The Frugal Mage

Rayven followed the traces his detection spell had revealed…

He walked between shelves until he spotted them.

Soon, he confirmed their location and their number.

Seven books, each of which had a subtle pulse of mana. It was so faint as if they were like embers refusing to die.

He even believed that in just a few days, these traces of mana would disappear completely.

'Wait… Is that the reason why I have a 5-day limit? Will I fail to find it if it exceeded that?' Rayven couldn't help but entertain this idea.

Nonetheless, it was not the time to think about that.

He drew one of the books carefully. The title was quite intriguing.

"Principles of Arcane Flow."

As he flipped it open, he confirmed that it was indeed quite useful. Even if it wasn't a Spellbook, it definitely deserved to be part of a Magic Academy's library instead.

The author claimed he was an Arcanist, a Tier 3 Mage.

He discussed how spell structures behaved like rivers, with channels, branches, and sometimes whirlpools.

'Hmm?' Rayven felt curious as he continued reading.

If a mage pushed too much mana into a structure, it would "flood" and collapse. Too little, and the effect would sputter out.

Rayven gently nodded. Although he didn't really need this information due to how he cast his spells, he would still gain the knowledge he needed in order to pass the Mage Association's examination.

"So this is how they think about control…"

Then, after reading through it, he finally realized the purpose of the mana around it. He actually felt that something tried to enter his body…

It seemed to be the mana within the book, and perhaps, it would help him realize the essence of the book itself.

However, for some reason, it was rejected by his body!

'Ahh… I'm not a mage. I'm not compatible with Mana.' Rayven thought as he reminded himself.

Still, he had to find what he was looking for.

The next book was thinner, titled "Resonance and Discord in Spellcasting."

This one piqued his interest immediately. It spoke about Harmony…

'Ahh? Is this what I'm looking for?'

Rayven wasn't sure as he continued reading the book.

Harmony of Spells was not a lofty philosophy, but a practical choice for Initiates.

He read it and confirmed some common knowledge within.

According to the writer, an Initiate mage's Mana Heart could only bear seven spells. Seven "imprints," as the author called them.

This was true, and he already confirmed this from Thyruz.

"Choose unwisely, and you will forever bear the weight of discord. Fire and frost may cancel. Light and shadow may strain. But if you create resonance, wind with lightning, or flame with ash, you will find your spells not only coexist, but strengthen each other."

Rayven was also aware of this right now. However, the author was only a Tier 2 Mage, and his opinion about this was still not that solid.

After all, Rayven believed that even without harmony, it wouldn't be impossible to use opposite types of spells like Fire and Water.

Anyway, the restriction wasn't relevant to him… he didn't need to imprint spells into a Mana Heart. His System let him buy and cast them as long as he had the coins.

But something about the texts he read made sense…

If spells could amplify each other when chosen carefully, then perhaps his casts, too, could be strung together more effectively. He wasn't sure.

"Even if I don't have a Mana Heart, nothing stops me from using their rules… Maybe that's why the Mage Path was there to guide me." he muttered.

'Still… The System did not react… The mission is still here.' Rayven mused as he confirmed that the Resonance and Discord in Spellcasting wasn't the Spell Harmony Manuscript that he was looking for.

The third book, "Glyphs Without Borders," was more abstract. It argued that every spell shared a "grammar" of structure, and that by recognizing similarities between runes, chants, or gestures, mages could improvise on the battlefield.

It didn't reveal actual structure or models, but it explained why some combinations came naturally to experienced spellcasters.

Rayven was now confused.

"Grammar of spells?" He could only try to remember this information as he believed that it had appeared in the examination before.

The fourth was "The Pulses of Mana," which delved into how unseen mana connected to mages and even other items or living things with mana.

The author claimed that spells left "residual mana" in the air, and another cast could ride those currents for less effort… Furthermore, it also affects the balance of Mana within the area.

"This is interesting…" Rayven muttered as he considered what he could do with this knowledge.

If that were true, then even with his coin system, the order in which he cast spells could matter if residual mana exists.

A Gust Step followed by a Mist Shroud might cost the same individually, but if combined with the right timing, perhaps the Mist would thicken faster, linger longer, or move with him.

Well, there could be a lot of applications for this matter and he'd consider experimenting on it in the future.

The fifth and sixth books were less exciting…

They were just various theses on elemental polarity and various notes on magical ethics.

Indeed, it was about being an Ethical Magician, and Rayven believed that it was still subjective.

But even these had pieces of information that could be used.

One scholar described why fire spells were cheaper to maintain than lightning, and why earth spells, though steady, consumed more mana over time... Although not useful for him, his understanding of Spellcasting deepened.

Still, it was the same book that argued that teaching magic to commoners with talent was a moral failing of the mage guilds, since commoners wouldn't have restraint and once they learned magic, they could cause chaos.

Rayven shook his head after reading this.

Finally, the last or the seventh book caught his full attention.

"The Seats of Power."

Unlike the others, this one wasn't a practical guide… It was a declaration.

The Arcanist author insisted that a mage should never fill their Mana Heart carelessly with just any random Spells…

"A conflicting spell creates a crippled heart. Harmony is not luxury; it is survival. Choose spells that breathe with one another, and you will touch the path of greatness..."

As he read through this book and learned about the Mage Paths commonly followed by the world of Mages, his system had finally reacted…