Chương 107: No Wonder She’s a Genius

Finally, just as the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, Zelier raised his wand once more. A golden sphere of light rose into the sky.

"Boom!" The light exploded. This time, it didn't transform into some strange shape. Countless elegant golden arcs stretched outward, cascading gracefully through the air. Under the dim orange glow of dusk, they finally formed a perfect golden wheat-ear pattern.

"High five!" Zelier raised his hand.

"Slap!" Bev rose onto her toes and slapped his palm. The two of them celebrated their success together.

"We did it…"

"We finally did it…" A relieved smile appeared on Bev's face. Looks like she really did have some talent when it came to researching magic. However, the moment she relaxed, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion swept through her entire body. After all, Bev was still only a mage apprentice. Even though she hadn't personally cast the spells, spending the entire day maintaining extreme concentration, constantly calculating and engraving spell structures, had consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy.

Her Sea of Consciousness had already reached its limit. Her body swayed slightly, unable to stay steady. Zelier reacted instantly. He stepped forward and firmly supported her.

"Are you okay…? Should I take you back?"

"No need." Bev gently leaned her cheek against his shoulder.

"The butler's carriage is definitely waiting outside the guild right now."

"Just let me lean here for a little while…" She gazed into the sky. As the golden wheat ears slowly faded away, a quiet sense of pride rose within her heart. Bev blinked.

"Zelier…"

"Does this count as the first magic I've created?"

"Yeah. It's amazing, Bev."

"Hehe…" Bev lightly nodded.

"I told you I could do it." She leaned more of her weight against Zelier, seemingly enjoying this rare moment of peace. The evening breeze brushed past them, gently moving the girl's golden curls and carrying with it the faint scent of flowers from her body. Zelier didn't say anything else. He simply supported her more steadily, allowing her to rest comfortably. …… Inside the small building hidden among the Silverleaf bushes. Manlin's office.

Dim starlight poured through the enormous glass windows, coating everything inside the room with a cold silver edge. Watching the golden wheat-ear pattern slowly disappear from the sky, Manlin let out a quiet laugh before returning to her comfortable wicker rocking chair.

"That little girl Bev finally succeeded…" A knock suddenly sounded.

"Knock, knock, knock…"

"Come in." Manlin didn't raise her head, only responding calmly. The door opened. The visitor was the elderly grandmother from the magic wand shop.

"Manlin, the child you mentioned before… that Zelier boy came to my shop today to buy a wand."

"Mm…" Manlin wasn't surprised at all.

"I knew it. After receiving his allowance, the first thing he'd think about would be buying a wand."

"Which one did he choose?"

"Nightfall Rest." The old woman answered.

"The wand made from Starfall Wood, capable of amplifying all elemental magic."

"He actually chose that one…" Manlin looked slightly surprised. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Alright then."

"According to our agreement, how much should I compensate you?"

"Exactly two hundred gold coins." Manlin nodded. Then she paid the amount without hesitation. The old woman accepted the pouch of coins, gave a slight bow, and prepared to leave the room. However, as she stepped outside, she ran into Marven. Marven moved aside to let her pass. The old woman bowed respectfully to him before leaving. Marven glanced back at her figure, then entered Manlin's office.

"The person who just left…"

"She looked like the owner of a magic wand shop."

"Why would she come here?" Marven asked curiously.

"It's nothing." Manlin returned to her rocking chair.

"I simply spoke with the owners of several wand shops in the trade district beforehand."

"If Zelier went to buy a wand, I told them to let him choose whichever one he liked."

"No matter which wand he picked, they would only charge him one hundred gold coins. I would cover the remaining difference." Few mages would choose Nightfall Rest. But that didn't mean it was something someone could casually obtain for only one hundred gold coins. The Starfall Wood core alone was worth far more than that.

"Why go through all this trouble?" Marven sat across from her, somewhat puzzled.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just give him one?"

"No." Manlin shook her head.

"That child has a lot of pride deep down."

"If you simply hand him something this expensive for no reason, he won't accept it."

"That's true…" Marven smiled slightly.

"To be honest, I never expected Zelier's growth speed to be this ridiculous."

"Tell me, if he stopped taking quests from the Adventurer Association and focused entirely on cultivation, wouldn't he grow even faster?"

"Don't be so impatient." Manlin smiled faintly.

"Maybe this is simply the pace that suits him best."

"Let Zelier explore his own path."

"Some children are like wild grass growing between mountain rocks."

"If you transplant them into a warm garden, they might actually fail to adapt."

"They need to experience wind and rain, struggle for survival in cracks between stones, and only then can they truly temper themselves into a drawn blade."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Marven noticed the deeper meaning behind her words.

"Of course." Manlin lowered her eyes slightly, her expression drifting into memory. The starlight outlined her face with soft silver shadows.

"Just like the old me."

"If someone had paved every road ahead of me and allowed me to live a comfortable, worry-free life…"

"Perhaps I wouldn't have become an Upper-Tier Mage today." Marven remained silent for a moment. In the end, he accepted Manlin's viewpoint.

"Alright."

"When it comes to teaching and raising talents, you have more experience than I do." He stopped arguing and placed the documents in his hand onto the table.

"Let's talk business."

"This is the final route map for this year's monster hunt, along with the participant list."

"Take a look and familiarize yourself with it."

"You'll be leading the team this time."

"Sigh…"

"Another year has already passed…" Manlin picked up the documents. She glanced over the map and immediately looked surprised.

"This route is actually going through the Transverse Mountain Range?"

"We don't have much choice." Marven explained.

"The outer areas of Ashwood Forest don't have many small monster groups left anymore."

"They're no longer enough to train newcomers."

"Besides, Rhena will be joining this time, so we have more confidence."

"The Adventurer Association has already been informed as well. They'll send people to provide support."

"That's quite the lineup." Manlin picked up the student roster and began flipping through it. However, when she saw Zelier's name, her pupils widened slightly.

"Zelier…"

"He's going too?" Manlin raised her head, somewhat surprised.

"Shouldn't it still be too early for him?"

"You're not the only one who wants to nurture him." Marven smiled.

"Isn't he an adventurer?"

"Hunting monsters in the forest is exactly the kind of experience he needs."

"That's true…" Manlin placed the roster down. A playful expression appeared on her face.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how Zelier performs during this monster hunt."

"So am I." …… Ashwood Forest. Following the map given to him by Mentor Manlin, Zelier began completing his monthly mandatory commission. This destination was deeper into the forest than the place where he had gathered Moonlight Grass last time. However, it was still within the outer region. Nothing particularly dangerous should appear here. The surrounding trees towered high above, their dense canopies allowing only thin rays of sunlight to squeeze through.

Holding the map in one hand, Zelier carefully checked his direction while remaining alert to his surroundings. Soon, beside a winding stream, he found the first plant. [Verdant Moss.] The moss spread like a thick carpet across the shaded side of a massive boulder. Its color was far greener than ordinary moss, and touching it produced a strangely cool and smooth sensation. Zelier carefully scraped it off and placed it into his cloth bag.

"Next is…"

"Orchid Mushroom." After checking the map, Zelier found that the second plant grew nearby in a low-lying marshy area. He crossed a muddy patch of ground and carefully searched. As expected, on a fallen rotten tree, Zelier discovered clusters of strange pale-purple mushrooms. The edges of the Orchid Mushroom caps curled like blooming petals, releasing a faint, exotic fragrance. After collecting them all, Zelier picked up one mushroom. A thought suddenly appeared in his mind.

Among the Tier 4 spells he currently possessed, besides Mist Veil and Heal Spell, there was also Extraction Spell. Extraction Spell… He absolutely couldn't miss the skill of potionmaking. Whether for supplying himself during adventures or selling potions for money, it would be incredibly useful. He needed to master it. The only problem was… He currently had no opportunity to learn actual potion recipes. Should he ask Mentor Manlin for guidance? After thinking for a moment, Zelier decided to try it himself first.

He placed the Orchid Mushroom on a clean leaf and raised Nightfall Rest. Closing his eyes, he reconstructed the spell matrix of Extraction Spell inside his Sea of Consciousness. With the powerful amplification from his new wand, mana flowed through the spell circuit more smoothly than ever before. Extraction Spell. Activate! A gentle green glow radiated from the tip of Nightfall Rest, enveloping the pale-purple mushroom.

Under the green light, Zelier clearly saw the Orchid Mushroom rapidly wither and lose its color. Threads of purple essence were forcibly extracted from the mushroom cap, separating and floating in midair.

"Success…" However, this actually wasn't very useful. The essence Zelier extracted wasn't pure. It still contained traces of gray-black impurities. And since he didn't currently possess any potion formulas, extracting the essence didn't allow him to create anything. The Orchid Mushroom essence slowly dissipated into the air, becoming nothing more than material used for practicing Extraction Spell. Zelier stored away the remaining plants and prepared to search for the final ingredient: Flameblood Fruit.

According to the map markings, Flameblood Fruit grew in a rather unusual location. It was located inside a dangerous little valley. Following the indicated direction, Zelier spent nearly an hour before finally reaching the area. However, before he could enter, a series of sharp, screeching cries echoed from the forest. Zelier immediately stopped. Without making a sound, he hid behind a massive boulder and looked ahead. Inside the forest, more than a dozen ape-like monsters had gathered.

They climbed and leapt between the trees, chasing and playing with each other. Universal Bestiary of the Adventurer Association. [Sequence 8]: Demonic Forest Ape Individual Threat Rating: [Simple] Appearance: A monster resembling a monkey, but with a body covered in coarse brown fur and a pair of blood-red eyes. Habits: Demonic Forest Apes usually occupy forest regions rich with fruit trees as their territory. They possess extreme hostility toward any humans entering their domain.

During times of food shortage, they will even actively attack small villages. Special Ability: They have already developed basic intelligence regarding tool creation and usage. Almost every Demonic Forest Ape tribe possesses stone spears or stone axes capable of long-range attacks. Association Notes: A troublesome species more intelligent and dangerous than goblins! Their throwing attacks are extremely deadly.

Adventurers are strongly advised to wear proper protection and never allow themselves to become surrounded. Zelier narrowed his eyes and observed carefully. At the center of the territory controlled by the Demonic Forest Apes stood several tall, unusual fruit trees. At the very top branches, a few Flameblood Fruits hung sparsely.

"So it really is here…"