Chapter 181: Allen Wants to Forge His Own Magical Artifact
Kamar-Taj cafeteria.
Allen, the Ancient One, and Agatha sat at the same table.
Allen picked up a drumstick from his tray, licked the sauce off the top, and asked Agatha, "Want a drumstick?"
"No."
Agatha replied irritably.
You already licked it—who would still want it?
"Thanks."
Without hesitation, Allen reached over and snatched the drumstick from Agatha's plate.
Agatha was stunned—so he'd had his eye on her drumstick all along?
Her anger flared, but before she could say anything, Allen had already stuffed both drumsticks into his mouth, cheeks bulging like a hamster. By the time he pulled them out, only a pair of bones remained.
Still unsatisfied, Allen turned to look longingly at the Ancient One's plate.
"I am eating my drumstick."
The Ancient One immediately picked it up and took a big bite, as if afraid Allen might steal it.
Seeing his plan foiled, Allen lost interest and turned back to Agatha. "Do you eat vegetables?"
"Yes, I do."
Her tray still had some vegetables and rice, and Agatha didn't hesitate.
If she didn't eat enough at lunch, she might run out of energy during the afternoon spell class.
"Here you go."
Allen dumped all the remaining vegetables and rice from his tray onto hers, and said with concern, "My mount, you need to eat more fodder. One day, we'll gallop across the great plains together."
"…"
Agatha was speechless, nearly in tears, unable to comprehend how one crazy person could turn a meal into such a layered performance.
At least the food hadn't been touched yet.
The Ancient One smiled, thinking Allen was being petty.
Agatha had only mocked him once earlier, yet he kept finding ways to tease her.
The Ancient One asked, "This afternoon is artifact class. Each student is required to choose a magical artifact. Agatha, do you have any suggestions?"
Among the three, Agatha had studied magic from a young age. Consulting her could help avoid many detours.
Agatha didn't have much of a grudge against the Ancient One—her real frustration was with Allen.
Of course, since this was a rare opportunity to show off, she naturally adopted an air of superiority to flaunt her knowledge.
"There are many schools of magic. Kamar-Taj is more of an innovative school, favoring close-combat mages. The spells focus more on practical use rather than traditional elemental attacks. The benefit of Kamar-Taj's system is that ordinary people can make progress through long-term training, but ultimately, their achievements will be limited—they can never compare to those born with innate magical talent."
As she spoke, Agatha shoveled a bite of food into her mouth and continued, "The term 'mage' is a broad one. Witches, wizards, shamans, witch doctors, and priests all fall under this umbrella, each with different entry requirements. Witches need to awaken their bloodline naturally—like in my Harkness family, every girl is born a white witch. Wizards and shamans are a bit unique—they're born with spiritual perception, meaning they can see or hear supernatural phenomena invisible to ordinary people. They can then form contracts with deities or evil spirits to gain magical power."
"But I asked what artifact you recommend."
The Ancient One cut in, unimpressed. Agatha had gone off on a tangent without addressing the actual question.
The Ancient One wasn't particularly interested in the various magical traditions—after all, she was still just a student.
"When it comes to artifacts, I recommend choosing something for ranged combat. Women are naturally at a disadvantage in terms of strength, so direct confrontation is risky. I plan to choose a bow, paired with some enhancement spells. It could produce surprisingly good results." Agatha said proudly.
Before joining Kamar-Taj, she had pulled some strings to get insider knowledge.
Mastering five spells would allow one to pass the second trial and become a trainee mage.
Learning ten spells within a year, and developing a personal combat style using them, would earn the title of full-fledged mage.
As long as she didn't violate Kamar-Taj's rules, she would be a member for life.
"What about you, Allen?"
The Ancient One turned to Allen, who was licking his plate clean, unsure of her own direction and hoping for inspiration.
Allen set down the plate—now polished to a shine—and said seriously, "I'm going to forge my own artifact."
Pffft…
Agatha couldn't help but burst out laughing, spraying food, and ruthlessly mocked, "You think making an artifact is like forging a hoe? You need to first master the appropriate runes and engrave them into the item to make it resonate with magic. Runes are a hundred times harder than learning spells! In all of Kamar-Taj, there are only a handful of rune masters."
"Wanna bet? Loser becomes the other's pet," Allen asked with a shameless grin.
"No way."
Agatha flatly refused.
She was truly intimidated.
If she lost again, becoming both mount and pet, she'd have no face left in Kamar-Taj.
"Yao-mei, how about we make a bet?"
Allen turned to the Ancient One, who immediately lowered her head and busied herself with her food.
Seeing that neither of the girls would take the bait, Allen sighed and raised both hands.
"Righty, what kind of artifact shape do you like? Oh… something long and slender? You naughty thing."
"Lefty, you want it to vibrate? Maybe spin too? No way… I'm a proper mage!"
"…"
Allen held a full-on conversation with his left and right hands. Agatha stared in shock, her food forgotten in her mouth, finally realizing that this guy might actually be insane.
Afternoon, at the training ground.
Various magical artifacts were displayed on weapon racks in all shapes and sizes—most resembled cold weapons.
There were also armor-like artifacts.
Artifacts like the Cloak of Levitation, which had a will of its own, were classified as "treasures" and typically stored in the Sanctum, waiting to choose their master.
As the students hesitated over which artifact to pick, Allen picked up a pair of fans.
"Allen, those are called the Mage's Fans—a very well-rounded artifact," said a veteran mage in charge of the class, warmly explaining to Allen.
The white-haired mage had been watching Allen closely the entire time, as if the rest of the students didn't matter.
After all, the news that Allen could open portals without a Sling Ring had already spread throughout the Kamar-Taj community.
With such magical talent, he was widely seen as the most promising candidate for the next Sorcerer Supreme.
"I'm choosing for Yao-mei."
Allen walked over to the Ancient One, who was still struggling to decide, and said, "Yao-mei, I'm giving you these two Limitless Freedom Fans. Power is temporary—style is forever."
"…"
The Ancient One took the fans, deeply conflicted about whether to commit to training with them.
Switching artifacts mid-way would be a huge waste of time and might jeopardize her ability to pass the assessment.
"You want her to fan the enemy into a good mood, hoping they'll have a sudden change of heart?" Agatha seized the chance to mock Allen's decision.
Cough cough…
The white-haired mage cleared his throat and said disapprovingly, "The strength of an artifact lies in its wielder."
With a professional chiming in to shut her down, Agatha didn't dare argue, but her expression was still full of protest.
The white-haired mage took the Mage's Fans and gave a live demonstration.
With a flick of the wrist, the fans transformed into golden magical energy, their form elevated to another level.
He waved them in the air toward a distant boulder—BOOM—the rock exploded into pieces.
Then, the fans formed a full circle like twin round shields for defense, before retracting and morphing into a pair of short swords.
After the demonstration, he handed the fans back to the Ancient One and reminded her, "Explore the transformations yourself. They can be used at range or up close, for offense or defense—a truly exceptional artifact."
Then he turned to Allen with a smile, "Is there an artifact you'd like? I can recommend a few."
"Old man, being overly friendly without reason usually means you're up to something shady."
Allen crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively. "If you're harboring inappropriate thoughts, I'll beat you up."
"…"
The white-haired mage was left speechless in awkward silence.
Most Kamar-Taj mages spent their lives immersed in magic. Their minds were rigid, and they found it difficult to communicate with someone as erratic as Allen.
Once everyone had chosen their artifacts and began exploring their uses…
The white-haired mage suddenly realized—Allen had disappeared.
…
Library.
Determined to forge his own artifact, Allen went looking for the right books.
"Ugh…"
He closed one book in frustration—he couldn't read magical script.
Looking around, he spotted an old mage nearby resting with his eyes closed.
"Hey… old man."
Allen called out, "Is there a spell that'll let me read this stuff instantly?"
"Knowledge Charm."
Clearly annoyed by Allen's rude tone, the old mage coldly replied, "I'll demonstrate it once. Don't bother me again."
Normally, if a student asked politely, the old mage would cast the spell for them. But not this time—he intentionally made Allen learn it himself.
The Knowledge Charm was a high-level spell requiring immense willpower—most veteran mages couldn't master it in one go.
Many mages would rather learn a language, since magical books were often warded with enchantments to prevent unauthorized reading. One needed to not only know the script but be fluent in encrypted languages.
Then came the shocker.
Allen mastered the spell in one go, with the magical symbol glowing on his forehead as proof.
The old mage was dumbfounded.
This kid's a freak.
"What are you doing?" he asked, now genuinely curious.
Allen was flipping through a rune compendium, scanning for the inscriptions he needed. "I'm going to make an artifact—a really awesome one."
"A really awesome artifact!?"
This kid was crazy.
Runes were not something one could learn easily. They required a deep foundation in magic.
In the old mage's eyes, Allen was just a cocky, talented youth aiming too high too fast.
Still, people only grow after they fail—and Allen was about to learn that the hard way.
"Done!"
After flipping through a few books, Allen got to work.
He didn't need to study the whole rune system—just enough to build what he wanted.
Besides, he had no intention of competing for the title of Sorcerer Supreme.
The old mage abandoned his post at the library, went into astral form, and began tailing Allen out of sheer curiosity.
Word of Allen's endeavor spread quickly, with mages alerting each other through spells.
Unfazed by the growing number of invisible onlookers, Allen continued his work.
Among the students, only those like Agatha, born with awakened spiritual sight, could see the spirit bodies.
"Is he insane? Trying to forge his own artifact?"
"Overconfident. He needs to be knocked down a peg."
"Something's not right with his brain."
"…"
The mages watched the busy Allen and whispered among themselves.