Sanctuary: Safe Haven

Waking up the next morning, Canna smiled vaguely, remembering the dream he had till now.

He looks below him and sees the codex and can't help but smile wide. This codex was as big as he can remember, but it shrunk down perfectly for his size.

He quickly summoned a water spell to douse his face with it and was about to read the codex when he heard Mortem's words.

"Master, we would have to train now to advance with high-tier spells."

Canna looks to his side and grumbles. He remembers the lesson again about spells and their tiers. Mortem emphasized spells are categorized into tiers, each representing a distinct level of power and complexity. As far as he can remember, the tiers serve basically as a guide so the caster would be aware of the scope of their magical abilities.

Low-tier spells: These incantations form the foundation of a mage's repertoire, often learned in the earliest stages of magical education. Characterized by their simplicity and ease of use, low-tier spells provide fledgling sorcerers with basic tools to manipulate the elements and energies of the world around them.

Mid-tier spells: As practitioners advance in their magical studies, they unlock access to more potent incantations belonging to the mid-tier category. These spells exhibit greater complexity and efficacy compared to their low-tier counterparts, empowering mages to wield more substantial forces and shape reality with finesse.

High-tier spells: These are spells of advanced complexity and considerable power, often wielded by experienced practitioners. They mark a significant milestone in a mage's journey, granting them the ability to harness potent magical forces and shape reality to a greater extent.

Advanced-tier spells: Reserved for the most skilled and knowledgeable mages, advanced-tier spells represent a level of mastery beyond the ordinary. These elusive incantations draw upon ancient wisdom and esoteric knowledge, allowing practitioners to achieve feats that defy conventional understanding.

Legendary-tier spells: At the zenith of magical achievement stand the legendary-tier spells, the stuff of myths and legends whispered in hushed tones by storytellers and sages alike. Possessing unfathomable power and significance, these spells are relics of a bygone era, guarded jealously by the annals of history and sought by only the most brave heroes or foolhardy adventurers.

At the moment, Canna is able to cast mid-tier spells and is slowly getting his way with high-tier spells. For now, he keeps the book at his side and proceeds with his training.

Mortem showcases a high-tier water spell called "Water Wall."

Skill Name: Water Wall

Description:

Water Wall conjures a solid barrier of water in front of the caster, blocking incoming attacks and obstructing enemies' movement. It requires more magical energy to sustain but offers a broader defense.

The main difference between a water shield and a water wall is that the water shield can only shield the caster, while the water wall offers a much wider range.

Mortem's reasoning for teaching this spell to Canna is simple: for someone who aspires to make a sanctuary, Canna should be able to have top-notch defensive spells, and water wall is one of those spells; once Canna is able to master the water wall, there's an advanced tier water spell called water fortress and once he passes that he would learn the legendary spell called water "Aqua Dome," but that's still a long way ahead for Canna.

Right now, even with the passive skill "Enhanced Learning," Canna is still taking a long time to grasp the spell; the problem he's facing is that his mana is being eaten at a rapid pace whenever he tries to expand the water wall.

After a couple more hours of training the spell, Canna had to rest. His mana reserves were empty, and he would have to fill it up by eating meat infused with mana and idly resting, creating a perfect timing to read the codex.

Canna grins and takes out the codex. Just holding the book was enough to complete his day already. With bated breath, he reads the first page and quickly gets absorbed in it. The first page is about a rare plant called the "Glowvine."

Description:

The Glowvine is a rare plant found deep within mana-filled forests. Its petals emit a gentle, ethereal glow, lighting up the surrounding area. Despite its rarity, the Glowvine is hardy and thrives in shaded areas under moonlight. Folklore suggests it holds healing properties and wards off evil spirits, making it a prized discovery for adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike.

Canna looks at the plant with awe; the way its ethereal glow lights up its surroundings is truly beautiful. The only plant on earth that has a bit of resemblance with the glow vine plant is called the bioluminescent Algae.

Time passed just like that and it was now back on training, well more of a killing session than training since this is the part of the day where Tonitrum would summon a monster from the dungeon and kill him with the best of its abilities.

Upon seeing Canna's eyes that were burning with vigor after reading the codex, Tonitrum thought of summoning a special monster for him, the red portal opened up again. Canna was confused as the enemy that was summoned this time was different than the rest. Canna quickly reads the information about the creature.

[Name: ???]

Level: 45

Race: Plants

Rank: Medium Rating

Class: Thornstrider

HP: 100/100

MP: 175/175

Strength: 70

Speed: 150

Defense: 70

Intelligence: 80

Monster Description:

A bipedal plant creature, towering over its surroundings with sinewy vines and thorn-covered limbs. Its bark-like skin is armored and resilient, while its glowing eyes gleam with primal hunger. Deadly tendrils adorned with razor-sharp barbs extend from its body, capable of trapping prey with lethal precision.

With each step, it leaves behind a trail of toxic spores, infesting the air with a noxious cloud.

Canna knew this was going to be a hard battle. With a swift motion, He drew his twin daggers. He braced himself as the Thornstrider charged, its thunderous footsteps echoing off the walls.

Dodging its initial assault, Canna danced nimbly around the creature, his daggers striking with precision but barely scratching its thick bark-like hide. With each blow, the Thornstrider retaliated, swatting him away with powerful sweeps of its thorn-covered limbs.

Feeling the weight of the battle pressing down upon him, Canna quickly cast spells. He conjured a swirling vortex of water, aiming to douse the creature and get enough time to change his strategy of approach.

Focusing his energy on summoning gusts of wind to buffet the Thornstrider. The cave echoed with the howling tempest as air currents whipped around them, but still, the creature pressed on, shrugging off the assault with grim determination.

As the battle wore on, Canna found himself pushed to his limits. The close confines of the dungeon restricted his movements, leaving him vulnerable to the Thornstrider's relentless vine attacks.

With each passing moment, his strength waned, his breath coming in ragged gasps; he couldn't use the advantage of his speed since the vines covered a wide area of attack, and his water spells weren't doing enough damage as they should be doing.

But even in the face of overwhelming odds, Canna refuses to surrender; drawing upon the last reserves of his energy, he unleashes a final, desperate onslaught. Twin torrents of water and wind converge upon the Thornstrider, engulfing it in a maelstrom of elemental fury. This would be the first time that he would combine spells, and he didn't know if it would work.

For a fleeting moment, the cave was filled with blinding light and deafening tumult. For a second, Canna could see lightning streaking on the tornado.

When he felt that the Thornstrider was barely alive, he bit his lips hard enough for blood to flow and exhaust all his mana; he knew he was endangering himself as he would have no way to defend himself after suffering a mana backlash; all he could hope was this would be enough to kill this problematic plant monster.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm subsided, leaving behind only silence.

As the dust settled, Canna emerged from the shadows, battered and bruised but triumphant. Before him lay the fallen form of the Thornstrider, its once fearsome visage now stilled in defeat. In the dim light of the cave, Canna allowed himself a moment of respite, his heart swelling with pride at his hard-won victory.... before passing out again.