It's been about 9 months since he signed the contract. Now, it's crunch time for all the apprentices in his batch. If they haven't leveled up to become a wizard by now, it's time to pack their bags and leave the tower.
Some of his buddies decided to lock in their commitment early, just like him. They had to update their contract to the working contract. Others waited until the last minute to make the call. And then there were those apprentices who decided to keep their options open and not sign anything, preferring to keep their freedom.
But no matter which path they chose, they all got kicked out from the tower. Only the ones who signed up for the working contract get to come back once in a while by using their contribution points. As for those three smug jerks who made it to level 1 wizard? Yeah, they get to stay in the tower, lording it over the rest of us.
The way those three looked at the rest of us failures was so irritating. Seriously punchable faces. But whatever, he'll just brush it off. He can't afford to cause trouble here anyway. Plus, he can still get into the tower using his contract. And guess what? He's secretly a level 1 wizard too, ha! He actually leveled up ages ago, thank you very much. And his mana? It's off the charts, especially after these past 9 months. Just thinking about it puts him in a better mood.
He dutifully queued up with the rest of the contract updaters. Once he got his badge back, he made his way over to the mission hall to snag his long-term assignment.
So, those who signed up for the working contract don't get off easy. Nope, not at all. They gotta pick one of those long-term missions once they're out of the tower. And here's the kicker - the mission they're assigned to gets updated every 5-10 years until their 40-year contract is up. Talk about commitment, right? Why else would they call it a working slash slavery contract?
But hey, at least the mission assignments are kinda tailored to their skills. Like, he is pretty good with formations and arrays, so they threw him into this array and formation workshop gig. And get this, instead of paying the apprentices in cold, hard cash, they use these contribution points.
Now, these contribution points are like the new tower points. We can trade 'em for stuff like books from the library, access to the tower market, or even a ride on the teleportation portal.
But here's the catch - since they're not getting paid in cash, they gotta figure out how to make some extra dough on the side. A wizard's gotta eat, right? Luckily, their assigned jobs usually come with some side gigs they can hustle to earn some extra mana stones.
As he stood at the teleportation circle, ready to head off to his new assignment, he couldn't help but reflect on his time in the magic tower. It was like his whole life revolved around learning, meditating, going on missions, eating, and sleeping. Every day was packed to the brim with stuff to do, right up until the very end. Now that he's finally out, maybe it's time for him to kick back and relax a bit.
"Later, Tower!" he muttered as he closed his eyes, preparing for another teleportation journey. When he opened them, he found himself in a completely different setting. Unlike the usual forest spots he landed in, this time he was inside some kind of building.
Heading towards the only door in the room, he was greeted by a flurry of sounds, albeit muffled. A guy bowed to him, probably the caretaker or guardian of this teleportation spot.
Following the man outside, he was met with the bustling streets of Broughton, the largest fortress city in the southern region of the Fulminar Empire. This city stood as a massive stronghold guarding a major entry point from the Holy Empire.
His ultimate destination, Mossley City, was also a fortress city, although not as grand as Broughton. Situated to the east, Mossley, along with Carnighsby and Broughton, formed a trio of fortress cities safeguarding the border between the Holy Empire and the Fulminar Empire.
He casually hopped onto one of the caravans headed for Mossley. There was still plenty of time; the tower had given him half a month to make it to his destination. Traveling by caravan would take him around 7-10 days. Sure, he could sprint there in a day with his [Lightning Flesh], but where's the fun in that?
He'd mastered controlling his always-active [Lightning Flesh] spell and now, he just wanted to kick back and enjoy the journey.
He could afford to relax outside the tower. Firstly, his mana reserves were off the charts. Thanks to nine months of dedicated meditation and his improved mana-gathering formation.
Oh, and he can't forget to mention his special talent, the [Limitless Mana Well]. This bad boy can store up all his massive mana reserves, meaning the longer he lives, the more monstrous his mana becomes.
In fact, just by sheer volume, he's already reached late level 2 wizard status! Yeah, you read that right, level 2! Alright, alright, I know you must be dying to know his MP count. Brace yourself: it's a whopping 5284! Shocked? Flabbergasted? Ahem… sorry about getting a bit carried away there.
But hold up, he realizes you might not be familiar with level 2 wizard MP stats. So, let him break it down for you: newly advanced level 2 wizards typically have around 3000 MP, mid-level ones hover around 4000 MP, while late-level wizards hit the 5000 MP mark, and the peak level wizards soar past 6000+ MP.
Sure, his mana reserve looks impressive, but its purity can't quite match up to a true level 2 wizard's. Still, he's got the volume down pat.
And that's not all! He's already mastered all the spell patterns and formation books at level 0, and he's diving into level 1 now. Of course, he had to buy the level 1 spells he needed first. Just like at level 0, he's not learning as many spells at level 1. He figures since the spells' power level is the same, he can upgrade them himself once he's got the relevant spell patterns and formation knowledge down.
Oh, and since he's a tower member, he can borrow advanced versions of spells for reference. With all this under his belt, he's a true powerhouse, capable of outclassing any level 1 wizard. And who knows? Maybe he can even give those level 2 wizards a run for their mana.
He's not entirely sure though. He once attended an annual lecture by a level 2 wizard in the tower, and let him tell you, if level 1 is like a bomb, level 2 is like a freaking nuclear generator. And what's even scarier is how much control those wizards have over their mana. Even apprentices can sit in on their lectures. Watching that level 2 wizard's mana at work was like watching a nuclear bomb just chilling there, which honestly, is kind of terrifying.
Funny enough, he didn't have that gut feeling like he'd kick the bucket if he ever squared off against a level 2 wizard. His instincts had been pretty spot-on so far. He figured he could either hold his own or skedaddle out of there if it came down to a fight.
Currently, he was lounging in his rented carriage. He splurged on this one because not only was it roomy and comfy, but he could also pop the top whenever he felt like it. And of course, he rented the whole darn thing for himself. Apprentices might be short on mana stones, but they weren't exactly broke when it came to empire's currency. And as for him, well, let's just say he's gotten pretty good at rob.. cough relieving people of their coin.
Anyway, back inside the carriage, he used his hands as makeshift pillows while he lazily watched the clouds drift by. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue today. It was moments like these, when he took a breather from his hectic wizard life, that he could really appreciate his surroundings. His heart felt light and content. Heck, he could probably break out into song right now!
"Hmm mhmm mhm hmmmm!"
As he hummed some random cheerful tune, he caught wind of some commotion up front. Curious, he poked his head out of the carriage and asked the coach what was up. Turns out, a kid had darted to the front of the caravan seeking help.
Intrigued, he hopped out of his carriage and used his [Lightning Step] to step through the air up to the front. Oh, by the way, he was currently traveling incognito as the Blue Oni on his way to Mossley. Why not, right?
With a flicker, he appeared at the front and saw the coach of the lead carriage shouting at a child kneeling before them. Meanwhile, onlookers from the other carriages were urging the coach to get rid of the kid so the caravan could get moving again. They all had this look of disgust plastered on their faces as they watched the child.
Sure enough, the child had jet-black hair, a rarity in this Western European fantasy world. And "asking for help" was putting it lightly. The kid was practically screaming until his voice cracked. His body and face were like that of a skeleton, draped in rags. Scratches covered his arms and legs.
…
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Name: Zack
Age: 12/150 (300)
Occupation: Apprentice wizard
Contract: -
Hidden Contract: [Lightning Magic Tower - Member]
Mana: 800/800 (5284/5284)
Overt Talent: [Low Mana Manipulation Correction], [Low Mana Sensory Correction]
Hidden Talent: [Limitless Mana Well], [Advanced Mana Manipulation Correction], [Advanced Mana Sensory Correction], [Advanced Intelligence Correction]
Hidden Boss Abilities: [Hidden Strength] [Thousand Faces]
HBP: 0
HB Progress Bar: 0/100%
Expand Hidden Boss abilities Store? yes/no
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