A week had passed since the first official lessons on Meditation and Basic Magic Theory.
It was already close to midnight. Inside his dormitory, Ivan sat cross-legged upon his bed, his breathing steady and his mind calm. Moonlight filtered through the window, painting the quiet room in a faint silver glow. Apart from the occasional rustling of leaves outside, the surroundings were completely silent.
Many things had occurred during the past week.
The first was the academy library.
With Nova's assistance, Ivan had successfully recorded nearly one-fifth of all the books located on the first floor of the White Ring Saint Academy Library. Although one-fifth sounded insignificant at first glance, the reality was completely different. The first floor alone contained tens of thousands of books covering thousands of categories and fields of study.
History, geography, modern economics, magical creatures, mythology, metallurgy, elemental studies, alchemy foundations, meditation theories, ancient languages, magical plants, plane exploration records, and countless other subjects were stored within its vast collection.
An ordinary person might not read five hundred books throughout their entire lifetime.
Even many official wizards primarily focused their studies on the path they specialized in or the fields that interested them. Very few people would spend their time attempting to absorb knowledge from every possible category.
Yet in little more than a month after arriving at White Ring Saint Academy, Ivan had already accumulated knowledge equivalent to several lifetimes of study for an ordinary person.
Although much of that knowledge remained unorganized and unmastered, the sheer size of his database was already astonishing. In terms of breadth alone, his foundation across countless fields was becoming more comprehensive than that of many official wizards.
The second major event was his breakthrough as an Intermediate Knight.
After continuously optimizing and cultivating the improved breathing method, Ivan had long since reached the threshold of advancement. However, when he first sensed the opportunity to break through, he also felt that his body had not yet reached its limit.
Rather than advancing immediately, he continued tempering himself. He repeatedly pushed his body closer and closer to perfection, attempting to squeeze out every last drop of potential hidden within the Low-Level Knight Realm.
Only after he could no longer make further improvements did he finally choose to break through.
The results exceeded even his expectations.
According to Nova's analysis, his current physical condition was:
Physique: 7.6
Agility: 7.8
Constitution: 7.9
Mental Energy: 3.9
Based on the information gathered from the academy library, Ivan's current physical condition was already comparable to an Intermediate Knight who had spent several years stabilizing and consolidating their realm after advancement.
However, the most surprising change was not his physical strength.
It was his mutated heart.
Following the breakthrough, the mysterious heart within his body underwent another subtle transformation. As a result, the duration of his Burst State nearly doubled. Ivan estimated that he could now maintain the state for close to twenty minutes before suffering serious backlash.
The side effects had also weakened considerably.
But those were not the most important changes.
After the mutation, Ivan discovered that his affinity toward fire seemed to have increased slightly.
The increase was not dramatic. In fact, it was quite minor.
Yet even a minor increase in elemental affinity was an extraordinary matter.
Whenever Ivan used his spiritual perception, he could vaguely sense the free-floating magical particles surrounding his body. Although he could not directly observe them, he could still feel their reactions toward his spiritual force.
Before the mutation, elemental particles corresponding to his affinities naturally responded more actively than others.
however, after the mutation, the fire-attributed particles became noticeably more responsive.
They gathered around him more quickly and lingered around him for longer periods.
And compared to before, they seemed significantly more active.
The improvement was small, but it was undeniable.
According to information gathered from the library, treasures capable of increasing elemental affinity were extremely precious. Most could not even be purchased through ordinary transactions and were usually exchanged only for resources of equal value.
After discovering the change, Ivan naturally suspected that it was related to the further mutation of his heart.
Unfortunately, his current understanding of wizard theory remained too limited to accurately determine the exact cause of the phenomenon or the long-term effects it might have on his future meditation.
Aside from cultivation, two additional foundational courses had also taken place during the week.
One was Basic Botany.
The other was Fundamental Elemental Studies.
Both classes had provided valuable information and further broadened Ivan's understanding of wizardry.
However, at this moment, none of those matters occupied Ivan's attention.
Because tonight's actions were far more important.
Tonight, Ivan intended to officially step onto the path of a wizard.
Ivan slowly opened his eyes.
A calm light flashed within them.
Although there was still nearly a week remaining before the academy's deadline, and he could have waited until the final few days to complete his Meditation Rune in order to maintain a lower profile, unfortunately, his wallet strongly disagreed with that idea.
During the past two weeks, his expenses had increased dramatically.
The breakthrough to the Intermediate Knight Realm had strengthened his body considerably, but it had also greatly increased his appetite. To maintain his cultivation and continue strengthening his physique, Ivan consumed magical beast meat almost every day in the academy cafeteria.
At the same time, he frequently visited the academy market. There, he purchased various magical materials, ordinary metals, low-grade resources, and numerous pieces of information regarding the academy market. He also acquired several reference materials that would be useful for his future research into alchemy and rune engineering.
When Ivan first entered White Ring Saint Academy and completed his registration, coupled with the magic stones he had given Olivia and his daily expenditures during the first few days, he possessed only sixteen magic stones alongside a modest amount of magic coins. However, after continuously purchasing materials, gathering information, and supporting his cultivation, only six magic stones and thirty magic coins remained.
For an ordinary Wizard Seed, such wealth would still be considered acceptable. Their daily expenses were relatively low, and most newcomers would not spend more than a few magic stones within several months. But for a future alchemist, this meager amount of resources was alarmingly insufficient.
According to the information collected by Nova, alchemists consumed resources at a terrifying rate. Whether constructing magical tools, researching materials, designing golems, or conducting experiments, every single step required enormous financial support and many talented alchemists began laying their foundations during the apprentice stage. Some designed unique magical tools, others specialized in alchemical equipment, while some created prototype golems and sold them to support their future path toward becoming official wizards.
The truly exceptional geniuses could even establish their own alchemy workshops before becoming official wizards. Such individuals were highly sought after by countless organizations and wizard factions. In truth, Ivan was not far behind them. With Nova's computational capabilities and the technological legacy left behind by the Orion Civilization, he possessed the potential to create mechanical legions, automated workshops, and war factories far beyond the imagination of ordinary apprentices.
Unfortunately, Ivan lacked one crucial thing.
Background.
He was merely the illegitimate son of a minor baron from a remote island kingdom. His identity was clean, almost like a blank sheet of paper. If he suddenly revealed advanced mechanical constructs, sophisticated robotic creations, or technologies far beyond his apparent level, suspicion would immediately follow.
At his current stage, he lacked the strength necessary to protect such secrets. Therefore, he needed time, sufficient status, a reliable backing, and most importantly, an enormous amount of resources.
That was why he had begun searching for methods to earn magic stones. After repeatedly visiting the academy market and gathering information from various sources, he eventually found a method that perfectly suited his current status and circumstances.
It was a long-term academy mission involving a magical creature known as the Poison Fang Spider.
This creature inhabited designated regions within the vast forests surrounding White Ring Saint Academy. Those forests were no ordinary wilderness. They served as training grounds specifically maintained by the academy. Different regions possessed different danger levels, environmental conditions, magical ecosystems, and resource distributions.
Wizard Apprentices frequently entered those regions to gain combat experience, gather resources, and learn survival skills.
From the academy's actions alone, it was clear that the academy understood one simple principle.
A flower raised within a greenhouse could never survive the storms of the wild.
No matter how knowledgeable a wizard became, they would eventually face dangerous magical creatures, hostile environments, unknown worlds, and countless foreign races while exploring and conquering other planes. Even research-oriented wizards were expected to possess a minimum level of combat capability.
After learning about the mission, Ivan immediately investigated it in greater detail. Initially, he had been somewhat excited. The mission rewards were generous, and the Poison Fang Spider possessed several valuable materials that could be sold within the academy.
However, after carefully examining the mission requirements, his excitement immediately vanished.
The mission area was located within the outer forest region known as the V7 Resource Zone.
According to academy regulations, only official Low-Level Wizard Apprentices were permitted to accept missions situated outside the academy's protected zones. Wizard Seeds who had not yet stepped into the Low-Level Wizard Apprentice Realm could only accept missions conducted entirely within academy territory.
The reasoning behind such restrictions was obvious.
The academy had no intention of allowing inexperienced Wizard Seeds to die meaninglessly in the outer forests before they could generate sufficient value for the academy.
Therefore, after repeatedly analyzing his situation alongside Nova and carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages, Ivan finally made his decision.
Tonight — He would advance.
Slowly, Ivan closed his eyes once more.
"Nova."
A soft mechanical voice immediately echoed within his consciousness.
"Yes, Master."
"Monitor all bodily conditions throughout the breakthrough process."
"Affirmative."
"Activate auxiliary support functions."
"Command accepted."
The familiar voice gradually faded away.
Ivan slowly regulated his breathing. His body relaxed completely as his consciousness descended inward. Moments later, the outside world disappeared entirely.
A familiar scene appeared before him.
His Soul Sea.
Looking at it once again, Ivan discovered that it remained much the same as before. A vast, glass-like spherical ocean stretched endlessly around him, its silver-blue surface calm and tranquil. Gentle waves of spiritual energy continuously spread across the expanse while countless ripples shimmered beneath its translucent surface.
The entire Soul Sea appeared stable, vigorous, and full of vitality.
After observing it briefly, Ivan focused his attention.
A strand of spiritual energy slowly condensed before him.
Holding that strand of spiritual energy, Ivan calmed his mind completely and began constructing the first Meditation Rune.