My inventory is full of monster materials.

Mark stared at the second-level spell "Elemental of Ice" on the panel for a long time without saying a word.

He knew very well that second-circle spells were far beyond the reach of a mage apprentice, and even a newly promoted mage would need some time to master their casting.

but--

He's a man who's going to modify the 4th-circle spell "Frost Dragon Breath - Burst". Would he really care about a mere 2nd-circle spell?

A resolute glint flashed in Mark's eyes. He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and channeled his magic power, his fingers rapidly drawing profound inscriptions in the air, several times more numerous than before.

Time passed by, second by second.

Mark's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, his breathing was rapid and heavy, and his magical power was rapidly draining away like a flood breaking through a dam, plummeting to rock bottom in an instant.

Just as the spell was about to be completed, a blinding notification light suddenly popped up in front of him.

[Spell consumption exceeding mana limit detected, risk of backlash. Continue?]

Mark's eyes were firm as he recited the words with emphasis.

"yes!"

hum-

A flash of white light appeared.

The space in front of them suddenly distorted, and a chill exploded out as a two-meter-tall figure materialized from nothingness.

This is a half-humanoid elemental creature, its entire body pieced together from crystal-clear ice blocks—broad shoulder armor, thick arms, and a chest covered with armor formed from condensed ice crystals, resembling an armored guard.

Its lower body lacks a leg structure; instead, surging cold air erupts from it, suspending it in mid-air.

"Cluck—cluck—"

The ice elemental swayed slightly, transmitting the crisp sound of ice crystals rubbing together through a mental connection, clearly greeting Mark.

But Mark was powerless to respond at this point.

He knelt on the ground, his head feeling as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer, and he saw stars before his eyes.

A notification light screen popped up at the right time.

[Mild spell backlash detected. Temporary trait "Mana Depletion I (White)" has been gained.]

Trait "Mana Depletion I (White)": Maximum Mana -20%

Mark gritted his teeth, rummaged through his backpack for a while, picked up a vial of medicine, and drank it all in one gulp.

The cool medicine went down my throat, and a warm current spread throughout my body, relieving the dull pain.

Fortunately, I managed to get a lot of medicine from Clyde.

But Mark felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about what had just happened.

"Is this the consequence of using spells beyond one's level?"

It should be noted that Mark currently possesses an intelligence of 18 points and a 60% affinity for ice elements, yet he still suffers considerable backlash under these conditions. Anyone else would likely have been completely drained.

Mark braced himself on his knees, stood up again, and examined the ice element before him.

This ice elemental being is quite imposing, with a two-meter-tall body, crystal-clear ice armor, and a chilling aura emanating from it, exuding a calm and powerful presence.

Mark gave the order in a low voice.

"Show off your talent."

Upon hearing this, the ice element unleashed its chilling energy, propelling itself forward and freezing everything in its path—a level 0 "Touch of Freezing Cold".

Immediately afterwards, it raised its arm and the sharp ice stone, and suddenly swung out a semi-circular ice blade - a level 1 "Ice Blade".

The two spells were used with effortless grace.

Mark nodded in agreement.

Its movements and physical strength are outstanding, and it also possesses two spells, making it equivalent to the top tier of unemployed adventurers. Even Henry might not be its match.

After all, these are elemental creatures that only a formal mage can summon. Even if they don't reach the level of a first-tier monster, they're not far off.

This time, Mark dared not torment the ice element in front of him like he had toyed with a snowball—it might actually cleave him in two with a single blow.

Mark gave the order sternly.

"Stand here and don't move. Don't resist."

The ice element nodded silently, like a loyal guardian, hovering motionless in place.

Then, Mark took out amplification potions, mana potions, life potions... he drank everything he could get his hands on.

Now comes the crucial moment.

Mark took a deep breath, thrust his right hand fiercely towards his chest, and when he pulled it out, a crystal ball radiating a thrilling aura appeared in his palm.

Before the crystal ball could react, it was swiftly pushed into the ice elemental's body.

The ice elemental froze.

At first, I was just confused, but then my body began to tremble violently, my whole body shook, ice crystals cracked, and a surge of cold air rushed out!

Mark's eyes were resolute, and two massive streams of information surged wildly in his mind—

On one side are the summoning contract of "Ice Element", elemental resonance, and the origin of ice.

On one side are the dragon language inscriptions of "Frost Dragon Breath - Explosion", frost breath, and bloodline inheritance.

Under the night sky, a pale light, invisible to ordinary people, shot into the sky.

……

……

Beside the campfire.

Henry, Clyde, Emily, and Brady sat silently around the pot, the broth long since cooled, but no one touched it.

Mark has been gone for more than half an hour.

Looking around, passing tents, warehouses, and stables, it finally landed in a small hut filled with the aroma of herbs.

Clyde's apothecary room.

The room was simply furnished yet cluttered, with rows of bookshelves against the wall filled with yellowed ancient books, scrolls, and specimens... On the table sat writing implements, a magnifying glass, and a herbal grinder...

Under the wooden bed was a large leather trunk, inside which was a small cast iron box. Through the thick iron shell, one could vaguely see a silver round badge resting on white silk.

The front of the badge features a complex pattern of silk threads coiled into a ball.

Suddenly, the silver emblem flashed with light, piercing through the void and soaring into the sky!

The badge hovered steadily in the night sky, the positive line sphere pattern slowly unfolding to reveal a cold and deep eye, with endless unknown and mysterious runes emerging from the depths of the pupil.

At this moment, the eye was scrutinizing the pale pillar of light on the distant hillside.

……

……

On the hillside.

"Aaaaaah—!"

"Giggle giggle—!"

Mark and the Ice Element both roared to the sky!

Mark's face and features emitted a white light, and his pupils were no longer visible, leaving only two burning orbs of light.

The ice element's face also exploded with light, and the ear-piercing shriek of ice cubes rubbing together echoed through the night sky!

In Mark's mind, countless complex formulas, models, rituals, contracts... were surging wildly in an explosive manner, his mental energy was rapidly depleted, and his consciousness was on the verge of collapse.

Just then, a light screen appeared in front of them as a notification.

[Ilúvatar's gaze has been detected. Do/Do you accept the blessing of 'Wisdom'?]

Mark's mind was a complete blank; he had no time to think about divine intervention or the blessing of wisdom. He was simply responding frantically in his mind.

Yes, yes, yes

[Having received the "Blessing of Wisdom I", you have gained the temporary talent "Overclocked Brainpower (Purple)".]

"Overclocked Brainpower (Purple)": Intelligence value +25% (calculated based on base attributes).

hum-

The overwhelming stream of information that was about to crush Mark suddenly eased, his unfocused eyes cleared again, and his chaotic thoughts became organized and clear.

Boost your brainpower!

Intelligence +25%!

Mark spared a moment to think and brought up his character panel. When he saw the intelligence attribute, his pupils contracted – the intelligence on the panel was clearly displayed as "22/22".

His current base intelligence is 16 points, and a 25% increase would be 4 points.

This is equivalent to doubling his memory and thinking ability in reality, and even surpassing his original potential limit of 20 points.

The power of the gods has actually broken through the limits of the physical body!

But before Mark could think it through, his consciousness suddenly plummeted into the sea.

That's right, it was a fall into the sea.

Mark felt his consciousness sink into the deep sea, the cold water stretching endlessly, darkness surging in from all directions.

But he didn't panic; instead, he felt a deep sense of security.

A sea of ​​spirit!

Mark's body instincts told him that this was the manifestation of his conscious world.

Suddenly, points of light appeared on the dark water.

As the points of light drew closer, Mark finally saw that they were four glowing bubbles of different sizes and colors.

Mark extended his finger and gently touched one of the bubbles. Instantly, a vast amount of magical knowledge flooded into his consciousness—this was the entirety of the knowledge of the "Eye of Surveillance."

Mark touched the remaining three bubbles in turn, corresponding to "Mage Armor", "Ice Element" and "Frost Dragon Breath - Burst" respectively.

Suddenly, everything became clear to him: these bubbles were all magical skills he had already mastered.

But soon, Mark had a doubt and murmured to himself.

"I also have the skills 'Freezing Ray' and 'Precision Shot', why aren't they here? Could it be...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Mark immediately thought of a possibility.

Now, Mark, in the body of a mage apprentice, can cast the super-level 2nd-circle spell "Ice Element" and even the 4th-circle spell "Frost Dragon Breath - Burst".

Ultimately, it's because Mark doesn't use his body or brain to carry magical knowledge, but rather this boundless sea of ​​spirit—only a consciousness with infinite possibilities can carry such vast and complex energy and information.

At that moment, Mark finally understood.

If, within the mental sea, these glowing bubbles represent the very essence of magic, then—

Mark grabbed the "Ice Element" bubble with one hand and the "Frost Dragon Breath - Burst" bubble with the other, then kneaded them together without hesitation.

The two bubbles resisted fiercely, bursting with light and creating a monstrous wave in the mind's sea, but Mark held on tightly, shouting wildly.

"With my unparalleled wisdom—!"

"With all my understanding—!"

"With all the knowledge I've gained in my life—!"

"With my invincible talent—!"

"Give it to me—done!!!"

boom--!!!

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, an unbearable light burst forth, illuminating the entire dark underwater world!

in the real world.

The light faded and disappeared, and night once again covered the hillside.

Mark's expression was solemn, his breath was cold, but his eyes were surprisingly bright as he gently pulled his right hand out of the ice elemental's body.

The ice element let out a shriek, its body expanded violently, and then exploded, turning into ice shards everywhere.

At the same time, both the [Head] and [Torso] items in the equipment slot exploded!

A phantom light curtain arrived late, clear and dazzling.

[Detected successful fusion of Ring 2 "Ice Element (Green)" and Ring 4 "Frost Dragon Breath - Burst (Blue)".]

[Obtained: 4-ring "Ice Spirit - Dragon (Blue)"]

4th Ring "Ice Spirit - Dragon (Blue)": Summons a mature dragon-shaped ice elemental creature, increasing elemental creature effects by 40%.