3 His Magic Was Upgraded Again

In fact, Marcus did not have that much money. He had earned most of it from work.

The dormitory was in a remote place. It was more elegant and simple. Most importantly, it was not in the school.

These were all his requirements.

As long as the house was safe enough to live in, it would be fine.

However, it could not be helped. After his good brother, Durant, found out about it, he secretly paid the architect more money and modified it a little.

Back then, when Marcus saw the house and heard Durant's words, he had to hold back from retorting, "How is this 'a little modification'? It's worth a hundred million!"

It would take an hour to walk back from school.

As for taking a carriage every day, the expenses would be too high!

Marcus could not afford to sit idle at all.

"I'm so hungry. The cafeteria is closed. Is it gonna be roasted sweet potatoes again?"

Marcus used the Fireball Spell to light the firewood and roasted the sweet potatoes over it.

[The Fireball Spell is very dissatisfied with you using it to roast sweet potatoes. Your cultivation speed has been reduced by 30%. Your current progress is 20%.]

"Huh?" Upon seeing this, Marcus immediately said, "I'm only human. I need to eat."

"Good fellow, you don't want me to die of hunger, do you?"

[After hearing your words, the Fireball Spell gave it some thought and has decided to forgive you. Practice speed is increased by 50%. Current progress is 24%.]

[All the spells you're currently practicing heard your words. You've ignited a fiery passion within them. Practice speed for all spells has increased by 30%!]

"Aren't you guys a little too disciplined?"

Some time later, after Marcus finished eating, he opened the system.

[Host: Marcus

Realm: Beginner Level-3 Mage

[Skills:-

Grand Fireball Spell: Level-5 (Progress 60%)

Wind Blade Spell: Level-2 (Progress 20%)

Shadow Flash Spell: Level-1 (Progress 30%)

Earth Shield Spell: Level-4 (Progress 80%)]

Marcus looked at the various spells on the interface and could not help but exclaim, "My spells are just too awesome!"

[After hearing your words, the Earth Shield Spell is overjoyed and has become lazy. Practice speed is reduced by 50%. Current progress is 77%.]

"Look at you. Just a little praise and you're overflowing with joy. Seems like I can't praise you."

Just like that, a day passed.

Day soon replaced night, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

Marcus stood next to a bucket of water, channeling his magic power.

A fireball suddenly appeared in his palm. He flung it casually toward the center of the lake.

Just as the flaming ball was about to enter the water and explode, the trees shook and leaves fell.

Then, a gust of wind blew!

The fireball suddenly changed its direction and flew across the lake, shattering the huge rock in the distance into pieces.

A blade mark appeared on the broken rock.

That was the effect of the Wind Blade Spell!

However, he was still not able to cast the spell with swiftness and precision yet. His understanding of the two spells was still not that great.

Nonetheless, a single night of training like this was more or less enough.

Marcus stopped his training and began to think about a problem he faced.

'My magic has the ability to think for itself, so this isn't the problem.'

The Grand Fireball Spell was a bit short-tempered, but he had the most improvement with it.

As for the Wind Blade Spell and the Shadow Flash Spell, they were still erratic, so he had to pick the right environment to train in.

The Earth Shield Spell could be summed up by a single word: reckless.

If it was forced into a corner, it would practice with all its might, on its own.

'I'm afraid to die. Of course, they believe in me the most. But what if my body suddenly becomes unworthy of their power? Then, I will go insane. In the worst-case scenario, my body will explode and death will be my fate!'

"Pfft!"

The more Marcus thought about it, the more afraid he became.

Was there any way to improve his physical prowess?

Should he practice swordsmanship?

No, it would take too long!

Oh, right, there were magic potions.

There was a potion that was purely used to improve one's health. Even better there were no side effects at all.

In a short period of time, it could definitely improve one's physique.

Moreover, he had previously been a pharmacist.

In the pharmacy, he used to make medicine for others as a means to earn tuition fees.

"As for making the potions, there lies the problem of money."

Marcus thought about it. Neither did he have parents nor a backer.

Therefore, he was looking at a large sum of money. Marcus really could not afford it.

"Marcus!"

Outside the door, a bright voice suddenly called out his name.

Marcus opened the door and said, "Durant? What brings you here?"

"Haha, Marcus." The blond youth patted his shoulder. "I heard from the others that you have become an official student. Congratulations. Are you free today?"

"Sure, I am," Marcus said.

To Durant, who had played with him since he was young, Marcus would give him the time of day no matter what. After all, his buddy had helped him a lot.

Durant smiled. "Are you an apprentice mage now?"

"I accomplished something yesterday. I'm almost at the beginner level now."

"You can be my bodyguard. I'll even pay you." Durant nudged Marcus with his arm. "What are brothers for? Everyone in school knows that we're best friends. We're just short of wearing the same pair of underpants."

Marcus waved his hand, wanting to decline the offer. "It's fine!"

Durant seemed to really want to help him. After all, both their families were well acquainted for generations. However, in Marcus's generation, he was the only one left.

Finally, Marcus could only agree to take up the offer. "Durant, bro, which girl has caught your eye today? Do you want me to go and find out about her?"

"No, no, no. Today, I'll take you somewhere to relax. I'll reimburse you for cigarettes and alcohol." Durant grinned. "In the west suburbs, there's a brothel. I've taken people there many times before, and it's very fun."

"It's not that far from my house. Not bad."

"Well, are you coming? In the future, if you're rich, frequenting such places is the norm. It's also not bad to accumulate some experience now."

[Wind Blade Spell and Shadow Flash Spell are delighted to hear this. Practice speed has increased by 50%. Current progress is 80%.]

After Marcus heard the system notification, he thought, 'I didn't expect such serious magic to be dirty-minded in nature.'

"Previously, I got to know a girl with a particularly lovely voice," Durant said slightly forlornly, "Unfortunately, she wore a magical veil, so I couldn't see her face clearly."

After Marcus heard that, he cleared his throat. "Ahem. A brothel? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"It's newly opened." Durant smiled. "Have you thought about it? I haven't been able to recruit any bodyguards recently. You can be my bodyguard for the next two days. Seriously."

Durant especially did not like having bodyguards around him, thus he always rejected the good intentions of his family.

However, this time, he invited Marcus to be his bodyguard though Marcus was more like a buddy than a bodyguard to him.

[Grand Fireball Spell is displaying a neutral stance. Practice speed will be restored to its original state at 91%.]

[Earth Shield Spell feels that things aren't that simple. Practice speed is reduced by 9.1%. Current progress is 66%.]

"I...Alright," Marcus said.

[Wind Blade Spell and Shadow Flash Spell are delighted to hear this. Practice speed will be increased by 91%. The current progress is 91%.]

Thi spells seemed to have a mind of their own.

"Then, it's settled. See you tonight!"

Marcus watched Durant's retreating figure as the latter walked away with brisk footsteps. He unconsciously clenched his fists.

In the past, when Marcus did not have the system to help him advance to the apprentice mage level, Durant, being a friendly guy who liked to interact with others, would come over every day to guide him. They got along very well.

As the youngest son in the family, despite getting seasick, Durant still planned to return home to inherit the family's seafood industry after two years when he graduated.

Such courage was not something an average person could exhibit.

Therefore, Durant was only at the level of a level-5 apprentice mage.

Marcus made up his mind that no matter what difficulties Durant encountered, he would definitely lend him a hand.

[Grand Fireball Spell has started to ignite with passion after listening to the conversation. Practice speed is increased by 70%. Current progress is 95%.]

In the meantime, Marcus used half of his money to prepare two bottles of potions.

The skies were turning a little gloomy.