Approaching him was a male apprentice, recognizable by his signature green hair and the eerie eyeball tattooed prominently on the back of his right hand—it was Chris Wright, who had ranked second in the morning assessment.
Chris rested his eyeball-adorned right hand on Carter Beer's shoulder, all three of his eyes fixed on Carter, and spoke in a chummy tone, "You've been quite the surprise. Quiet as a mouse, yet you outperformed everyone. Come on—did you stumble upon some unique training trick?"
Carter glanced at that bizarre eyeball, then shook his head honestly. "No, I just keep practicing as hard as I can every single day."
"Ha ha ha!"
Chris burst out laughing, a hint of mockery in his voice. "I mean no harm, really. But that answer is so fitting for someone from a farmer's background—honest, naive, seeing the world as if it's that simple."
"With all due respect, though, that's not going to cut it. If hard work alone was enough, everyone in this world would be a wizard, wouldn't they?"
"The wizarding world runs on adventures, resources, and good luck. A single treasure or a stroke of fortune could save you years—maybe even decades—of mindless grinding."
Carter said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
In some ways, Chris wasn't wrong. The wizarding world was full of precious resources that could drastically boost one's progress; sometimes, months or even years of painstaking training couldn't compare to the effect of a single magical fruit or a vial of potion.
That's why tales of ordinary apprentices stumbling into ancient ruins, finding a powerful wizard's inheritance, and rising to fame were so common here.
Choices matter more than effort.
In the wizarding world, that was a harsh truth.
Carter scratched his head, looking as if he didn't fully grasp Chris's point.
Chris shrugged. "It's fine if you don't get it now—you will, eventually."
He paused, then continued, "The real reason I'm here is to give you a gift."
Carter frowned in confusion. "Me?"
He and Chris barely knew each other—they'd crossed paths a few times, but that was it.
Chris nodded, cutting to the chase. "Here's the thing: Richard found some ancient ruins in the Red Mushroom Grove a while back, when he was out on a gathering mission. We're putting together a team to explore them."
"Your wyvern would be really useful for scouting. So we want to invite you to join us. Interested?"
Another pause, as he added with a tempting lilt, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. No one knows what's hidden in those ruins—we might dig up a magical artifact or two, and that'd set you up for life. Way better than wasting your time grinding, right?"
"Ruins?" Carl's eyes lit up. "So the rumors are true?"
Word had already spread. Just that morning, Carter and the others had been talking about how an apprentice had stumbled upon ancient ruins while gathering materials.
"Absolutely," Chris confirmed, then turned to Carl and the other apprentice. "What about you two? Any interest in joining?"
Carl was clearly tempted, but he said he needed time to think. Subaru, however, shook his head firmly—he said he was too busy cultivating magical plants to spare the time.
Exploring ruins wasn't just about the rewards; the risks were enormous. It was true that some apprentices had turned their lives around by finding treasures in ruins, but far more had lost their lives there, buried forever under stone and dust.
For apprentices like them—who hadn't even mastered basic spells—venturing into ruins was way too soon.
"What a shame," Chris said, turning his gaze back to Carter. "How about you, Carter? Made up your mind yet?"
Subaru's brow furrowed—he was terrified Carter would agree on the spot. He turned to speak up, ready to decline on Carter's behalf.
Carter noticed Subaru's movement. But if Subaru turned down the invitation for him, it might make Chris resent Subaru, sparking trouble. So Carter decided to speak up first, before Subaru could say a word.
He shook his head. "I can't go, Chris. I just took on a job grafting thorn flowers with dragon snake fruits. I won't be able to leave the tower for the next few months."
He was well aware of the risks of ruin exploration—risks he wasn't ready to take, not yet.
"I see..."
Chris looked clearly disappointed, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't convince Carter to skip his assigned task (and risk punishment from the tower) just to join their expedition.
So he nodded. "Alright, then. Maybe we'll get a chance to work together next time."
"Carl, take all the time you need. Just come find me whenever you're ready."
With a quick farewell, Chris left.
As soon as Chris was gone, Subaru let out a sigh of relief. He hurried over to Carter. "Thank goodness you didn't agree! I was so worried you'd say yes on the spot."
Carl, still looking confused, asked, "What's the big deal? It sounds like a good opportunity."
Subaru rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? We're way too weak to go exploring ruins—especially ruins outside the protected area! The Red Mushroom Grove is no joke. If we run into danger out there, we won't even know how we died."
Carl finally realized his mistake, his eyes widening. "Oh! I didn't even think about that..."
"You fool," Subaru muttered, then turned to Carter, his tone serious. "Carter, you have to remember—this isn't your little hometown village. The wizarding world is full of dangers. You have to watch your step every second. Greed without the strength to back it up will only get you killed."
Carter nodded earnestly, taking the advice to heart. "Got it. I'll remember that."
...
Heed good advice, and you'll never go hungry.
Early the next morning, Carter headed to the tower's Study.
This was where the tower stored its knowledge—all the books and scrolls distributed to apprentices were collected here. It was also where apprentices could buy additional magical knowledge, if they had the means.
Knowledge obtained from the Study was strictly non-transferable. Anyone caught selling or trading it would face severe punishment.
And it wasn't just the Study's rules—even when apprentices created their own spells, most trades came with binding contracts. Break the contract, and you'd be cursed or suffer magical backlash.
Knowledge was invaluable in the wizarding world. No wizarding organization would let it spread freely.
"I'd like to exchange this for..."
Carter pulled out the Knowledge Badge he'd earned from the assessment. The badge allowed him to exchange for one piece of low-level magical knowledge—though it had to be related to his primary area of study, as chosen when he first became an apprentice.
The tower's training was always tailored to an apprentice's initial path. Most of the resources and knowledge an apprentice received later would align with that chosen direction.
Carter chose to exchange the badge for Elementary Magical Plant Transformation. It was an advanced follow-up to Basic Transformation, and required at least a Level 2 proficiency in Basic Transformation to learn. The book taught how to modify various magical plants in the wizarding world; once mastered, it would let Carter transform magical plants ranging from elementary to mid-apprentice level.
He'd thought long and hard about this choice. Transformation magic was expensive, after all. If he jumped straight into modifying creatures, sourcing materials would be a nightmare—he'd have to hunt magical beasts, which was dangerous and risky.
Magical plants, though? Their materials were much easier to obtain. Collecting most low-level magical plants didn't involve any real danger.
"I'd also like to buy these," Carter added, after collecting the first book.
He purchased two more pieces of knowledge: Basic Supernatural Breeding and the 0-Ring Spell Model, Shadow Touch.
The first one—Basic Supernatural Breeding—cost 20 魔石 (Magestones). Raising a familiar wasn't easy; without the right knowledge, it was impossible to unlock a familiar's full potential. He'd worked hard to transform that Fire Drake into his familiar—he wasn't going to let it go to waste.
As for the Shadow Touch spell model? He was preparing for the assessment in three months. He still wanted to give it a shot—after all, moving into the inner ring of the tower a month earlier meant access to far more resources.
That spell alone cost him 65 Magestones. Spell models were always the most expensive type of wizarding knowledge—they were the physical manifestations of a wizard's accumulated wisdom, the very core of magical power.
"Poor again..."
Carter winced as he checked his nearly empty pouch. He'd barely had time to hold onto that small fortune in Magestones before it was gone. It was true what they said—being a wizard was a never-ending drain on one's wallet.
"Ah, well. As long as I've gained new knowledge, it's all worth it."
He shook his head, pushing aside his frustration. Magestones were just possessions, after all. The real treasure was the knowledge he'd learned.
His gaze drifted to the data panel that only he could see:
[Detected knowledge carrier: Elementary Magical Plant Transformation. Automatically loaded.]
[Elementary Magical Plant Transformation Lv0: 0/300.]
[Detected knowledge carrier: Basic Supernatural Breeding. Automatically loaded.]
[Basic Supernatural Breeding Lv0: 0/100.]
[Detected spell model: Shadow Touch. Automatically loaded.]
[Shadow Touch Lv0: 0/300.]