"Plans for the days ahead?"
Samuel paused for a moment, then answered simply without hiding anything:
"Get through the four mandatory missions, then take part in the Saint Ring Assembly."
So, he's aiming for the Assembly as well… Lynn nodded slightly and didn't press further.
After parting ways with Samuel, Lynn returned to his dorm. Sitting on the sofa with Lucky curled in his lap, he stroked its fur absentmindedly while sinking into thought.
The Saint Ring Assembly…
It wasn't the first time he had heard of it.
This was Silverring Academy's grand annual event, open to all first-level apprentices.
Rumor had it that the Assembly was held in another world, where apprentices underwent various trials and tests. In the end, the five most outstanding participants would be awarded a Perfect-grade Seed of Talent.
This was the most coveted treasure of all apprentices, on par with the meditation techniques used for advancement and regarded as one of the two most important things in a wizard's apprentice years.
*The so-called Seed of Talent is, in truth, a potion that catalyzes an apprentice's innate gift.
*Only a Seed of Perfect grade can guarantee that an apprentice will fully awaken their gift when advancing to the First Rank.
*Any lesser grade, no matter how excellent, cannot guarantee full awakening.
And such Seeds… even Silverring Academy, with all its resources, can only produce fewer than twenty a year. Of those, a mere five are allotted to the Assembly.
No apprentice desires one. Lynn was no exception.
He wanted a Perfect Seed of Talent.
The difference it made in advancement was enormous.
Some apprentices possessed gifts as mighty as towering trees, but if they relied on a flawed or mismatched Seed, what they ended up with would be nothing more than broken branches and withered leaves.
That would cripple not only their immediate strength, but also their long-term potential for further ascension.
It was worth noting, though, that a Perfect Seed wasn't necessary for everyone.
Many apprentices had only modest gifts, which could be fully awakened with nothing more than an Excellent-grade Seed or even a standard one, if the attributes matched.
The problem was that no one truly knew the strength of their gift until the moment of advancement.
So naturally, the higher the quality of the Seed, the better.
If it weren't so, Samuel, son of a First Rank wizard, wouldn't have planned as he did.
Unfortunately, I've only just advanced to a First-tier apprentice. My strength is still lacking. This year's Assembly is probably out of reach for me…
Lynn sighed softly, regret flickering across his face. But soon he straightened his thoughts.
Still… I can prepare ahead of time for next year's Assembly.
Besides, there's another matter…
The image of Wilfer surfaced in his mind.
He still couldn't be certain who had hired the assassin to target him.
But Wilfer remained the prime suspect.
With enemies hidden in the dark and so little information in my hands… the best answer is only one thing.
Strength.
Lynn focused his mind on his Silverring badge, pulling up the academy's course schedules.
If he became strong enough, he would have no reason to fear schemes or assassins.
The academy offered an overwhelming variety of courses for First-tier apprentices at any given time; dozens were available.
Roughly thirty percent were free, though they were always crowded. The rest required payment, and many of those were just as competitive to enroll in.
Lynn studied the options while reflecting on himself.
From his real experiences so far, his most useful ability wasn't even a spell, but rather Lucky's innate gift for concealment. It had saved his life more than once.
Unbidden, his thoughts drifted to the assassin from the previous night.
Perhaps… I should focus on learning a high-powered attack spell, then build my style around stealth approaches, strike from the shadows, and kill in a single blow.
Lynn mulled it over, but in the end shook his head.
Lucky's concealment was powerful, but it had one fatal flaw: limited duration. It couldn't serve as a reliable, everyday tactic.
At least, not while it remained at only mid-tier, Rank-0 level. For now, it simply wasn't sustainable.
As for his Emerald Shadow Mark, it still hadn't recovered. He couldn't create another thrall yet.
That said, after advancing to First-tier, he could feel its recovery accelerating; at least now it was no longer stagnant.
When exactly it would finish recovering, though, was impossible to say.
Regardless… no matter what path I end up building, it's clear I need to acquire a powerful offensive spell…
For now, stealth and reconnaissance were Lynn's strengths. Even defense and mobility would soon cease to be his weak points once he grasped the basics of Golden Mist Phantom; those flaws would disappear.
But when it came to offense, he was still lacking.
At present, Lynn's strongest attack was to rouse his Black Moon Blood Qi and combine it with his Rank-0 High White Crow Sword Aura.
Together, the two were potent enough to shatter most ordinary Rank-0 High defensive spells. But to call them truly powerful would be an overstatement; they were still a step behind.
Lynn carefully paged through the course schedule.
Unlike Hossens Academy, Silverring offered numerous paid spell courses.
Many official wizards would, for a price, teach apprentices their own specialty spells.
These spells were usually formidable. Even a casual glance revealed several that rivaled Golden Mist Phantom in strength.
Outside, such opportunities would be utterly unaffordable for an apprentice. But here, at Silverring, students could obtain them for mere dozens or at most a thousand or so contribution points.
Lynn's eyes burned with envy. Sadly, at the moment, he had only five contribution points to his name.
After browsing for a while, filtering out several that caught his interest, he opened the Missions module of his badge.
The academy's task board was even more abundant. Some were minor, like feeding magical pets. Others were massive, like participating in wars across worlds.
The reason was simple: the Silverring Academy task board was the largest commission platform in the entire Silverring sphere of influence.
As long as conditions were met, anyone could post a task there.
Of course, this also meant most missions rewarded only in stones or resources. Only those issued by academy wizards themselves offered contribution points as payment.
Lynn even spotted a familiar listing for the construction task at Evergreen Avenue, but the quota had already been filled.
Then suddenly, one particular commission caught his eye.
"Assist in experiment and decipher otherworldly transcendent knowledge…"
Otherworldly transcendent knowledge? Lynn leaned forward with interest, opening the mission details.
The commission came from a First Rank wizard of Silverring Academy.
Mission Description:
"This is a set of knowledge from another world, already more than halfway decoded.
A wizard apprentice is required to assist in practice and verification.
Requirements: First-tier apprentice, strong affinity for spells, diligent, and responsible. An assessment will be given on the first day.
Reward: 25 contribution points."
Lynn pondered briefly, then decisively signed up.
Ever since that stroke of luck when he'd stumbled upon the White Crow Sword Art, he had kept an eye out for such opportunities.
But items from other worlds were rare, and ones inscribed with knowledge rarer still. That windfall had been sheer fortune; he had never come across anything similar since.
Still, now that I'm here at the bustling Silverring Academy… in a new environment… perhaps I should spend some time exploring the markets.
Once he finished registering, Lynn removed his badge and slowly made his way to the meditation room.
There was another matter, one far more important that he needed to confirm.
After carefully checking every corner to ensure the room was ordinary, Lynn released the sense tied to his Black Moon Physique.
Back when he had first mastered the technique, he had faintly sensed a certain coordinate…
And that coordinate had pointed directly toward Silverring Academy.
At first, the sensation had been constant, always there, day and night. But as his body strengthened and his spirit grew more balanced, his understanding deepened.
The feeling wasn't simply "sensing." It was more like receiving.
As if some strange existence were constantly broadcasting its position.
And only those who had entered the path of the Black Moon Physique could pick up the signal.
Over time, Lynn had learned to control her senses. He had chosen to switch it off until now, when he reopened it.
In the darkness of the meditation room, Lynn stood still. Then, suddenly, his eyes flew open in shock.
He could feel the signal right beneath his feet.
No… it can't be that coincidental.
Frowning, he left the meditation room, testing the sensation in other places.
Before long, he had confirmed the truth.
What I'm sensing isn't a single point; it's an entire range.
He had walked out of his tower, gone over a kilometer in every direction, yet no matter where he stood, the location still pointed beneath him.
Either it's being interfered with… or the precision is too low… or else
The very city beneath my feet, Silverring City itself, is the source.
By now, night had fallen. Without the neon glare of his previous world, Silverring was far darker. Towering spires loomed in silence, like massive giants keeping watch. The glowing windows were their eyes, glimmering faintly.
A chill ran through Lynn's heart. He cut off the sense of the Black Moon Physique, drew his hood over his head, and returned quietly to his dorm.
...
White Stone Avenue, No. 79.
Lynn stopped in front of a villa and rang the bell.
Moments later, a refined-looking middle-aged man appeared.
"Good morning, sir. I am Lynn Kent, Silverring apprentice. I accepted commission number 2678," Lynn greeted politely.
The man nodded, his smile impeccable. "I have already informed Mr. Felicity. Please wait a moment."
Lynn's eyes narrowed as he examined the man more closely and suddenly realized.
He wasn't a man at all, but a magical automaton.
Behind his ear, a patch of silver-gray metal gleamed faintly, etched with delicate runes:
"Solant Automaton No. 006."
Solant… that must be Felicity's surname.
Lynn calmly averted his gaze, quietly waiting.
A moment later, Unit 006 smiled faintly. He pushed the door open, extended both hands, and said softly:
"Please step forward and present your Silverring badge."
Lynn nodded, removed the badge, and handed it over.
"Please follow me, Master Lynn." After verifying the badge, 006 returned it and led Lynn deeper into the villa.
They passed through a corridor and entered Felicity's laboratory.
The very first thing to greet Lynn was a naked male corpse, suspended in a pale green glass tank, his skin deathly white.
All around were similar tanks, some large, some small, each containing a corpse not only human, but also those of various magical beasts.
Following behind 006, Lynn soon laid eyes on Felicity.
He was a short, frail old man, hair white as snow, thick black-rimmed spectacles perched on his face. When Lynn entered, the man was still tinkering with strange silver-white mechanical parts laid out on the desk.
Lynn remained silent, patiently waiting. It was 006 who finally reminded him:
"Master, Lynn has arrived."
Felicity raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and scrutinized Lynn.
"Wait just a moment."
"Yes, Master Felicity."
Felicity resumed his work. He drew a lively hare from a crate on the table only to wipe out its life in the next instant with a brush of his hand, a wave of mental force.
Holding the lifeless body in his left hand, he ran his right index finger down its spine.
That finger had turned silvery-gray, sharp as a blade. It cut through flesh as though slicing butter.
Blood did not flow; some unseen force sealed the wound as the rabbit's white spine was exposed.
Felicity carefully fitted the silver component he had assembled onto the vertebrae.
Flesh closed rapidly around it, the wound sealing in the blink of an eye. Part of the silvery mechanism sank into the rabbit's flesh, while another part remained exposed as a gray line along its back, eerily similar to the marking behind 006's ear.
The dead hare's eyes snapped open. It stood once more, as if restored to life.
Lynn's eyes flickered. He glanced sideways at 006, wondering if this "man" had been created the same way.
Still… It's nothing more than a puppet without a soul.
Felicity, however, showed no joy. His brows drew into a deep frown. He tore the component from the rabbit's spine with rough hands and tossed the body into a waste bin.
Setting the device back on the table, he turned toward Lynn.
"Lynn Kent, isn't it?"
"Yes, Master Felicity," Lynn replied.
"I've read your file. From Hossens Academy, a foreign exchange apprentice?"
"Yes."
"My apologies, perhaps I forgot to specify in the posting. What I require is an apprentice raised from childhood under Silverring's system. Exchange students are not what I had in mind…"
Felicity's eyes narrowed. He stood and stepped closer, examining Lynn up and down.
"Your body has already been strengthened to the first-tier level?"
"…Yes." Lynn hesitated, then added, "Forgive me, Master Felicity. I must have overlooked that requirement. Since I don't qualify, I'll take my leave."
This wizard did not seem like a benign man. Lynn was already preparing to withdraw.
"No need." Felicity suddenly smiled.
"Stay."
"Master Felicity…"
"I said, stay."
Lynn's heart sank. But facing Felicity's serious, unwavering expression, he could only nod in agreement.
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