Mongna Ant Land Cottage.
This was Ivan’s third day back at the academy from the Kanda magic stone mine.
The rewards for the task had been credited to his account, just as Heidi had said—200 credits and 300 magic stones from the academy.
Additionally, they had previously slain numerous magicalized wild beasts, and from the materials collected, he had acquired about sixty low-grade magic stones.
Yesterday, he had met with his mentor, Randall, and repaid the 260 magic stones previously borrowed for the insect nest.
Randall praised him, clearly having heard about the ordeal from Gina.
Now, including the 33 credits he previously had left, Ivan had a total of 233 credits, and all his original magic stones had been used on the Raw Stone Array Disc; he only had the recently acquired magic stones—100 low-grade magic stones and 36 mid-grade magic stones.
The expedition yielded not only credits and magic stones but also Experience Points on the Academic Prodigy panel.
[Energy Particle Skill: Lv3 (16/300)]
The Energy Particle Skill had advanced to Level 3, thanks to his studies of spells and comprehension of the Raw Stone Array Disc.
Runes Skill and Enchantment Skill had risen by nearly two hundred points, also due to insights gained from the Raw Stone Array Disc.
Meditation Skill had steadily increased, gaining several dozens of points recently, with Level 2 experience over halfway accumulated.
On the Academic Prodigy panel, he could also see the remaining Light of Wisdom: four 3rd Class, one 5th Class, and two 4th Class portions of Light of Great Wisdom, which he would not use lightly.
His gaze flickered slightly as his attribute panel appeared.
Strength: 3.9, Agility: 5.1, Body Constitution: 4.9, Spiritual Power: 8.4
“A spirit of 15 graduated degrees is the basic threshold for advancement to an official sorcerer, still a long way to go,” he murmured.
On the way back, their relationship had warmed significantly, and Ivan had specifically brought up the topic of advancement to sorcerer, only to realize that moving from a 3rd Class apprentice to an official sorcerer was no small challenge.
The probability of advancement to official sorcerer depended on the apprentice’s talent; a 5th Class talent had about an 80% success rate, 4th Class 60%, 3rd Class about 40%, 2nd Class around 20%, and 1st Class extremely slim chances.
If relying solely on one’s own talent to advance directly, even a 5th Class talent apprentice couldn’t be sure of success.
Furthermore, an apprentice’s first advancement had the highest success rate; if they failed the first time, the chances of succeeding in becoming an official sorcerer decreased significantly on the second attempt, and those who succeeded on the third try accounted for less than one percent.
Everyone would try various methods to increase their success rate for the first advancement, ensuring they could become an official sorcerer in one go.
Many apprentices stayed at the 3rd Class stage and delayed their advancement for this reason.
“An official sorcerer enjoys a lifespan of about 300 years, truly a tempting change.”
What surprised him even more about sorcerers was another aspect. According to Heidi, a Level 1 Sorcerer had a 300-year lifespan, and Level 2 and Level 3 Sorcerers lived even longer, their lifespans continually increasing with their powers.
This was indeed the path to prolonged life, something even the Emperor had sought in vain.
With this thought, a grand ambition arose in Ivan’s heart; he would rectify the regrets of his ancestors.
The first step was to become an official sorcerer and truly embark on the path of prolonged life.
The Path of Knight Cultivation, however, did not offer this benefit; even a Great Knight had a lifespan not much different from that of a normal person.
He was currently a 3rd Class apprentice, and although the ascent to sorcerer seemed far, it actually wouldn’t take much time.
He had just acquired a sufficient number of mid-grade magic stones, a rare ingredient for potions; he had plans to concoct mid-grade magic stone water himself.
About the potion formula, he could either buy it from the academy’s sales area or derive it himself.
He had inquired about the former last time; a 3rd Class mental power potion formula needed 300 credits plus a certain number of magic stones, and he didn’t have enough credits at the moment; the latter was quite challenging, as concocting mental power potions was already difficult, let alone deriving a new formula from scratch, which seemed somewhat unprofitable.
Actually, he had another option—to buy the mental power potions directly from the academy, each costing 150 credits, which would only allow him to purchase one 3rd Class potion with his current credits.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
A sudden knocking at the door interrupted his train of thought.
Standing outside the door was Carmel, whom he hadn’t seen for many days. Carmel looked at him with a melancholic expression.
“Good morning, Carmel.”
“Good morning, Ivan.”
Ivan welcomed him into the house, and the two sat down separately.
As soon as Carmel sat down, he said with a heavy sense of apology, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know my sister would do that, Heidi Lidia that is. It was because I didn’t explain the situation clearly to her, that led you into such great danger, almost almost—”
Ivan waved his hand dismissively, “It’s alright, just a normal task. Someone always needs to undertake it. As a member of the Enchantment Group, it’s normal for it to fall to me.”
This task indeed involved considerable danger, with three apprentices having died. In the end, it was a close call, but the rewards were substantial. Besides, it wasn’t Carmel’s intention, so there was no need to dwell on it too much.
“No, it’s different. For a new apprentice, the danger involved in such tasks increases exponentially.”
“I completed it well, didn’t I?”
Hearing this, Carmel nodded earnestly, “Yes, my sister told me. Ivan, you are truly remarkable. I was thoroughly convinced when I lost to you last time.”
In the field of enchantment, Carmel actually knew well that he was far inferior to his sister. They were both stuck in a dilemma, and even his sister was at her wit’s end, while Ivan managed to comprehend a solution on the spot and ultimately break free from the predicament.
What an astonishing talent!
He had nothing left to refute, only admiration and respect remained, and only such a person could surpass him.
Ivan chuckled, “Haha, it was just the right moment.”
The two of them casually chatted for a few more moments. Carmel wanted to say something, yet he didn’t know how to begin.
Suddenly curious, Ivan asked, “Last time—did you really cry?”
“Cry? Who?” Carmel stiffened, immediately retorting, “No, how could that be, absolutely not.”
Ivan said, “Then Heidi—right, you’re all grown up; just thinking about it, one would know you wouldn’t cry.”
He made a gesture as if he had misspoken and contradicted his own words.
“Did my sister say that? Well, she actually spoke ill of me behind my back.”
Upon hearing this, Carmel’s face turned bright red, whether from embarrassment or anger, and hurriedly asked to leave, seemingly eager to settle the account back home.
Ivan watched him, inwardly chuckling; Carmel was one whose emotions were always plain on his face, hard to imagine he was rather a capable sorcerer apprentice.
Reaching the door, Carmel came to a forced stop.
He turned around with a hopeful yet uneasy expression, “Ivan, I don’t mean anything by this, and I know you might not care, but I still want to ask if there is something I can do for you? Otherwise, I’ll always feel guilty and will have no face to appear before you.”
“Carmel, it’s already in the past.”
“Then wherever you appear, I’ll make sure to walk the other way.”
Their eyes met, and Ivan could see his sincerity and stubbornness.
“Ivan, then—I’m leaving,” seeing that he did not respond for a while, Carmel said somewhat disheartenedly, looking down, ready to leave.
“Wait.”
“Ivan, please tell me quickly, as long as I can manage it,” Carmel said eagerly, looking up at him.
Seeing him like this, the last bit of grudge in Ivan’s heart suddenly disappeared. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Alright, find me a set of Knight Class Universal Breathing Secret Medicine, or a secret medicine formula, how about that?”
“Just that?”
“That’s my only request, you see to it.”
“Okay, wait for it.”
Carmel nodded emphatically, leaving the dormitory with relaxed steps.
Watching his departing figure, Ivan shook his head gently; he wasn’t a greedy person and naturally wouldn’t make any excessive demands. This request was actually something Auric at the apothecary store should be able to handle; it shouldn’t be difficult for Carmel.
