The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 43: Mana Stones

Hutson forced a small smile and said, "Not much better than you guys, barely found anything."

Miken, who had been sweating profusely from exhaustion, seemed relieved at that answer. "That’s normal. It’s your first time—you’ll get better at it."

Hutson nodded absentmindedly, though his mind was elsewhere.

He glanced at his storage ring—inside lay fifty-five Sleeping Mushrooms.

And with them, a potential problem.

If he turned in this many at once, it would be far too suspicious.

Few, if any, apprentices could harvest this many in a single day—it would definitely draw attention.

"I need to be discreet about this."

Exchanging them all at once would invite questions. Splitting them into five separate trades might lessen suspicion, but it would still attract notice if done too quickly.

Still, waiting too long wasn’t an option—he needed mana stones now.

Hutson’s immediate goal was to earn enough mana stones to learn additional Zero-Rank spells.

Most First-Class Apprentices only knew one or two spells.

Second-Class and Third-Class Apprentices usually had a few more, but even they rarely mastered many.

Hutson had AI chip.

With it, he could learn spells at a far greater speed—his biggest advantage.

The more Zero-Rank spells he mastered, the more tactical options he would have in combat.

He had already set his sights on learning:

Ice ShieldMana Shield

More defensive spells meant greater survival.

The apprentices waited at the station until the Hellhoof Beasts arrived to take them back.

The ride was silent, save for the occasional flicker of flames from the creatures’ burning hooves.

Upon arrival at the Northern Woodlands station, Miken turned to the group.

"Are you heading to the Administration Hall to exchange your mushrooms?" he asked.

Sunny shook his head. "I’ll wait until I have ten. Gold isn’t worth it."

Miken nodded. "That’s the best strategy. Tomorrow, we can go again—"

"I won’t be joining you," Hutson interrupted. "I have other things to take care of."

He didn’t want to spend too much time with them.

His efficiency in finding Sleeping Mushrooms was far too high—if he stuck around them, eventually, they would start asking questions.

Miken didn’t seem too bothered, simply shrugging it off.

In the wizarding world, it was common for apprentices to prefer working alone.

Hutson parted ways and returned home.

The next morning, Hutson arrived at the Administration Hall.

The Moonlit Woodland administration had a dedicated counter for its official missions—Sleeping Mushrooms were exchanged here.

After considering his options, he made a decision.

"I’ll turn in fifty all at once."

If he spread out the exchanges over multiple days, it would still raise questions—unless he waited weeks.

But waiting too long meant delayed rewards—and he needed mana stones now.

As long as Miken’s group didn’t see him, he would be fine.

If someone still noticed...

Hutson exhaled.

Then I’ll just deal with it when it happens.

After a brief wait in line, he reached the counter.

"I’m here to submit Sleeping Mushrooms," he said.

A young man, Andru, sat behind the desk.

He was an apprentice wizard himself, likely working this job for extra income.

Moonlit Woodland often offered administrative positions to apprentices who passed certain exams. The pay was decent, and the work was relatively easy.

Andru barely glanced up. "Alright, let’s see them. How many?"

"Fifty."

Hutson pulled out a small basket from his storage ring, revealing the pile of purple mushrooms.

Andru blinked in mild surprise.

Fifty was a lot.

Not unheard of, but certainly not common.

Some apprentices saved up large amounts before exchanging them all at once.

Still, he silently counted the mushrooms, then filled out several forms before heading to the storage room.

A few moments later, he returned with five mana stones and recorded the transaction.

"Here you go," he said, handing over the small, glowing crystals.

Hutson took them without hesitation and left.

His first stop after the Administration Hall was Larry’s house.

He had already notified Larry beforehand via Rune Stone.

One mana stone still belonged to Larry.

Upon knocking, the door was answered by Jami, the house elf.

The small, wrinkled creature peered up at him. "Mr. Hutson, you’re here for the mana stone?"

"Yeah. Here."

Hutson handed over the glowing crystal but then hesitated for a moment.

"...You won’t pocket this, right?"

Jami gave him a withering look, full of offense.

"No house elf would dare steal from their master."

Without another word, he slammed the door shut.

Hutson chuckled and moved on.

With his debts settled, he returned to the Northern Woodlands station, ready to head back to the Moonlit Forest.

This time, two unfamiliar faces were waiting for the carriage.

A man and a woman, both silent, reserved, not interacting with one another.

Soon, the Hellhoof Beasts arrived, and the three of them boarded without a word.

During the ride, the female apprentice remained seated as they passed the Moonlit Forest station, continuing further down the route.

Where she was heading, Hutson had no idea.

Once he arrived, he chose a different search area from the previous day and began his systematic hunt.

He noticed footprints in the dirt, signs that other apprentices had been searching here recently.

Yet, as the day passed, he never encountered Miken’s group.

By the time the sun dipped toward the horizon, he had collected forty-two Sleeping Mushrooms—slightly fewer than the previous day.

At the station, he once again saw Miken, Ruka, Sunny, and the male apprentice from the carriage.

Miken’s expression was noticeably darker, frustration evident on his face.

When their eyes met, he simply gave a small nod—no words exchanged.

Hutson watched them carefully.

Something had changed.

His area had been picked clean.

Meaning?

Miken’s group had likely spent the entire day searching the areas he had already harvested.

If their expressions were anything to go by, it seemed they hadn’t found a single mushroom.

Hutson remained silent, keeping his thoughts to himself.

But internally, he knew—

The competition for Sleeping Mushrooms was about to get harder.

Hutson remained quiet, standing off to the side as he waited for the carriage. He had no intention of revealing anything.

Miken let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "How the hell were we this unlucky today?" he muttered. "Not a single mushroom."

Sunny exhaled heavily. "It’s strange. Three of us, searching all day, and we all came back empty-handed. That’s beyond bad luck."

The strange man who had also been searching joined the conversation.

"You too? Damn, I was out there all day and found nothing either."

A short silence followed.

Then, the thundering hooves of the Hellhoof Beasts echoed through the trees.

The carriage arrived, carrying a group of exhausted, disheartened apprentices back to Moonlit Woodland.

During the ride back, the thin, frail apprentice, Ruka, let out a long sigh.

"I’m done with this."

The others turned toward him.

"I’m not coming back tomorrow." He shook his head. "It’s a waste of time. Digging in the dirt for hours, and getting nothing? I’d rather use my time on something that actually pays off."

Miken and Sunny didn’t respond.

It was clear they weren’t ready to give up just yet.

Hutson simply watched in silence, his expression unreadable.

Hutson returned to the Administration Hall and exchanged forty more Sleeping Mushrooms—earning four mana stones.

He had deliberately stayed away from the Moonlit Forest for a few days.

Two reasons.

First, to avoid running into Miken’s group—it was better to stay out of unnecessary entanglements.

Second, to prevent suspicion. If he showed up too frequently, exchanging large numbers of mushrooms too quickly, someone would start asking questions.

Instead, he had spent the past few days in quiet study.

Hutson followed his usual routine—

Meditating to refine his mental energy

Analyzing Zero-Rank spell models

Deepening his understanding of magic

In particular, he spent extra time studying Larry’s notes on Dark Energy Shield.

The insights within were more than just spell instructions—they contained detailed explanations of advanced spell structures, mana flow efficiency, and practical combat applications.

Even though AI chip allowed him to instantly construct spell models, Hutson understood that true mastery came from his own comprehension.

And the deeper his understanding, the higher his potential ceiling would be.

And so, as others struggled in frustration, Hutson continued to grow stronger in silence.