[Mages] have a natural force field in their spells that makes it very hard to interact with them.

I knew some of that, but then I asked Lord Juler to explain it in detail. The book wanted me to start practicing [Dispel] right away, but I needed more knowledge about the fundamentals.

I guess that should have been added to the book earlier. Well, Joey Luciani, when you become powerful enough, I’ll guide you through how to upgrade and modify the book itself. I can see that happening one day. And at this point, you have already theorized enough to become my disciple. I’m not letting this go. Even if I’m a soul, I’ll be damned if I let you get snatched away by some trick-turner of an [Archmage].

So, the natural ‘force field’ is simply the projection of a soul. It’s less magical and physical than you would think. It’s more ‘meta-physical.’ Souls are the domain of [Necromancers] and, in part, [Witches]. For example, there’s no such thing as a [Soul Mage]. And that’s because manipulating a soul is so difficult that it is practically impossible. Every soul, based on how many levels you have, how many people you have dealt with in your life, how many you have killed, and so on, has a different strength. Your reincarnation theory, for example, is very interesting but ultimately false. It would do well in fiction, but the greatest soul experts could easily disprove it.

And be careful. Souls are still a mystery, even to experts. We just know that they create a nigh-impenetrable shroud around a person and their magic. That’s why you can’t just materialize a [Fireball] inside someone’s head. And that’s why almost any Healing Magic has to be channeled through touch. When your [Druid] friend was helping the Princess with her eyes, he put his hands on her. Did you notice that? No? Well, that’s why. People have called it many things, but let’s go with soul-shroud for now.

The more complex a spell is, the more it will react to another person’s soul-shroud. And the shroud extends to their casting. Casting is, in some books, a temporary extension of one’s soul to manipulate the magical matter. [Dispel] has to come at the most crucial part of a spell matrix because of the shroud. If the shroud didn’t exist, you could easily break apart the matrix. Instead, you need to prepare in advance a very powerful and precise blow that will hit a little part of a crucial matrix. It’s a highly precise operation.

The only reason such a thing even works in the first place is that the soul-shroud around the matrix is weaker than the one around and inside the body. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to touch a matrix. The more foreign components you try to inject into someone’s shroud, the harder it is to break it. That’s why dispelling high-tiered spells is considered a school of magic in itself.

So, what you’ve just suggested is to bypass those restrictions with a [Light] spell; such a spell has the least amount of foreign matrix components. It is rightfully considered the origin of everything. And after you told me about your world’s physics, I am inclined to believe that there is a lot to unpack there. We might conduct further research on the nature of [Light] after we finish bringing your theoretical work to practice.

“So, where do we start?” I ask.

It’s the first time I’m really interested in every single word Lord Juler has for me. This is not just idle chit-chat. This is profound knowledge about magic.

Ideally, I would have you read ten different books on several theories about the soul-shroud. It would give you great insights before any attempt. Sadly, I don’t have those books with me. My entire library had been stolen by that despicable Black Dragon. So, we’ll go directly to testing. There’s a school of thought that actually believes that testing directly without going too much into theory is the best approach—

Ok, it was good while it lasted.

“Well, how do we do this? Does the book generate spells?”

Ask the book to generate a 1st tier spell for you; otherwise, it will start with a simple [Light] spell. I have very limited control over it.

“Book, can we jump to the 1st tier? I think I may have already grasped the basics. I need to test my theories, and a [Light] spell won’t suffice as the target of my practice.”

‘Magister Mulligan would be proud of such a dedicated and eager student! Choose between these three spells: [Earth Wall], [Water Wall], or [Air Wall]. The casting will be slowed down on purpose. Remember to try and catch the most crucial moment of the matrix being completed.’

[Advanced Mana Sense]

[Single-Minded Focus]

“Give me an [Earth Wall].”

As soon as my words go out of my mouth, I see a spell matrix being formed mid-air, a few feet from me. Its creation is incredibly slow, so slow it will probably take a few minutes to complete itself.

If my theory proves correct, I don’t need to wait for the crucial moment. Because if you disrupt the casting hard enough, every moment is crucial.

I look at the outline of the spell matrix. It’s incredibly neat for a 1st tier spell. That’s what the book is really able to teach me, I suppose—refined spell matrixes.

It takes me one look to see what patterns the book is following. How the book is able to mimic a soul-shroud is probably a question I should ask Lord Juler. After thinking about the implications, though, maybe I don’t want to know.

I weave three [Light] spells inside the edges of the matrix. They are so inert at first that the matrix barely flickers after my magical injection. Then, as the [Light] spells are not yet completed, I spin five layers of anti-matrixes that point toward the outer part of the matrix, creating a great distortion field. I need to put ten times the amount of the normal amount of Mana for such small [Lights], but the cost remains negligible. Especially considering what’s happening in front of me.

The latticework of the matrix simply flakes apart. The pulling forces of the anti-matrixes of my [Lights] created an external pull that took away both the imaginary squiggly lines and the actual lines the book was tracing. I made the [Light] matrixes as small as possible, yet the magnetic pull they generated was even bigger than I had expected.

I drop both my skills, and I see the book twitching, nonsensical blotches of ink appearing and disappearing in it. Lord Juler is silent. Even Princess Bianca is aghast.