Chapter 44: The Harvest

"Could this be the term used by the wizarding world to describe master-level spells?" Ronan speculated, frustrated by his lack of knowledge.

His understanding of the intricacies of the wizarding world was severely lacking.

There were many things he didn't know, understand, or had never even heard of.

Finding someone to ask was equally challenging; those around him likely wouldn't know either.

This was the essential gap between a wandering wizard and one with the formal education of an academy-trained wizard.

It's also why most academy wizards naturally felt superior when facing wandering wizards; their knowledge and exposure were on entirely different levels.

"I need to join the academy soon. Access to knowledge and heritage is crucial for a wizard."

Ronan resolved silently.

In fact, his departure from the forest's treehouse district was initially meant to lead directly to academy enrollment.

Hoddam Wizard Academy had stringent standards for formal student admission, especially concerning soul aptitude.

However, becoming an auditing student was much more accessible, requiring only sufficient magic stones.

Ronan's predecessor had entered the academy as an auditing student but had to drop out after obtaining the most basic low-level wizard apprentice heritage due to a lack of funds.

Auditing students had virtually no rights within the academy, needing to spend magic stones for anything.

But Ronan didn't mind because, now, he had money.

During his escape, three black-robed wizards had fallen by his hand, all of whom were intermediate or higher-level wizard apprentices, one even an advanced apprentice.

Each carried a storage pouch, and their conditions were exceptional.

Thinking of this, Ronan eagerly retrieved the three storage pouches, laying them out on the table to examine them closely.

The pouch from the advanced apprentice, the tattoo-covered black-robed man, was the most exquisite.

A pure black leather pouch with a luxurious feel, adorned with intricate embroidery, giving it a high-end appearance.

The other two pouches from intermediate apprentices were nondescript and gray, seemingly unremarkable.

Ronan hadn't had the opportunity to open them during his escape, and now he was impatient to check their contents.

However, a few minutes later, Ronan's expression turned sour.

He couldn't open any of the three storage pouches!

"Are these things locked?!" 

Ronan was a bit frustrated.

He had just discovered that storage pouches could indeed be locked.

Each pouch had a special rune at its opening, requiring the owner's mental energy to unlock it, akin to a "fingerprint password lock" from his previous life.

To open the pouch without damaging the lock, one must first erase the original owner's mental energy imprint left on the rune.

This process was rather cumbersome.

To open a pouch without destroying the lock required time, slowly wearing down the imprint.

The stronger the mental energy imprint left by the original owner, the longer it would take to erase it.

Ronan's expression shifted before he sighed, accepting the reality.

"If it takes time, so be it. Good things come to those who wait. Once I improve my strength, I'll open them all at once."

He consoled himself this way.

Setting the three storage pouches aside, he grabbed the bag containing the protection fees collected earlier.

Pouring out its contents on the table, he counted them.

A total of forty-eight low-level magic stones, more than Ronan had expected, even after exempting the fees for Barry and his son.

In the battle with the advanced apprentice black-robed wizard, nearly half of the gray robes had perished, which should have halved Ronan's income.

Yet, many of the surviving wizards had paid more than the original four low-level magic stones.

Compared to escaping alive from an advanced apprentice black-robed wizard, the extra "protection fee" was trivial.

This was also why, in the town square earlier, the gray robes sincerely extended the wizard's highest courtesy to Ronan.

"They probably won't spread this story, right?"

Ronan worried briefly about his feat of killing an advanced apprentice black-robed wizard becoming public knowledge, inviting trouble.

But he quickly dismissed the thought, "Let them. Who would believe it?"

Indeed, the idea of a mere Level 5 wandering wizard defeating an advanced apprentice black-robed wizard alone seemed far-fetched.

Even if it had happened right before their eyes, those who witnessed it would pinch themselves to check if they were dreaming.

Let alone it being mere hearsay. Who would believe it?

"Forty-eight low-level magic stones, plus those I carry, make fifty-five in total."

Looking at the small pile of shiny "pigeon eggs" before him, Ronan felt little emotion.

This sum was equivalent to a little over a month's income from rune engraving in the past. It might have excited him before, but in these times of soaring prices, it wouldn't last long.

His current lodging, a run-down inn almost on the outskirts of town, cost a low-level magic stone per night, excluding meals.

"To quickly improve my strength and enter the academy as an auditing student, this amount is far from enough."

Ronan stood up, walked to the window of his inn room, and opened it to feel the moonlight.

"I need to find a way to unlock the black-robed pouches soon. If possible, I'll return to the treehouse district to retrieve my hidden belongings.

And I mustn't abandon rune engraving."

Ronan propped his hands on the windowsill, letting the breeze tousle his damp hair, planning silently.

Though it was late, people still moved about on the street below the inn.

There were whispers, and even arguments could be heard.

In the distance, the small square at the town's entrance was brightly lit, and Ronan could almost hear the solemn, mournful melody of the soul-requiem song.

All these were the aftermath of the black-robed menace.

It was foreseeable that the days ahead in the wizarding land would be far from peaceful.

Ronan listened to it all, thinking of his master-level [Energy Missile].

As a wizard apprentice, he now had a trump card to protect his life.

Although using this card came at a high cost, depleting his entire mental energy, and possibly even drawing on his life force... a suspicion Ronan had based on his newly graying hair.

"If [Energy Missile] can evolve into an extraordinary domain at the master level, can other low-level spells do the same?

If every spell gains such a qualitative leap at the master level, that would be incredible."

The thought quickened Ronan's heartbeat slightly, but he soon faced reality.

Even if it were possible, he could only use one per battle at most, given his current low mental energy level, which couldn't sustain such substantial, frequent consumption.

However, with [Charged Weapon] nearing expert level, grinding it to master level seemed worthwhile.

He realized he also needed to find time to buy a new longsword, as his previous one had shattered in battle against the black robes.

As Ronan mused, he suddenly heard a whale-like hum.

He quickly looked around.

After a moment, he spotted in the town center, toward Hoddam Wizard Academy, a massive object rising into the sky.

In the bright moonlight, a gigantic black ship ascended through the mist, sailing into the dense night.

Ronan stood there, transfixed, momentarily lost in the sight.