Chapter 38: Cobweb

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The moment he uttered the incantation, Su Ye sensed the Tree of Magic in the Magic Tower light up. The Magic Array on the leaf of the Tree of Magic got activated, and Magic Power flowed within the array.

The Magic Array erupted with a lot of white light. The light charged up into the sky above the Magic Tower and vanished.

Two and a half seconds after Su Ye finished reciting the incantation, the surface of the Magic Cow Rope suddenly got covered in a pale white light. It jumped abruptly, then pounced straight at Niedern’s throat like a venomous snake that knew how to fly.

“You…” Niedern was shocked. A glimmer of light flashed in one of his rings on his left hand. A vibrant yellow, egg-shaped barrier enveloped him.

The Magic Cow Rope slammed into the egg-shaped barrier, then moved around it and strangled it forcefully like a living snake.

The egg-shaped barrier did not budge, and the Magic Cow Rope could not do anything to the barrier.

Su Ye sensed something off with Niedern’s emotion. He asked, “Teacher, am I doing something wrong?”

“The main use of the Magic Rope is to bind the enemy; how could you aim it at my neck?”

“Isn’t strangling the neck with a rope more powerful?” Su Ye asked in doubt.

Niedern was silent in deliberation for a few seconds before he said, “You have a talent for harming people.”

Su Ye continued, “In the past, have you only used the Magic Rope to tie up the limbs of other people?”

Niedern said, “Most people only start fighting when they reach the level of Black Iron Mage. Black iron spells are far stronger than apprentice spells, which makes the efficiency of the Magic Rope extremely low if it was being used to kill people. Of course, that is if we do not consider any special talents.”

Su Ye nodded. “I understand. There’s a great number of applications for every spell, but the scenarios where they can be used optimally are much less. For example, the Magic Rope might be a lethal weapon for a Mage Apprentice, but its power is limited in the eyes of a Black Iron Mage, which makes it only suitable to bind objects and not for combat.”

“Well put,” Niedern praised.

“Can I give it another try?” Su Ye asked.

Niedern thought for a moment, then said, “Wait a moment.”

As he spoke, a meter-tall, pale white staff appeared in Niedern’s hands. The staff was bent and twisted and had a purple crystal that was about the size of an eye adorned at the tip. There were three spiral burls on the surface of the staff. Light shimmered within the spirals of each burl. He recited an incantation, and the purple crystal released a pale glow. A second later, three Magic Arrays appeared on the ground in front of Niedern.

The Magic Arrays radiated blue light. A colorful cheetah appeared within every Magic Array.

Three cheetahs stood silently within the Magical Arrays. They swayed their tails gently and looked at Su Ye with their ephemeral eyes.

Niedern put the staff away and said, “This is Summon Cheetah, an apprentice-level Servant Summoning Technique that can only be used by a Black Iron Mage or better. Every cheetah has the strength of an ordinary Warrior Apprentice. I have gotten them to give up on attacking you, but they can still move. You are not to use magic at first. Take in this sensation.”

Niedern had just finished speaking when the three cheetahs slowly walked out of the Magic Arrays. They all roared at Su Ye.

Su Ye had seen these animals in the zoo and thus was not afraid. Furthermore, Niedern said that the cheetahs would not attack him.

The three cheetahs growled as they approached Su Ye, and they constantly circled him.

When a cheetah moved behind Su Ye and vanished from his field of vision, Su Ye’s brain entered a state of heightened defense. Su Ye instinctively felt a sense of danger. All of his muscles were tight, and his throat was dry.

Niedern said, “Remember this feeling, then dispel it! Mages are different from warriors. Warriors have to go through long periods of fighting, while mages go through long periods of studying. There will not be many occasions when a mage encounters actual combat. The masters have done a tally. It is estimated that more than 50% of Mage Apprentices, Black Iron Mages, and Bronze Mages die because they were flustered and made mistakes, not because they were not strong enough. Even if you had ten times their talent, you might make a mistake in your judgment or be flustered when you encounter a sudden attack. You might die by the spear of an ordinary warrior.”

“You are doing well. Now, continue to take in the sensation.” Niedern moved his fingers as he spoke. The three cheetahs started to pounce at Su Ye from different angles.

Su Ye could not remain still. He instinctively rolled on the ground to avoid the cheetahs.

“Don’t move. Feel the wind that is created by the cheetahs jumping past your body. Feel the blood on their sharp claws. Feel the stench of their teeth. Feel the violence in their eyes! Only by constantly experiencing and feeling this can you remain calm and prevent any mistakes when you encounter an opponent.”

Su Ye hurried to stabilize himself. He tapped his right thumb and index finger and adjusted his form. He corrected his breathing and reorganized his thoughts.

At the same time, Su Ye’s brain worked rapidly.

“Niedern is getting me to feel the strength of the cheetahs. This is the simplest form of desensitization. It can be described as a psychological defense or training against weakness. All I can do is constantly take in this stimulation. As time goes on, and as I experience more of this, I will become more powerful. My mental state will not be affected by these kinds of threats, and it will allow me to perform better.”

Su Ye used a basic learning technique called “Cobweb Learning” to form a connection between the new information he learned and the knowledge he already had. This formed a web of knowledge that had a structure that was extremely similar to the organizational structure of the brain. Not only did it help him rapidly remember and understand concepts, but it also convinced his brain to drop its defenses, acknowledge the information, and boost his confidence. It allowed him to possess a better attitude and enhanced the efficiency of his learning.

Now that he understood the rationale, Su Ye immediately collected himself and quickly asked himself Lakein’s question.

“What should I be doing at this very moment?”

“Perceive! Observe! Feel!”

A faint smile appeared on Su Ye’s lips.

Niedern had said it, and he had arrived at the same answer. An unprecedented sense of security surfaced in Su Ye’s heart. Whatever he had to do next became much easier.

In the next moment, Su Ye seemed to have become a tourist who was standing outside the enclosure of a zoo. The muscles in his body relaxed, but his gaze had become much clearer. His thoughts had also become sharper.

Su Ye observed the changes to his body. He observed the brutal gaze of the cheetahs with his eyes, took in the stench of the cheetahs with his nose, felt the wind brought about by the cheetahs leaping past his body with his skin, listened to the sounds made by the cheetahs walking with his ears…

The three cheetahs pounced past Su Ye as if they were hunting for food, but they never hit Su Ye. The most they did was graze Su Ye’s robe or hair.

Niedern stared at Su Ye. There was a glimmer of disbelief in his eyes.

He could tell that Su Ye had no prior experience in battle and that there was no way the soul of a powerful master or deity had inhabited his body. The reaction of an individual when they faced danger could not be faked. Anybody who had experienced battle would be able to see through them.

Niedern was not in disbelief at Su Ye’s ability to adjust his mindset and no longer be worried or flustered. That was expected of an ordinary genius.

What made Niedern feel disbelief was that Su Ye had immediately made the correct decision after organizing his feelings. He had quickly engaged in observation, perception, and sensation.

“Could he have the Bestial Intuition talent? No, the feeling he gives me is much more intelligent than Bestial Intuition. What a genius!”

Niedern thought for a moment. His spellbook suddenly floated in the air and faced Su Ye.

Each one of Su Ye’s actions was recorded by the spellbook.

Only Su Ye himself knew that it was not Bestial Intuition. It was the habit of using Lakein’s question he had developed after experiencing countless failures and setbacks.