And isn't this exactly what I'm best at?
At that moment, William Merlin finally understood why, back in Thousand Sails City, his cousin kept emphasizing time—casting time, exhaustion time, burst time, consumption time... and so on. Sometimes, William Merlin even felt his cousin was obsessed to the point of madness. Spellcasting itself had countless variables; the same spell, the same mage, could have completely different timings under different circumstances.
Damn it, I really let Ross Merlin’s cunning get the better of me. The negative effect of the Spell Counter only temporarily sealed my fire magic channel. My Meditation Codex may be the Bloodstone Meditation Codex, but it’s not like fire spells are my only option. Ending up like this—what an idiot move...
Fortunately, that reminder came just in time.
Once William Merlin realized the problem, he immediately changed his combat strategy. He began casting a barrage of spells from various schools. Although, due to his Meditation Codex, these spells couldn’t compare to his fire spells in terms of power, with all the magical enhancements, at least he managed to buy himself a brief moment to breathe.
During those three months, William Merlin nearly went mad. What used to be as simple as eating or drinking became a painful ordeal. Even a basic Wind Blade required calculating at least seven timing points—miss one, and the punishment was even more excruciating.
Luckily, the situation had finally turned around a bit. As long as he could stall for a little longer and wait for the Spell Counter’s effect to fade, the battle would be back on equal footing.
William Merlin remembered it clearly: when he finally managed to do all this, his cousin said nothing, just handed him a handwritten copy of the Bloodstone Meditation Codex.
But before that smile could fully bloom on William Merlin’s face, a voice sounded behind him.
"What are you waiting for? Hoping someone invites you to dinner? If you don’t seize this chance, do you want to eat another Spell Counter? I’m telling you, hurry up, will you? My time’s limited. Finish this fight so I can get going..."
"You're hopeless. Can't you even calculate Spell Exhaustion time? Haven't you learned Round Table Theory? Use your head and you'll know exactly where the opportunity lies..."
"Spell Exhaustion, Round Table Theory..."
That's right, why hadn't I calculated the Spell Exhaustion time? Ross Merlin's spell attacks came in wave after wave—he's already cast dozens of spells so far. If I just calculate the timing of those spells, I can predict the flow of a normal battle.
"Attack, attack! Damn it, do you even have Keen Mind in your spell list? You should've cast Keen Mind a minute ago! Don't you realize now is your best chance to unleash your power?"
Ross Merlin, the one who possesses Endless Spring...
"So you know you're almost out of mana? Then do you realize your opponent has Endless Spring, and his mana recovery rate is ten times yours? Maybe you should keep bragging a bit longer—see if you can buy him some more time. Who knows, by the time you're done, he might roast you to a crisp with a Fireball..."
"What are you hesitating for? Didn't your soul inheritance teach you how to use Spell Backlash to squeeze out more mana?"