It was a single room dormitory, about ten paces square, spacious and bright, with a desk, a runic lamp, and an independent washroom.
After inspecting the simple dormitory, Dago sat cross-legged on the bed and gently unscrewed the aura potion rewarded by the Academy.
After admiring the mercury color of the potion and its faint glow, which was quite similar to the radiance of the Origin Moon, Dago drank the entire bottle.
Closing his eyes, he Meditated, entering his Spiritual Space, and the overflowing mental energy waves rippled out from his body like transparent water, causing his robe to sway slightly.
The Spiritual Space was in a very bad state for Dago at the moment; the light orb suspended within it had dimmed considerably.
However, as the silver substance entered the light orb, it was as if gasoline had been poured onto kindling, making it burn even more intensely, and its original diameter of a hundred meters expanded by twenty meters before abruptly stopping.
Dago's soul body in the center of the light orb, upon closer inspection, was covered in tiny cracks, indicating that the frantic extraction of mental energy during the battle had even damaged his soul.
Dago could only prioritize using the mental energy droplets to repair his own soul and recover from his injuries.
As the mental mist was continuously refined, more and more soul entropy accumulated, and Dago chose to exit the Spiritual Space; he opened his eyes.
Over the next few days, he quietly recuperated his soul injuries in this dormitory, buying food from the public cafeteria downstairs when he was hungry.
The prices were naturally very expensive, basically one low-level magic stone for three meals, but the taste and quality were first-class, which was no small comfort to Dago.
The Academy, protected by runic constructs, was truly too safe and quiet, so quiet that it felt as if the outside Town and this place were two different worlds.
Dago, a wandering Wizard from the forest who had fought his way through, was naturally unaccustomed to such a leisurely life, living a reclusive existence.
However, he had recently developed a good habit: going to the Academy's library to read and learn knowledge that the original owner's memories had been completely ignorant of.
The spines of the books on the oak shelves in the Academy library gleamed with an old luster, and the gilded letters on some covers glowed faintly in the dark, like sleeping fireflies.
The air was filled with the scent of old paper, dust, and an unknown spice, so quiet that one could hear their own heartbeat, and the soft rustle of turning pages, like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings.
Dago sat at the central table and chairs, oblivious to his surroundings, his gaze fixed on the pages, his brow sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed.
Because he discovered a very peculiar thing: books rarely described realms beyond Half-step Formal Witches, as if a great secret and danger were hidden within them.
Furthermore, the flow of information about worlds outside the Wizarding World was also being isolated, as if the Wizard Alliance was a lonely island wrapped in a huge dark continent.
Generally, there are two situations that restrict the flow of knowledge: first, the outside world is truly dangerous, with very powerful enemies; second, the ruling class has an absolute monopoly on knowledge to maintain its absolute authority and achieve the goal of an eternal lineage.
It seemed that the original owner's ignorance, or rather, the Wizard Alliance's ignorance, was the result of someone's ulterior motives, with ordinary people like lambs penned in a desert of knowledge, to be slaughtered by the shepherds.
Not only that, Dago discovered an even more astonishing thing: the Wizard Alliance actually possessed teleportation technology.
However, it was not widely used, but was instead held in the hands of a small number of Wizard families or organizations.
The truth of the world often changes with changes in social strata; it seems only by reaching a certain height can one see the scenery from that height.
At this moment, Dago was intensely eager to advance to the Formal Wizard level.
In the library, Dago still found the knowledge about The Pinnacle of Art that he had always yearned to understand.
According to the book, The Pinnacle of Art meant that the more thoroughly a Wizard understood a spell, the more energy particles they could gather with each casting, and the stronger the spell's power would be.
This generally required a Wizard to practice a spell for years until it reached its peak.
Achieving the ultimate effect that the incantation could bring to the spell.
To date, Dago had not encountered a second Wizard who had comprehended The Pinnacle of Art like him.
This was undoubtedly an achievement made possible with the help of the progress system.
It was no wonder that Wizards who saw his The Pinnacle of Art were all bewildered; anyone who could cast a spell at eighteen that others only achieved in their fifties or sixties would suspect that this person was possessed by an old monster.
Dago closed the book and walked out of the library, squinting at the winter sunlight outside, then pulled out a brass pocket watch to check the time; it was already noon, twelve o'clock.
Arriving at the Academy's dormitory area cafeteria, Dago paid for a portion of potato stew with beef and white bread, then went to a corner of the cafeteria to eat.
Soon after, a thin, black-haired boy in a gray Academy robe walked over, carrying a plate of steaming pickled herring with black bread, and sat down opposite Dago, head bowed.
During this time, neither spoke, until they finished their meal, when the black-haired boy cautiously asked, "Hello, I'm Blair. May I get to know you?"
"Hello, I'm Dago," Dago politely introduced himself.
He saw that Blair was a little younger than himself, and had a more introverted, somewhat timid personality.
The two chatted casually in the corner of the cafeteria, and Blair suddenly asked, "May I be so bold as to ask who your Mentor is, sir?"
"Mentor?"
Dago was startled and shook his head, "I don't have a Mentor."
Blair seemed very surprised, then said dejectedly, "You must be a third-level apprentice by now, and you still haven't chosen a Mentor? Unlike me, I'm only a second-level apprentice and also don't have a Mentor who wants me."
"Is a Mentor a necessary choice in the Academy?"
"Of course, different Mentors represent different combat styles. Without a Mentor, you won't learn true knowledge in the Academy."
This reminded Dago of Mentor Rosalind; perhaps her kind was the Mentor he truly wanted.
Moreover, Dago hadn't forgotten that he still had a reward for becoming a Formal Wizard's disciple, but he was very hesitant.
Blair spoke eloquently to Dago, showing that he was a very enthusiastic person once he got familiar with someone.
"Thank you for your kindness, Blair."
The two left the cafeteria, and Dago returned to his dormitory in the residential area, deep in thought.
"I'll find out when I see the Academy Dean later!"
Dago shook his head, not delving further into this point.
For him, the most urgent task was to first reach the Half-step Formal Witches level of mental energy, and then open the box left by the Hailam Wizard Family for Viser.
Inside it lay information for the next step of advancing to a Formal Wizard; the Academy Dean's path was merely one optional route to becoming a Formal Wizard.
Dago spent most of these days Meditating in his dormitory; although the Academy had dedicated Meditation rooms, the fees were extremely exorbitant, one low-level magic stone per hour, which deterred Dago.
Furthermore, the Wizardry training equipment that came with the Meditation room probably wouldn't be enough for what he could create.
Dago sat cross-legged on the bed and mentally called up the system panel.
【"Wizard Universal Meditation Method" (Transformation 9970/10000); "Ice Crystal Cannon" (Transformation 7321/10000); "Flame Core Air Bullet" (The Pinnacle of Art); "Activated Ice Crystal Technique" (The Pinnacle of Art); "Resonance Art" (Transformation 6841/10000); "Detection Art" (Transformation 3412/10000); "Potion Crafting" (Beginner 18/1000)】
"It's almost time. The progress value for 'Wizard Universal Meditation Method' is about to be filled, ushering in its complete transformation."
Dago composed himself and adjusted his state to the best.