[Crown of Thorns]
This is an undefinable spellโneither offensive nor supportive. You could call it a miracle-type divine spell.
In short, it allows the caster to apply their own spells to their teammates.
Its core feature is that it lets the caster bestow the magician’s Magic Shield, a high-tier spell, onto allies.
A magicianโs Magic Shield differs from a priestโs Light Shieldโnormally, it can only be cast on the magician themselves, never on others.
But this Rose Spell allows the user to break the rules and cast the Magic Shield on their teammates.
[Magic Shield]
This foundational divine spell needs little explanationโitโs been covered extensively before.
The Magic Shield scales steadily with the casterโs power and is a core skill for any magician aspiring to reach superhuman status.
After all, if a magician can only cast offensive projectiles, theyโre no different from an archer.
But with Magic Shield, a magician can truly balance offense and defenseโlike transforming from a glass cannon into a steel turret.
Even more importantly, it not only blocks physical attacks but is one of the few reliable defenses against magical attacks.
Thatโs because magical force can cancel out magical force, significantly weakening incoming magic.
Ordinary warriors have no defense against magicโthey just take the full hit. Even super-heavy armored knights prefer to dodge rather than endure a magic blast.
Magic Shields also play a decisive role in duels between magicians.
Such battles usually turn into attrition wars, with each side bombarding the other’s shield until someoneโs breaks firstโthatโs how victory is determined.
So, magician battles are pureโno tricks, no shortcutsโjust raw power.
Now you understand how insanely powerful the Crown of Thorns spell really is?
From now on, Niubao will have both a magic shield and a physical shield, granting him double protection, along with all of his own buff skills and healing abilitiesโheโs practically invincible.
โToo strong.โ
Samimi wiped the sweat from her forehead and dispelled the Crown of Thorns from Niubaoโs head.
Its only drawback might be the heavy mana cost.
But overall, she was more than satisfied with this Tree of Kindness spellโmaybe too satisfied.
The spell alone was enough to completely overturn traditional magician conceptsโit was basically cheating.
And now she was in a rigid, class-bound magic academy stuck in the mud. This was like a flood washing over the Dragon King’s temple.
However, Samimi had acquired another legendary skill. She turned back to her desk and resumed studyingโsinking into meditation and skill comprehension.
[Goddessโs Blessing]
Thanks to the skill book, Samimi quickly grasped the ability.
This is a legendary support skill for priests. Its effect? Increases the targetโs Intelligence.
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A very rare and subtle stat.
Samimiโs list of support skills already included buffs to Attack, Defense, Strength, Endurance, Speed, Agility, and various resistancesโbut nothing that increased Intelligence.
Boosting Intelligence is equivalent to raising a magicianโs maximum mana poolโthat is, more spellcasting power.
This enables magicians to cast more spells, or even break through the upper limits to release god-tier spells they normally canโt afford to cast due to mana limits.
Itโs an excellent skillโthough not very versatile.
Usually, it just lets a mage cast a few more spellsโbut in a critical moment, it can turn the tide instantly.
And you can even cast it on yourself, so thereโs no downside at all.
Once the learning is complete, the orange skill book self-destructs.
Each book can only be used by one personโwhich is exactly why theyโre so precious.
Night at the Magic Academy
โBurpโฆโ
On her first day at the magic academy, Samimi studied so hard that she forgot to eat and sleep, eventually fainting from exhaustion.
It wasnโt until late into the night that she woke up hungry, discovering that she was covered by a magic robe, with a now-cold dinner by her side.
She looked over to see Niubao sound asleep on his bed.
Aside from being hungry, Samimi also really needed to pee. Holding her legs together like a proper lady, she left the room and wandered through the dark corridors in search of a bathroom.
The little castle at night was pitch-black and terrifyingโit felt like a scene straight out of a medieval horror film.
She regretted not bringing her demon-slaying sword to the bathroom with her.
Thankfully, she finally found the toiletโat the very end of the hallway.
โPhew~โ
Samimi squatted and relieved herself, finally feeling some comfort.
By now, she had basically adapted to this young girlโs body, no longer feeling the shame she once did.
Plus, she wore a lace blindfold over her eyes, and could use [Clarity Spell] to adjust her visionโavoiding seeing anything too unpleasant.
“I might be the most gentlemanly gender-swapped transmigrator in the world.”
Just as she was using wild thoughts to suppress her fear, a musky dog-like stench hit her nose. She involuntarily looked up.
And then she froze in shockโa furry, creepy woman was lying on top of the bathroom door.
Two glowing scarlet beast eyes stared directly at her, scaring her so badly she clamped her thighs togetherโeven stopping mid-pee.
โWhoโs there?!โ
Samimi jumped up, not even bothering to wipe, and quickly pulled her pants up.
In a blink, the mysterious peeper was gone.
Samimi gasped, pushed open the door, and hurried down the corridor toward her room.
But before sheโd gone far, a claw rested on her shoulder, followed by a warm breath on her neck.
โLulululu~โ
A tongue covered in tiny barbs licked her neck.
โYou smell like an orc.โ
โโฆโ
Samimi was frozen in place, too scared to move.
โAre you the new roommate?โ came the hoarse, inhuman voice from behind her.
โY-yes, I just arrived today.โ
Hearing that, Samimi relaxed a littleโit sounded like it was just her roommate.
(Of course, if it wasnโt a roommateโฆ things wouldโve gone very, very badly.)
โCan I turn around?โ she asked.
โSure.โ
The fuzzy hand released her shoulder, and Samimi cautiously turned her head.
In the dim moonlight, she could just barely make out a half-orc girl in a baggy black magician robe.
Wild, gray-black frizzy hair; bloodshot eyes; tanned, bronze skin; and strong, callused fingers.
But most importantlyโshe had a pair of fuzzy dog ears and a wagging tail.
Clearly, she was a wolf-type orc, the most common beastman kindโten thousand times easier to guess than Niubaoโs race.
But a beastman magician? That was rare. Like an elf wielding a spiked club and becoming a Berserkerโa totally bizarre image.
She was likely the โheretical magicianโ the priestess had mentioned.
โHi, Iโm Samimi.โ
Samimi forced a smile and introduced herself.
โIโm Shadow Wolf,โ the wolf girl replied, slightly slurring her words.
โIs that a name?โ Samimi asked. โIsnโt that a species?โ