But now...

Magic Power flowed from the Spring Seed. Zelir carefully guided it, tracing a predetermined path.

The Magic Power was no longer as difficult to control as before. It flowed smoothly, speeding through the complex, interwoven layers of circuits!

As the Magic Power flowed through more and more of the structure, a wondrous, visible change occurred in the air around Zelir.

Wisps of translucent, mist-like Magic Power began to seep from Zelir’s body.

But they didn’t dissipate into the air. Instead, guided by Zelir’s will, they began to weave around his body in a high-speed, orderly fashion!

Finally, when the Magic Power successfully completed a full cycle of the Spell Structure within his sea of consciousness...

"HUMMM..."

A soft resonance sounded, and a hazy, ethereal, mist-like halo of light enveloped Zelir’s entire body.

Fog Flowing Gauze, successfully cast!

’Excellent!’

Zelir clenched his fist in excitement.

This Guardian Force Field wasn’t a tangible entity. It looked ethereal and illusory, not even obstructing Zelir’s line of sight.

Zelir drew his Foil and tried to cut his own forearm.

Something magical happened. When the blade touched the Guardian Force Field, it was as if it had sunk into a viscous mire.

The force, originally directed straight down, was dispersed in all directions by the Fog Flowing Gauze, causing the blade to constantly deflect.

Moreover, the harder Zelir pushed, the stronger the force-dampening effect became. The two forces were now locked in opposition.

’So this is the deflection and dampening of physical kinetic energy...’

Zelir retracted his Foil, sighing in amazement.

This seemingly fragile gauze could actually nullify physical attacks.

Zelir’s confidence instantly swelled.

If he’d had this Force Field active during the fight with the Drake Squad, he wouldn’t have even been injured and could have wiped them out much faster.

However, maintaining this Force Field also consumed Magic Power. It wasn’t a one-and-done Shield but required a continuous infusion of Magic Power.

He would have to be mindful of that in battle.

Zelir dispelled the Magic, and the halo surrounding him vanished.

In any case, his ability to stay alive had now been greatly enhanced.

After testing Fog Flowing Gauze, there was another matter on Zelir’s mind: the Healing Skill he had learned from Instructor Manlin.

The Healing Skill, just like the Extraction Skill, belonged to the Empowerment Magic System.

And he had personally confirmed that day that he couldn’t learn the Healing Skill Magic from a Scroll.

Now, Zelir’s Intelligence Attribute was high enough to support his use of Level Four Magic.

’So... can I actually use it?’

Zelir closed his eyes, and the Spell Structure of the Healing Skill appeared clearly in his mind.

He began to channel his Magic Power, letting it flow along the path.

The result was unexpectedly smooth.

There was no sense of rejection whatsoever. As the Magic Power flowed through the new circuits, it felt even easier than casting Fog Flowing Gauze. A light green ball of light appeared in Zelir’s palm.

Zelir’s guess was correct. Technique Celestial Calculation truly had a unique mechanism that could bypass Scrolls, allowing him to become a Full Element Mage!

Zelir opened his eyes, the delight in them impossible to conceal.

He steeled himself, drew his Foil again, and after a moment of mental preparation, slashed it across his forearm.

"HISS..."

A sharp, stinging pain shot through him. A gash appeared on his forearm, and blood slowly trickled down.

Zelir immediately dropped the Foil and, enduring the pain, began to channel the Healing Skill.

The soft green light glowed once more, filled with a pure, life-giving aura.

The ball of light merged into Zelir’s wound. Just like when Instructor Manlin had healed him, the pain instantly subsided, and a comfortable sensation spread throughout his body.

The wound, which had been bleeding, immediately stopped. Muscle tissue began to regenerate, and the severed skin started to knit together from both sides toward the center.

The entire process took less than a dozen seconds. A wound that would have normally taken days to fully heal had now vanished without a trace.

Zelir rubbed the spot vigorously. It was as good as new.

"Ha..."

He could barely contain the smile on his face.

To say his combat power had doubled after advancing to Junior Mage would be an understatement.

His Casting Speed and Magic Power Strength had increased dramatically, and his Mana cap and Magic Power recovery rate were also enhanced.

On top of that, thanks to the effects of the Magic Contract, his physical constitution was also much stronger than before.

And with the two spells, Fog Flowing Gauze and Healing Skill, his survivability had skyrocketed...

’This is awesome!’

Moreover, Zelir remembered something else.

If he could pass the Guild’s Junior Mage assessment, his monthly stipend would skyrocket from a single Gold Coin to twenty!

Today was the 27th, and the Harvest Moon was not yet over.

If he passed the assessment during the Harvest Moon, he would immediately receive twenty Gold Coins. Then, in a few days when the next month began, he would get another twenty.

That meant he could get forty Gold Coins for doing nothing, just by lying around.

Added to his current savings, he was already very close to his goal of One Hundred Gold Coins...

Zelir looked at the piece of White Wax Wood in his hand.

’I can finally buy a decent, ready-made Magic Wand.’

...

The Mage’s Guild.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of a Silver Blaze Tree, casting dappled spots of light on the stone path.

Zelir was in a particularly good mood today, and his steps were light. As he passed the round, stone building that housed the library, he saw a familiar figure.

It was Bev.

She was walking out, hugging several heavy, ancient-looking books. It seemed she was taking them back to study.

"Hey, Zelir!"

Bev saw Zelir at the same time. With her hands full, she couldn’t wave, so she just pouted and puffed up her cheeks.

"Bev."

Zelir smiled and walked over, naturally taking half of the books from her arms to lighten her load. The two of them walked side by side along the tree-shaded path.

"Are you trying to move the whole library home?"

"I have no choice! The instructor assigned a ton of homework on Rune Circuits, so I have to do research..."

"So you’re really planning to become a research-type Mage," Zelir said.

"Of course! I told you, didn’t I? One day, I want you to be able to use Magic that I created."

Bev shook out her tingling hands. "Speaking of which, I haven’t seen you around the Guild for a while. Were you out adventuring again?"

"Ahaha... I’ve just been busy with quests," Zelir said.

"I heard all about it, you know."

Bev blinked her sapphire-blue eyes, her tone filled with admiration.

"Last time, when Instructor Marvin was assessing Riley for his Junior Mage exam, he also gave you a few pointers, and you had a sudden epiphany right then and there."