Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer

[Noticed! Host succeeded in his first Mana Circulation Attempt without the System's assistance. Achievement rewarded.]

[You received: Providence Re-roll Stub, 5 Spell Cards, System Skills: Cleptomancy - unlocked, 29,000 Credits, 1000 Mana Crystals]

This notification woke Ashton up and pulled him down from his high. He stared at the notification just to see if he's seeing things correctly and in fact he was.

"Huh...I guess this can happen too." Ashton mused to himself.

Still, the things he received from the System made him incredibly happy. He went to his Inventory to learn more about the items of course.

[Skill Cards](x5)

? Gain one random skill per car when consumed.

? Notice: Curse was detected. Spell acquisition is limited to Basic Spells.

'Ugh...I haven't even performed actual magic yet I'm already suffering because of this curse. Whatever I guess.'

[New System Skill: Cleptomancy]

? Effect: Killing or Eliminating a target with a spell will cause them to drop an item.

? Notice: Drops may vary depending on the Mastery of this skill. Drops are only visible to the Host. Upon the death or elimination of the target, the drops will automatically appear to Host's Inventory, there's no need to pick them up.

? Notice: System Skills are unaffected by the Curse Host has.

'Ooh!!' Ashton cooed internally, 'I get drops by killing things? Now we're talking. With this, my RPG life is more complete.'

'And last but definitely not the least. This one...'

[Providence Re-roll Stub]

? This consumable item can allow Host to change their Providence grade but at random.

? Notice: Should the Host gets a bad roll, Host may choose to keep their original Providence instead.

'Holy crap...this item was possible too?'

Ashton already had a guess upon reading the name of the item but knowing what it truly did, didn't lessen the shock he felt. Re-rolling Providence? Isn't that the same as defying the Natural Order?

Well, the System's existence is already Heaven-defying itself but still, this is absurd.

And as funny as this sounds, this gives Ashton some hope for his future.

The fact that the Providence Re-roll Stub was item that can be given to him by the System, it wouldn't be wrong of him to expect something like a Mageroot Re-roll Stub or a Magical Artifact Re-roll Stub to appear as well wouldn't it?

If his theory is correct (and god he hopes that it is), then it is possible for him to get rid of this curse once and for all? Maybe this is the method that the System acknowledged as a way to get rid of his curse? Well, he can't say for sure but so far, these are all just theories anyways.

Unless a time comes when he actually receives these items, he wouldn't even think about it since everything's just speculation right now.
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'Now that I have these Spell Cards...at least I finally get to see how the Grinding Slots actually work.'

'But should I use them now?' Ashton hesitated. 'Do I have the patience to wait until the rest of my Aptitude is re-rolled before using them? Most likely not.'

'I can't wait for that long. I'm not even sure if it's possible. I can't let my future be decided by something unclear like that. It's probably for the best if I use them immediately and get some actual edge before I start my magical studies.'

'Besides, the Basic Spells are required to build a steady foundation. Learning some, whatever I get, will not really harm me, it shouldn't harm me especially since it came from the System. I should be fine.'

After thinking things through, Ashton felt that his logic was sound and didn't dally any longer...

'System, consume all Spell Cards please.'

[Spell Cards(x5), consumed. You received New Spells: Mana Bolt, Mana Shield, Mesmerize, Cleanse, Force Push]

'Yep...these all sounds like Basic Spells alright.' Ashton commented inwardly. He then went into his Profile Page and looked at his Spell List which is now filled with the new Skills he received.

[Mana Bolt Lv.0]

? Send a bolt of mana that inflicts damage to the target.

? Max. Projectile Range: 5 meters

[Mana Shield Lv.0]

? Form a shield made out of mana to defend against incoming attacks.

? Can defend against both Physical Attacks and Offensive Spells.

[Mesmerize Lv.0]

? A Basic Illusion Type Spell.

? Form a link through visual contact with an enemy to feed them harmless Illusions.

[Cleanse Lv.0]

? Rids oneself or an ally of a De-buff

? Can be used once every hour

[Force Push]

? A Basic Psychic Spell

? Emits a strong Force that pushes back enemies or projectiles away from the Host.

'Huh...' Ashton wore an expression of pleasant surprise. 'None of these sounds bad actually. They suck for now but that's because they haven't levelled-up properly just yet. I'm sure that if I increase them to Lv.9 at least, I should be more than capable of protecting myself.'

Through his studies, Ashton learned that Spells, Skills, Techniques and so on can increase their effectiveness by levelling them up just like how one would do it in games. Increased the Mastery of the spell requires both study and understanding of the spell of course.

Ashton didn't know the level cap for each skills, he didn't read about it in any materials available to him nor if the concept is even a thing in the first place.
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As for what he knows, Spell Levels cannot be higher than the user. For example; Someone who's a Lv.9 Apprentice Mage can't have any Lv.10 Spell. They can have a Lv.9 Spell but not Lv.10 because they're physically unable to do so.

Ashton knows that with his current aptitude, it is impossible for him to reach the levels of those masters no matter how hard he tried. And in truth, Ashton never really thought about doing that, he just wanted to learn more about Magic and also have the ability to protect himself, that's all.

These Basic Spells doesn't seem bad. While he was expecting something like a Fireball or Water Orb or something to appear, as those involved elements in their formula, they must've not been considered as a Basic Spell.

Or maybe it was and he just wasn't lucky to roll for them but still...he can be satisfied about what he has right now.

And really, he should be excited at least. Now he gets the chance to see how the Grinding Slots worked!

But this actually reminded Ashton of something.

'So, System. You said that I got these gifts because I did Mana Circulation without your assistance. Does that mean you could've helped me all this time.'

[Yes and no, Host.]

'...explain.'

[To help the Host in Mana Circulation, Host was required to at least know of one Spell and had it running under the Grinding Slot.]

[If Host's consciousness arrive in there without any success in his Mana Control, there will be a step-by-step assisted walkthrough for Host to experience under the guidance of the System. With it, Host's chances of succeeding in the activity will increase.]

[Once the Host is ready, the Spell Grinding will officially begin.]

'...'

Ashton was speechless. He didn't know that obviously. He also is certain that the System never mentioned this to him. Had he known he would've used it already instead of wasting time psyching himself up for weeks.

Alas, there's nothing he can do now. What's done is done. Besides, he got rewarded for his achievements anyway so there's really no need to be upset.

'Oh well, a heads-up would've been nice but whatever. At least I proved something to myself and got rewarded for it so it isn't really that bad.'

'But System, can you at least rate my performance? How did I do?'

[Although there are plenty of room for improvement, connecting all your Mana Coils in one sitting is a worthy achievement. You did better than expected, Host.]

'Alright. I'll take that.' Ashton nodded in satisfaction. At least he has bragging rights.

Ashton was pondering if he should give the Grinding Slots a go but decided against it.

'I'll do it after I use the re-roll stub. Plus, I am a wreck right now, my clothes are torn all over the place. I may even postpone it until tomorrow.'

'For now though...System, use the Providence Re-roll Stub.'

For the first time ever since having the System, an animation appeared right in front of him. A System Window displayed a huge color-coded wheel. It has Black which occupied a large portion of the pie chart, Blue which took quite a sizable part, Orange which has a smaller portion compared to previous color, Red which is even smaller, and finally Violet Gold which occupied a mere strip of the whole chart.

Ashton knows what these signifies. The smaller the dedicated spot is, the rarer it is. The arrow was placed at the top, following the usual spin the wheel mechanics, this arrow will determine what kind of prize he'll get.

He found a crane handle which he held onto. Ashton took a deep breath and sincerely hoped the RNG-gods heeds his plea and bless him with good luck.

Then, he yanked the handle down and the wheel started spinning.