On the other side, Colin was cleaning the stone house.
Ten days without occupants had allowed a thin layer of dust to accumulate.
Fortunately, he had also learned the Cleaning Technique, and although he couldn't cast it instantly, it was sufficient for cleaning purposes.
Soon, under the effect of the Cleaning Technique, the inside of the house became tidy again.
But Colin still had a headache.
He looked at the brown wooden door panel lying on the floor at the entrance and sighed.
It had been broken by Hayward last time and had been left there ever since.
It was the same as before his confinement.
Nothing had been stolen from home because there was nothing valuable inside, and what was valuable was locked further inside in the Meditation Room.
It was just giving him a bit of a headache.
You see, he didn't know how to repair doors, nor did he have the appropriate tools.
"It looks like I'll have to wait until the beginning of the month when the living supplies are delivered to ask for help with repairs," thought Colin.
But he quickly shook his head and chuckled softly.
"Perhaps I won't even wait that long."
There was still a week left until the end of the month, and he only needed five days to advance, after which he would no longer be living here.
After a moment of thought, Colin propped up the door panel and supported it with a stick, barely blocking the doorway.
That would have to do.
After all, if someone really wanted to, this wooden door wouldn't stop them.
He walked over to the window facing the sea and leaned against it.
During his confinement, he had suddenly realized that leaning by the window and watching the sea had inadvertently become a habit he couldn't let go of.
The sky was azure; the sea was equally azure; white clouds were in the sky and also reflected in the sea; he felt the touch of the sea breeze and found it refreshingly clear.
"I hope the place I live in afterwards will also have a sea view... and if there's a balcony, that would be best," he thought to himself.
*
*
*
Five days flew by in the blink of an eye.
In the Meditation Room, Colin slowly opened his eyes, and his gray Wizard Robe fluttered without any wind.
With a thought, pale gold particles gathered.
[Name: Colin Leonard]
[Rank: Intermediate Wizard Apprentice (1/100); Great Knight (19/100)]
[Meditation Method: Apprentice Circulation Meditation Level I (25/100); Sunlight Breathing Method I (60/100)]
[Witchcraft: Ignition Technique I (52/100); Condensing Water Skill Level 1 (41/100); Light Brightness Skill I (54/100); Cleaning Technique (26/100); Steel Armor (60/100); Arrow Shooting Skill (60/100)]
[Skill: Basic Level Magic Crystal Making—(Bright Crystal Making I↑ (100/100))]
[Limit Breaking Points: 18]
The curve of his mouth gradually widened, and Colin smiled silently.
After a while, when he had calmed his emotions, he had another thought.
Instantly, a white light flashed as an invisible armor covered his entire body.
The Steel Armor and Arrow Shooting Skill had been advanced by him to 60/100 during this time, meaning he could cast them instantly.
Colin carefully felt the changes after his advancement.
Moments later, he removed the Steel Armor and then picked up an arrow that he had bought earlier, aimed at the target made of kitchen firewood in the corner of the Meditation Room, and used the Arrow Shooting Skill.
The metal arrow shot out swiftly and with a clang, embedded itself in the wood!
He did this with every witchcraft skill he knew, and finally came to a conclusion.
The most direct sensation after advancing was the increase in Magic Power; his body now had at least five times more Magic Power than he did at the Basic Level.
Even having cast all the witchcraft he knew once over, he had used up only a tenth of his Magic Power.
Moreover, although he was casting the same witchcraft, it was noticeably stronger than at the Basic Level.
This was not hard to understand: Advancing was like changing the core, and although it was the same witchcraft being run, the output power was entirely different, and naturally, so was the effect.
......
The next day, dawn broke gently.
Colin got up early, packed his things, and prepared to report his advancement to the Central Castle.
The weather wasn't great today; looking out, the sky was overcast with clouds, and it looked like it would rain soon.
The Wizard Territory was overall a square, with a huge castle in the middle where the Wizard Lap lived.
Usually, those who advanced would report to the instructor on duty on the first floor of the castle.
The Basic Level Apprentice residential area, however, was on the edge of the Wizard Territory, about a ten-minute walk from the Central Castle.
Colin did not know what arrangements would come after his advancement, so this time he did not hurry to pack everything. He just took the bee sting and some metal arrows for self-defense.
Walking on the road, the residential area was still deserted. The stone houses here were not built densely, and there were quite a few of them—probably around two to three hundred.
But now there were likely fewer than one hundred people living here, most of whom were busy studying and cultivating.
Thus, it was common to walk on the street without seeing a single soul.
Colin strode quickly along the main road in the middle of the residential area.
As he passed an alleyway, his footsteps couldn't help but pause for a moment.
"This seems to be the alley where Jeff was beaten up last time."
The thought of Charlie's unusual behavior crossed his mind, and he contemplated going in for a look.
But soon, he shook his head and decided to keep moving forward.
Swoosh!
Just then, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from behind!
Colin's pupils shrank, and in the nick of time, he violently leaped to the right, while with a thought, he activated his Steel Armor.
Bang!!
However, the incoming arrow flew with such speed that even a Great Knight's agility could not fully evade it.
The arrow grazed the outside of his left arm, and the half-formed translucent Steel Armor flickered violently before ultimately shattering,
The arrow's residual power even broke through the Great Knight's Blood Energy Armor, leaving a shallow wound on the skin of his arm.
While activating the Steel Armor again, Colin turned around to look.
Behind him was an empty stretch, only neatly arranged stone houses on both sides... no person, no follow-up attack.
He suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and hastily inspected the wound on his left arm.
The wound was not deep, and fresh blood was slowly oozing out, a normal bright red.
Colin breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, a wave of dizziness abruptly overwhelmed him!
His complexion changed drastically, a flood of thoughts raced through his mind, and with a flicker in his eyes, he collapsed heavily onto the muddy ground.
The sky was covered with dense clouds, the air oppressive, and apart from the wind, the world was silent.
It was unknown how long it had been.
Charlie slowly emerged from an alley, holding a now-useless crossbow.
He looked at Colin lying on the ground, a surge of exhilaration rising in his heart.
He had waited a full five days, finally catching Colin as he left his home.
Had it not been for the crossbow having only one shot, making an in-room attack less likely to succeed, he would have preferred a direct in-room assault.
He carefully stored away the now-useless crossbow, feeling somewhat pained.
That crossbow had cost him over twenty magic stones!
Most of the magic stones he had scrounged from other apprentices had been spent on this.
However, as long as he could successfully take Colin to the master, it would be worth it!
This one-use "Sleep Crossbow" needed only to hit its target, and even a graze could plunge a Basic Level Wizard Apprentice into deep slumber.
To counter Colin's Steel Armor, he had even had a Sharp Rune inscribed on it... now it seemed all to be worthwhile.
Charlie quickened his steps to approach; he did not want to be discovered by the Patrol Team like last time.
Whoosh!
A sound of air being torn passed through!
Puchi!!
Charlie instantly lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.
He looked at the large hole pierced through his knee, then at Colin, his face in disbelief.
It took him a moment to clutch his right leg, groaning in pain.
"Did it shoot off-target..."
Colin frowned slightly, slowly propping himself up against the wall.
His original aim was for the chest... but hitting the knee was acceptable.
After all, his head was still spinning; hitting the target was not easy.
He looked at Charlie on the ground, hesitating for a moment, then retracted the arrow he had prepared to finish him off and switched to a noise arrow the seller had included as a bonus.
Holding it in hand, he pointed it skyward and activated the Arrow Shooting Skill.
Wheeze!!
The noise arrow friction with the air produced a piercing sound.
Charlie's face gradually turned ashen, and sweat beads formed on his forehead.
He thought of running away but simply could not stand.
He wanted to counterattack, but intense pain prevented him from using witchcraft... besides, Air Missile was no match for Colin's Steel Armor defense.
Soon enough, a figure in gray robes quickly approached Colin from the distance, a golden badge on his chest sparkling in the light.