Chapter 25: Ascending to Level 2 Wizard Apprentice
Month of Blazing Fire, the time when the sun blazes relentlessly upon the earth. The scorching weather left people feeling drained and irritable.
However, within the inner castle, there was an atmosphere of jubilation.
After consuming four bottles of Dragon Blood Potion, Kyi had successfully broken through to become a Great Knight!
If knights were the backbone and elite force of a territory, then Great Knights were its cornerstone.
In any country, Great Knights were undeniably high-end combatants.
Having mastered Dou Qi externalization, a Great Knight on the battlefield was a tank-like behemoth, virtually unstoppable.
With Kyi's advancement, the shadow cast over Blackrock City by Flashing City seemed to dissipate significantly.
The joyous atmosphere outside didn't affect Sunan.
With the Star Ring Meditation just over two hundred proficiency points away from leveling up, he had secluded himself in the meditation room, instructing others not to disturb him, and focused on preparing for his advancement.
Three days later.
Sunan sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, energy particles flowed into the illusory form of the third star ring, filling the last vestiges of its insubstantial form.
The moment the entire ring fully materialized, an unprecedented tremor surged through him, engulfing his consciousness.
In the silent tranquility, Sunan felt as if he was drifting through the vast expanse of the starry universe. Waves of warmth washed over him, both internally and externally. The indescribable ecstasy of his life essence being elevated filled every corner of his being.
After an unknown amount of time, Sunan gradually regained his senses and opened his eyes.
The world before him seemed to have been wiped clean of a layer of dust, becoming much clearer.
"Is this the feeling of advancement?"
A surge of joy welled up within him. He quickly opened his panel.
[Sunan Ainest, human male, 17 years old]
[Spirit 13.25 / Physique 12.02]
[Skills]
Star Ring Meditation Lv4 (3/20000)
Potion Making Lv2 (2641/3000)
Bio-modification Lv1 (527/1000)
Puppet Creation Lv2 (816/3000)
"Spiritual power increased by 1.27, slightly less than expected, but that's normal. After all, my original spiritual power was already close to 12."
"Physique hasn't changed much, only increased by less than 0.5."
A genuine smile of joy bloomed on Sunan's face.
From this moment on, he was a level 2 wizard apprentice!
In the current Starlight Continent, a level 2 wizard apprentice was undoubtedly a formidable figure!
He had taken another solid step on the path to becoming a wizard.
Taking a deep breath, Sunan calmed his excitement and began to explore the improvements brought about by this advancement.
The most obvious change was the increase in casting speed.
Spells like Mage Hand, Acid Splash, and Sleep Curse now had a casting time reduced by about a third.
A mere one or two points increase in spiritual power clearly wasn't enough to produce such an effect.
Sunan guessed that breaking through the 12-point threshold in spiritual power had triggered a qualitative change, leading to this significant reduction in casting time.
Although it was only a third, in the ever-changing flow of battle, even a blink of an eye could be the difference between victory and defeat.
For a wizard apprentice, casting time was equivalent to life.
"I'll have to wait until I'm a level 3 apprentice to learn metamagic techniques like Silent Spell and Instantaneous Spell. For now, reducing the casting time to about one second is probably the limit."
The second change was in his control over energy particles.
Snap!
Sunan snapped his fingers, and a faint blue halo enveloped him.
Moisture materialized out of thin air, drenching him from head to toe.
Then, a fiery red halo appeared, and white steam rose as the water evaporated, leaving him feeling refreshed.
With his advancement to level 2 and the qualitative change in his spiritual power, Sunan could now manipulate energy particles, utilizing their properties to achieve effects similar to spells.
For example, using water and fire energy particles to clean himself.
But energy particles could also be used in combat.
Sunan extended his hand, and a blue light flashed in his palm. A crackling sound followed as tiny electric arcs materialized, dancing around his hand.
The lightning then transformed into blazing flames, followed by a whirlwind, white frost, and eerie shadows – various elements appearing in rapid succession.
A level 2 wizard apprentice could manifest energy particles into elemental forms for attack or imbue weapons or themselves with elemental properties.
For example, imbuing a weapon with fire energy particles for fire damage, or imbuing oneself with wind energy particles for enhanced agility.
The possibilities were endless.
This was why level 2 wizard apprentices were far more powerful than level 1 apprentices.
Even without using spells, their physical strength, combined with energy particle manipulation, was enough to overwhelm any knight.
With spells, they could even face Great Knights head-on.
Not to mention that level 2 apprentices could also use magic items and contract magical pets.
Thinking of magic items, Sunan looked at the Bloodvine Ring he had been wearing on his index finger ever since retrieving it from the Blackrock Mine.
Previously, he could only sense the energy particles within the ring but couldn't utilize them.
Now, with a mere thought, he could activate its magical properties.
With its power, the Bloodvine Ring would be a valuable trump card.
"And Energy Runes. I can create Energy Rune gems now."
"I should also start thinking about a magical pet."
Magical pets were a type of magical creature. They were originally ordinary animals, beasts, or mutants with special bloodlines, but after forming a contract with a wizard, they awakened special abilities and transformed into magical pets.
There were two types: support and combat.
Support pets were mostly fey creatures like fairies and sprites.
These often possessed strong plant affinity, able to communicate with magical plants, making them excellent for tending magical gardens.
Some were also used as lab assistants.
Combat pets were much more diverse.
From small animals like bats, cats, lizards, owls, snakes, and toads to powerful beasts comparable to knights, they could all be transformed into combat pets to assist wizard apprentices in battle.
Some powerful pets could even serve as a wizard apprentice's trump card, their role not to be underestimated.
"The stronger the creature, the more powerful it becomes after transforming into a magical pet."
"I need to choose my first magical pet carefully..."
Wait!
A thought suddenly struck Sunan.
Speaking of suitable candidates, wasn't there one right in his courtyard?
The mutant monitor lizard!
Sunan's eyes lit up.
A mutant with Dragon Lizard bloodline, if transformed into a magical p
et, would definitely become another powerful combat tool!
It was worth a try!