Chapter 82: Breakthrough Method The expression on Raylin's face softened for once. He still remembered the pained yet resolute look on this unfortunate girl's face from before.
"It's so good to see you. How are
Raylin said with a smile.
Hearing these words, Niss's body, wrapped in black gauze, trembled, and her voice turned somber: "They're all dead. Not just them —
"I'm sorry..."
Raylin didn't know what to say. Although he had leaked some information in advance, it had been very vague. Whether Kreweir and the others would have thought of it, and whether they would have taken it seriously even if they had, were all highly uncertain matters.
Moreover, even if they had sensed something wrong, they were merely a few First-rank and Second-rank Apprentices with no special talents and no preferential treatment from the Academy. Whether they could have escaped smoothly was hard to say.
Sure enough, Niss continued: "After we received your message, we met up several times, but none of our plans were any good. Before long, the Black Bone Forest Academy declared a school-wide lockdown — no apprentice was allowed to leave the Academy grounds, or they would be killed on sight... Then the war arrived..."
In a massive war involving two
Raylin couldn't think of any comforting words either, and Niss fell silent as well. The scene was immediately plunged into silence.
"Task recorded, confirmed complete!! This is your reward, please verify!!!"
At this moment, the freckled girl behind the counter finally raised her head, scribbling something on a piece of parchment with a quill pen, before handing a small leather pouch to Raylin.
Raylin weighed it in his hand. The sound of Magic Stones clinking together echoed from within the pouch.
"I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave!"
Raylin said to Niss, and under her complicated gaze, he departed.
"Task delivered — time to go see the mentor!"
Raylin crossed through the garden area and arrived at the location of Mentor Guofate's former laboratory.
Knock, knock, knock!!!
Raylin knocked on the door, and immediately the door creaked open, revealing a beautiful young woman inside.
She was half a head shorter than Raylin, with lovely green hair and an incredibly alluring figure. Standing so close, Raylin could even smell her perfume.
"Biji! Long time no see!" Raylin said softly.
"You're... Raylin!!!" The green-haired girl first looked him over with some confusion, then let out a joyful cry and threw herself into his arms.
Feeling the soft, full warmth against his chest and the fragrance drifting under his nose, Raylin couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the girl he once knew had finally grown up.
"Alright! I'm here to see Mentor Guofate!"
Raylin waited a long while, but the girl still hadn't gotten off him, so he patted her shoulder comfortingly and spoke again.
"The teacher is inside, and
Raylin nodded and stepped into the laboratory.
"Raylin!!!" The first one to come out was Merlin. His appearance hadn't changed from three years ago, but his bearing had grown more composed and mature. Upon seeing Raylin, he forced an awkward smile onto his face.
"Senior Merlin!" Raylin gave a slight bow. He knew that Senior Merlin's facial muscles had suffered irreparable damage during a potion experiment, making it difficult for him to produce normal expressions from now on. He didn't take it to heart.
Then, Raylin walked into the inner room of the laboratory.
There was only a single black experiment table inside. Beside the table, a white-haired middle-aged man set down the test tube in his hand, and a pair of golden eyes met Raylin's directly.
"On you, I can smell the faintest trace of the Void Flower's scent. It seems you really did obtain the petals of the Void Flower!"
Guofate stared at Raylin for a long moment before breaking into a smile. "What a lucky young man!"
"Heh heh..." Raylin scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin, inwardly congratulating himself.
After deciding to use the Void Flower as his excuse, he had spent these three years continuously using the Chip to try and formulate a substance that resembled the Void Flower.
Through extensive experimentation, he had produced a potion that emitted a scent 99.98% similar to the Void Flower — a trump card to bluff his way through.
Of course, this potion only smelled nearly identical to the Void Flower and had absolutely no actual effects.
Before coming to the Academy, Raylin had made sure to sprinkle a little on himself, and now it appeared that even Mentor Guofate had been successfully deceived.
After that, as long as Raylin firmly insisted that he had used up every last bit of the Void Flower, there would naturally be no flaws to find.
"Regardless, you've reached Third-rank Apprentice before the age of twenty — that already qualifies you as a core student of the Academy. All you need to do is register with the academic affairs office, and all your benefits and privileges will be upgraded…"
Guofate briefly explained some of the benefits and rights that came with being a Third-rank Apprentice, and Raylin found the information quite valuable.
"Mentor, I came here today to ask you about what you mentioned before — about becoming a full
At last, Raylin could no longer contain himself and spoke up.
"I knew it!" Guofate nodded. "From the very first time I watched you engage with a Wizard's Meditation Method, I could see your determination on the path of Wizardry…"
The white-haired middle-aged man gestured toward a chair at the side of the laboratory. "This is going to be a long story — let's sit down!"
With that, Guofate walked over to an armchair and settled into it, and Raylin followed, taking the seat beside him.
The back of the black chair was lined with some kind of animal leather that felt remarkably comfortable to the touch. Between the two chairs sat a small round table.
Biji brought over two cups of a beverage that trailed wisps of green vapor, her movements as precise as those of a professionally trained maid. She then withdrew quickly.
"Pecan-brewed tea — I didn't expect you still kept up this habit, Mentor!" Raylin breathed in the familiar fragrance, a look of nostalgia surfacing in his eyes.
"Heh heh… I've always enjoyed this drink. Even during breaks between experiments, I like to take a few sips. Besides, for a full Wizard, three years is nothing more than an extremely brief stretch of one's life!"
Guofate took a small sip of the green beverage, then asked, "Raylin, do you know how to advance to a full Wizard?"
"Please enlighten me, Mentor!" Raylin's expression turned solemn.
"A full Wizard has already begun to break free from the limitations of mortals, able to wield the forces of nature far more effectively and to obtain a lifespan far beyond ordinary reach. Even the most mediocre full Wizard stands forever above a Third-rank Apprentice! They have transcended the mundane!"
Guofate's voice was soft, delivered in a manner close to an incantation.
"Because the power and destructive force commanded by full Wizards are far too great, a long time ago — roughly over a thousand years, I believe — all Wizard organizations along the South Coast gathered in Luceburg on the South Coast and reached a consensus. They agreed to impose strict restrictions on knowledge pertaining to full Wizards and signed a binding pact…"
Guofate proceeded to recount a chapter of history from the Wizard world in a measured, storytelling tone.
*That sounds suspiciously like the nuclear non-proliferation treaty from my previous life!* Raylin thought to himself.
"From that point on, every Third-rank Apprentice, before advancing to Wizard, was required to sign a contract with the organization or individual who had taught them, pledging never to spread the specific knowledge of how to advance to a full Wizard. Those who violated the pact would face the judgment of the Eye of Adjudication — their souls burned for a thousand years…"
Guofate looked at Raylin: "I only obtained the knowledge and other resources regarding advancement from the Black Bone Forest Academy after signing that agreement myself. Bound by the rules, I also cannot directly sell you that part of the knowledge!"
"However, some general knowledge, I can certainly explain to you!" Seeing the clear disappointment on Raylin's face, Guofate continued.
"To advance to a formal Wizard, the primary prerequisite is that an apprentice's Spiritual Power reaches a certain standard. In my view, you are already very close to that standard. Actually, for many Third-rank Apprentices, this isn't a problem at all."
"The real crux is that you must have a first-rank defensive spell's Spell Model. This model will become your innate talent spell later on. Additionally, you will need a standard portion of Green Water to aid the breakthrough!"
Raylin listened carefully, various lights flickering in his eyes. "So, the conditions for advancement are these three: Spiritual Power reaches the standard, a first-rank defensive spell model, and Green Water! Is that correct?"
"Exactly!" Guofate nodded. "The Spell Models for first-rank spells and Green Water are both items strictly controlled by the major powers. Even at the Black Bone Forest Academy's counters, you won't find them!"
Raylin smiled bitterly. He had already scoured most of the markets in the Marsh Duchy and hadn't found any place selling first-rank spell models or Green Water.
From First-rank Apprentice to Third-rank Apprentice, what Raylin had learned were all Zero-level Spells. Clearly, Wizards had established detailed regulations for spell tiers, collectively labeling apprentice-level magic as Zero-level Spells to distinguish it from the spells used by formal Wizards.
As for Green Water, Raylin seemed to recall seeing it mentioned in a fragmentary manuscript about Potionology. It was a mid-tier potion, which was still quite difficult for him to brew with his current strength. Moreover, many of its key ingredients were monopolized directly by the major organizations, and the recipe was completely nowhere to be found.
"So! My mentor sent me back, thinking that inside the Academy I could obtain a first-rank spell model and the Green potion?" Raylin suddenly asked.
"That could be said to be a possibility!"
Guofate took another sip of his green beverage. "Reaching the level of Third-rank Apprentice before the age of twenty makes you considered a Wizard seed. You qualify to sign a contract with the Academy!"