"Core Witchcraft."

"You need to understand its essence. It’s not like the general or school-specific Witchcraft you learn in the library—anyone can master those as long as their Spiritual Power meets the requirements."

"Core Witchcraft, however, especially that of the Alchemy school, is the end product of meticulously ’encapsulating’ a complete set of complex techniques, tedious procedures, and precise operations."

He raised a metal finger and tapped in the air.

"Its purpose is to free you from tedious low-level operations, allowing you to invest your precious Spiritual Power into more macroscopic tactical planning and creative design."

Victor listened intently. His family had instilled these same concepts in him, but hearing them from a Morning Star Wizard carried a completely different weight.

Meanwhile, Allen quickly began comparing the concept to his own knowledge base.

’This so-called "Core Witchcraft" is basically a fool-proof, one-click button. It packages all the low-level hardware drivers, data transfer protocols, and security authentication mechanisms, giving the user only the simplest, most efficient command to call upon it.’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"The first Core Witchcraft you will learn is named [Cluster Link Art]."

As Mercer’s voice fell, the screen of light behind him lit up again. This time, however, it didn’t show Golems and battlefields, but an extremely complex, three-dimensional Rune Array shimmering with an eerie blue light.

Dozens of Runes shuttled and intertwined, forming a dynamic, constantly operating system of Runes, filled with an intimidating precision and harmony.

Victor watched closely. With his knowledge, he could identify a few of the basic Rune structures within it.

They were modules related to ’Spiritual Resonance,’ ’Signal Amplification,’ and ’Energy Beacons.’

But when these modules were combined in a way he had never seen before, the complexity increased exponentially.

He could understand the parts, but not the whole.

But in Allen’s field of vision, DSeek had already begun its work.

[Scanning High-Level Rune Array: Cluster Link Art]

[Array Identification Complete. Commencing Structural Deconstruction...]

[Core Principles Detected: ’Witchcraft Sigil’ Variant Application, ’Spiritual Power Direct Link’ Protocol, ’Multi-Layer Encryption’ Rune Lock...]

[Deconstruction Complete. Total of 348 Independent Rune Nodes. Optimal Construction Path Generated.]

In less than a minute, the art that seemed incredibly profound to Victor had been completely deconstructed by DSeek’s masterful logic and reasoning.

Allen could even clearly see several key ’hub nodes’ within it. They were responsible for translating and distributing the operator’s Spiritual Commands—the CPU of the entire ’operating system.’

"This art will be your key to controlling the Golem Legion," Mercer explained. "It doesn’t require any physical receivers to be installed on the Golems, which eliminates the possibility of physical destruction. You only need to use this art to brand a unique spiritual imprint on the Control Core when you create a Golem."

"This imprint is your ’backdoor.’ It allows your Spiritual Power to bypass most physical obstacles and directly take over the Control Core. Its encryption protocol is derived from the Soul Contracts of ancient Wizards and is extremely difficult to crack. Most importantly,"

Mercer looked at the two of them, "as long as your control is strong enough, there is theoretically no upper limit to the number you can manipulate simultaneously."

"Engraving Core Witchcraft will make it a permanent part of your Sea of Spirit. The process demands extremely high precision in controlling your Spiritual Power. Failure, in the best-case scenario, will cause a tremor in your Sea of Spirit, requiring months of recovery. In the worst-case scenario, it could leave permanent damage, cutting off your future path."

Mercer raised his hand. "You didn’t pay your tuition for nothing. I will guide you in engraving the first five Runes and then tell you the sequence for the rest. Victor, you first. Your family has given you a solid foundation and resilient Spiritual Power. Now, clear your mind of distracting thoughts, regulate your breathing, and prepare to receive my spiritual guidance."

"Yes, Master." Victor nodded solemnly.

He took a palm-sized blue Crystal Stone that emanated a cold aura from his Storage Ring and held it in his hand.

This was a special item the Tieyan Clan had acquired for him, a ’Meditation Crystal,’ which could help a Wizard stabilize their mind during precision work.

He closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and began to adjust his mental state according to his master’s instructions.

Mercer’s gaze shifted to Allen. "Allen, your total Spiritual Power is inferior to Victor’s, so the process will be more difficult for you. I’ll help you after he gets into the right state."

With his master’s help, Victor completed the initial preparations and began to attempt constructing the first basic Rune.

He was extremely cautious, as if walking on thin ice, strictly following his master’s guidance with every step.

After a while, the master removed his mechanical hand from Victor’s forehead. It seemed he was on the right track.

Master Mercer turned his head, signaling that it was Allen’s turn.

"I’m ready, Master," Allen replied.

He didn’t have any auxiliary items. He simply sat down where he was and closed his eyes.

The master’s mechanical hand pressed onto Allen’s head, and he began to help him with the engraving.

In a short while, five Runes had been engraved in Allen’s Sea of Consciousness under his master’s guidance. After that cold Spiritual Power withdrew, the rest was up to Allen.

And in Allen’s Spiritual World, the real construction was just beginning.

[Engraving Protocol Initiated.]

[Referencing ’Cluster Link Art’ Model. Marking Key Steps Based on Master Mercer’s Guided Path.]

[Warning: Estimated Spiritual Power requirement is 180% of current maximum. The construction process will generate extreme mental strain.]

[Recommended Action: Replenish with a High-Level Mental Recovery Potion before Step 116 (Construct First Signal Amplification Node) and Step 312 (Complete Encryption Rune Lock Loop).]

Step One: Constructing the Will Rune foundation.

Allen mobilized his Spiritual Power. Under DSeek’s precise guidance, as if wielding an invisible carving knife, he began to sketch out the sixth Rune.

DSeek’s prompts flickered continuously. Allen’s Spiritual Power poured out like a flood from an open sluice gate, and the water level in his Sea of Spirit dropped at a visible rate.

「In the outside world.」

Victor’s eyes were still shut tight, his Spiritual Power moving as if treading on thin ice, meticulously following the guidance his master had left for each step of the engraving.

Meanwhile, Allen’s movements were fluid and effortless.

He even raised a hand, and without looking, retrieved a light blue potion from his Space Ring, uncorked it, and drank it all in one go.

The entire sequence was seamless, as if he had rehearsed it countless times.

Mercer’s sensors could detect the intense fluctuations inside Allen’s skull.

They weren’t a sign of disorder, but an indication of high-intensity, high-efficiency operation.

Allen’s Spiritual Power was being rapidly transformed, shaped, and then solidified into stable Rune structures.

「Thirty minutes later.」

"Master, I’ve finished the engraving!"

Victor opened his eyes, triumphant. Just as he was about to rise gracefully, he found his master and Allen standing side by side, watching him.

"Huh?"