Chapter 37: Little revenge

As for the last item, which was a fist-sized ore, after a few seconds of analyzing it, Leon realized it was Magic Iron.With proper smelting, refining, and forging, weapons made from this ore would stand out from standard iron weapons, exhibiting improvements in sharpness or penetration capability. Among mortals, this was an incredible treasure, but among Apprentice Mages, who possessed supernatural powers, it was just a common item.

After briefly examining all the items, Leon picked up a magic book and began reading. In truth, he wasn't in the mood to immerse himself in the atmosphere of researching magical knowledge. But he needed to make use of every second he had.

When his Spiritual Energy was full, he practiced magic spells. Although he could solidify useful spells with the Chip's help, he still needed to practice them. Additionally, he had the capacity to learn a skill. Whether it was 'Spellcasting Mastery,' 'Walking and Reciting,' or even 'Wondrous Item Crafting,' all were excellent options for him.

Only by purposefully strengthening a specific skill could he obtain abilities that would complement his current capabilities, allowing him to survive the next mission.

'Spellcasting Mastery' was a skill that decreased the casting time of an Apprentice Mage. He only needed to recite up to 80% of a spell, then it would be cast automatically. Although it only reduced the casting time by 20%, it was a prerequisite skill for the 'Quick Spell' ability.

The value of the 'Quick Spell' ability was immense for Elemental Mages. But it was beyond Leon's current skills.

'Walking and Reciting' was the Apprentice-level skill that Leon most wanted. It allowed an Apprentice Mage to cast a spell while moving. Without it, whether it was an offensive or defensive skill, he could only cast them while stationary.

Thus, this skill was mandatory for all combat Mages.

'Wondrous Item Crafting' was a skill necessary for Apprentice Mages who wanted to create potions, artifacts, or magical equipment. Only by mastering this skill could someone further develop their abilities in crafting magical items.

As for the process of acquiring these skills, most magic books did not mention it in detail. However, they all mentioned the term 'Will of the Mage World.' Leon had always been skeptical of this.

Regardless of the kind of knowledge or technique one knew, as long as they could practice it diligently, the body would remember it and it would eventually become second nature. But, depending on feedback from the 'Will of the Mage World,' one could gain some mysterious skill without doing anything. It was like a pie falling from the sky and landing perfectly in someone's hands.

Leon couldn't understand how this could work.

Could this boundless world truly have its own will? Was there some supreme divinity dwelling in this world, paying attention to each individual living within its body, and when an individual did something it approved of, would it reward them at the right time?

If this Will did indeed exist, what did it look like? And where was it hidden? Furthermore, what kind of power did it have that allowed it to overcome everything and control this universe?

However, regarding this extremely mysterious and obscure testament, Leon couldn't guarantee that it didn't exist. After all, the Mage World, where he currently lived, was a large-scale Plane surrounded by a vast magical ocean. With such an abundant amount of magical energy, it was not surprising to see all kinds of mystical events occur. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

So, before uncovering the forces behind this mystical world, he had to maintain a reverent and respectful attitude toward everything. And that was the right approach for an Apprentice Mage seeking knowledge and universal truths.

Leon continued copying the knowledge from the book into his database until he was left with 1 Spirit point. Then he stopped 'reading.' He couldn't use up all his Spirit because the Fire Arrow spell was in the process of optimization and would use 1 Spirit point every day.

He looked out the window and saw the dark sky. He quickly realized it was already past midnight.

Leon closed the book, exhausted, stood up, and stretched his body, making cracking sounds as he stretched. Then he went to his bed.

But he still wasn't going to sleep because he hadn't completed his daily meditation!

Thus, within his quiet, silent room, his breathing slowly stabilized as his conscious soul plunged into the spiritual world, filled with glowing 'points.'

This was one of the harsh realities an Apprentice Mage had to deal with.

Every day, from the moment they opened their eyes, they had to face a full schedule. Even when they finally returned to their beds after being completely exhausted, what awaited them wasn't sweet dreams, but tedious meditation. And only by meditating daily could they increase their Spirit little by little.

...

However, as the candles within the Tower went out one by one, eventually leaving the tower in complete darkness, except for the faint moonlight that could penetrate the mist and clouds above the tower, a strange figure suddenly appeared on one of the Tower's outer walls.

On an almost perfectly perpendicular wall; countless hidden and mysterious magical formations lay in place, yet none of them were obstacles, for it was still crawling around the tower faster than any ordinary person. From its movement, you could tell it had a target in mind. It continually passed by many open windows, never stopping even once, moving from shadow to shadow at an incredible speed.

It wasn't a type of shadow creature that could leap freely between shadows, but its extremely high agility gave it fantastic mobility. For it, walking on the perpendicular wall of the tower was like walking on a flat road, and it could do it all without making a sound. It was like an assassin thriving in the shadows.

Finally, it found its target.

With a leap, the figure quickly jumped from the outside of the narrow window, hiding its body in the shadow where no light could reach. It seemed to be listening to something.

No sound could be heard from the room, except for a steady and long breath. Obviously, the Apprentice inside was in deep meditation. An Apprentice Mage in a meditative state was defenseless. As long as a thief, or someone of a similar profession, could sneak into their room, they would be able to easily kill a future ambitious Mage.

But, clearly, the figure hanging outside the window was experienced, as it didn't impatiently jump through the window. It examined the window carefully.

Calm! Silent! As still as death!

Everything around seemed perfectly normal, but, for some unknown reason, a sense of apprehension grew within it.

It didn't sense anything, but it had a premonition, from the depths of its strange bloodline, as if there was something truly dangerous waiting inside the window.

Though it truly hated this damned bloodline, which made it partly human and partly inhuman, as a Vampire who had undergone the awakening of its bloodline, it had absolute confidence in anything that came from it.

That bastard dared to go against it earlier that day, and now he was in deep meditation, seemingly defenseless. This Apprentice Mage was truly careless!

Within the dark shadows below the window, parts of a bizarre smile could be seen in a pair of glowing eyes. Bleia gracefully waved her arm, tossing a round, fist-sized object through the narrow window, then she immediately transformed into a black bat and merged into the dark night, flapping her wings and flying away.

Just as the round object crossed the window, a hidden magical formation on the inner side of the window was triggered.

A blue 'Stunning Thunder' instantly swept across the area the round object passed through. As it was electrical energy, even if she doubled her speed, Bleia wouldn't have been able to dodge this trap.

Not only that, in the darkness of the room, a pair of bizarre, colorful magical spells suddenly shot from an empty spot, instantly striking the round object that had safely passed through the Stunning Thunder trap.

After all, the round object was just a hard shell made of common clay. It stood no chance against so many magical spells and thus immediately shattered!

The outer shell was broken, revealing the gelatinous goo trapped inside. It was actually a living creature, and a human face could be seen on its pale green body, which seemed to be made of mud, human excrement, and foul water.

"Oh crap, it's the Sludge!"

"Damn, it's the Sludge…"

"Everyone, run…"

"..."

As they were intelligent Apprentice Mages, they all recognized this 'terrifying' demon, which was truly infamous within this Magic Swamp. Those who had experienced its terrifying ability would be overwhelmed with sorrow. On normal days, if someone encountered it in the Magic Swamp, they would definitely stay far away from it. This included even the three strongest.

Because it was the filthiest demon living in the swamp: the Sludge.

The Sludge was a super disgusting demon with a soft and flexible body. It looked like a strange organic object with soft, slimy tissue, messy teeth, and a pair of eyes. Its pale green body looked like a pile of mud, but it was actually more like a goo.

Its offensive strength was so weak that it could be easily ignored. But it had a 'terrifying' ability that brought pain to those who faced it: 'Acid Vomit.'

This strange creature contained a certain amount of Elementium within its body, but it had been contaminated by a chaotic force. If any object or creature became stained by its vomit, they would suffer a bit from the corrosive acid… But there was also its incredible and terrifying stench.

This filthy smell could not be removed by any magical spell. Those who made physical contact with this 'Acid Vomit' would have to endure it for ten to fourteen days! During this time, anything the person touched would also pick up the stench.

Imagine this: if an Apprentice Mage who had touched this 'Acid Vomit' tried to eat, even if it was the most delicious delicacy in the world, it would smell like sewage that had been soaking in filthy water for a thousand years. The torture, the ridicule from people who avoided them like the plague… it would simply drive an Apprentice Mage mad.

And now, the Sludge, which had previously been trapped in a hardened clay shell, was broken open by the spells. Then, what followed was a very entertaining scene!

When the pale green acidic liquid splashed across the room, sounds of vomiting immediately echoed.

"Ble-… Ugh… Bleia… I… Urrgh… Haven't finished with you… Blargh…"

An extremely tragic and furious roar escaped from the mouth of Apprentice Leader Brandon. But before he could finish, his voice was drowned out by the loud sounds of vomiting.

...

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