Chapter 2: Spell Tome Fusion

"Now that we sorted out young Nero's questions. Let us begin with the main subject for the day. So take out your scrolls and quills from your Inventory Rings to note everything down." Madame Teresa announces to the classroom.

All the students except Nero followed the instructions. Madame Teresa noticed he did not have rings on his finger or jewelry that could serve as an interdimensional inventory bag for his items. She did not feel inclined to help him more than she offered and decided to let him stew in his predicament.

"The subject for today is 'Spell Tome Fusion!' Does anyone have any idea what that means?"

A new hand was raised in the class.

"You! Stand up, name yourself, and present your answer."

"Alexander Sivercrest of the Aromage Traders. Spell Tome Fusion involves the temporary or permanent fusion between two Spell Tomes. The result will be a Spell Tome which will give access to a higher tier of spells that will require more Mana consumption but will offer a more powerful effect."

Clap!

"Excellent! Could you give me an example?"

"I will use myself as an example. So please indulge in the context. I developed a Red Magical Grade Core a few months ago. My family was worried I would struggle in this academy. Floramancy and Aeromancy are known to be a bit weak on their own. So they spent gold to hire a wandering Mage to teach me how to permanently combine the two Spell Tomes to create my Aromancy Spell Tome."

"So you already possess a Fused Tome? Regardless of the gold spent on it, I believe you made the right choice by making it a permanent fusion. During combat, one can only summon one Spell Tome at a time. Those who use the basic Spell Tomes will suffer against Mages familiar with the Spells that are in them. Fused Tomes will create new spells which combine the best features, cover weaknesses, or revive those lost to the ages. It will give pause for your opponent to consider your true strength or help you launch a surprise attack that they did not expect."

"Unfortunately, my Spells will not help me in a direct one-on-one fight. One of the two spells allows me to break down plants of any type and extract their beneficial or adverse effects into powdered or paste forms. I can mix these extracts with floral oil to create potions that can heal, enhance or poison those who consume them. The other spell turns my floral extracts into vapor or incense that spreads into the air and gets carried by the wind to the targets I choose to infect or cure. If I do not pick a target, it will spread up to a radius of 50 meters or in the direction where the natural wind takes them. They will lose their potency after a few minutes. Whatever healing, enhancement, or damage done during that time will remain in the target."

The students tried to process the explanation because it sounded terrifying. Even Madame Teresa was stunned and covered her mouth to cough a few times to clear her old throat.

"Do you have to carry the plants around?"

Alexander pulled out a dozen bottles of extracts and potions from his inventory ring and presented them on the table.

"Put them back inside! We do not need a demonstration right now! Sit back down and know you have made a deep impression of your capabilities."

"Thank you, Madame." Alexander performed a bow and curtsy.

"Like Alexander, I permanently fused my Spell Tomes. In my case, the spells it created turned me into a perfect Tank on the battlefield. I was blessed with the affinities of Floramancy and Geomancy. One provided Tree Bark Vine Armor and the other Crystal Rock Armor. Both had their pros and cons during a battle. But I aimed to combine their strengths and cover their weaknesses. The result is this... Summon Terramancy Spell Tome!"

The teacher pulls back her hood, revealing the intricate floral tattoo fused with a mountain tattoo at the back of her head. A Dark Green book materializes in the air and levitates on its own. It has the symbol of a mountain and a tree on its cover.

"All Spells are divided into Offensive, Defensive, and Support. I will now use a Defensive spell. Terra Armor!"

Madame Teresa yells the name of a spell. The book flips through pages until it finds it and projects the name into the air above in a dead language from ancient times. The granite in the floor beneath her cracks before large pieces of exotic crystals emerge through the cracks. They break off from the floor along with the granite and float around her body. Vines covered in thorns, leaves, and flowers rise from the earth and wrap over the granite like a net before pulling them to her body. Tree Bark armor grows over her torso, shoulders, and waist. A helmet hides away Madame Teresa's face. Amber stones are positioned over her eyes, and antlers made of crystal rise out of the wooden helmet. She looks like a heavily armored bipedal humanoid Insect made of Granite, Crystal, Wood, and Vines.

"Woah! That is amazing!" Sheldon began applauding.

"Now, I will use a Support Spell and another Defence Spell. Terra Arms! Terra Shield Wings!"

The floating Terramancy Spell Tome flipped through its pages and popped out the names she yelled in the ancient dead language. Crystal and Wood molded together on her Terra Armor to create an extra pair of arms twice the size of her own and Moth Wings made of tree bark and a crystal frame.

"She is beautiful!" Sita yelled.

"I am still not done yet. Now an Offensive Spell. Terra Tridents!"

Four menacing Tridents made of Crystal and Wood shot out of the ground. Madame Teresa grabbed them with her four arms and spun them around a few times to display her skills in handling the weapon. Madame Teresa looked like an Insect Knight of the Forest and Earth. All the students studied her armor which should have weighed over a ton, but she moved around in a cosplay suit.

"It looks quite fancy, but will it survive attacks from Electro or Pyromancy?" Sheldon asked with a smirk.

Madame Teresa immediately pointed her four Tridents at Sheldon.

"I want you to hit me with your best offensive spell."

Sheldon stared at the tips of the sharp Crystal spears in shock while sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Su... Summon Electromancy Spell Tome!"

A yellow book materializes in the air and levitates toward his side. It has the symbol of a white Lightning Bolt.

"Lightning Flash Step!"

The yellow book flips through its pages and highlights the Spell name in the ancient dead language. Sheldon's body turns into pure electricity, teleporting behind Madame Teresa before launching his attack.

"Mega Arcing Blast!"

Once again, the book repeats the process and highlights the offensive spell. Sheldon creates a spherical orb of electricity the size of a volleyball before striking it with his right hand to shoot it toward Madame Teresa, who quickly turns around and spreads her massive wings to block the attack from hitting the students in the classroom. When the attack hits her armor, it explodes and burns away the vines, flowers, leaves, and tree bark. But since her feet were grounded into the earth and most of her armor was made of stone and crystal, the attack did not deal enough damage to kill her. The wings start cracking before falling apart.

"Rejuvenate!" Madame Teresa yells out, and her book finds the spell.

The remaining flora on her armor that survived the attack spreads down towards the cracked floor and roots into the soil. Within seconds, the Terra Armor rebuilds itself, and the wings reform. Madame Teresa removes her helmet to show some electric burns on her face are being healed quickly. She then uses her extra giant right arm to hurl the Terra Trident at Sheldon, who seems to have spent all his mana and could not dodge out of the way in time. He is impaled by the spear and vomits out blood that spills over his robes. Madame Teresa walks over to him, kneels, and whispers something into Sheldon's ears to make him start cursing. She then grabs the trident and pulls it out of his body before ordering her Spell Tome to cancel everything. Her Terra Armor and Tridents disintegrate and leave her standing in her Dark Green Robes.

"Alexander! Go ahead and heal Sheldon with your Aromancy."

Alexander nods before summoning his Spell Tome and taking out a healing potion. He calls out a spell, and the book highlights it. Then he unplugs the bottle and pours out the contents, which turn into incense smoke that heads towards Sheldon, who is still groaning and cursing. It takes a minute before all the wounds on his body disappear with his curses.

"That will be all for today. For those who are wondering about my Magical Core Grade... it is Green. I served in the Emperor's Royal Guard a long time ago. So do not treat me as a pretty Butterfly because you will get impaled by my Tridents."

All the students in the class nodded their heads vigorously, and some shivered in fear for thinking the same.

"Nero! Take Sheldon back to his room in the boy's hostel and then proceed to the library to bind a Pyromancy book. I will meet you at the Headmaster's office."

End of Chapter 2