Without even realizing it, he had become the person he once aspired to be.

"Well, now..."

Zelir couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, an indescribable sentiment welling up inside him.

’It feels like a lifetime ago...’

The cheers in the Martial Arts Arena continued until Instructor Marvin waved his hand, signaling for silence. The crowd slowly quieted down and began to disperse.

"Alright, come with me, Zelir." Instructor Marvin led Zelir away from the Martial Arts Arena.

Along the way, nearly every Mage they passed turned to look at Zelir. He turned every head.

After the initial rush of pride and ambition faded, Zelir still found it hard to get used to all the attention.

"You’ll have to get used to it."

Walking along the Mage’s Guild’s quiet, tree-lined path, Marvin noticed Zelir’s condition.

"A sixteen-year-old Junior Mage... At this rate, you’re on par with that genius from the Imperial Capital, Kane. It’s normal for people to stare."

"I still think it’s better to be low-key," Zelir said with a helpless smile.

"Your talent has nothing to do with being low-key."

Marvin smiled. "Sometimes, it’s not a bad thing to stand out."

The two of them entered the General Affairs Office. Instructor Marvin walked straight to the counter and had the perpetually drowsy Elder Mage upgrade Zelir’s badge.

"Zelir..."

The Elder Mage picked up Zelir’s previous white badge, carefully examined the information on it, and frowned.

"Marvin, are you mistaken? He was only promoted to Magic Apprentice last month."

"He was just promoted to Junior Mage. I oversaw the assessment myself," Marvin said calmly.

Hearing this, the Elder Mage’s drowsy eyes widened.

He sat up straighter, craning his neck to look at Zelir behind Marvin with an expression of utter disbelief.

’There are more and more geniuses these days...’ the Elder Mage muttered before settling back into his seat.

He busied himself behind the counter for a moment, then placed a money pouch and a new badge on its surface.

The Magic Apprentice badge was a small, white jade token. The Junior Mage badge was also made of jade, but it shimmered with a faint purple halo, looking far more elegant and distinguished.

As he pocketed the twenty Gold Coins, Zelir felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

His savings had now reached seventy-five Gold Coins.

At the end of the month, he would receive his twenty-gold-coin stipend. After that, he just needed to do a few quests, and he would have a hundred Gold Coins.

"Oh, right..."

Zelir suddenly remembered something. "Instructor Marvin, I wanted to ask... what are the requirements for becoming a Middle Level Mage?"

Marvin stared at Zelir for a moment, then smiled.

It was a broad smile, one that carried a sense of fond exasperation, as if to say, ’What am I going to do with you?’

"I bet you’re more concerned with how big the monthly stipend is for a Middle Level Mage, aren’t you?"

"Well, it’s not just that. I’m interested in all of it..." Zelir said.

Instructor Marvin led Zelir to the Room of Serenity.

"The promotion from Magic Apprentice to Junior Mage is considered the initiation process, so the focus is on the technique and speed of your Magic Manipulation."

"But becoming a Middle Level Mage is different. It requires comprehensive development. Both your Magic Power Strength and your Magic Manipulation Level must be raised."

"The first requirement is meeting the standard for Magic Power Strength."

As he spoke, Instructor Marvin placed his hand on the same Crystal Pillar they had used before to test Magic Power Strength.

The previously dormant Crystal Pillar suddenly lit up with a blue light from within. The light began to surge upward, quickly surpassing two meters and continuing to climb.

Then, the blue light gradually transformed, its color deepening until it became a profound purple.

"To qualify as a Middle Level Mage, your Magic Power Strength needs to reach this point." Marvin withdrew his hand, pointing to where the purple light had stopped.

Zelir tilted his head back and estimated the height with his eyes.

’This height... it has to be at least three meters, right?’

That was nearly double the height of his own previous test.

"Second."

Instructor Marvin held up a finger. "You must master one form of Level Four Magic."

"Level Four Magic? That doesn’t sound too hard," Zelir said.

After all, he had already mastered three types of Level Four Magic. ’Does that mean I just need to focus on increasing my Magic Power Strength?’

"A Level Four Multi-layered Spell Structure Magic," Marvin said with a smile.

Zelir froze at the term.

’Multi-layered Spell Structure Magic...’

’That’s right. Until now, all the Magic I’ve encountered—from the simple Fireball Skill to the complex Fog Flowing Gauze—has been built on a single-layered Spell Structure.’

He had never even seen a Multi-layered Spell Structure Magic before.

Those kinds of Spell Structures, pieced together from multiple facets, had exceptionally complex circuits. The difficulty of casting them increased exponentially. If one’s Intelligence wasn’t high enough, they were incredibly difficult to execute.

"And finally."

Instructor Marvin revealed a slight smile and mentioned the one thing Zelir cared about most. "Upon passing the assessment for Middle Level Mage, you’ll receive a monthly stipend of one hundred Gold Coins."

This reward left Zelir thoroughly impressed.

He once again gained a profound appreciation for the Mage’s Guild’s immense wealth.

’One hundred Gold Coins... I need to hurry up and level up.’

"So? Are you motivated now?" Instructor Marvin asked.

"Extremely motivated," Zelir replied.

"Hmph..."

Marvin chuckled. "That’s just the most basic reward. The benefits of becoming a Middle Level Mage go far beyond that."

"There are other perks?" Zelir asked, astonished.

"Of course. After becoming a Middle Level Mage, you’ll be allowed to enter the Secret Storage Room and select one item of your choice."

"The Secret Storage Room?" Zelir asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yes."

Marvin’s tone was skillfully persuasive.

"You can think of it as the Black Stone Town branch’s personal treasury. It houses Magic Items the Guild has accumulated over many years through various channels. Every single piece is incredibly precious."

"For example...?" Zelir was completely hooked.

"For example, certain Memory Crystals that contain the sealed, complete mental projection of a past Elemental Master casting an Advanced Multi-layered Spell Structure Magic. That is a priceless treasure that can significantly speed up your learning."

"Or an Eagle Eye Ring forged by the Ancient Elves. Wearing it would give you vision and motion tracking on par with the most elite Rangers. Anyone trying to ambush you from the shadows would have nowhere to hide."

"A Small Bottle of Magical Spring Water, concocted from extremely rare materials. Its effect is simple: it permanently increases the maximum amount of Magic Power your sea of consciousness can store."

"There’s also a Cat’s Eye Pendant that enhances the wearer’s memory and comprehension, making your study of Magic Spell Structures twice as effective."

"Of course."

Marvin spread his hands.

"If you’re not interested in those functional items, there are also plenty of more straightforward things..."

"Things like High Tier Demon Cores, or precious materials that have long vanished from the market. The variety is so vast, the only thing to fear isn’t that you won’t find what you want, but that you’ll be too dazzled to choose."