Chapter 225: Requirements to become an official wizard

For me, this was one of the rare moments when I could truly let my guard down.

— It's really great to see you again. How is Leon?

I asked with a faint smile.

Helena's answer took a few seconds.

The figure wrapped in a black cloak trembled before me. When she finally spoke, her voice carried such deep sadness that it seemed to have lost all warmth.

— Everyone is dead... Even Leon. And all of our friends...

My smile disappeared.

For a few moments, I simply remained silent.

I didn't know what to say.

— I'm sorry...

That was all I could manage to reply.

The truth was that even if they had realized that something was wrong, they were still only low-level acolytes, without any particularly extraordinary talents.

It was difficult to say whether Arcangrove Tower would have even considered their lives important enough to offer them any special protection.

— After receiving news that you had left, we gathered several times.

— But not long after that, Arcangrove Tower announced the closure of the entire Tower.

— Anyone who left would be sentenced to death... After that... the war began.

— Official Mages were the true main force in that conflict.

— Leon and the others hadn't even reached the level of a Level 3 acolyte. In a war on that scale, they weren't even considered important combatants.

There was nothing I could say that would change that.

Helena also seemed to understand.

Because of that, after some time, silence once again dominated the space between us.

— Mission registered and confirmed as completed.

— This is your reward.

— Please check and accept it.

I looked toward the counter.

The girl working there finally raised her head.

— She scribbled something on a piece of parchment with a quill, and after finishing, handed me a small pouch.

I took it.

Clinc... clinc...

The sound of the magic crystals colliding inside the pouch echoed softly.

I stored the reward away.

Then I looked at Helena again.

— I still have a few things to take care of.

— So... I'll say goodbye for now.

She remained standing there, watching me.

There was a complicated expression in her eyes. I didn't know exactly what she was thinking, and I didn't ask either.

Right now, I needed to find my mentor.

I walked through the corridors of Arcangrove Tower.

I took the elevator and went up toward the laboratory area.

My destination was the engineering laboratory where Totil used to work.

When I finally arrived in front of the door, I raised my hand.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

I knocked three times.

A short while later, the door opened.

A young woman appeared before me.

She was shorter than me. In fact, now that my body had grown so much, the difference in height between us was quite obvious.

Her brown hair fell delicately over her shoulders, and her features had matured considerably since the last time I had seen her.

Even her perfume reached my nose.

I blinked a few times.

— Lina... It's been a long time.

My voice came out softly.

The girl stared at me with a suspicious expression.

— You're... George?

The next moment, her eyes widened.

She clapped her hands together, as if she had finally confirmed something, and then simply leaped into my arms.

— George!

I caught her instinctively.

Years ago, we ended up having sex for a few days; I remember getting her to drink wine, and then we had sex...

Now, however, Lina was clearly more mature.

— Well... I came to visit Totil.

I gently touched her shoulders.

— Is he here?

— He is. He's inside, together with Chory.

I frowned slightly.

— Chory?

Lina finally loosened her embrace.

— Chory is an extremely talented acolyte whom Totil hired. He discovered his talent during the chaos involving the two enemy towers.

She paused briefly.

— Chory is a genius who appears once every five thousand years. Totil even promoted him to Senior Class status.

Five thousand years? My gaze changed subtly.

She rubbed her slightly reddened eyes and gave me a delicate smile.

— You're doing well... And you've changed a lot. You've become more handsome and stronger.

— We can talk and play more later. How about it?

Lina smiled and nodded.

Then she finally let me inside.

As soon as I stepped through the door, a young voice reached my ears.

— So you're my new classmate! I thought it was just Lina and me.

I looked at the young man.

— Senior Chory.

I greeted him with a smile.

— It's always good to have intelligent minds around.

Chory simply nodded.

He didn't seem particularly interested in prolonging the conversation and soon walked away.

I continued walking.

My gaze swept across the laboratory.

Then I saw Totil. The dwarf with extremely messy hair was standing in front of a huge device.

He lowered the glasses resting on his face, and his eyes met mine.

Totil observed me for several seconds.

Then he smiled.

— I can smell a faint scent of Lambimia Flower on your body.

— It seems you really did use the Lambimia Flower.

— Haha...

From the moment I decided to use the Lambimia Flower as an explanation for my rapid advancement, I had been carefully preparing this lie.

The Biochip had analyzed countless plants and compounds.

After an enormous amount of experimentation, I managed to produce a potion whose fragrance had an impressive 99.98% similarity to that of the Lambimia Flower.

It had absolutely none of the flower's original effects. Its sole purpose was to produce the scent. Before returning to the Tower, I sprayed a small amount onto my body. Now, even Totil had been deceived.

— You really are one lucky fellow!

I smiled awkwardly.

— I guess I was pretty lucky.

Totil continued speaking.

— Regardless, reaching Level 3 acolyte before the age of twenty is something extraordinary.

— You can already be considered one of the Tower's top acolytes.

He explained that I should go to the administrative area to officially register my new level.

This would grant me greater benefits and authority within the Tower.

But there was something that interested me far more.

— Professor.

— This time, I mainly came back to ask about what you mentioned previously.

Totil raised an eyebrow.

— The matter concerning an Official Mage?

— Yes.

He let out a small sigh and shook his head.

— I knew it.

Totil looked directly at me.

— Ever since I saw you after your first meditation, I knew you had decided to walk the path of a Mage.

He pointed toward several chairs inside the laboratory.

— This may take some time. Let's sit down first.

Totil walked over to a reclining chair and sat down.

I followed him.

The black chair was covered in the leather of some unknown creature. I ran my hand across its surface. It was surprisingly comfortable.

Between our chairs was a small round table.

Lina appeared shortly afterward and placed two glasses in front of us.

The green liquid released a small amount of steam.

I brought it closer to my nose.

My expression immediately changed.

— Northern Willow Alcoholic Juice...

— I never thought the professor would have a habit like this.

Totil laughed.

— I've always liked this kind of drink.

— Even when I'm idle or conducting experiments, I still like to have a sip or two.

— Besides, for an Official Mage, three years is nothing more than a short period in life.

I remained silent.

Then Totil placed his glass on the table.

— George, do you know how to advance to the level of an Official Mage?

My expression became extremely serious.

— Please show me the way, Mentor.

Totil stared at me for several seconds.

— An Official Mage has long since surpassed the limitations of an ordinary human being.

— They can draw upon the energy of nature and obtain a much longer lifespan.

— Even the weakest Official Mage is far beyond the level of a Level 3 acolyte.

— This is because of the energy and devastating power that an Official Mage can control.

— A long time ago, perhaps a thousand years ago, in the luxurious castle on the Southern Coast, all the great authorities reached an agreement to control information related to Official Mages.

— From that moment onward, before a Level 3 acolyte can advance to become an Official Mage, they must sign a contract with a person or organization responsible for passing on this knowledge.

This is similar to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty from my world.

— Furthermore, the acolyte must promise never to disclose the information they receive.

— Any violator will be judged by the Presence of Royal Justice, and their soul will be burned for a thousand years.

— I also signed this contract.

— That was how I managed to obtain the resources and information necessary to advance.

— Because of the restrictions imposed by the contract, I am unable to directly share this information with you.

My expression became slightly disappointed, but I had already expected this.

Totil noticed.

— However, I can still teach you some general knowledge related to the advancement.

— To advance to an Official Mage, the first requirement is for the acolyte to reach a certain level of magical strength.

— From what I can see, you are already very close to meeting this criterion. In fact, for many Level 3 acolytes, this isn't even a problem.

I nodded slowly.

— As for the true crucial point...

Totil raised one finger.

— You need to possess a Level 1 defensive spell model.

— This model will eventually become your innate defensive spell.

He raised a second finger.

— In addition, you will need an adequate amount of Black Rainbow Crystallized Aura to assist in the advancement.

— So there are three requirements?

I raised three fingers.

— A sufficient amount of magical strength, a Level 1 defensive spell model, and Black Rainbow Crystallized Aura?

— Actually...

Totil shook his head.

— The Level 1 spell models and Black Rainbow Crystallized Aura are controlled by the major factions.

— Even at the Arcangrove Tower's counters, you won't find these items.

— Then, Professor...

My voice became serious.

— When you asked me to return, does that mean there is a way for me to obtain the Black Rainbow Crystallized Aura and the Level 1 defensive spell model?

Totil took another sip of the green refreshment.

— I can only say...

He placed the glass on the table.

— That it is possible. After all, reaching Level 3 acolyte before turning twenty is already enough to be considered a potential Mage. Therefore, you are qualified to sign a contract with the Tower.

....

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