Preparation

*** Zack POV ***

So, Zack, clueless about the fact that his learning journey had been under the radar of the level 2 big shots, found himself in a bit of a pickle. Picture this: he was standing in front of not one, not two, but three level 2 powerhouses, with Malcolm thrown into the mix. These level 2 bigwigs were chilling in their seats around a table, Zack and Malcolm on the opposite side.

Zack was currently poring over the contract Malcolm handed him. It was pretty much a carbon copy of the one he had signed when he leveled up to wizard level 1, but with a few tweaks.

The biggest change? Whether Zack had nailed the advancement or not, once he got his hands on the advancement method, he was a card-carrying member of the lightning magic tower for life.

Secondly, no more mandatory missions for Zack. Instead, he was on the hook for giving a couple of lectures a year. Oh, and there were all the nitty-gritty details about his monthly salary points and whatnot.

Before putting mana to paper, Zack did his due diligence, making sure there weren't any sneaky loopholes that could bite him in the butt later. Once he was satisfied, he sealed the deal. Just like before, the contract glowed before shooting a ball of light straight to his mana heart, then zipping up to his forehead. It was game time.

A split second later, he felt his old constraints snap like twigs, replaced by a new, tighter leash. It was definitely more uncomfortable than when he had inked that level 1 deal. But hey, Malcolm had already briefed him - this contract was the souped-up version. It was practically fused with his soul, hence the extra-strong hold. So yeah, feeling a bit more chained up was par for the course.

Once Zack had done reading through the contract, those level 2 big shots stood up and breezed out of there, dropping a casual bombshell that they would swing by to witness his upgrade in a month. Zack's inner monologue went something like, 'Seriously? You old timers got nothing better to do than watch a dude level up? First off, it's sketchy having someone potentially mess with my advancement, and secondly, buzz off!'

He let out a heavy sigh, but hey, he had to keep those thoughts locked up tight. Trust was key here, and he had to trust those level 2 bigwigs. Plus, there were no vibes of hostility from them, so maybe it would all work out just fine.

*** Cedric POV ***

"Surprising indeed," Cedric remarked as they strolled together, Evangeline and Archibald by his side.

"It's true, we expected him to advance to level 2, but not this quickly," Evangeline chimed in.

"And he seems quite confident too. Let's wait and see what unfolds in a month. A mind as sharp as his wouldn't likely act recklessly," Archibald commented.

"Agreed," Cedric nodded, glancing between Evangeline and Archibald.

He pondered how the outside world might perceive Evangeline and Archibald, perhaps seeing them as sworn enemies. Yet, that couldn't be further from the truth. All three had signed a contract binding their souls to the magic tower, fostering an unbreakable trust. They understood that any action taken, even in competition, would ultimately benefit the tower. Thus, when Archibald lost, he gracefully relinquished his position as head of the tower.

Though factions beneath them may assume discord, the trio recognized the value of healthy rivalry within the tower, fostering competition without crossing the line.

With nods exchanged, Cedric headed to his post in the library.

*** Zack POV ***

So, after Zack had done sealing the deal with that contract and bidding adieu to the level 2 big shots, he followed Malcolm's lead to the library. Malcolm guided him to this closed-off room tucked away in the library, a room decked out with all sorts of level 2 magic circles. And because leveling up to 2 was no joke, there were also books filled with stories from past seniors who'd been through the ringer.

Now, in the level 1 magic circle room Zack had checked out before, there was just one book summarizing the whole process. But here in the level 2 room, there was a whole treasure trove of knowledge - a book breaking down the general process plus all those personal anecdotes from seniors who'd been there, done that.

Malcolm bounced, leaving Zack to his devices with a friendly reminder: pick your magic circle, then report back to base within a month. Oh, and his badge got VIP access to this room for the next month.

Zack sifted through the shelves and landed on the magic circle for the [Heaven Step], which was basically the souped-up version of his trusty [Lightning Step]. But here's the thing: his own creation, [Hermes' Shoes - Talaria], didn't have a matching magic circle. No worries though, he picked the closest thing to it, the base model of his creation, [Heaven Step].

As he eyeballed the blueprint of the magic circle, he noticed it had that same funky structure as the level 1 version - not quite a spell pattern, not quite a formation, more like a 3D sphere than a flat circle.

Zack figured he could whip up his own magic circle by the weekend, but he had to keep up appearances by hanging out in the library until the end of the month. Little did he know, his smarts had already been clocked by those level 2 big shots.

Snagging a few more magic circles, he beamed the contents straight to his badge. Thank goodness these books were freebies, he could stash 'em all in his badge if he wanted. But once this advancement gig was up, all that info would get wiped clean from his badge, except for the circle he'd chosen. Just like last time.

As Zack strolled past the library's exit, he spotted Sir Cedric, the library guardian, catching some sleep in his chair. Mouth hanging open, drool sliding down his chin - classic Cedric. It was hard to believe this sleepyhead was a top-notch level 2 wizard. Imagine a booze-loving warrior in a martial art flick - that was Cedric in a nutshell. But hey, drunk or not, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Zack smirked, brushed off Cedric, and headed back to his room. Door sealed shut, he let out a sigh of relief.

Phew, Zack breathed a sigh of relief. He had been walking a fine line back there, on the verge of losing his cool. If those level 2 big shots or Malcolm had kept dragging their feet on his advancement, Zack seriously thought about taking drastic measures. He had toyed with the idea of confronting those level 2 powerhouses, maybe even diving into their mana hearts for the method, or going full wrecking ball on the library until he found what he needed.

But deep down, he knew it would only spell trouble for him in the end. Still, it just went to show how desperate he was to level up. His mana heart and Fannie couldn't wait any longer.

***

For a solid month, Zack had been doing the library shuffle, bouncing between those magic circles and his room, soaking up all that level 2 wizardry like a sponge. Between cramming in those circles, he had been diving into the experiences left behind by the past wizards.

About three weeks back, he had managed to whip up his very own magic circle. Now, he was just flipping through as many circles as he could, taking mental notes to pass along to Fannie. He couldn't stash the whole book in his badge, but his brain was like a steel trap, so remembering everything was a piece of cake.

Right then, he was reviewing back the general setup of these level 2 circles. Just like the level 1 versions, these bad boys were split into two parts: the wall magic circle and the core magic circle.

The wall circle beefed up the walls of the mana heart and slurped in mana from the outside, while the core circle was like the brains of the operation. It also purified and compressed the wizard's mana, making it all shiny and potent.

But here's the kicker: apart from storing the wizard's innate spell, the level 2 magic circle came with an extra perk - it acted like a code library for spell patterns. Picture this: it had sections chock-full of the most common level 2 symbols. When a wizard poured mana into one of these symbols, it was like magic - literally. It would instantly create either the level 2 symbol itself or spit out the corresponding level 1 symbols, ramping up the casting speed big time.

Recalling this feature, Zack also remembered the extra perk his level 1 spell pattern had scored him after getting cozy with that funky infinity symbol in his mana core. Turns out, his level 1 magic circle got a boost that was pretty darn similar to the level 2 circle's perk. Talk about a revelation! He had no clue his magic circle could level up all on its own, mirroring the functions of the level 2 circle.

And that's why Zack was able to pull off his God Series spells with even more complex patterns than most level 2 spells. These babies packed a punch, requiring Zack to basically mimic or match the effects of a level 2 spell using just level 1 symbols. While a normal level 2 spell might have clocked in at 1000 symbols, Zack's God Series spell boasted a whopping 10,000 symbols.

But let's circle back to those level 2 magic circles. According to the wizards' past experiences Zack had been devouring, once these circles were up and linked to the mana core, they synced up with the level 1 circles. Picture this: two circles intersecting, spinning in opposite directions, forming this trippy ball-like shape. This ball wrapped around the wizard's mana core like a cozy blanket.

But get this - the book even included a video showing off the end result, with the mana core and magic circle doing their synchronized dance. Zack was left a bit speechless. I mean, a book with the ability to store and play a video? Was this some sort of sci-fi or magic story?

Shaking off the sci-fi vibes, Zack turned inward. He wasn't sure if his level 2 circle would play nice with his level 1 circle, especially since his level 1 magic circle setup was a bit of a wild card. But hey, he was rolling the dice on the fact that the basic structure was the same, so they should sync up just fine. With a final flip of the book's pages, he headed off to the mission hall to give them the lowdown.

At the mission hall, he bumped into the same lady he had dealt with before. He shot her a nod and a smile, then stated his purpose. She blushed and avoided eye contact, muttering that she would get in touch with her supervisor.

Zack couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he scratched his cheek, thinking, "Ah, the struggles of being this handsome," with a hint of narcissism in his tone. But let's be real, Malcolm wasn't exactly a slouch in the looks department either, despite Zack teasing him about being a bit pudgy and bald. Seriously though, beauty standards in this world were off the charts!

Soon enough, Malcolm rolled in, and Zack fell in step beside him. They made their way to the practice hall, cruising past those advancement rooms Zack had visited previously and delving even deeper. Finally, they hit a small room with two doors: one dead ahead, and the other off to the left.

Malcolm spilled the beans - the door straight ahead led to the advancement room for wizards gunning for levels 2 and 3. It was decked out with the primo mana-gathering setup, directly hooked into the tower's main mana flow. During Zack's stint in there, the mana concentration was cranked up to 50 times the usual level, and it could hit a whopping 100 times if Zack suddenly pulled off some serious mana absorption.

Malcolm dropped the bomb that Zack had a two-month window to level up, and whether he made the cut or not, he had to bounce after that. Same drill as when Zack hit level 1.

With all that spiel out of the way, Malcolm scooted off toward the left door, leaving Zack itching to know what was behind it. He had a pretty solid guess though - if Sir Cedric was planning to swing by and watch Zack's advancement like he mentioned before, this was probably where he would be posted up.

Since Zack couldn't spot Sir Cedric lurking around everywhere, it was a safe bet he was tucked away in that left room. And knowing his luck, the folks in there were probably getting a front-row seat to Zack's big moment in the advancement room.

But hey, curiosity killed the cat, right? Zack was just itching to know what was up. Still, he had to keep his eye on the prize - his own advancement. Sure, he was pretty darn sure he was gonna nail it, but there was always that tiny voice whispering, "What if?"

With a deep breath, Zack swung open the door in front of him and stepped into a colossal chamber decked out in shimmering green jade stones, casting a soothing, gentle glow. Instantly, his mind settled, and his thoughts sharpened.

And whoa, talk about a mana party! The air was practically thick with the stuff, swirling around him like a mist. Breathing it in, Zack felt his whole body buzz with energy. Tower, you fancy thing, you! This advancement room was living up to its rep, with all these fancy effects.

Eagerly, Zack strode over to the mat smack dab in the center of the room - clearly the spot where wizards got down to business. He plopped himself down, crossed his legs, slowed his breathing, and shut his eyes, diving deep into his mana core. It was showtime.