Infinite Potential System

William wasn't concerned about his teacher, who had displayed mastery over the Illusion Element. When he saw Tenningbrew "die", William felt that it was too easy. The man had hardly tried to defend himself!

If William had to guess, the eccentric Professor Tenningbrew was still within the room secretly keeping an eye on the situation. If the Professor's stealth technique was enough, William hoped his chances of doing the same were higher.

That was until the fake-desk William started to shake.

Shit! I lost focus for a second!

William controlled the Illusion Spell to rot away one of the desk's legs, forcing it to snap apart. The desk fell over, William's fake-self going with it until his new form was a pile of wood and metal.

"These backwater Planes really are garbage!" the Heavens member who had stood up to investigate spat on the floor. He turned around the way he came, "Let's get out of here before I catch their filth."

"Wait." a guard stopped his companion with a single hand, keeping his eyes on the collapsed desk. In the brief moment before the desk fell apart, the guard sensed a tiny amount of Mana, though he couldn't identify where it came from.

He readied a small fireball and threw it at the pile, scanning the room for any irregularities. The fireball exploded at the base of the pile, a small explosion ringing out and attracting a few Heavens members that had been scanning the rest of the school's Dimension.

When the smoke subsided, what the guard expected to be ashes was still a perfectly identical pile as before. His Spell had no effect!

"It's an illusion! That bastard from before is still alive!"

William used this opportunity to transform the desk's parts into a humanoid figure with a lab coat and glasses. It was an exact copy of the Professor, although William didn't bother to mimic his aura. Instead, he completely removed the presence of an aura from the Illusion Spell.

"That's right!" Illusion Tenningbrew shouted with a smile even more unusual than the original Professor. "How could someone as awesome as I die to your silly Magic?"

Above the ceiling tiles, a certain ferret cringed from embarrassment. It hid its face with its tiny paws, hoping this wasn't truly how its students perceived him.

"You!" the guard wanted to attack the Illusion Tenningbrew, but his companion stopped him with a single hand.

"Don't bother, it's still a fake. He's not our target, don't let him waste our time." the guard said before exiting the room. His three companions followed close behind, while the newcomers redispersed.

William's classroom was revisited several times over the next half hour, some Heavens members fooled by the same fake Tenningbrew trick as before, while others were so lazy with the scanning that William didn't even have to do anything.

One Deity Realm Cultivator in particular simply destroyed every object in the room with a casual Spell of the Fire Element, but William transformed into a shadow and hid in a corner where the flames were weaker. Using a combination of Darkness, Illusion, and Fire Magic, William became a shadowy Fire Elemental that the others simply perceived as a stray piece of charcoal.

When the following groups saw the state of William's classroom, no one wasted time scanning it and simply moved on. The students and teachers that were cleared by the Heavens members were allowed to exit the Dimension, leaving only Tenningbrew, William, and the Vice Principal inside.

Fifteen minutes later, the Heavens reported to an unknown superior and exited the Dimension themselves.

-Successfully evaded disaster: +1 PP

Oh, thanks System for the one Potential Point. Really helpful. I'm glad that using my massive brain to save both of our lives is worth so much.

-You're welcome, but you shouldn't assume a tumor in your brain makes you smart.

Fuck you!

William replied, but he couldn't avoid laughing out loud. He cancelled all of his active Magic, reverting to human form. When he saw bare skin instead of the Illusionist's Cloak, William became nervous and checked his Space Rings.

Phew, it's a good thing I used such a durable material for my equipment.

William looked at the half-melted Artifacts that had just barely kept his Space Rings in perfect condition.

William retreived a set of new clothing to wear for the time being, simultaneously checking his Status for any updates.

———

STATUS: ( - )

-Health: 127m/192m

-Mana: 1.53m/63.36m

-Fame: 145

-Humanity: 52

-Ascended Value: 4

-Attention: 82

-Base Soul Strength: 334987

-Soul Strength: 66,997,400

-Cultivation Base: 3.6b/100b

———

I took quite a bit of damage since my Ascended Recovery Talent is only five percent effective here, but it wasn't so bad. It's a good thing my Fire Resistance is so high.

William sighed in relief. He was thankful that the caster wasn't in the Solar Deity Realm, else William probably would have died.

Another downside of the Heavens' appearance was the permanent loss of five thousand Base Soul Strength, which with the Soul Talent was equivalent to one million Soul Strength. If he had recalled the clone sooner, William could have recovered the Soul Strength he spent on it, but that would have been suicide in the situation.

I'll be able to earn it back at some point. I can still use the Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin.

William tried to console himself.

Overall, it was about an even trade. William lost a net total of eleven Ascended Points and five thousand Base Soul Strength in exchange for a method to greatly strengthen himself in the short-term and an insane new Spell that allowed him to create a weak clone of himself or even others.

The Spell was full of weaknesses, but with more time and Mana William believed he could improve it to become something very impressive.

-Developed a new Spell: +1 PP

-Developed a complex new Spell: +5 PP

-Name your new Spell.

-New Spell: Illusory Clone

-Your intent and the original function of the Spell has developed it into something new. Illusory Clone is now registered as a Potential Spell.

-Developed a Potential Spell: +1 AP

-Developed your first Potential Spell: +5 AP

Potential Spell?

William asked with surprise. This was the first time he earned Ascended Points from a Spell; it had to be something good!

-A Potential Spell has near limitless potential, hence the name. Potential Spells usually start out weak but can develop and grow over time. They can exist as single-Element Spells, Fusion Spells, or something entirely different altogether.

-Potential Spells don't operate like traditional Spells. They won't grow in strength when you do, nor will they be registered as a new Spell if you decide to change their function. What matters is your intent.

The System's initial explanation somewhat made sense, but everything else made no sense. If the Illusory Clone Spell couldn't get stronger, even if his raised his Magic Power, how could it have limitless potential?

The idea of function and intent confused William to no end.

What do you mean by intent? Can't you give me an example?

-Oh, right. This Spell made me almost forget how stupid you are. I'll explain it in a way that even a child like you could understand.

Did you have to add that last part?

-Imagine your Fireball Spell. Its function is to set things on fire with a big explosion, and your intent might be to damage your opponent. Very simple, right?

Okay?

-Now, if your Fireball Spell was a Potential Spell, it would work like this. The second time you create the fireball, as long as your intent is to damage your opponent, it will grow slightly stronger.

-As long as you do this, even if the fireball Spell is actually shaped like an arrow and won't set whatever you're targeting on fire, it will still work the same.

The example helped William understand much better than before, which irked him considering the System said even a child would get it.

Why isn't my Fireball a Potential Spell, then? Couldn't all of my Spells be Potential Spells?

-Their original functions are too simple, and the intent was too broad. I could go in-depth, but it would only confuse you.

Hmm. Since my Illusory Clone is a Potential Spell now, does that mean I can't use it if I don't have the same intent?

-You can still use it like any other Spell, but its strength only improves when intent is the same. I'll make a section in the Status for your Potential Spell when I reach S-Rank.

William was pleasantly surprised to hear the System explain its intentions for once. Before, he never would have gotten hints at its next upgrade. He only had one last question.

What

is the intent of my Illusory Clone?

-You'll have to find that out for yourself.

William nodded and was about to try testing weaker versions of the Spell when a white ferret hopped down from the ceiling and landed in front of him. It shook its fur back and forth, transforming into the Professor whom William had forgotten about.

"Normally, I'd be surprised that my student had three additional Affinities not recorded in the Academy's database, but you're an Ascender so it's to be expected.

But to think that you'd be an Elemental as well!"