Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Do you have time for Chapter 28?

Do you have time for Chapter 28?
Zellier glanced back at the man with the mustache and became even more convinced that he looked like a cunning businessman.

Four gold coins, just for fools.

Even the highest quality Heavy Pressure spell scrolls wouldn't sell for this price.

You think all monks are rich people, so you treat them like pigs to be slaughtered, right?

“Fifty silver coins,” Zellier casually offered.

"what?!"

The man with the mustache immediately raised his voice.

"Fifty silver coins? Young master, you must be joking! Fifty silver coins can't even buy parchment, this is a magic scroll!"

"You know this is a magic scroll, not some family heirloom. Its quality is average, and the spell structure left by the engraver is not very clear. Don't tell me you don't know."

Zellir said calmly, "I suppose you've already had other mages authenticate it, haven't you?"

The man with the mustache froze. "Well... you can't bargain like that. Fifty silver coins is absolutely not enough. I can reduce it to three gold coins for you."

“One gold coin.” Zellier said expressionlessly.

"One gold coin is too low."

The man with the mustache shook his head. "Two gold coins and fifty silver coins, that's my bottom line."

"I can offer a maximum of one gold and twenty silver."

"Two gold coins! Is that alright? Two gold coins is already a great deal."

"Then you should keep it and sell it to someone else." Zellier turned and left without hesitation.

"One gold and fifty silver! That's the lowest I can go!"

The man with the mustache gritted his teeth and announced his final price, "Not a penny less!"

Zellier paused.

He still has three gold coins and twelve silver coins on him. He can spend one gold coin and fifty silver coins to buy a scroll...

Okay, that's acceptable.

"make a deal."

With the newly purchased Heavy Pressure spell scroll tucked in his pocket, Zellier arrived at the outskirts where he usually practiced magic.

Unfold the slightly yellowed parchment scroll; it is completely empty.

Zellier infused his spiritual power into it, and his body surface glowed faintly, along with the parchment, which emitted a soft light.

The hidden secrets within the scroll were revealed, and a brand-new spell structure surged into Zelier's consciousness.

From the input interface to the magic rail, then the acceleration circuit... the guiding runes...

As mentioned before, the quality of this magic scroll is not good. The engraver's skill is obviously not up to par, and many spell structures are unclear.

For someone else, it might take a week or two of dedicated effort to decipher it.

Fortunately, Zelier possessed the Artifact Evolution technique, and this minor problem of only part of the artifact structure being unclear was quickly resolved.

Just over ten minutes later, the spell structure of the Heavy Pressure spell was clearly presented in Zelier's mind, and the number of spells he mastered increased to six.

The faint light on the scroll then dissipated, turning it into an ordinary piece of waste paper.

"Hoo... Pressure Technique."

Zellier clenched his fist. "Let me give it a try."

However, it's difficult to determine the effect of casting this spell directly without any other spells.

Zellier looked around and saw a bird perched on a high branch of a nearby tree.

This distance gave the bird a sense of security. It tilted its head and looked at the Zellir under the tree, not understanding what the other bird was doing.

It's you...

Zellier selected the target.

After a brief moment of charging, the Heavy Pressure spell is released!
"Oh!"

The bird sensed something was wrong and was about to spread its wings and fly away when an invisible force suddenly burst forth!

Zellir channeled a powerful pressure spell that unleashed a magical shockwave from above.

The branch, as thick as a finger, snapped in two, and the bird fell from the sky, crashing straight to the ground.

"Oh..."

Zellier was a little surprised.

The results are pretty good.

Once fully charged, the release is instantaneous, making it virtually impossible for enemies to dodge and defend against. Although it lacks offensive power, this brief delay can be surprisingly effective in battle, potentially turning the tide of battle.

……

For the next few days, Zellir practiced magic, trying to absorb the four points of intelligence he had gained.

"Fireball!"

"Oh!"

A bright fireball sprouted from the palm of his hand and shot straight into the river, creating a cloud of white smoke.

Zellir is now quite proficient in controlling these second-level spells.

In addition, the analysis progress of Mist Veil Embrace has reached 52%, while Arcane Missiles is at 64%.

Both spells will take some time to be analyzed.

However, there was one thing that had been puzzling Zelil.

Despite having increased his intelligence by four points, his unarmed spellcasting speed remained unchanged, hovering around four seconds.

Every time Zellir tried to optimize the spell's structure, he failed, as if some unseen obstacle was blocking his way.

After several analyses, Zellier guessed and came to a conclusion.

Not every attribute upgrade will shorten the casting time.

A mage's growth curve is phased, not linear.

Only when intelligence reaches a certain threshold can the surgical technique structure be optimized again.

I just don't know what that threshold actually is.

Looks like I'll have to go on another mission and level up again.

……

early morning.

Redbeard Inn.

Marcus sat on the edge of the bed and opened his leather tool bag, which contained two long whetstones and a small jar of thick, viscous ointment-like conditioning oil.

In the dim morning light, the patterns on the blade are clearly visible, with traces of dark red remaining on it.

Marcus sat quietly for a while before picking up the soaked linen strips.

He wiped the surface bit by bit, and after washing it clean, he began to sharpen the blade with the two pieces of gray sandstone.

"rustle……"

The friction sound was somewhat harsh, and tiny iron filings were shaken off with a "rustling" sound.

With Marcus's careful polishing, the blade's lines became smooth again, restoring its original sharpness.

Marcus began to oil the sword.

The grease was evenly applied to every corner of the blade.

It not only prevents steel from rusting in humid environments, but also makes it easier to draw the sword and allows the blade to smoothly cut through flesh when it enters the enemy's body.

After all the procedures were completed, Marcus tested the blade with his thumb and was very satisfied with the maintenance.

At this moment, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

"Dong dong..."

"Come in." Marcus sheathed his sword.

The wooden door opened, and Zelier entered.

"Hi."

Zellier greeted him.

"Do you have time? Would you like to go to the Adventurers' Guild together to pick up a quest?"

The results were as expected.

“Of course,” Marcus said with a smile.

Before heading to the Adventurers' Guild, Marcus and Zellier made a detour to visit the inn where Vales was staying.

He happened to be free at the time.