Day or night, the School was always bustling.
Thump, thump, thump—
Salun's feet echoed on the old wooden stairs of the dormitory building, his right hand clenched tightly within his cloak.
He wasn't sure if the School was monitoring the Apprentices or not.
To be safe, he pretended nothing was amiss, picking up the "Shadow Meditation Technique" freely distributed by the School and beginning to read.
He didn't go to bed until the Blue Moon was about to set in the west.
To outsiders, Salun appeared extremely diligent, like an ascetic monk.
In the early morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist, evaporating a large amount of water vapor, and for a time, the entire School was shrouded in a haze.
Salun left the School, treading a somewhat muddy path, and headed towards the nearest Extraordinary Market.
These Extraordinary Markets existed thanks to the Shadow School, filled with all sorts of people, truly a mixed bag.
Salun casually found an inn and, for the exorbitant price of two magic crystals, rented a room for three days.
As for the magic crystals, he had, of course, borrowed them from Danik.
He planned to return to the School on the eighth day.
Salun took out the silver leaf and examined it carefully.
Because of this leaf, Librarian Fermi Meyer would be murdered by a mysterious person.
“What exactly is this for?”
Salun held the leaf up to the bright crystal above his head, unsure of what to do.
He shook his head and put the leaf back into his in my arms.
After a pause, he closed his eyes again and began to sense the presence of the "Abyssal Meditation Technique" in his mind.
Originally, he had intended to learn a cantrip, but he unexpectedly discovered this leaf, so he didn't choose one.
Salun wanted to create the illusion that he hadn't visited the library.
He spent the entire day studying the contents of the Meditation Technique.
At night, Salun silently chanted "Extract," and a minor active potion appeared in his hand.
He watched the blue light points flicker and swim in the bottle, as if countless tiny stars were colliding with each other.
Salun didn't hesitate; he tilted his head back and drank it in one gulp.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
An invisible fluctuation rippled around Salun.
He had already begun to perceive magic factors according to the Meditation Technique's operational method.
After drinking the potion, his mind felt very refreshed, and he himself felt as if he were immersed in an ice spring.
Gradually, Salun felt as if he had detached from his body, and his consciousness had arrived within a dark, deep, boundless sea.
Sea of Annihilation!
He had never been there, yet such a term abruptly jumped into Salun's mind.
Viscous black seawater assailed him from all sides, enveloping Salun's entire body.
Pain! Suffocation! Nausea!
Salun found it difficult to breathe; the seawater was as thick as unmixed black sesame paste.
And waves of foul stench drilled into his nose.
The seawater also seemed to transform into tentacles, poking towards his throat.
It was accompanied by various strange tones that Salun couldn't make out, as if through a barrier.
And just as Salun was about to lose consciousness and sink into the depths of the sea, a wave of refreshing sensations washed over him.
The minor active potion had taken effect!
Salun's complexion eased, and he began to suck greedily, like a traveler in the desert drinking from an oasis.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but Salun opened his eyes, his robes already drenched.
“So dangerous, I almost stayed there forever. Hmm? What is this…”
He was surprised to find that he could clearly see the intricate patterns of spiderwebs on the ceiling.
“One meditation, and my mental power increased this much!?”
Salun quickly adapted to his current state; information in the School had mentioned such situations.
This was a sense of displacement brought about by a significant increase in mental power, which could be well alleviated with more rest.
“However, the minor active potion should also be credited, helping me enhance the efficiency of my meditation.
It's also possible that it was my first meditation, which received a great boost.”
Salun's lips curved slightly; this was all he deserved!
The Abyssal Meditation Technique truly lived up to its reputation as a reward from the golden finger; the results of the meditation were well worth its risks!
“If I do this a few more times, won't I be able to break through to Low Apprentice?”
Salun roughly estimated the total amount of mental power needed to break through that barrier.
Then he gave a self-deprecating smile; he didn't want to experience that situation many more times.
Meditation could only be performed once a day, and with his lowest aptitude, it could only be maintained for about an hour.
Therefore, the gap between him and those wizard geniuses would only grow wider.
But for the time that followed, Salun didn't idle either; he began to practice the Radiant Breathing Technique.
Accumulation, however small, could, over time, converge into rivers.
Time also passed unconsciously during his cultivation; the Blue Moon once again rose high into the sky, overlooking everything.
Salun then stopped, a puddle had formed on the ground, and there seemed to be signs of water seeping downwards.
“Con artist!”
He cursed the inn owner under his breath and quickly wiped away his sweat.
He then went to the restaurant for a free late-night snack, which finally quelled his anger.
There were many guests in the inn, but everyone tacitly avoided each other.
This almost made Salun think he was back in his Barony.
Safe, comfortable, and with personal guidance from maids.
But it was all an illusion; if Salun exposed his abnormality, those people would immediately transform into hyenas, dismembering and devouring him.
Back in his room, Salun was still planning to study the Abyssal Meditation Technique when he was interrupted by a sudden notification.
“By saving Fermi Meyer, you defied death once and received the reward: Monocle of the God of Deception.”
“Monocle of the God of Deception: The deity fooled the world, but in one prank, He made a mistake.”
“Ability One: Self-Perception: Allows observation of one's own status and all possessions.”
“Ability Two: (Unsealed)”
“Ability Three: ???”
Salun held a monocle in his hand, deep in thought.
Monocles were not uncommon; in the Wizarding World, anything was possible.
He put the monocle on his left eye, thought for a moment, then moved it to his right eye.
A panel appeared before Salun's eyes.
“Salun Keynes”
“Talent: Twin Souls”
“Extraordinary Realm: Novice Knight 30%”
“Mental Power: 2.4”
“Physique: 3”
“Possessions: leaf of wisdom, Ancient Parchment (one page)”
Salun's brows furrowed.
“I actually have a talent? Twin Souls? This must be from the transmigration.”
There were always some lucky ones, different from ordinary wizards, who possessed special talents.
Now, Salun knew he was one of them.
Talents varied in strength, but there were no useless talents, only useless people.
Salun's gaze gradually moved downwards, then settled on the last item.
“leaf of wisdom?”
As Salun focused on the last prompt, the panel changed accordingly.
“leaf of wisdom: Hold it in your mouth to enhance comprehension.”
“Quality: Ancient Secret Treasure”
“Ancient Parchment (one page): An item held by Fermi Meyer, the Librarian of the Shadow School, inscribed with a zero-level spell called Entangling Vines.”
“Quality: Alchemical-grade Magic Item”
Salun's expression shifted, and he murmured:
“So this leaf is an auxiliary magic item, but what does ‘Ancient Secret Treasure’ mean?”
He sighed softly; this was the predicament of a Preparatory Apprentice.
For an Apprentice newly arrived in the Wizarding World, there were still too many mysteries awaiting his exploration.
“Fermi Meyer truly gave me a very precious Meeting gift.”
Glimmer-grade magic items were suitable for Low Apprentices; above that were Alchemical-grade and First-tier Wizard Tools.
First-tier Wizard Tools were too far away for Salun; those were things only First-tier Wizards could control.
Salun glanced at the Ancient Parchment; he could feel that Fermi Meyer was benevolent and had no ulterior motives.
“It's a pity I didn't exchange for a cantrip, so I can't yet know how much the leaf of wisdom's bonus is.
But something a formal wizard would go so far as to kill for should be quite good.”
Salun looked at the items he possessed, and his expression became very strange.
Monocle, leaf of wisdom, Ancient Parchment... Salun's head was spinning; he had many good things, but currently, none of them seemed capable of enhancing his own strength.