Chapter 12

Cain woke up with a groggy head, feeling the remnants of a faint pain still lingering. After this incident, he fully understood why Ruit decided to seal all its knowledge, preventing it from overwhelming the user. Yes, he had decided to name the eye Ruit, as calliiit just a "eye" seemed improper . The vivid memory of his head feeling like it was about to burst gave Cain goosebumps, making him shudder involuntarily. It seemed that absorbing too much advanced knowledge at once was dangerously overwhelming. Thus, he resolved to use this newfound power more cautiously, at least until his spiritual power increased significantly compared to before.

Not dwelling on it too much, Cain decided to check the new meditation method. With a single thought, basic information about it appeared before him.

[The Dark Abyss Meditation Method: An advanced type of meditation derived from the "Shadowless Meditation Method." This meditation makes darkness-based spells consume only 1/4th of the original mana while increasing their power by 15-30%. Additionally, it increases your mana capacity more than others at the same level( it also includes an innate spell.).]

Cain was utterly shocked by the introduction of the Dark Abyss Meditation Method. While the Shadowless Meditation Method also offered a slight increase in his shadow spell power and reduced their mana consumption, it was minimal in comparison to the dramatic enhancements provided by the Dark Abyss Meditation Method. The power increase applied not just to shadow spells but to any darkness-based spells, encompassing any spell that utilized dark or negative energy. Realizing the potential implications, he decided tokeep the fact that he had practiced such an advanced meditation method a secret, as it was far superior to those provided by the academy. Moreover, he was still unsure about what the innate spell is that came with it.

Fortunately, another ability unlocked by Ruit in addition to the display panel proved to be incredibly beneficial: the power to hide or disguise any of his skills or even his cultivation level as he wished. Whether Ruit had intentionally provided this ability according to his current circumstances or if it was merely a fortuitous coincidence, it was an invaluable asset that offered him great help at current stage .

Refocusing his thoughts, Cain decided to examine if there were any discrepancies between the Shadowless Meditation Method and the newly acquired Dark Abyss Meditation Method. He discovered only one major difference: the runes in the new meditation were more lifelike and profoundly intricate. Thankfully, these runes were completely memorized in his mind, as if someone had opened his head and directly inputted them. The only work left for him was to engrave the runes in his mental space . Although the information also contained details on how to become an official wizard, that part of the knowledge was currently

inaccessible to him.

Not focusing on the inaccessible information too much, Cain glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 8:23 PM. Realizing he had fainted for about three hours, he felt a pang of hunger. Deciding it was best to eat something before continuing his meditation, Cain resolved to find some food.

He went outside and consulted a map to find a place to eat. There were only a few restaurants established by the wizarding academy in the apprentice living area, and to his happiness, one was close to his house. The academy provided basic food for free to apprentices, though they had to pay for dishes made with magical ingredients.

After entering the restaurant and eating his fill, Cain was about to leave when he noticed a boy, who appeared to be 1-2 years older than him, approaching. The boy looked like a new arrival, just like Cain. His clothes and demeanor marked him as someone who had recently joined the academy, sparking Cain's curiosity about what he might want.

The boy came to Cain's table and sat down. They observed each other silently for a while before the boy, seemingly impatient with the quiet, decided to break the ice and started to talk.

"Hello, my name is Ebel, and like you, I am also newly admitted to the academy," said Ebel with a friendly smile that resembled a salesman's smile from Cain's previous life.

Shaking off his random thoughts, Cain asked directly, "And what are you here for?"

Seeing Cain's directness, Ebel's smile froze momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure and his smile returned to its previous state.

"Well, my friend," Ebel began, a bit hesitantly, "um, what should I call you?"

"Cain, Cain Ravenclaw." Cain replied, maintaining his straightforward demeanour.

" Cain, as a newcomer like me, you might not know much about the challenges we apprentices will face in the future.", said Ebel with some seriousness in his voice.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "As you know, talents are divided into five levels, and they affect the speed of remembering and engraving runes during the apprentice stage."

Nodding, Cain motioned for him to continue.

"But you might not know that talent also affects the chances of being promoted to an official wizard. A one-star talent has only a 2% chance, a two-star has 10%, a three-star has 20%, a four-star has 35%, and a five-star has about a 50% chance of promotion."

Seemingly agitated, he continued, "Additionally, age plays a major role. The younger you are, the higher your chances of becoming an official wizard. There's practically no hope for anyone over 60 to promote."

"Not to mention official wizard, for us becoming a third-rank wizard apprentice is equally difficult. Besides having adequate spiritual energy, the runes we engrave become more complex as we go on. It requires various potions in addition to focusing most of our time in meditation to reach the third rank, which is difficult for many apprentices, so most remain stuck at the second rank."

Calming himself with deep breaths, Ebel said, "Now you might understand how difficult our wizarding journey is."

Cain was shocked by Ebel's words. Although he believed in himself, he knew that without Ruit's help, he might also struggle to become an official wizard.

Looking at Ebel, he asked, "And what do you want from me? I doubt you came just to tell me about these problems."

Showing his trademark smile, Ebel continued, "Yes, the main reason I approached you is to invite you to our Wizard Apprentice's Welfare Club."

"Welfare Club?" Cain asked, a bit dumbfounded.