Chapter 36 Bottleneck "Didn't you see the warning? If you're not a Third-rank Apprentice, going out there is just throwing your life away!"
A voice rang out as
"You're back?" Leilin asked.
"Mm! Here's the quest reward — fifteen Magic Stones!" Kreweir opened his palm, and five black crystals lay quietly at its center.
"Per our earlier agreement, three Magic Stones per person!" Kreweir first distributed the Magic Stones, then opened a large black bundle containing many Red-Eye Crow claws, feathers, eyes, and other materials.
"And these as well! Only the two claws of a Red-Eye Crow are worth much — two claws sell for one Magic Stone. Add in the other materials, and it comes to about fifteen Magic Stones total! So, does anyone have any objections? If not, we'll divide everything this way!"
The Red-Eye Crow claws were merely proof of quest completion and would have to be returned to the apprentices afterward, but they still counted as income.
"No objections!" Leilin replied with a faint smile. He had joined this mission primarily to accumulate experience, so he wasn't particularly hungry for Magic Stones.
Earning thirty Magic Stones in total was quite generous, but one also had to consider the costs. During this mission, Ni Lan and Lilith had used Acceleration Potions, Kreweir had used Swift Grass Seeds, and Leilin himself had directly expended an Explosive Potion, a Hemostatic Potion, and a Stamina Potion — their combined value far exceeded thirty Magic Stones.
If one really did the math, this mission had been a net loss for them, barely earning more than what Leilin could make just brewing potions.
Seeing that Leilin had agreed, Ni Lan, Lilith, and Lannuo could only nod.
"You contributed the most during the mission, Leilin. If you hadn't stepped in at the end, we'd all be dead. You should take a bigger share!" Kreweir's expression was earnest — he had clearly made up his mind a while ago.
"There's really no need!" Leilin smiled and picked out two right claws from the pile of Red-Eye Crow materials, along with a few other items. After calculating that they amounted to six Magic Stones' worth, he stopped.
"This is enough for me."
"Alright, then let's continue dividing the rest…" Kreweir looked somewhat helpless, but unmistakable delight surfaced in Lilith's and Lannuo's eyes.
Since all of them were nursing injuries of varying severity, and something seemed to have gone wrong near the academy making it suddenly dangerous again, taking on another mission was out of the question. The group quickly exchanged contact information before leaving the quest area.
Kreweir departed the fastest — by now black fur had grown all the way up to his thighs, making him look as though he had the legs of an ape. He clearly couldn't wait to seek help.
"Goodbye!" Lilith and Lannuo also said their farewells and left.
"Can you tell me your dormitory number?" Ni Lan pressed herself close to Leilin, whispering right beside his ear.
A faint warm breeze brushed past his ear, ticklish and soft.
"I'm not in the mood right now! Maybe later!" Leilin refused. His body still ached dully — how could he possibly have the energy for that?
"Alright then! I'll be waiting!" Ni Lan giggled sweetly, planted a light kiss on Leilin's cheek, then quickly darted away.
Leilin shook his head and turned toward his dormitory.
He opened the door. Everything inside was just as he had left it. The moment he stepped back in, a sense of safety washed over him.
"The mission hadn't even lasted a full month, so why does it feel like an eternity has passed?"
Leilin shut the door and set aside his Cross Sword, his bundle, and the rest of his belongings before collapsing onto the bed.
The soft mattress cradled his body, so plush and comfortable.
"Chip! Pull up my current stats!"
"Leilin Farell, Second-rank Apprentice, official Knight. Strength: 2.5. Agility: 2.7. Constitution: 3.0. Spirit: 4.2. Mana: 4.0. Status: Healthy."
All of his stats had increased. Strength, agility, and constitution had each risen by 0.3, while spirit had gone up by 0.1.
"After advancing to official Knight, all my stats received a boost. As for Spiritual Power, that's the result of a month of continuous meditation!"
Leilin studied his three-dimensional projection. "Chip, calculate how much more my physical attributes can improve using the Life Energy remaining in my body."
After a Knight activated the Life Energy within, there would typically be a burst period of further constitution growth. But for Leilin, who had already enhanced himself considerably through meditation radiation, the effect this time would likely be rather modest.
"Task established. Calculating…"
"Ding! Simulation complete. Estimated improvements: Strength +0.6, Agility +0.3, Constitution +0.1!" The Chip's feedback came through.
"If my stats had still been at the previous average of 1.9, this Life Energy could have raised each attribute by over 1 point. But with such a strong baseline now, further improvement is much harder!"
Leilin mused over the reasoning.
"The Farell family is merely a newly established Knight lineage. The inherited Knight training methods cut off after the official Knight stage — there is absolutely no guidance on how to advance to Great Knight."
«Although the academy certainly has information on this subject, the potential of a Knight is far inferior to that of a
Since entering the academy, Leilin had devoted all his attention to his studies as a Wizard, even neglecting his Knight training for a considerable time.
After all, even a Great Knight was merely an attendant or follower of an official Wizard. And after reaching the Great Knight stage, the path of a Knight reached its end, while a Wizard could continue to improve indefinitely. Naturally, Leilin had to choose the path with the brighter prospects.
«This expedition, apart from advancing to official Knight, only this map holds significant value!»
Leilin brought up a massive map.
Light blue lines roughly outlined Black Bone Forest Academy and its surrounding environment, far more detailed than the one Kreweir had held.
On this map, the route Leilin’s team had traversed was depicted most clearly, and the area with the spider-human face was specially marked as dangerous.
This map was a composite Leilin had created based on his own explorations, the Chip’s scans, and the maps from Kreweir and others.
While not entirely free of errors, among Apprentice-rank individuals, it was definitely considered exceptionally detailed. If released, it could easily sell for over two Magic Stones.
At the center of the map, the location of Black Bone Forest Academy was marked in green font.
«Judging by the map, our Black Bone Forest is just an insignificant speck on the South Coast. Calling it a backwater wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.»
«With Black Bone Forest as the center, the south is the Sea of
«The south and north are forbidden zones, teeming with countless dangerous creatures, bloodline mutators, the corrupted, and evil spirits filled with death’s resentment. For an Apprentice to enter is certain death.»
«The Gothic Sage’s Cottage is another Wizard faction, rumored to have some friction with Black Bone Forest. It’s also off-limits.»
«The only place open to Black Bone Forest Apprentices is the Marsh Duchy!»
Leilin mused calmly. The distribution of powers in this world resembled the Warring States period of Japan from his previous life, divided among Wizard organizations that secretly manipulated the publicly recognized duchies.
Among these duchies, Wizards and those of their bloodlines constituted the royal family and high nobility, while the Knight class formed the lesser nobility.
«From a class perspective, Wizards are like the daimyō of the Warring States, and Knights are the samurai under their command. And there’s no nominally unified Emperor here. The minor states are as numerous as stars, each fighting independently in utter chaos.»
«The Marsh Duchy is supported from behind by several Wizard families from Black Bone Forest. It has nineteen provinces, vast in area, containing many small Wizard families, some wandering Wizards, travelers, and so on. They can’t all come to Black Bone Forest Academy to trade resources. There should be some smaller trading gatherings. I can also disguise myself and go there to sell some potions!»
Leilin’s own expertise in Potionology was merely average, but with the Chip’s assistance in analysis, his crafting success rate far surpassed Senior
But advancing to Third-rank Apprentice was a major bottleneck for all Wizard Apprentices. Without vast resources to pave the way, one could only grind through it slowly with time.
Even with top-tier fifth-grade talent, advancing to Third-rank Apprentice would take at least three years without the aid of resources!!!
Leilin was only of average third-grade talent. Relying solely on his meager visible income, he had no idea how long it would take to meet the advancement conditions.
"Chip! Simulate and calculate the prerequisite conditions for advancing to Third-rank Apprentice!"
"Prerequisites for advancing to Third-rank Apprentice: Spirit must reach 7, mastery of at least three Spell Models, and 500 grams of Vitality Potion to assist the breakthrough."
"Spell Models are simple enough, but this Vitality Potion is troublesome — it'll cost at least five hundred Magic Stones!"
Leilin's expression grew solemn. As a Potionology apprentice, he naturally knew what Vitality Potion was. This was no longer a basic potion like Stamina Potion or Hemostatic Potion — it had crossed the threshold into elementary potions, boasting the remarkable effects of boosting Spiritual Power, enhancing physique, and reinforcing
"Five hundred Magic Stones is quite a lot, but once I've fully mastered the Elementary Potionology that Mentor Guofate is teaching me, I'll be able to brew elementary potions on my own. If I only need to purchase raw materials, one hundred Magic Stones would be enough."
"So the crux of the problem lies in getting my Spiritual Power to 7!" Leilin's face was grave. "Chip! Based on my current state, how long would it take to reach that threshold through meditation?"
"Establishing host's Spiritual Power model. Running simulation!"
"Simulation complete. Estimated time: eight years, six months, and fifteen days!"
The Chip's voice rang out, devoid of any emotion.
"That long?!" Leilin's face turned pale in an instant. "How is that possible? It took me just over a year to go from ordinary to 4.2…"
"The host has developed resistance to the current Meditation Method. Recommend upgrading to a higher-tier Meditation Method, or supplementing with other materials to enhance meditation effectiveness!" The Chip projected a screen, displaying dense rows of data and results across its surface.