Li De looked at the several system notifications, feeling quite satisfied.

The harvest this time had exceeded his expectations.

Over the past ten days, aside from occasionally logging off to eat, he had devoted all his time to improving the Small Fireball spell.

Li De possessed an unyielding determination in his character. If it were an ordinary person, most would have struggled to persist through countless failures over ten consecutive days.

His efforts had finally paid off.

Firstly, the innate talent of being a Vampire Progenitor granted him 208 experience points.

This portion of experience came every month, akin to a fixed salary, undoubtedly the most stable and promising source.

Though the current number of vampires didn’t show much advantage, once their numbers grew, it would be very impressive.

Secondly, prolonged use of mana had increased his Mana Affinity and mana pool, which was an unexpected bonus.

The importance of Mana Affinity was undeniable. Without this innate talent, researching magic wouldn't have been so effortless, and he wasn’t even afraid of the dreaded mana backlash that common mages feared due to this talent.

As for the mana pool, there was no need to elaborate. The amount of mana largely determined a mage's strength, and any increase was precious to Li De.

What pleased him most was that improving the Small Fireball spell earned him 1500 Character Experience Points, far exceeding his expectations.

Previously, the improvement of Mage Hand received an "Excellent" rating and awarded 500 experience points.

This time, the improvement of the Small Fireball spell received an "Outstanding" rating and garnered 1500 experience points—triple the previous amount.

Li De didn’t know the specific criteria for evaluation, but now he could confirm that the effects of the improvements determined the amount of experience gained; the better the improvement, the more experience earned.

The final surprise was that the Large Fireball and Explosive Fireball spells automatically improved due to the successful modification of the Small Fireball’s magic model.

Small Fireball was part of a series of spells with a complete progression from low to high levels. However, Li De hadn’t anticipated that improving a low-level spell could influence higher-level spells.

This period of secluded research could be considered highly fruitful.

Li De Kachar

Race: Vampire (Progenitor)

Level: Mage lv10 (2711/5000), Warrior lv5 (Level has reached its cap)

Mana: 657/657

Innate Talents: Vampire Progenitor (Unique), Bloodline Shackles (Restricted), Mana Affinity (Extreme)

Racial Skills: Bat Transformation, Blood Drain Recovery, Superhuman Physique (Passive)

Spells: Tier 1 Spells: Small Fireball (Improved - Rapid Casting), Lightning Bolt, Puppetry, Mage Hand (Improved), Magic Shield, Waterfall

Tier 2 Spells: Detection, Large Fireball, Thunderstorm, Greater Puppetry, Mana Surge, Haste, Enhancement, Charm

Tier 3 Spells: Teleport, Void Walk, Explosive Fireball

His attribute panel had changed once again. First, his experience points had reached over 2700, surpassing half of what was needed for the next level. It was foreseeable that reaching level 11 wouldn’t be far off.

His mana had increased from 652 to 657 points. Though not significant compared to his overall mana pool of over 600, increasing mana was always a gradual process. Reaching his level required long periods of meditation just to gain a small increase, making this a pleasant surprise.

Of course, the most important aspect was the trait gained from improving the Small Fireball spell: Rapid Casting.

Rapid Casting: When casting Small Fireball, casting speed increases by 30%.

This improvement increased the casting speed of Small Fireball fivefold, combined with Rapid Casting, significantly enhancing his casting speed further.

Li De had meticulously calculated the original casting time of Small Fireball to be approximately 1.2 seconds.

From inputting mana into the magic model, activating it, to release, it took a total of 1.2 seconds.

After increasing the casting speed fivefold, it only took 0.24 seconds to cast. In the same amount of time, Li De could cast five Small Fireballs while the opponent could only cast one.

Adding the effect of Rapid Casting increased this number to six, allowing him to cast six Small Fireballs in 1.2 seconds.

In other words, five per second.

Five per second, the dream of a Gatling Fireball was no longer out of reach.

Moreover, the quadrupled projectile speed gave the improved Small Fireball unparalleled advantages.

Exceptional projectile speed.

The original Small Fireball had great power, long casting time, slow projectile speed, likened more to heavy artillery.

The improved Small Fireball had average power, short casting time, fast projectile speed, likened to a gatling gun.

With powerful firepower suppression, even high-level warriors might not be able to dodge due to its extremely fast projectile speed.

Li De was very satisfied. Although the power of a single fireball decreased, the overall lethality had increased by more than one level.

It was practical for both novice and advanced mages.

Li De concluded.

Casting one Small Fireball consumed 3 mana points; casting five per second consumed 15 mana points. He could unleash over 200 Small Fireballs in more than 40 seconds, depleting all his mana.

Fireball carpet bombing was no longer a dream.

Under normal casting conditions, the Tier 3 spell Explosive Fireball required 70 mana points and a casting time of one minute.

Even with various talents reducing the casting time, it still took forty to fifty seconds.

Unleashing hundreds of Small Fireballs in 40 seconds would make even a Level 15 Grand Mage jump and curse.

Quantity reaching a certain degree could indeed cause a qualitative change, especially with the notorious lethality of fireballs.

Small Fireball had transformed into a true Gatling Fireball.

Li De felt an itch to test it. During the experimental process on the seventh floor, he hadn’t fully utilized the improved Small Fireball. Now that he had finished seclusion, he had to experiment.

The Crimson Mage Tower was well-equipped, naturally possessing gear to test spell power.

On the fifth floor, a separate room housed a large slate of grayish-black stone, shimmering with a faint glow.

Anti-magic stone, this grayish-black stone mined from ley lines had excellent anti-magic properties. His piece of anti-magic stone could directly nullify Tier 4 spells.

Anti-magic stones were generally used to craft magic-resistant equipment; Green City’s walls incorporated plenty of anti-magic stones.

Almost every mage tower had anti-magic stones because they were excellent for testing spell power.

Hearing the news of Li De finishing his research, the apprentices eagerly gathered on the fifth floor.

The last time Li De researched something, he presented them with the astonishing and improved Mage Hand. This time, heading straight to the fifth floor where the anti-magic stone was placed clearly indicated he had developed a new spell.

By the Goddess of Magic, Master Li De was truly remarkable.

Although these apprentices found the improved Mage Hand magic model exceedingly troublesome, it didn’t stop them from admiring Li De for improving the spell.

“What do you think Master Li De has improved this time?”

“I guess it must be something really powerful, like a Tier 4 spell.”

“Pfft, you know nothing. I think Master Li De must have leveled up. He might soon become a Grand Mage. Haha, we’ll be apprentices of a Grand Mage, how wonderful!”

“So what if Master Li De researched a new spell? Do you think you can learn it? You can’t even understand the improved Mage Hand model, and you’re thinking about other things?”

Vina’s final words left the surrounding apprentices in helpless despair.

One by one, they deflated.

Vina, who had become a formal mage, was already someone these apprentices looked up to.

Li De, seeing the eager gazes of these youngsters, didn’t stop them. He wasn’t someone who liked to keep secrets, and these apprentices, bound by soul contracts, were his private property, so there was no need to hide anything.

Sharing the spell he had painstakingly researched with his own people was undoubtedly a very pleasing act.

This room on the fifth floor wasn’t large, with defensive magic arrays covering the gray walls. This room was specifically for testing magic and had extremely strong defenses.

Li De looked at the anti-magic stone in front of him, waved his hand, and for the first time, showed them what fire suppression meant, leaving the group of apprentices wide-eyed.

What was called — Gatling Fireball.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com