Chapter 41 The Threshold of Forty

Half a month later.

In Locke's room on Dwarf Street.

Locke placed the Moonlight Elixir obtained from the witch Sophia on the table. The liquid within the glass bottle resembled flowing moonlight, each droplet shimmering with crystalline particles.

He uncorked the wooden stopper of the Moonlight Elixir. The potion had to be consumed within half an hour after opening, otherwise its properties would undergo changes.

He drank the Moonlight Elixir in one gulp. Immediately, a faint glimmering light spread across Locke's body, and a silver crescent moon pattern appeared on the back of his right hand.

Simultaneously, the moonlight streaming through the open window transformed into a beam composed of particles, entering Locke's body and beginning to enhance his spiritual power.

Locke quickly retrieved a Rose Ruby from the desk drawer. The peculiar substance within the Rose Ruby followed the moonlight into his spiritual energy, rapidly boosting his mental strength.

Half an hour later, having fully absorbed the strange substance within the Rose Ruby, Locke opened his eyes and stood up. "So that's how it is."

"The Moonlight Elixir contains the special Bloodline power of the dark elves. After consuming it, I gain some of their innate abilities, allowing me to absorb moonlight to accelerate Mana recovery and meditation efficiency."

He looked at the crescent moon pattern on his hand - this marked the activation of the dark elf's innate talent.

Moreover, the effect would last approximately three years. Only after three years would this racial Bloodline ability brought by the potion completely disappear.

Locke thought: "Now I roughly understand what one of the main ingredients in the Moonlight Elixir must be."

The Wizard World was extremely cruel. The sources of many Magical Materials could even be described as bloody.

At the same time, Locke looked at the Rose Ruby that had turned into a white, worthless gem.

Through attending the All Things Class taught by the dark elf Sassari during this period, he had come to understand what the Rose Ruby truly was.

These gems were extremely precious in the southeastern corner region because they weren't locally produced there, making their prices far exceed their intrinsic value.

A Rose Ruby the size of a fingernail often cost hundreds of Magic Stones, and even then they were hard to come by.

The regions producing such gems were located in the underground world far from the southeastern corner - the Obsidian Underground Domain, which was the territory of Black Wizards.

Therefore, Locke considered himself fortunate that he hadn't tried to exchange these gems for Magic Stones when he knew nothing about them.

Had he done so, a multitude of troubles would have come knocking at his door - troubles that would far outweigh any benefits gained from the Magic Stones.

Thus, it was better to simply use the Rose Rubies himself rather than exchange them for Magic Stones.

Locke pondered: "According to knowledge gained from the All Things Class, Rose Rubies contain a special type of Aether Element Particle. These Aether Element Particles remain full of mystery and wonder even to wizards."

"They hold many unexplored secrets yet to be uncovered."

"But one thing is certain—wizard apprentices can enhance their spiritual power by absorbing aether elements, and the purity of spiritual power gained this way is exceptionally high."

A flicker of concern flashed in Locke's eyes. "However, the dark elf Sassari mentioned that currently, wizards in the southeastern corner struggle to obtain Rose Rubies. As a result, hardly any wizard can use Rose Rubies for prolonged periods to advance solely by absorbing their special substances."

"Therefore, wizards in the southeastern corner still aren't entirely sure whether it's beneficial or harmful for a wizard apprentice's spiritual power to be mixed with too many aether elemental particles—or if any peculiar phenomena might occur."

Due to the scarcity of such resources in the southeastern corner, research in this area within the Wizard World here isn't particularly thorough.

Locke shook his head. "Forget it. No point overthinking."

"After all, from what's happened to me so far, it's only been advantageous."

"Even if there are some side effects, it doesn't matter."

"As long as I become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice—or even a Formal Wizard—there will be plenty of ways to cleanse any lingering aftereffects."

Locke recalled what the witch Sophia had told him—most wizards had some peculiar quirks.

This was because many wizards, in their pursuit of faster advancement or due to the lack of proper guidance, ended up with more or fewer side effects.

It was practically unavoidable.

Many fields of magic were explored while being actively used.

Locke tossed the empty glass bottle and the depleted Rose Ruby into the trash. Without its special substance, the Rose Ruby looked no different from ordinary waste stone, so no special disposal was needed.

Locke mused, "I've already attended part of the All Things Class. Tomorrow, I might ask Teacher Sophia about the Breeding Course."

"I don't actually need to excel at it—just having the title and studying for half a year would allow me to sell enhanced magical plants at the Chimera Market."

"That way, I could earn plenty of Magic Stones to purchase courses and equipment I've wanted before."

"Plus, I could pay off that fifty-year academy contract."

"And I'd need to buy a Meditation Method—that way, I could push to become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice within five years."

After five years, Lilith's Cottage would halve its support for him. If he still hadn't become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice in ten years, Lilith's Cottage would essentially abandon him.

Generally, if a wizard apprentice couldn't become a Formal Wizard before the age of forty, their chances of advancement would decline sharply thereafter.

Thus, the deadlines set by Lilith's Cottage were, in essence, the maximum leniency a wizard apprentice could expect if they barely met each milestone on time.

Locke had heard from other Wizard Seedlings that other wizard academies imposed even harsher conditions—like Verdantia University, which gave only three years to become a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice and seven years to reach First-Class.

Rumor had it that the Four Seasons Garden, one of the top-tier wizard organizations in the southeastern corner, had even stricter demands for their Wizard Seedlings.

That's why the Wizard World is so cruel—every step is a race against time, competing with numerous wizard apprentices for limited resources.

Locke heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he found Raun and Pierre standing outside.

Raun and Pierre seemed a little uneasy.

Locke asked curiously, "Raun, Pierre, what brings you here so late?"

After a moment's hesitation, Raun spoke up, "Locke, Pierre and I heard you've become a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice."

"You'll soon be moving out of Dwarf Street and into Inverted Alley. Congratulations, Locke. Who would've thought you'd be the first among the three of us to become a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice."

Pierre added, "Congratulations, Augustine."

"I heard your actual aptitude is higher than what was initially detected—a misjudgment in the test. How enviable..."

"It might take Raun and me years to become Second-Class Wizard Apprentices. Just one year, and your aptitude is almost on par with those with sixth-level potential."

"Locke, let's go out for a meal together. You'll be moving soon, and we probably won't see each other much in the next few years."

Locke nodded and said to them, "Alright."

"I was actually thinking of inviting you both out for a meal too."

"I believe you two will be moving to Inverted Alley soon as well."

Seeing that Locke's attitude hadn't changed after becoming a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice, Raun and Pierre visibly relaxed, their faces breaking into genuine smiles.

The distance between the three of them instantly vanished.

(End of Chapter)