"Really slow..."
Though Carter Bale knew meditation was no easy feat, seeing his proficiency only increase by 1 point still exceeded his expectations.
It had already been over two hours since he started meditating—two hours of non-stop effort, and all he had to show for it was a single point of proficiency.
And this was only at Level 0. From what Carter had experienced before, the higher the level, the more proficiency was required to advance.
Worse still, he had no idea how many levels it would take to max out this meditation chapter.
Ordinary knowledge-based skills like Basic Modification usually only had three levels, corresponding to First-Tier Initiate, Second-Tier Proficient, and Third-Tier Mastery.
But cultivation-focused skills had no fixed level cap. For instance, the Prologue to the Meditation Chapter he'd practiced earlier had five levels, which Carter deduced corresponded to the five senses that needed tempering during cultivation.
"The chapter says 初级 meditation mainly involves meditating on ten basic implantation runes—does that mean there might be ten levels total?"
"Tsk... So it's not an exaggeration to say it takes decades or even a century to become a wizard..."
The leap from low-dimensional life to high-dimensional life was never easy. According to the records in the books, the average time it took for an apprentice to advance to a wizard exceeded fifty years.
And that was the lucky ones. In reality, most apprentices never made it past the apprentice stage—trapped in ignorance, confusion, despair, and eventually giving up, until their life force was exhausted and they died of old age...
These apprentices weren't even worth a mention in historical records; the world would leave no trace of them.
Of course, there were occasional prodigies who could complete the transformation from apprentice to wizard in a decade or even a few years—but those were rare exceptions with extraordinary talent, having nothing to do with ordinary people.
"Keep going!"
Carter clenched his fists and silently encouraged himself.
Compared to other apprentices, he was already fortunate. At the very least, he could see real-time feedback every time he cultivated. Other apprentices could only fumble alone on an uncertain path with no clear future, while he could clearly see the road beneath his feet.
All that was left now was unwavering persistence and relentless effort...
...
Carter chose the Fairy Tavern as the venue for his treat.
It was a well-known tavern in the Shadowlands, built inside a massive oak tree and only accessible through a unique secret passage.
The tavern's behind-the-scenes owner was a wizard, who kept many forest fairies here—hence the name "Fairy Tavern."
The prices here weren't too high, and the food was quite tasty, so it was a popular spot for apprentices to gather for meals.
That night, at the Fairy Tavern.
"Three glasses of Fairy's Kiss, one serving of Oak Whisper, one serving of mashed potatoes, one serving of forest deer meat, and some bizarre mushrooms... Hmm... That should be enough for now; we can order more if we need to."
A cute, palm-sized fairy with dragonfly-like wings fluttered away, pulling the menu behind her. These fairies, once highly aggressive, had been repeatedly tamed by wizards and now worked as competent waitstaff, keeping the entire tavern running smoothly.
Carter leaned back on the sofa, his gaze following the flying fairy to the surrounding scenery.
The tavern was crowded tonight, mostly with slightly older young apprentices—both men and women. Under the soft glow of the enchanted forest crystal lamps, they chatted, drank, and exchanged flirtatious glances.
The path of a wizard was extremely dull and lonely. Most apprentices who had just stepped into this world couldn't adapt yet, so they sought outlets for their frustration. The simplest and most effective ways were undoubtedly alcohol and sex.
Under the numbing effect of alcohol, the hippocampus—the part of the brain that stores memories—gradually fell asleep. At this point, intimate contact with the opposite sex would let hormones take control, flooding the body with dopamine.
All thoughts of cultivation, knowledge, and power would fade away; the boredom accumulated from long hours of training would vanish, leaving only wave after wave of unrestrained release.
Having a glass of Fairy's Kiss here and sharing a one-night stand with someone they knew or didn't know was a favorite pastime for many young apprentices.
The wizarding world had an open atmosphere—most male and female wizards didn't hold rigid views on loyal love. After all, in the eyes of many wizards, everything should serve the purpose of cultivation, and sex was no exception.
"Hey, what's wrong? Have you been captivated by some beautiful girl?" Subaru noticed Carter staring 失神 ly and grinned. "Want me to go over and strike up a conversation for you? With how impressive you were today, I'm sure quite a few girls would be interested in you."
Before Carter could speak, Karl beside him burst out laughing unapologetically: "Haha, a novelty? Is that it?"
Most of the people here were young apprentices who had only recently arrived in the wizarding world, still carrying the labels of their former lives in the human world. So besides being a "curiosity," a "stupid peasant" like Carter wouldn't attract any girl's interest.
Subaru glared at Karl: "Watch your mouth—are you mocking our treat-payer?"
Karl shrugged, barely holding back his laughter: "Fine, fine. Carter, which pretty girl has caught your eye? I'll go introduce you."
Carter shook his head: "No, thanks. I don't have any interest in that right now."
To stop the two from teasing him endlessly, he quickly changed the subject: "I was thinking about the Inner Circle Apprentice Assessment. What are your plans? Are you going to participate?"
Hearing Carter's question, Subaru's brows furrowed slightly: "I want to, but the chance of passing is too low. I'm worried that if I fail the assessment, I might even get hurt during the mission—that would be a huge loss."
The Inner Circle Apprentice Assessment was conducted in the form of a mission, which might involve combat and carried certain risks. Jumping into it without enough strength was dangerous.
"I'm not going to participate," Karl said straightforwardly, without hesitation. "I only fused my Wind Demon Wolf bloodline recently, and it'll take me a long time to activate the innate abilities in the bloodline. Going to the assessment now would be pointless—I have no chance of winning."
"Instead of wasting time, I'd rather focus on the next assessment. It'll only be three to five years at most, and by then, my spells should be ready. That'll be the perfect time to take the assessment."
Karl's thinking was shared by most apprentices. After all, they had only been at the Tower for a short time, and the spells they'd learned were still far from mature. The probability of passing the assessment now was really low.
"What about you, Carter? You look like you're planning to participate?" Subaru asked.
Carter nodded: "Yeah, I want to give it a try."
Subaru pondered for a moment and offered advice: "Well... it's your decision to make. But if you do decide to go, you should start preparing right away."
"With three months' time, if you train your Fire Drake Lizard well, it should awaken at least one innate ability. That way, you'll have some basic combat power, and you won't be caught off guard during the mission."
"But that's still not enough. Didn't the Tower reward you with some magic stones? You could go to the Book House and see if you can buy a practical spell model. Oh, but with only three months, I don't know if you'll have time to learn it—time is just too short..."
Pausing for a moment, he added a warning: "But no matter what, if you decide to go, you must be careful. If you really don't feel confident, it's better to give up than to push yourself too hard."
"We have plenty of time ahead of us—there's no need to rush."
Carter nodded: "Got it."
"Apprentice Carter!"
Just as the two were talking, a voice suddenly called out from behind. Carter turned around and saw an apprentice walking toward him—their expression suggested they had something to say...