhang Yuan was well aware of this.

Time passes by like pages of a dull diary in these mundane days, but that's just how things are.

Compared to the dazzling glory of success, the daily efforts seem insignificant. When a tree grows tall and becomes a forest, blocking out the sun, no one knows that its roots have been cultivating the earth for a long time. When an old clam gives birth to a pearl, its brilliance dazzling the eyes, no one cares about the pain it suffered in the beginning.

Effort and sweat have no color, but achievements and gains have a luster.

Looking back on the past month, Zhang Yuan, who had now become a level three mage, felt neither joy nor disappointment; he had simply done what he could.

He couldn't change the past, and the gap between him and his "peers" was simply a gap that had widened. He had traveled through time, not been reborn, and the past could not be reversed.

He had no control over the future; he was just a small fish in a river. What good would it do to know something about the future? He couldn't even escape the current of his own destiny, let alone defy fate.

The only thing he cared about, and the only thing he could control, was the present moment. He believed the world was fair to him, and that every effort he made would be rewarded, because the system was there, and the world couldn't deny it. A month of hard work resulted in a one-level increase in his spellcasting level. Frankly, this wasn't a fair reward at all. This kind of advancement speed was enough to leave most spellcasters or professionals far behind, unable to even catch a glimpse of his progress.

While he was certainly no match for those legendary chosen ones or the chosen ones, Zhang Yuan knew what he wanted.

Those who are family know their own situation best; compared to the promotion in rank, what he gained was something more important.

He finally understood that the system hadn't granted him the kind of cheat ability that allowed him to add points infinitely or level up simply by killing monsters like the Son of Slaughter. What DLTCEP left him with was something else precious: talent and self-awareness.

The former endowed him, an ordinary 24-year-old boy, with talents comparable to those geniuses or even monsters, thus giving him the opportunity to compete with them and unlimited possibilities for the future.

The latter may seem superfluous, but the ability to visibly demonstrate and solidify one's gradual growth is itself an unparalleled skill. In system articles and comments on a certain platform, Zhang Yuan had seen this statement, which resonated deeply with him, more than once: "If a person's efforts and growth can be quantified and displayed through data, then everyone will have endless motivation to strive to improve themselves and become a genius!"

Moreover, his own talent is already top-notch, and the combination of the two is even more than enough to describe it as adding wings to a tiger.

Each time he devoured a brick-like magic book, each time he drew a spell circuit, each time he concocted an alchemical potion, each spell practice, and each spell experiment brought him small but solid progress.

These advancements are reflected in the attribute panel as a series of prominently displayed specializations:
Combat Casting, Spell Penetration, Spell Specialization: Conjuration

Several second-circle arcane spells have also recently appeared in his spell list:
Second-level Summon Monster, Fear Spell, Mayof's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image Spell

These positive feedbacks further fueled Zhang Yuan's fighting spirit and enthusiasm. Learning makes me happy, and the more I learn, the more happy I become.

Immersed in the ocean of arcane knowledge, he was like an insatiable sponge, never missing an opportunity to absorb its mystical essence.

If someone before only dared to use the power of a chess piece to pretend to be a gifted summoner, now he can openly tell others, and can be ashamed of himself, that he is a mage.

When Zhang Yuan stood before Old Banter to formally bid him farewell, the usually jovial and sarcastic old master remained silent for a long time, a rare occurrence.

Bantley looked at the mage in front of him, whom he always called a brat or a rascal. In just over a month, the mage had grown from a complete novice into a true second-circle arcane spellcaster.

Yes, in the old master's eyes, Zhang Yuan was no longer the talented but cunning boy he once was, but a fellow traveler who, like him, bravely sought knowledge in this mysterious field.

Even the experienced Bentley had seen countless geniuses and hardworking apprentices, but only a handful could rival him as a new apprentice.

The only regret is that he's a little too old. But mages are different from warriors; age isn't an insurmountable barrier. Even the famous Elminster was a shepherd in his youth, wasting his prime.

“Chanem,” Bantley called him by his first name, “as a pioneer, I congratulate you on entering this great realm, and may the wisdom of Gar Shankin be with you always.”

"Lord Mirror, you will always be my guide on the path of mystery." Zhang Yuan thanked him earnestly, then his tone changed: "Can we stop with the pretense? It's been so long, we know each other well enough."

Bang! A familiar sound, a familiar feeling, that familiar pipe.

(End of this chapter)