The Apprentice Ladder

The early morning mist still clung to the Black Mist Forest, but Robb had already arrived at the academy's library, full of energy.

It was a completely different experience from the last time he'd visited. Back then, he had just become an Elementary Apprentice and needed repeated verification from the guards to even access the most basic reading areas.

Now, as a newly certified professional potion master, he was eager to take advantage of his new access rights to dive deeper into the realm of supernatural knowledge.

The library was housed in an ancient stone tower. Its exterior was plain and unassuming, but every Apprentice knew: aside from paid courses, this place was the best resource to improve oneself.

The guard at the entrance was a different one this time, an elderly man in gray robes.

"Potion master's badge?" the old man asked softly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You look no older than sixteen or seventeen."

Robb smiled and nodded. "Robb Reyne. I just passed the potion master certification exam, presided over by Lord Magnus himself."

The old guard studied the badge carefully. After a moment, he nodded slightly. "The seal is genuine. It can't be forged. Seems you really are a prodigy."

He stepped aside. "As a professional potion master, you have 'Level Two Clearance.' That gives you access to most standard texts and some Intermediate materials."

"Thank you," Robb replied politely and stepped into this temple of knowledge.

Inside, the library was astonishingly spacious, far larger than its exterior suggested. Clearly, spatial expansion magic had been employed.

Towering bookshelves stretched all the way to the ceiling, forming a labyrinth of knowledge.

In the center of the vast hall stood a waist-high, dark-brown crystal pillar, etched with intricate runes.

It was the library's Guiding Stone, capable of directing readers to relevant sections based on their queries.

Robb walked up to the crystal and gently placed his palm on it, silently focusing his mind on the keywords:

"Intermediate Apprentice, spell mastery, advancement requirements."

The runes on the crystal glowed with a gentle blue light, and then a path made of glowing dots appeared in the air, leading him to a specific shelf.

Following the light, Robb arrived at a section dedicated to Apprentice advancement.

His attention was quickly drawn to a heavy, brown leather-bound book with gilded lettering on the cover:

The Apprentice Ladder.

He took the book and sat down at a nearby oak table, carefully flipping open the yellowed pages.

"Intermediate Apprentice – The Second Step on the Apprentice Path," read the bold title.

Robb dove into reading, jotting down notes in his pocket notebook:

"…Unlike the Elementary Apprentice stage, the core task of an Intermediate Apprentice is no longer simply increasing Spiritforce, but rather deepening control over it, particularly in the area of spell construction…"

"…A qualified Intermediate Apprentice must master at least three zero-circle spells to the point of seamless casting. This requirement is not arbitrary but grounded in the field of cerebral development…"

Robb frowned slightly, paying close attention to this point.

The book explained:

"…Constructing a spell model is essentially creating a specific 'thought circuit' within the mental sea. Every spell mastered forms a corresponding neural pathway in the brain…"

"Once an Apprentice has mastered three or more spells, these pathways begin to weave together into a 'thought network,' greatly enhancing flexibility and range of Spiritforce…"

"…More importantly, this 'thought network' becomes the foundation for casting higher-tier spells. Without it, even immense Spiritforce cannot support the complex model construction needed for high-ring spells…"

Robb suddenly understood. "No wonder everyone emphasized mastering spells, turns out it's fundamental to brain development."

He continued reading and learned about the requirements for advancing to High Apprentice:

"…The mark of a High Apprentice is not only reaching a certain threshold of Spiritforce but also refining at least one spell into a personalized specialization…"

"This 'specialization' isn't just about increasing power, it must incorporate the caster's personal understanding, giving the spell uniqueness…"

"…Specialized spells are the only gateway to becoming a formal sorcerer. Every official sorcerer has at least one spell system uniquely their own. It's both a test of comprehension and creativity…"

"Those who lack creativity will never break past the level of High Apprentice, no matter how high their Spiritforce…"

To become a true sorcerer, one needed not just strength of spirit, but also insight and imagination, something that perfectly aligned with Robb's vision of what a sorcerer should be.

Just as he was about to read more about how to advance to full sorcerer status, he turned to a page that had clearly been tampered with.

Only a few lines of text remained. The rest was blotted out in ink. All that was left was the header:

"Advancement Criteria for Formal Sorcerers"

And one glaring annotation:

"Restricted to Wizard Reserve Members Only."

Robb attempted to probe the page with his Spiritforce, but was instantly repelled by a strong force.

Clearly, this content was protected, unauthorized readers had no access.

"Looks like I need higher clearance," he muttered to himself, disappointed but not discouraged.

Returning the book to its shelf, Robb went back to the Guiding Stone. This time, he searched for the origins of the knight profession.

The crystal lit up again, guiding him to another section.

This part of the library was clearly older, the books' covers were faded, their corners worn down by age.

There, Robb found a hefty ancient tome titled:

"Origins of the Knight Lineage."

The pages were yellowed and fragile, and needed to be handled with great care.

The records on Bloodline Knights and Demon Slayers were extraordinarily detailed, opening Robb's eyes to the history behind them:

"…The origins of Demon Slayers trace back to the early Second Era, shortly after the Great Crisis. At that time, many sorcerers xxxxx [line redacted] began experimenting with implanting parts of magical beasts into humans to acquire similar bloodline abilities…"

Robb frowned. One line had been deliberately struck through.

He kept reading:

"…Early Demon Slayer experiments often ended in failure. Most recipients died from severe rejection reactions or lost control and mutated. It wasn't until Adrian Morel of the Black Raven School developed a special 'stabilizer' that success rates improved…"

Robb focused intently, so Demon Slayers really were experimental creations!

Continuing on, he reached the section about Bloodline Knights:

"…As Demon Slayer experiments improved, sorcerers realized that while direct organ transplants granted power quickly, the rejection and mutation risks could never be fully eliminated…"

"Thus, Elwin Oswald of the Arcanum proposed the theory of 'bloodline activation'…"

"…Elwin believed that humans already carried dormant fragments of ancient beast bloodlines. By performing specific rituals, these sleeping genes could be awakened to grant new abilities, with significantly lower rejection risks, since the bloodline already existed within the body…"

"…This theory was soon validated and widely adopted, forming the basis of today's 'Bloodline Knight' system."

"Though their power boost was somewhat less than that of Demon Slayers, Bloodline Knights gained greatly in stability and safety, with mutation rates dropping by nearly 70%…"

Robb suddenly understood:

"No wonder Andrey said the Farwynd royal family often awakens the fire-lizard bloodline. That must be one of their ancestral traits."

He flipped to the section about advancement potential and was met with sobering news:

"…As a profession derived from sorcerer research, the knight path is fundamentally a 'limited development' model."

"Whether Demon Slayer or Bloodline Knight, after completing the awakening ritual, the body undergoes a noticeable leap in strength, but subsequent growth drops off sharply…"

"…This is because the method activates existing potential rather than creating new avenues for growth."

"Once all genetic potential is tapped, further physical training loses effect."

"To continue improving, one must either further excavate bloodline power or implant stronger organs, both of which greatly increase the risk of mutation and loss of control…"

So in essence, the so-called Bloodline Knight path… ends at the level of a formal knight. There's no clear road beyond that?