Chapter 38: The Art of Meditation

After returning home, Hutson sat at his desk, penning a letter to Lilian. He briefly described his current situation and included his Rune Stone ID for easier contact.

There was a postal box in town, so the next morning, on his way to class, he dropped the letter in.

Lady Lori's meditation course was held in a towering structure, its spire reaching toward the sky like an ancient sentinel.

Only five apprentices had enrolled, making the class unusually small. A quick glance around confirmed that all of them were first-class apprentices—just like him.

However, unlike Hutson, they hadn't arrived by sea. It seemed Moonlit Woodland had many sources of new blood.

Lady Lori herself was a woman of striking maturity and elegance, appearing to be in her early thirties. She carried herself with the confidence of an experienced sorceress, her attire bold and flowing. Her long legs, wrapped in dark silk stockings, accentuated her poised and graceful stature.

"Thank you all for enrolling in my course," Lori began, flipping open her personal textbook. "Over the next three sessions, I will guide you through the principles of Fundamentals of Meditation."

She continued, her voice measured and composed:

"You all know that meditation is the process of sensing the free-flowing energy in the world, absorbing it, and converting it into mental strength to enhance your magical prowess.

Even without formal training, anyone can meditate—but the process is slow and inefficient without guidance."

"This is why structured meditation techniques exist." She turned a page.

"There are countless variations, but most share a common foundation: Visualization Anchors."

"A visualization anchor is a conceptual focus point that aids in channeling energy more efficiently. Different anchors define different meditation techniques, each offering unique benefits."

"The most common anchors are the earth, trees, and rivers—widely used, yet only moderately effective.

Ancient sorcerers, however, were said to meditate upon the sun, moon, and stars. These techniques were immensely powerful, capable of granting limitless potential—but they have long been lost to time…"

As Lori spoke, AI chip—Hutson's arcane system—silently recorded and analyzed the information.

For the first time, Hutson truly understood the depth of meditation techniques. Reading the textbook alone had not given him such clarity, but Lori's explanations illuminated everything.

He now grasped why the Star Meditation technique was different.

Most traditional methods required the practitioner to fixate on a single anchor, continually meditating upon it to increase their mental strength.

But Star Meditation had no upper limit.

Each time a new star was successfully visualized, mental power would immediately increase—and the process could continue indefinitely.

Two days later, Hutson had completed all three sessions of the meditation course.

Not only had he gained valuable insight, but AI chip had also collected vast amounts of data.

"Sufficient data acquired. Option available to enhance Star Meditation by expending 360% mana. Proceed with optimization?"

Hutson was startled by the notification. He hadn't expected an upgrade like this.

"What kind of enhancements will this provide?" he asked.

"The optimization will restructure Star Meditation into a Grid Formation Visualization, significantly increasing meditation speed."

Hutson didn't hesitate.

"Begin the upgrade."

"Enhancement in progress. Estimated time: 5 days, 3 hours, and 25 minutes."

Immediately, he felt his mana being slowly drained—fuel for AI chip's intricate calculations.

What surprised him most was the duration of the upgrade. Constructing a low-level spell model like Petrification had only taken twenty-five minutes.

But this?

The mana cost was immense—360% of his maximum mana pool. That meant he'd need to exhaust his reserves multiple times, recover through meditation, and resume the upgrade process over time.

Fortunately, the enhancement could be paused when mana was depleted, allowing him to recover naturally before continuing.

While waiting for his meditation upgrade, Hutson took out his next textbook, Fundamentals of Spell Model Construction, and began studying ahead for his upcoming class.

Knock, knock.

A firm knocking at the door interrupted his reading.

Opening it, Hutson found himself face to face with a middle-aged man carrying a large parcel.

The man was a wizard apprentice, just like him. Strapped to his back was an enormous leather satchel, filled with deliveries.

"Are you Hutson Merlin?" he asked, holding up a small delivery slip.

"I am," Hutson replied. "What's this about?"

The man pulled out a wooden box from his satchel and handed it over.

"I'm Ivo—courier for the Moonlit Woodland postal service. 

This was sent to you by Miss Lilian from the Academy of Ordos."

Hutson raised an eyebrow.

"From Lilian?"

The box felt heavy in his hands—whatever was inside had substantial weight.

"Just sign here," Ivo said, retrieving a quill from his pocket. Without hesitation, he placed it in his mouth, wetting the tip before offering it to Hutson.

Hutson grimaced slightly, carefully grasping the quill by its tail end before signing the receipt.

Ivo grinned, tucking away the slip. "Thanks! If you ever need to send anything, just find me."

With that, he slung his massive satchel over his shoulder and moved on to his next delivery.

Using a bit of force, Hutson pried open the wooden box. Inside, he found a small golden pouch and a letter.

Curious, he unfolded the letter first.

"So, if I don't write first, you wouldn't even send me a letter? Hmph! This is officially the first time I've ever written to a man, you know."

"Professor Nina has officially accepted me as her student! She's covering all my education costs, and she treats me really well."

"I heard from her that Moonlit Woodland charges ridiculously high tuition fees. You probably have to earn your own money through missions just to afford your classes, right?"

"Well, since I don't need gold coins right now, I figured I'd send you some. I had plenty to spare, so I'm lending you 500 gold coins."

"And don't forget—it's a loan, not a gift. You'll have to pay me back someday. But, since I'm a generous lady, I won't charge you any interest."

"Make sure to count the coins. I don't really trust the couriers around here."

Hutson let out a low chuckle.

Five hundred gold…

This wasn't just a little help—it was a fortune for an apprentice.

Shaking his head, he reached for the golden pouch, untied the strings, and began counting.

Just in case.

A Message from Lilian

"Let's both do our best, alright? But listen—don't take on any reckless missions. Life is long, and there's no need to gamble it away."

"And one more thing—I still haven't forgiven you for not writing to me first!"

"When you get this, make sure to add me on Rune Stone. And don't forget to reply to my letter!!"

—Lilian Stuart, Holy Radiance Calendar, Year 4175, June 25th

Hutson read the letter and muttered to himself, "June 25th… The same day I sent mine. She must've written this before receiving my letter."

Shaking his head, he reached for the small golden pouch, untied the string, and peered inside.

A cascade of gleaming gold coins spilled into his palm.

"AI chip, count them."

The system responded instantly.

"Total: 500 gold coins."

Hutson let out a slow exhale. "Not a single one missing."

This was a fortune—and it couldn't have come at a better time.

With this money, he could focus entirely on his studies, rapidly enhancing his strength without having to exhaust himself on low-paying missions.

A wry smile tugged at his lips. "Does this count as living off a rich woman's generosity?"

With a chuckle, he picked up his Rune Stone, entered Lilian's ID, and sent a friend request.

A sharp chime echoed as an error message appeared:

"Your current authorization level does not permit cross-organization communication."

Hutson frowned for a moment but quickly understood the reasoning.

He was just a first-class apprentice—a novice in the grand hierarchy of wizarding factions. The relationships between different magical organizations were complex, bound by alliances, rivalries, and secrets.

Allowing unrestricted communication could risk leaking information or exposing internal affairs to rival factions. If an infiltrator gained access, they could easily act as a spy.

Hutson sighed. "Looks like I'll have to rely on letters for now."

Still, with gold in hand and a plan in motion, he was one step closer to his goal.