Casphian threw himself into nonstop training for the following weeks, determined to sharpen his magic before the exam.
On the second day, his relentless practice finally bore fruit.
[ Ding! ]
[ Heightened Sense mastery has increased to D- ]
[ Quest Completed: Raise 2 Spells to D- Rank Mastery
Reward: +2 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Raise 2 Spells to D Rank Mastery - 0/2
Time Limit: 7 days
Reward: +2 SP ]
Casphian clenched his fist in satisfaction. "Good… step by step."
On the third day, he received an A+ Grade artifact and his level rose to 12.
[ Congratulations! You have obtained the Artifact: Veil of Confusion ]
[ Effect: Temporarily alters face and presence. It's a tool for perfect disguise and is undetectable without thorough inspection. ]
By the fourth day, his progress surged again.
[ Ding! ]
[ Mana Shield mastery has increased to D ]
[ Raise 2 Spells to D Rank Mastery - Progress: 1/2 ]
On the sixth day, after another grueling session, all of Casphian's spells advanced further.
[ Ding! ]
[ Fireball (E+) ››› D- ]
[ Fire Bullet (E+) ››› D- ]
[ Flare (E+) ››› D- ]
[ Heat Touch (E+) ››› D- ]
[ Blazing Arrow (E) ››› D- ]
[ Flame Wall (E) ››› D- ]
[ Fire Lance (E) ››› D- ]
[ Heightened Sense (D-) ››› D ]
[ Fire Affinity has increased to D ]
[ You have leveled up to 20 ]
[ Quest Completed: Raise 2 Spells to D Rank Mastery
Reward: +2 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Raise 3 Spells to D+ Rank Mastery — Progress: 0/3
Time Limit: None
Reward: +2 Unallocated SP ]
[ Quest Completed: Hunt 500 Monsters.
Reward: +5 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Hunt 1000 Monsters — Progress: 2/1000
Time Limit: None
Reward: +5 Unallocated SP ]
Casphian exhaled, sweat dripping from his forehead though his mana remained boundless. The power flowing through his hands felt sharper, cleaner, and more destructive than before.
It was then he noticed his funds rapidly running out. Practice required money since taxi rides and eating food chains near the hunting ground were piling up. He needed a stable source of income and funds to buy a tier 4 magic spell.
After researching, he discovered adventurers earned not only decent income from commissions but also additional profit from monster drops. All he needed was a way to hide his identity. That's how the Veil of Confusion came into play.
With the veil's power, Casphian crafted a new persona—an adventurer named Zero. This version of him wielded only fire magic, but instead of the common crimson flames, he used his bright blue flames that were mixed with some modernistic ideas. The striking appearance made him stand out while concealing his true self.
Zero's debut as an adventurer would soon shake the guild.
The following weeks unfolded in a whirlwind of growth and danger.
On the tenth day, he reached level 25 and all of his fire-type spells reached the mastery of D.
[ Fire Affinity has increased to D+ ]
[ Mana Shield mastery has increased to D+ ]
[ Raise 3 Spells to D+ Rank Mastery - Progress: 1/3 ]
On the thirteenth day, the roulette granted him something unbelievable:
[ Ding! ]
[ You have awakened the Magic Affinity: Water (S-) ]
"Finally. A good one..." He finally got a good reward from Universal Roulette. After pulling the Veil of Confusion, he wasn't able to get any other good rewards.
He decided to learn some water spells on the same day and by the fourteenth day he raised his water type magic spells mastery to E-. He quietly kept it hidden, experimenting in private while maintaining his Zero persona with blue fire in public.
By Day 15 his other identity surged in promotion after flawlessly completing several high rank missions above his league. This pushed the guild to re-examine his rank and they decided to give him a C+ license after the evaluation.
[ Ding! ]
[ Heightened Sense mastery has increased to D+ ]
[ Raise 3 Spells to D+ Rank Mastery - Progress: 2/3 ]
By noon of Day 15 he decided to purchase a tier 4 fire spell: Flame Surge.
[ Flame Surge —
Description: Deals AOE damage and has a chance to hinder movement and cause a negative effect — Burning.
Tier: 4
Mana: 150
Mastery Rank: F- ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Quest Completed: Learn a new Tier 4 Spell
Reward: +3 Unallocated SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Learn a new Tier 5 Magic Spell - 0/1
Time Limit: None
Reward: +3 Unallocated SP ]
By Day 18 Flame Surge and water spells reached a mastery of E+, and the rest of his fire spell arsenal increased to a mastery of D+.
His mastery improvement slowed down due to the number of spells to raise and the increasing exp required.
[ Ding! ]
[ Fire Affinity has increased to C- ]
[ Quest Completed: Raise 3 Spells to D+ Rank Mastery
Reward: +2 SP ]
[ You have received a Quest from the Magic System ]
[ Raise 4 Spells to C- Rank Mastery — Progress: 0/4
Time Limit: None
Reward: +2 Unallocated SP ]
By Day 20 his Mana Shield reached C-.
[ Mana Shield mastery has increased to C- ]
[ Raise 4 Spells to C- Rank Mastery - Progress: 1/4 ]
By the 22nd day, his masked alias achieved the unthinkable. During what should have been a C ranked dungeon, the mission revealed itself to be C+. His party was in disarray, but Casphian guided them through, unleashing a barrage fire spells.
The guild compensated the party and decided to promote Zero's rank again due to his undeniable achievements.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have leveled up to 40 ]
[ Congratulations! Your Adventurer Rank has increased to A Class. ]
Zero became the talk of the guild. Whispers of a mysterious masked adventurer spread across the city.
On the 24th day, Casphian finally accomplished what he had struggled with since the beginning of his adventurer journey—true mana control.
[ Ding! ]
[ Perfect Mana Mastery - Reward: +5 Unallocated SP ]
[ Spells destructive power has mildly increased ]
[ Fire, and Water affinity has increased ]
No longer did his mana leak wildly or surge out of control. He could suppress and release it smoothly, which will become a vital skill for the mana measuring test required at the entrance exam.
For the rest of the remaining days, he decided to focus on improving the mastery of Flame Surge and Water-type magic.
Day 27 Flame Surge and all his water-type magic reached the mastery of D+, Heightened Sense reached C-, and Mana Shield reached C.
[ Heightened Sense mastery has increased to C- ]
[ Raise 4 Spells to C- Rank Mastery - Progress: 2/4 ]
[ Mana Shield mastery has increased to C ]
[ Fire Affinity has increased to C ]
On the 28th day, he decided to rest and buy some things and clothes for tomorrow. By the time the academy's entrance exam arrived, Casphian had become two different people:
Casphian, the wannabe student of the Top Magical Academy in the City.
Zero, the infamous A-Class masked adventurer who commanded blue fire.
Standing at the academy gates, his heart beat with anticipation.
[ Entrance Exam - Commencing ]
-----------------------------
Updated Status Window —
[ Status Window -
Name: Casphian
Level: 40
EXP: 10230/20000
Title: A Class Adventurer
HP: 190(+310)
MP: ∞ (EX)
Magic Talent: EX
Magic Affinity: $?#@#\$# (EX) - Sealed, Fire (C), Water(S-)
[ Stats ]
Strength: 5(7)
Stamina: 11(8)
Agility: 6(9)
Perception: 9(7)
Unallocated SP: 42
[ Combat Skills ]
Tier 1 (Fire): Fireball (D+), Fire Bullet (D+), Flare (D+), Heat Touch (D+), Smoke Screen (D+), Blazing Arrow (D+)
Tier 2 (Fire): Flame Wall (D+)
Tier 3 (Fire): Fire Lance (D+)
Tier 4 (Fire): Flame Surge (D+)
Tier 1 (Water): Hydro Blast(D+), Water Bullet (D+)
Tier 2 (Water): Water Wall(D+)
Tier 3 (Water): Aqua Lance(D+)
[ Utility Skills ]
Mana Shield(C)
Heightened Sense(C-)
-
[ Quest List -
Learn a new Tier 5 Magic
Spell - 0/1
Time Limit: None
Reward: +3 Unallocated SP.
Raise 4 Spells to C- Rank Mastery — Progress: 2/4
Reward: +2 Unallocated SP.
Hunt 1000 Monsters - 67/1000
Time Limit: 30 days
Reward: +5 Unallocated SP ]
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