Luca suddenly opened his eyes, and a flash of green light briefly flickered within them.
All around him, green magic runes, radiating a potent life force, covered his entire body. A green ripple spread outward from his center, brimming with vitality.
The plants placed throughout the Heavenly Pool grand hall began to grow wildly under the influence of this energy.
Luca let out a deep breath, noticing that his health had nearly doubled.
His health had already been impressively high, but now it was borderline terrifying.
He then checked the attributes of the “Heavenly Star Crystal Tree” magic rune.
[Heavenly Star Crystal Tree: Superclass fixed magic rune, quality: Rare. Crafted using Superclass materials from the Heavenly Star Crystal Tree, this rune allows Demonic Rune Mages to harness an altered form of wood-based power.]
[Skill 1 – “Crystal Wood”: Passive skill. Your defense and health regeneration are increased by 30%. Wood-based skills become altered, granting +30% wood damage and -20% cooldown reduction.]
[Skill 2 – “All Things Communicate”: Active skill. You can perceive movements within a 300-meter radius through nearby plants and freely control them to attack. Cooldown: 15 minutes.]
[Skill 3 – “Heavenly Star Awakening”: Active skill. Activating the full power of the magic rune puts you into a “Heavenly Star Awakening” state, increasing health and defense by 200%. You can use wood-based skills below the intermediate level, and wood damage is increased by 100%. Cooldown times for wood skills are reduced by 25%. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
…
Compared to “Frostborn,” the Heavenly Star Crystal Tree wasn’t as strong, either in terms of skills or rune awakening, but Luca had expected this.
“Frostborn” was crafted from materials dropped by Hydra, fused with the runes of the Ice Law, which naturally made it far superior to most other Superclass magic runes.
Still, within the realm of Superclass magic runes, the “Heavenly Star Crystal Tree” was far from weak. All three of its skills were highly practical, and Luca was quite pleased with it.
As the magic runes slowly faded from his body, Luca bowed deeply to Orf and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Master!”
Superclass magic runes were incredibly valuable. The price of just the “Heavenly Star Crystal Tree” rune alone would easily exceed tens of millions.
Even for a Superclass practitioner, such a price was no small sum.
For Orf to casually gift it to him—Luca couldn’t help but feel deeply grateful.
“You are my student, and most likely my last. Everything I have will be yours one day, so there’s no need to say thanks,” Orf waved his hand dismissively, his tone generous.
Then, turning to Medel, he grinned and added, “Old man, didn’t you say you wanted to compete with me? How about we compare fortunes instead?”
“Why don’t you go compare yourself with Bronte instead?” Medel retorted, clearly irritated.
As an ordinary Superclass practitioner, no matter how deep his pockets, there was no way he could match the wealth of someone backed by a major force.
Watching the two bicker, a smile crept onto Luca’s face. MVLeMpYr-the-story-platform
He had to admit, his luck had been quite good.
The teachers he had encountered so far, despite their quirks, had all treated him well.
In Eternal World, many students were treated no better than temporary workers.
Those so-called teachers weren’t really interested in educating them—they just wanted free labor.
In his previous life, Luca had suffered quite a bit under such conditions.
But in this life, thanks to his “Person Favored” talent, he had managed to avoid many of those hardships.
Glancing at the sky, which was beginning to brighten, Luca realized it was getting late. He still needed to visit that small town Tia had mentioned, so he bid farewell to the two elders.
Orf and Medel, who had spent the entire night in the Heavenly Pool grand hall, seemed unfazed. They were already back to playing chess, telling Luca to go rest while they continued their game.
Their energy alone was something far beyond that of ordinary people.
Luca left Red Maple Academy.
Before long, he found himself in a carriage headed for the Mages’ Association in the Inner District.
Though Orf had been extremely generous with him, Luca didn’t want to rely entirely on others. Hardships may not always lead to growth, but a bird raised in a cage would never fly far.
Disasters could strike at any time, and there would come a day when Orf and his other teachers wouldn’t be able to shield him.
Strengthening himself was the only true path forward.
The carriage rolled on.
Soon, Luca arrived at the Mages’ Association in the Inner District.
Compared to Riverfall City, Southwind City’s Mages’ Association was significantly larger. Its sheer size alone dwarfed that of Riverfall’s association several times over.
It was worth noting that the architecture of Southwind City’s Mages’ Association resembled an upside-down mage’s hat, with a wide base and a high interior. At its peak, a floating blue crystal hovered, though the barrier was not activated. Southwind City’s protective barrier was located beneath the city lord’s manor, unlike Riverfall City’s setup.
Luca stepped into the Mages’ Association and was immediately greeted by the sight of a grand hall, expansive and adorned with golden decorations far more opulent than the association in Riverfall City. Mages robed in fine garments and holding staffs moved about, projecting an air of formality and authority.
However, Luca actually preferred the atmosphere where mages wielded their staffs to discuss matters rationally, something that felt more his style.
As usual, the moment he entered the Mages’ Association, he drew the attention of many onlookers.
The attention he received rivaled that of a stunning beauty entering the room.
Part of this was due to his maxed-out charisma, but the other reason was the emblem pinned to his chest—the Red Maple Academy mentor badge.
For someone so young to already be a mentor at Red Maple Academy was enough to leave everyone in awe.
“That must be the boy from Red Maple Academy,” someone whispered, looking at Luca with a mix of respect and curiosity. His feat of clearing the Trial Tower had spread throughout Southwind City, and given his age, it wasn’t hard for them to guess who he was.
Ignoring the gazes around him, Luca strode directly to the front desk and addressed the receptionist. “Hello, I’d like to take on a mid-tier mission.”
Low-tier missions were meaningless for him now, while high-tier missions were too time-consuming and difficult.
His primary goal in leaving Southwind City was to investigate some critical nodes, with the mission as a secondary task. A mid-tier mission suited him perfectly.
Noticing Luca’s youthful appearance, the receptionist couldn’t help but offer a polite reminder, “Sir, high-tier missions require at least Gold Grade certification. Your strength—”
Before the receptionist could finish, Luca took out a token from his storage ring—one that Lucia had given him.
The token was black, engraved with an intricate golden mage hat atop a high tower, marking it as an official mage’s token. What made this token special, however, was its color. Most mage tokens corresponded to the mage’s rank, with Gold Grade tokens being golden, and Platinum Grade tokens being platinum.
Luca’s token, however, was black with gold intertwined.
In the Mages’ Association, this token signified a specific rank.
It belonged to the president of the association.
Lucia had slipped this token to him before she left, telling him to show it if he ever faced someone he couldn’t handle.
If the other party recognized it, they’d understand he was closely connected to the president of the Mages’ Association…
Whether it could save his life, Luca wasn’t sure. But in the middle of a fight, flashing this token would probably just get him killed faster…
“Right this way, sir! I’ll escort you to view the available missions immediately,” the receptionist said, his demeanor changing entirely upon seeing the token, his tone now filled with utmost respect.
Anyone who held a black-gold token, regardless of their position, was far beyond the concern of a lowly receptionist. Whatever this person wanted, it wasn’t his place to question or interfere.
“Lead the way,” Luca said, knowing the receptionist had only meant well earlier. He had no intention of making things difficult.
In Southwind City, the place to accept missions wasn’t at the front desk but on the third floor.
There was a dedicated hall for this purpose.
Soon enough, Luca followed the receptionist to the third floor.
The hall was bustling, much noisier than the floors below. Many adventurers and players were busy accepting missions, with a notable presence of both NPCs and players alike.
Three of the hall’s walls were lined with large crystal screens, continuously refreshing with various mission listings.
The missions from all major associations in Southwind City were shared here, allowing everyone to view and accept them.
The missions were divided into three sections based on difficulty.
The lower-tier section was filled mostly with players, while the mid-tier section was for NPC professionals. The high-tier section was nearly empty—very few powerful adventurers or professionals bothered taking missions.
Luca bypassed the low-tier area and headed straight for the mid-tier section.
The adventurers here were noticeably different from those in the lower-tier area. While the lower area was filled with a mixed bag of amateurs and inexperienced adventurers, the mid-tier section was full of seasoned veterans.
Luca paid no attention to the others and focused his gaze on the crystal screen in the mid-tier area.
…
[Mission: Head to the Goblin Mine and retrieve 10 Earth Vein Crystals. Reward: 40,000 gold coins!]
…
[Mission: Slay the Platinum Grade Water Dragon leader at the To-Sky River. Reward: 50,000 gold coins!]
…
[Mission: Assist the Mora Family in escorting goods to Flee Bird City. Reward: 80,000 gold coins. Note: Only for Platinum Grade professionals!]
…
Luca’s eyes scanned the missions, and he shook his head slightly.
Most of these missions were either traps or would take an excessive amount of time.
Take the Earth Vein Crystals, for example.
These crystals were hidden deep in goblin nests, and finding them was a time-consuming task, requiring a slow search through the goblin labyrinth.
As for the Platinum Grade Water Dragon leader.
It was a beast with dragon blood, naturally powerful, and even more so as an Elite monster in the To-Sky River area.
Even a Purple-Gold level adventurer would have trouble killing it. No one in their right mind would take on that mission for a mere 100,000 coins.
The last mission, however…
Mora family… why did that name sound familiar?
Luca shook his head again.
If nothing else worked out, he’d just pass on these missions entirely.
He was about to leave.
When a newly posted mission caught his eye.
He stopped in his tracks.
[S-Rank Emergency Mission: Monsters in Pure River Town . Reward: 50,000 gold coins (Issued by City Lord’s Office)!]
[Note: Unknown monsters have appeared in Pure River Town . This is an urgent mission. Mid-tier professionals are requested to respond immediately.]
“Pure River Town , unknown monsters…” Luca muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly.
If he remembered correctly, the small town Tia had mentioned was called Pure River Town …