Yeah, magic is very useful for exploring but not that effective in combat.

My one advice is you should have at least two combat skills. Because you will max out one very quickly and it will slow down levelling. I found blunt and long blade worked well because of the great weapons available. But one big downside I noticed is they both levelled strength, so I had to pay trainers to level non minor/major skills to compensate.

Short blade levels speed. Spear levels endurance. Marksman levels endurance. Pairing one of those with one of Long Blade, Axe or Blunt which all level strength is also a good idea.

Marksman, Short Blade and Long Blade. Good Samurai Build.

Spear is also a misunderstood skill. It's not meant to be the same as the other melee skills, a primary thing to fight with, it's a long-range skill for hitting enemies before they can hit you or from spots where they can't reach you and you're cheesing them.