A vast reed-covered area is unlikely to harbor magicalized creatures on only one side while the rest remains empty. This situation likely only has one explanation: a vicious creature is hidden below, having driven away or consumed the other creatures.
The mission couldn’t stop based merely on guesses.
“Where’s the thing?”
“Hehe, here it is.”
Signaled by Cody, Hayden took a toad out of his pocket.
Upon closer inspection, it was a fat-bellied toad with wings similar to those of a bat, as if it had come from a lab.
Cody took the bat-winged toad and fed it several Mania Potions, making its belly round and swollen before casually handing it back to Hayden.
“Go.”
Hayden patted the bat-winged toad and sent it forward. The toad flew over the reed field, spraying Mania Potion while flying, occasionally returning to replenish its supply until it had covered the entire area with the potion.
It was a while after the bat-winged toad stopped working, and yet, there was no sign of movement in the reed field.
“It’s our turn now.”
Cody signaled for everyone to spread out slightly, and under his lead, they all stepped onto the dried reed field.
They were highly alert, ready to react to any potential threats.
It only took them a few minutes to cross, but it felt as long as half a day.
All was calm.
As they exited the reed field, their tense bodies did not relax; everyone looked to Cody, waiting for his next command.
“Why look at me? Continue patrolling, there are many places yet unexplored,” Cody gestured grandly and led them onward. As for the reed field they had just patrolled, since no magicalized creatures emerged, they surely couldn’t dig into the ground to search for them.
When reporting back at the end of the mission, a brief mention would suffice.
Ivan blinked in mild disbelief but wisely said nothing more about the reed field, and neither did the others.
The day’s patrol passed without incident.
In the blink of an eye, three days went by, and at dusk, the six-person squad safely returned to the academy, completing their assignment at the mission hall.
Ivan received his mission reward, totaling 150 academic points, equivalent to 150 low-grade magic stones, which could be treated as magic stones in dealings with the academy.
It must be said that although the Patrol Team’s missions require an early start and late return, and there is quite a bit of walking involved, the dangers they encounter are not significant. With a reward of ten magic stones per day, the pay was not too shabby, making the mission’s cost-performance ratio quite favorable.
He knew that what he earned were merely magic stones. As members of the Patrol Team themselves, Cody and the others were likely also awarded credits.
In Mongna Ant Land Cottage, credits were only equivalent to regular magic stones, whereas academic points carried a special value that could be exchanged for high-value items from the academy, such as preliminary knowledge, spells, mental power potions, etc.
After the squad dispersed, Ivan called out to Cody, who was about to leave.
“Hold on, Cody, I have something to ask.”
Cody nodded slightly, then suggested, “How about treating me to dinner first?”
Ivan responded, “That’s a good idea.”
The canteen was located between the residential and academic areas, a two-story round building divided into several dining areas; on the first floor was the apprentice canteen, and on the second floor, the sorcerer canteen. The first floor had one venue where you could pay for freshly prepared food, while the rest were self-service.
For 1 credit, you could eat as much as you liked, and there was also a canteen that accepted Gold Coins.
Naturally, Ivan was not stingy and took Cody to the a la carte dining venue.
Soon, the fragrant barbecued magicalized alligator meat was served, and the two devoured it with relish.
Suddenly, Cody said, “I heard some news that some apprentices from the Hunting Team see your joining the Enchantment Group as a form of betrayal, and there are apprentices who want to deal with you.”
Hearing this, Ivan looked up at him, “Is it because some sorcerers spoke out?” Mentor Randall had said that no sorcerer would trouble me, but he didn’t mention apprentices wouldn’t.
Sorcerers have their own rules, and Randall couldn’t possibly step in to stop the apprentices from the Hunting Team.
“You should know my nature; I never discuss the rights and wrongs of sorcerers,” Cody said vaguely.
Ivan didn’t press the issue and instead asked another question, “What are the rules for cross-group enlistment tasks?”
“It’s impossible to enlist you consecutively in the short term, which means two or three months. Secondly, there needs to be corresponding tasks and situations, like the Patrol Team just happened to be short on people, and only apprentices with higher status can issue enlistment orders.” Cody explained.
“What counts as a high status?”
“It depends on strength. A 3rd Class apprentice with potential for promotion, whose spiritual power is above 13 graduated degrees, is considered a potential sorcerer seed, and the academy will recognize and grant them a corresponding status.”
Apprentices with spiritual power reaching 13 graduated degrees were not far from the 3rd Class apprentice’s limit and were very likely to become official sorcerers in the future; these individuals were indeed the real cornerstone of the academy, which of course would take more notice of them.
It dawned on Ivan that these individuals were indeed worth looking after.
But the thought of having one or more such enemies kept him from feeling particularly happy.
Some people in the Hunting Team must have bubbles in their heads, as he had no say in choosing his mentor before, and they delayed their actions, missing the opportunity. Now they were strangely blaming him, someone who had no control over the situation.
Ah! When you lack strength, everyone seems to want to squeeze you like a soft persimmon to show off their own abilities.
He felt grateful that there were also apprentices in the academy willing to give him a helping hand.
“Thank you very much.”
“No problem, you can ask for my help in the future if you need it.”
For Cody, after all, it was someone he watched enter the academy; if he was capable, he would help out and offer a reminder.
The two parted ways in front of the restaurant, and Ivan returned to his dorm with a heavy heart, habitually heading to the apothecary lab.
[Apothecary Skill: lv4(922/1000)]
In the past ten days, he had completed the crafting of Magic Crystal Water. Each serving of Magic Crystal Water earned him 60 Experience Points, and he was on the verge of leveling up in Apothecary Skill.
In addition to his achievements in Apothecary Skill, Enchantment Skill rose from level 1 to level 2, and he gained another 2nd Class Light of Wisdom.
Up to now, there were three 2nd Class Lights of Wisdom on the membrane of light, two of 3rd Class, and one 4th Class Light of Great Wisdom.
These were the main changes in his subjects.
In the crafting of Magic Crystal Water, he succeeded three times out of the last five attempts, gaining three more vials of Magic Crystal Water.
He recently consumed the second vial of Magic Crystal Water, which raised his spiritual power to six graduated degrees. He could now conjure the first twenty meditation runes in his mind, which was the limit for a 2nd Class apprentice. There existed a spiritual power threshold between a 2nd Class apprentice and a 3rd Class apprentice.
This threshold prevented his mental power from progressing past six graduated degrees; the effect of the second Magic Crystal Water wasn’t entirely utilized.
Unlike with the 1st Class and 2nd Class thresholds, the 3rd Class threshold was a layer of binding that was not easy to break through, requiring specific conditions to be met, the details of which he was unaware.
“Those birds in the Hunting Team really know how to bully the weak and fear the strong; why didn’t I see them bothering Toyennes before.”
Thinking of the Hunting Team’s hostile gaze, Ivan was still somewhat indignant and decided to consult his mentor tomorrow, as he needed to become a 3rd Class apprentice as soon as possible.