39 Slime
Regarding the last item, which was the metallic ore the size of a fist, after taking a moment to identify it, Nicolas realized it was Magic Iron.
With proper smelting, refining, and forging, weapons made from this ore would outshine standard iron weapons, exhibiting improvements in sharpness or penetration capability. Among mortals, this was an incredible treasure, but among Apprentice Mages, who possessed supernatural powers, it was merely a mediocre item.
After briefly examining all the items, Nicolas picked up a magic book and began to read. Actually, he didn't feel like immersing himself in the atmosphere of magical knowledge research. But he needed to diligently utilize every second he had.
When his Spiritual Energy was full, he would practice magical spells. Though he could solidify useful spells with the help of the Chip, he still needed to practice them. Additionally, he had the ability to learn a skill. Whether it was 'Mastery in Spellcasting,' 'Spellwalk,' or even 'Crafting Marvelous Items,' all were excellent options for him.
Only by intentionally strengthening a specific skill could he obtain abilities that would complement his current skills, allowing him to survive the next mission.
'Mastery in Spellcasting' was a skill that decreased the casting time of an Apprentice Mage. He only needed to recite up to 80% of a spell, then it would be cast automatically. Though it only reduced the casting time of a spell by 20%, it was a prerequisite skill for the 'Quicken Spell' ability.
The value of the 'Quicken Spell' ability was enormous for Elemental Mages. But it was beyond Nicolas's current abilities.
'Spellwalk' was the Apprentice-level skill Nicolas desired the most. It allowed an Apprentice Mage to cast a spell while moving. Without it, whether it was an offensive or defensive skill, he could only cast them while standing still.
Thus, this skill was mandatory for all combat Mages.
'Crafting Marvelous Items' was a necessary skill for those Apprentice Mages who wanted to invent medicines, artifacts, or magical equipment. Only by mastering this skill could someone further develop their abilities in crafting magical items.
As for the process of obtaining these skills, most magic books didn't mention it in detail. However, they all mentioned the term "Will of the Mage World." Nicolas had always been skeptical about this.
No matter what kind of knowledge or techniques someone knew, as long as they could practice them diligently, the body would remember it and eventually become second nature. But depending on the feedback from the "Will of the Mage World," someone could obtain some mysterious skill without doing anything. It was like a pie suddenly falling from the sky and landing perfectly in someone's hands. Nicolas didn't understand how this could be.
Could this limitless world really have its own will? Was there some supreme deity dwelling in this world, paying attention to every individual living within its body, and when the individual did something it approved of, it would reward them at the right time?
If such a being really existed, what would it be like? And where did it hide? Furthermore, what kind of ability did it have that allowed it to surpass everything and control this universe?
However, regarding this extremely mysterious and obscure will, Nicolas couldn't guarantee that it didn't exist. After all, the Mage World where he currently lived was a large-scale Plane surrounded by a vast magical ocean. With such a large amount of abundant magical energy, it was not surprising to see all kinds of mystical events occur.
Therefore, before discovering the forces behind this mystical world, he had to maintain a reverent and respectful attitude towards everything. And that was the correct attitude for an Apprentice Mage seeking knowledge and universal truths.
Nicolas continued copying knowledge from the book into his database until he was left with 1 point of spiritual power. Then he stopped 'reading.' He couldn't use all of his spiritual power because the Fire Arrow spell was in the process of "optimization" and would consume 1 Spirit point every day.
He looked out the window and saw the dark sky. He quickly realized it was already past midnight.
Nicolas closed the book, feeling tired, got up, stretched his body, emitting sharp sounds as he yawned. Then he went to bed.
But he wasn't going to sleep yet because he hadn't completed his daily meditation!
So, within his calm and silent room, his breathing slowly became stable as his conscious soul immersed itself in the spiritual world, which was full of bright 'spots.'
This was one of the sad realities Apprentice Mages had to deal with.
Every day, from the moment they opened their eyes, they would have to face a busy schedule. Even when they finally returned to their beds after being completely exhausted, what awaited them were not sweet dreams, but rather dull meditation. And only by meditating every day could they gradually increase their spiritual power.
However, as the candles inside the Tower extinguished one by one, eventually leaving the tower in complete darkness except for the faint moonlight that could penetrate through the mist and clouds above the tower, a strange figure suddenly appeared on one of the outer walls of the Tower.
An almost perfectly perpendicular wall; numerous hidden and mysterious magical formations, but none of them were obstacles to him as he still crawled around the tower at a faster speed than any ordinary man. From his movement, you could tell he had a target in mind. He continuously passed by many open windows, never stopping once, as he moved from shadow to shadow at an incredible speed.
He wasn't the type of shadowy creature that could freely jump between shadows, but his extremely high agility gave him fantastic mobility. To him, walking on the perpendicular wall of the tower was like walking on a flat road, and he could do it all without making a sound. He was like an assassin thriving in the shadows.
Finally, she found her target.
With a leap, the figure quickly hung outside the narrow window, hiding her body in the shadow where no light could reach. It seemed like she was listening to something.
No sound could be heard in the room except for steady, prolonged breathing. Obviously, the Apprentice there was in deep meditation. An Apprentice Mage in a meditative state was defenseless. As long as a thief, or someone of a similar profession, could stealthily enter his room, they would be able to easily kill an ambitious future Mage.
But clearly, the figure hanging outside the window was an experienced person, as she didn't jump into the window impatiently. She carefully examined the window.
Quiet! Silence! As still as death!
Everything around her seemed perfectly normal, but for some unknown reason, a sense of apprehension grew within her.
She felt nothing, yet had a premonition, coming from the depths of her strange lineage, as if there was something truly dangerous waiting inside the window.
Although she truly hated this cursed lineage, which made her part human and part inhuman, as a fairy who had undergone the awakening of her lineage, she had absolute confidence in anything that came from her lineage.
That bastard dared to go against her that day and now was in deep meditation, seemingly defenseless. This Mage Apprentice was truly careless!
In the dark shadows below the window, fragments of a bizarre smile could be seen in a pair of bright eyes. Topel gracefully waved her arm, tossing a round object the size of a fist at the narrow window, then she immediately transformed into a black dragon and melded into the dark night, beating her wings and flying away.
Just as the round object passed through the window, a magical formation, hidden on the inside of the window, was triggered.
"Buzz~"
A blue 'Stun Thunder' swept instantly through the area where the round object had passed. As it was electrical energy, even if she doubled her speed, Topel wouldn't be able to avoid this trap. Not only that, in the darkness of the room, some bizarre and colorful magical spells suddenly shot out from an empty space, instantly hitting the round object, which had safely passed through the Stun Thunder trap.
After all, the round object was merely a hard shell made of common clay. It couldn't withstand so many spells and thus broke immediately!
The outer shell was shattered, revealing a gelatinous slime trapped within. It was actually a living creature, and a human face could be seen on its light green body, which seemed to be formed of mud, human waste, and foul water.
"Oh shit, it's the Slime!"
"Damn, it's the slime..."
"Everybody run..."
As experienced Apprentice Mages, they all recognized this "creepy" demon, which was truly famous in this Magic Marsh. Those who had experienced its terrifying ability would be impressed with the sorrow. During normal days, if anyone encountered it in the Magic Marsh, they would definitely steer clear of it. This included the three strongest.
Because it was the nastiest demon living in the marsh: the Slime.
The Sludge was a super nasty demon with a soft, flexible body. It looked like a strange organic object with soft, viscous tissue, jagged teeth, and a pair of eyes. Its light green body looked like a pile of mud, but was actually more gelatinous.
Its offensive strength was so weak that one could simply ignore it. But it had a 'creepy' ability that brought sorrow to those who faced it: 'Acid Retch'.
This strange creature contained a certain amount of Luminite within its body, but it was tainted by chaotic force. If any object or creature was touched by its 'bile', they would suffer a bit from its corrosive acid... but there was its incredible and frightening stench.
This foul smell couldn't be removed by any magical spell. Those who came into physical contact with this 'acidic bile' would have to endure it for ten to fourteen days! During this period, any object touched by the man would also acquire the stench.
Just imagine, if an Apprentice Mage, who had touched this 'acidic bile', tried to have a meal, even if it was the most delicious delicacy in the world, it would smell like shit soaked in foul water for a thousand years. The torture, the ridicule from people avoiding him like a plague... would simply drive an Apprentice Mage mad.
And now the Slime, which had previously been trapped in a hardened clay shell, was broken by the spells of these Apprentices. So what happened next was a very amusing scene!
As the light green acidic liquid spread throughout the room, sounds of vomiting immediately echoed.
"Ma-... blagh... Topel... urf..., I... urgh... like you... braffffff..."
An extremely tragic and furious roar came from the mouth of Leader Apprentice Manel. But before she could finish, her voice was drowned out by the loud noise of vomiting.
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["I have about 750 chapters written. I just need to translate and make them available to you, dear readers. But for that to happen, I need the Webnovel platform to pick up my book. Once it's contracted, I'll do a bulk upload."]
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100 power stones = 2 chapters
300 power stones = 3 chapters
500 power stones = 5 chapters
