The Greatest Sinner

After Evan had decided exactly what spell he wanted and even given it a name prematurely, he wrote everything down in his notebook. He described in detail what he wanted to achieve and what characteristics the spell should have.

Evan wanted to work on creating a spell, but it was a very long process, so he decided to take his time. First, he wanted to study the four spells he had chosen in the library. Evan decided to start with "Touch of the Abyss." In Evan's opinion, mastering this spell was more accessible than the others.

Thanks to his extensive experience with the "Ice Veil," Evan had a rough understanding of how such spells worked. All he had to do was delve into the subject and take some time to practice.

Evan opened the black book and muttered: "It took me half a day to master the "Magic Missile." It was my first zero-rank spell. I wonder how long it will take me this time..."

First-level spells were much stronger than zero-rank ones for two main reasons. Firstly, they required more concentrated mana, which could only be obtained by reaching the "One-Pointed Star." This was also the main reason why a magician couldn't use the spells of a higher level.

Secondly, each first-level spell was more difficult to use. There were more stages, and it was necessary to change the mana form more often until the spell was ready. Simply put, the more the power, the greater the difficulty. It applied to all aspects.

Of course, different people needed different amounts of time to master a particular spell. It depended on many factors: the talent of a magician, the complexity of the spell, and the other conditions, that could somehow affect the process.

After about two hours, Evan had read the book completely. He could have read it much faster, but he decided to take his time. He slowly and thoughtfully read every word and stopped at the points he did not understand. There was no need to hurry in such matters.

"Damn, it's really hard...I need to read this book one more time. I can't remember so many subtleties and minutiae at once." Evan mumbled and reopened the first page of the book.

...

A week had passed, and Evan finally came close to casting the "Touch of the Abyss." It took him a whole day to memorize every detail described in the book and finally start trying to cast the spell.

Nevertheless, in six days, Evan had not yet succeeded. He was constantly making mistakes, correcting his actions, and figuring out what he was doing wrong.

"One more time," Evan muttered quietly.

He sighed, and his "Warp" spun. 

Mana headed for his hands and gradually turned into a thin cover. Then it slowly began to turn into a dark layer of energy covering his palms. After almost a week of trying, Evan had finally succeeded.

"Phew, honestly, I didn't expect it to be this hard. Well, I guess it's time to test the power of this spell," Evan proclaimed and headed for the sturdy wall.

He put his palm to the wall and then struck with lightning speed. 

Bam.

"Touch of the Abyss" had significantly increased the power of his attack, there were some cracks in the place he had struck, but the best part was yet to come. A second later, a corrosive effect began at the point of impact. The area was small, and the effect was short-lived, only a couple of seconds, but it was pretty dangerous. 

A part of the incredibly strong stone was turned into dust. It was the effect of a single blow. If Evan had struck a few more blows, he would have easily made a through-hole in the wall. But, it was not thanks to his physical strength, but because of the "Touch of the Abyss."

...

Evan had been spending the next two months mastering three spells at the basic level. As he had expected, the "Ghost Step" was the most difficult spell of all. Because of the specifics of the spell, Evan had to figure out how to cast it on his own. He tried to adjust it for himself, and eventually, he succeeded.

  The "Ghost Step" didn't require much mana, but it took an impressive amount of energy. Using this spell strained his whole body, but the effect was amazing. Evan's speed was so fast that he could cover a distance of three meters in a step. In this way, he could quickly get close to any opponent, even if he was very far away.

"Ball Lightning" was, as expected, the most potent weapon in Evan's arsenal. The first time he had successfully cast this spell, he destroyed most of the wall. 

Evan didn't want to destroy his home because of such training, so he headed to the training ground at the Academy. He had to pay for it, but there he didn't need to hold himself back and could hit as hard as possible. Moreover, there were a lot of different dummies and targets.

It was worth noting that absolutely every spell was also dangerous for the magician himself, regardless of the spell's level. The first time Evan had cast the "Ice Veil," he made a serious mistake and got frostbite.

This time he tried not to do anything stupid like that. What's more, he wouldn't have got away with mere frostbite this time. If the "Touch of the Abyss" had got out of control, that dark shell would have eaten away his flesh. Not only was it a hell of a pain, but it would be difficult enough to heal such wounds.

The last spell on the list was the "Seal of Cleansing." It had taken Evan several weeks to master this spell. The spell was not difficult, you may say, it was the easiest spell available.

Evan wasted so much time for one simple reason - each "Seal of Cleansing" use required a massive amount of mana. Evan couldn't cast this spell twice in a row, as he had to regenerate his mana each time. It was exhausting for him, both mentally and physically.

During the time he tried to cast the "Seal of Cleansing" once, he could have cast the "Touch of the Abyss" about ten times.

When Evan finally managed to cast it, he was pleased. If the "Ghost Step" was the most difficult spell in Evan's arsenal, then the "Seal of Cleansing" was the most draining.

...

Crack.

A multitude of small lightning bolts turned into a deadly electrical discharge in Evan's hand. In three steps, he reached the dummy, ten meters away from him, and attacked it. The dummy was made of hardened steel, but it still could not withstand such power.

The destructive electrical discharge destroyed the dummy to pieces. If Evan had attacked the same dummy with the "Magic Missile," it would have left a few scratches on it at best. Of course, if you use the normal version of this spell, not the second stage of "Awareness."

Evan looked at the shards and muttered: "Okay, I still need to keep practicing, but I can already use these spells in combat. Now I should start creating the "Blood brush.." Even if it takes a few decades, it's still best to start as early as possible."