CH44

At the task window of the administration hall, Andrew watched Helag leave and muttered, "Are Sleeping Mushrooms that easy to find lately? But no one else has been completing the task. Strange."

He took out his rune stone and messaged Macken, "Haven't seen you submit any Sleeping Mushrooms for a few days. How's it going?"

Macken was an experienced mushroom gatherer, often exchanging mushrooms for magic stones with Andrew, so they were familiar with each other.

"Don't even mention it. I can't find those damn mushrooms anywhere. I haven't gathered ten yet," Macken complained, looking distressed.

"Really? Someone recently submitted ninety Sleeping Mushrooms here. I thought they were easier to find now. I was even tempted to try," Andrew said, surprised.

"Ninety? No way!" Macken's first reaction was disbelief.

He had been gathering Sleeping Mushrooms for a while and had never seen anyone collect that many.

Andrew, seeing his disbelief, continued, "It's true. A first-class apprentice who joined the Woodland recently submitted fifty mushrooms four days ago and another forty today. You might know him since you're often around Moonlight Woodland."

"What's his name?" Macken asked.

"Helag. Do you know him?" Andrew replied casually.

Macken found the name familiar yet strange, then suddenly slapped his thigh, "That's the loner kid!" 

"No wonder he didn't interact much with us. He must have a special method for finding mushrooms. No wonder our harvests have been so poor lately. He must have taken them all," Macken thought, feeling frustrated by his recent efforts and lack of results.

***

"Now I have eight magic stones, enough for now. I need to convert these into combat power."

Helag opened his rune stone and contacted Larry, "Mr. Larry, how much for Ice Shield and Mana Shield?"

He planned to learn all three shield spells for a turtle shell strategy.

"Those are cheaper, two magic stones each," Larry replied.

"I'll buy both. Do you have any recommended offensive spells?" Helag asked.

"Buying both? Makes sense. Dark Energy Shield is indeed challenging for you. Learning these two is a good move," Larry assumed Helag found Dark Energy Shield too difficult.

He continued, "I have many Level 0 spells, both offensive and support. Here are some options."

"Earth Spike, Bone Spike, Small Fireball, Ice Arrow, Ice Spike, Magic Perception, Blink, Sleep, Earth Bind…"

Larry sent a long list of spells, making Helag's head spin.

The first few were common offensive spells, but many later ones were unfamiliar.

Helag asked, "Mr. Larry, what's the effect of Magic Perception?"

"Magic Perception spreads your magic around you, forming a circle. You can sense everything within this range. The stronger your mental power, the larger the circle. It's quite practical and effective in combat. I recommend it," Larry explained.

"It sounds useful, but Deep Blue's range is already 250 meters, making this somewhat redundant," Helag thought, comparing it to Deep Blue's superior detection.

"What's the effect of Blink?" Helag asked about another spell.

"This is also a good spell, one of the few spatial spells at Level 0. It allows short-range teleportation. However, it consumes a lot of magic, so you might only cast it once per battle as a first-class apprentice," Larry explained.

Helag's eyes lit up, "That sounds great! Very useful in critical moments."

He asked, "How much for Blink?"

"It's pricier, three magic stones."

"Alright, I'll take Blink, Ice Shield, and Mana Shield. Seven magic stones in total," Helag decided, leaving him with just one magic stone.

Larry teased, "You've got quite the budget."

He didn't ask where Helag got so many magic stones.

***

At Building 5, Zone C, Helag held three thick books and a notebook.

The notebook was for Blink, while the other two spells had no related notes.

"These spells will keep you busy for a while," Larry said, sipping his coffee.

Helag, holding the books, replied, "Yes, I'll study them thoroughly."

Larry suddenly remembered something and put down his coffee cup, "By the way, I'll be starting a potion course soon. You should sign up. When you advance to a second-class apprentice, you'll need to brew Dawn Potion."

"Dawn Potion?" Helag had a basic understanding, knowing it was needed for advancing to a second-class apprentice, but hadn't looked into it as his advancement was still far off.

"Dawn Potion helps you advance to a second-class apprentice. With your aptitude, it should be easy with the potion. However, you'll need to buy the ingredients and either brew it yourself or hire someone to do it," Larry explained.

"How much are the ingredients?" Helag asked.

"Around forty magic stones per batch. If you hire an official wizard like me, you'll need at least two batches and a starting fee of thirty magic stones. Even if successful on the first try, the ingredients aren't refunded. It's part of the commission. If both attempts fail, you can't get the fee back. That's the rule," Larry continued.

"But for a wizard, potion brewing is a basic skill. You'll need to learn it eventually, so you can't always hire others. It's best to sign up for the potion course," Larry advised.

Helag, unable to bow with the books, stored them in his space ring and thanked Larry, "Understood. Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Larry."

"Your space ring is nice. Didn't expect a first-class apprentice to have one," Larry remarked, having noticed it earlier but only mentioning it now.

"A friend gave it to me. Lilian from Augustus Academy," Helag said.

After arriving at Moonlight Woodland, Helag learned that space rings were rare and valuable, unaffordable for most apprentices.

"I owe a lot of favors… to her..;," Helag thought, realizing he had little to repay Lilian with for now.