Ethan loaded up the options and took a minute to go through them.

  Select one of the following upgrades for Small Fireball (Tier-2):

  Option #1: Costs 1 primagem of Explosion, 1 primagem of Fire

  Greater Fireball (Tier-3): Shoot a greatly empowered version of the fireball spell.

  Option #2: Costs 2 primagem of Explosion, 1 primagem of Fire

  Fireball Cluster (Tier-3) - Shoot a large fireball toward a target. When it explodes, it creates a cluster of smaller fireballs that spread out in a short radius.

  Option #3: Costs 1 primagem of Explosion, 1 primagem of Fire, 1 primagem of Draining

  Overloading Fireball (Tier-3): A more resilient version of the fireball spell. The more you charge the spell, the stronger the effect would be.

  “These are good… all three of them are really good,” Ethan mumbled as leaned forward, arms crossed. If he was forced to choose right this second, he wouldn’t know what to go with, so he was glad to see that neither the lord nor the monitors were keen on approaching him this second, with the former most likely still unaware of his presence.

  Ethan went from one option the next, reading and picturing the potential effect of each, but after nearly a minute of analysis-paralysis of trying to pick the absolute best option, he decided to pivot and cut out the option he could afford to lose, and the first of those was [Fireball Cluster].

  It’s great against swarms and whatnot, but I can see it not punching hard enough if I’m fighting against something too resilient. It’s still amazing and it would have easily been a top-pick any other time, but I think the other two are a bit better.

  Turning his attention to the remaining two options, Ethan hummed.

  [Greater Fireball] is better when combined with Prime Echo, I think. But as a single spell, the [Overloading Fireball] has probably the potential of hitting harder. The issue is, it will use the Draining primagem I had planned on using on the claws. Also would I always have time to charge it? I doubt that, and what’s the standard strength of the charging option? Is it as strong as [Greater Fireball] and grows stronger as I put more mana into it, or does it start at something like… half of the potency of the first option and then I gotta boost it?

  If it was the latter, then [Greater Fireball] wins, especially since he’d be able to double his output with the Prime Echo ability. Still, he was just making guesses, and that wouldn’t do for such an important decision.Thankfully, there was someone that might know a thing or two about these fire-themed spells, considering she–and her clan–were literal fire elementals.

  Turning to the Ignisra, Ethan whispered. “Ember.”

  No response. The cat continued to lay on her side, breathing slowly, but Ethan saw the twitch of an ear, so he leaned over and poked her on the back. “I know you heard me. I have a question.”

  “[... What?]”

  Ethan quickly relayed the three options he had and his thought process and as he explained it, he felt more convinced of his reasoning. Still, it all hinged on a couple of theories he had no proofs on but thankfully, the cat knew enough about the spells to come to his rescue.

  “[You’re wrong.]”

  That took him a bit by surprise. He waited for the cat to explain, but she seemed intent on going back to sleep, which earned her another poke. “Explain. Please.”

  The cat took a deep breath, then exhaled and without turning back, she answered. “[All three are better variants than the classic tier-3 fireball, and true, [Greater Fireball] is an amazing spell that would immediately make its caster one of our strongest warriors back home, but you’re underestimating the flexibility of [Overloading Fireball.] Sure, it starts a bit weaker than [Greater Fireball], and you’re right, it’s still stronger than [Small Fireball], but if your mana reserves are deep enough, you can–within seconds–match the output of a tier-4 spell. It’s also easier to boost with Essence, and if you gain more affinities, you might even infuse some of that in the spell. I saw… someone use [Overloading Fireball] and fill it with enough mana and electricity to create one of the most destructive explosions I’ve ever seen. It killed a tier-4 drake in one single hit. Vaporized it so that not even the bones remained. It took him a few days to recover from the backlash but if I was making the choice, I’d go with that. Also, [Fireball Cluster] is a nasty spell for fighting numerous enemies or anything that’s sensitive to fire. True, it’s not as good as the other two, but it’s not bad at all, either. There. Happy? Can I sleep now?]”

  That was interesting. Ethan thanked her but still poked her one more time to annoy her some more before he turned his attention back to the selection.

  The explanation changed things quite dramatically, and now he was much more interested in [Overloading Fireball].

  Screw it. I’m sure I’ll encounter some more draining primagems sooner or later. I don’t want to miss out on a good spell just because I’m hoarding for another, and I like the idea of flexibility. I’ll just have to up my mana regeneration one way or another.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Small Fireball (Tier-2) upgraded to Overloading Fireball (Tier-3)

  Without waiting, he slotted the spell in the Lesser Arcanum and raised a clawed hand toward the sea, but he paused, and reluctantly, he lowered his arm.

  He had to finish up everything else first before he provoked the lord.

  Alright, I’m out of fragments for the other upgrades, and I probably can’t get those water monitors without alerting the lord so I might as well wait. I’ll do it once the lord is down. Which leaves… reorganization of spells and final stats.

  Without wasting any more time, he began moving things around and when he was done, he leaned back.

  This should do. I’m glad the Echo spells don’t count against capacity. And it doesn’t seem like the tier difference is causing an issue…

  He was going to have to test that part later. He assumed it would be just like when he’d used [Mana Heart] on a tier-1 Prime Arcanum. Which meant he’d have to be careful with the backlash.

  Prime Arcanum of the Juggernaut:

  Spell Forms: [[Scorching][Draconic Claws]], [Sapping Scales]

  Echo: [Overloading Fireball]

  Lesser Arcanum of the Fire Elemental:

  Spells: [[Homing][Overloading Fireball]], [Arc of Force]

  Spell Forms: [Mana Heart], [Draconic Wings],[Draconic Skeleton]

  His next priorities were going to be mana regeneration and more spell-forms, he thought as he sensed the stat boosts of the Arcanums shift and move. When the modifications were done, he loaded up his stats.

  Prime Arcanum: Form Bonus (40): 20 Might, 20 Toughness

  Lesser Arcanum of the Fire Elemental: Form Bonus (150): 75 Mana, 37 Spirit, 37 Might

  Draconic set bonuses: 15 Toughness, 15 Spirit, 30 Might

  Ethan eyed the resulting stat profile and grimaced. He wasn’t sure how comfortable he felt with his Toughness and Spirit being that low with this load-out, but considering his new fireball spell, this was pretty damn good. A higher Spirit would have been nice for more oomph, but the Mana and Might stats were way higher than they ever were. He could feel them in his chest, like a well brimming with energy, ready to be unleashed.

  Well, I got the wings. If things get spicy, I retreat and make some modifications. And I do have a couple of points to assign.

  He started with Might and raised to a full 40, because it was bugging him, just sitting there with 39 base points. As for the rest, he gave all four points to Spirit and raised it to 30.

  Taking a look at the updated list, he sighed. Somehow, he felt naked with Toughness being only his third highest stat.

  Might: 127 (40)

  Toughness: 85 (50)

  Spirit: 82 (30)

  Mana: 101 (26)

  Ethan pushed himself off the ground and stretched his back, eyes on the lagoon and at the heads still peeking at him.

  “[Are you going?]” Ember asked, lifting her head as she looked back at him.

  “Yup. Gonna start with some polite knocking though,” he said with a grin as a black and red rod fell in his open palm.

  Ethan walked toward the shore, breathing slowly as his heart began to beat faster. The monitors swam further back, and their throats began to glow threateningly, but he had no eyes for them. Already, mana was being funneled to his wand. Ethan raised the Prime wand and pointed at a clump of watching monitors, and a small, orange orb began to swell. Mana gushed out of his chest as the fireball quickly gained in width and color, until even the clear light of the day was pushed back by the fire-orange glare of the basketball-sized fireball, and when he felt his spirit begin to strain, Ethan let the spell go.

  The orb zipped forward so fast it left an orange afterimage and within a fraction of a second, it hit the water and detonated in a violent, loud flash of light and fire.

  You have defeated [Water Monitor (I) - Level 53]

  You have defeated [Water Monitor (I) - Level 58]

  Ethan, eyebrows raised, stared down at the wand and at the cloud of dispersing steam while chunks of monitors plopped back in the water.

  Damn. Now, let’s see the version not being limited by tier.

  Dismissing the wand, Ethan pointed at the water with the upper joint of his wing and began channeling. Within three or four seconds, the fireball was matching the size of the one he just shot, and he was nowhere close to feeling any strain. So he kept pumping mana into it.

  Let’s find where the limit is.

  Click here to join

  If you want to support me and read ahead, there's 10+ advanced chapters.