Chương 55: The Mandatory Assignment

To better explain things to Zelier, Manlin simply stood up and opened the top drawer of her bookshelf. After searching through it for a while, she pulled out a magic scroll tied with a pale golden silk thread.

"Give it a try. This is a Tier Two Empowering spell—Stabilization. It can temporarily ease a target's pain. I personally inscribed it, so the quality is excellent." Manlin handed the scroll to Zelier.

"See if you can learn it."

"Alright." Zelier nodded and accepted the scroll. After unfolding it, he did the same thing he had done when learning Gravity Press, slowly channeling his mental power into the scroll. But just as Manlin had explained, the moment his mental energy touched the contents inside, a primal rejection surged from deep within his mind. It felt like forcing himself to swallow something disgusting. Even if he managed to force it down, his body would immediately reject it and spit it back out.

No matter how hard Zelier focused, he still couldn't see the Spell Matrix engraved within the scroll. After trying several times, Zelier finally gave up.

"How was it?" Manlin asked.

"Impossible…" Zelier shook his head.

"That's normal." Manlin comforted him with a smile.

"I told you before. The vast majority of mages can't do this." Although he had failed to learn the spell, Zelier wasn't particularly discouraged. Instead, he had gained a much deeper understanding of this world's magic system. And if his theory was correct, then with Matrix Deduction, he should be able to bypass this restriction and learn spells regardless of their school. Just imagine how terrifying a mage who mastered Elemental, Arcane, and Empowering magic would be.

Before a battle even began, they could stack themselves with buffs, strengthen their allies, and provide endless utility. That kind of versatility would be absurd. Of course, this was still only a theory. He would have to wait until Healing was fully analyzed before testing whether he could actually cast it. With that thought, Zelier glanced at the list beneath Matrix Deduction. [Healing, Analysis Progress — 1%] Judging by this speed, Healing was most likely at least a Tier Four spell.

Which meant he would need to become an Apprentice Mage before he could use it. I need to level up faster. Zelier returned the scroll to Manlin with both hands. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Thank you for teaching me, Mentor Manlin."

"You're welcome." Manlin accepted the scroll back with a gentle smile.

"Now, could you help me with something? Consider it your mandatory assignment for this month." Zelier immediately straightened up.

"Please tell me what you need, Mentor Manlin. I'll do my best." The smile on Manlin's face became even sweeter. She took out a map from the drawer and handed it to him. A location on it had been marked with a red ink cross.

"It's nothing difficult. I need you to collect some herbs for me."

"This plant is called Moonlight Grass. It glows with a faint blue light in dark environments. You'll find it at the location I marked." As she spoke, Manlin began sketching on a piece of paper. The tip of the pen scratched softly against the surface. Soon, she finished drawing an incredibly lifelike illustration of Moonlight Grass. Then Manlin pulled out another sheet of paper and quickly wrote down two lines.

"Take this letter to the old mage at the General Affairs Bureau. He won't assign you any other mandatory tasks once he sees it."

"Understood. I'll bring it back as soon as possible." Zelier carefully stored everything away, thanked Manlin once more, and left the room. Standing in the hallway, Zelier took a deep breath. Then he hopped twice on the spot. Being healthy really was wonderful. After leaving the small building, Zelier returned to the General Affairs Bureau. There were far fewer people waiting now. Only a few mages stood nearby, quietly discussing something.

Zelier walked up to the counter and handed over the letter written by Manlin. The old mage who was always dozing off narrowed his eyes and stared at it for a long while before muttering.

"Why are they personally assigning tasks now…? Fine. Your mandatory assignment for this month will follow what's written here." Then he pulled out a gold coin and handed it to Zelier.

"This is your stipend."

"Thank you." Zelier accepted the coin. His total wealth had now reached twenty-one gold and twenty-four silver. His daily expenses were no longer a concern, but he still needed to save more money. He needed to buy a proper wand and mage robe as soon as possible. Those two pieces of equipment would greatly increase a mage's combat ability.

"Zelier!" A crisp, pleasant voice rang out. Bev was walking toward him quickly. The moment she saw Zelier, the happiness on her face was impossible to hide.

"You're finally here. I thought you forgot about the mandatory assignment I reminded you about."

"How could I forget? I already got mine." Zelier raised the letter in his hand. Today, Bev's outfit was different from before. Previously, she had always worn a light purple mage robe. Today, however, she had changed into a pure white one. The fabric shimmered softly under the light, and the sky-blue sash around her waist made her look even more elegant and graceful. Her family must be rich enough that she can change mage robes like regular clothes… Zelier couldn't help but think.

"Let me see! What assignment did you get?" Bev curiously leaned closer and read the letter.

"Collecting herbs…? It was personally assigned by Mentor Manlin?" She blinked in surprise.

"How do you know her?"

"My leg got injured during a mission. Mentor Marven brought me to Mentor Manlin for treatment, and I happened to receive this assignment afterward." Zelier glanced at her.

"What about yours?"

"Organizing the library." Bev pouted, her face filled with reluctance.

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Not too bad?!" Bev widened her eyes like an angry kitten.

"Organizing the library is exhausting! You have no idea how annoying those huge, heavy ancient tomes are. I have to climb ladders all day just to put them back on the shelves. What if I fall?"

"Go ask Mentor Manlin to heal you." Zelier gave a completely serious suggestion.

"No way." Looking at Bev's puffed-up cheeks, Zelier couldn't help but laugh.

"Then why not just skip it? You don't exactly need that one gold coin, do you?"

"That won't work." Bev shook her head.

"Sure, a lot of mages don't care about the money. They're wealthy enough that the stipend doesn't matter."

"But the mandatory assignments themselves have to be completed. If someone skips them too often, they can receive warnings… or even be expelled from the Guild."

"The punishment is that serious?" Zelier was surprised.

"Mm-hmm. According to the Guild, it's meant to strengthen the bond between mages and the organization." Bev explained.

"Having everyone return to the Guild once a month to help out lets people make friends, meet newcomers, and stay connected. Otherwise, if everyone just hides away in their own towers, the Guild would become meaningless." As she spoke, Bev's eyes suddenly lit up. It was as if she had just thought of a brilliant idea. A mischievous curve appeared at the corner of her lips. Then she deliberately dragged out her voice, making it softer and sweeter.

"Zelier—"