Chương 78: Choose One of Two Advanced Talents

The rest of the team had been watching Lante as well, all of them prepared to act. Marcus' muscles were taut, ready to charge at a moment's notice. Grey's sword was already drawn three inches from its sheath. His next move would be a lethal step-in slash. Vaelis had his bowstring pulled tight, an aura-infused arrowhead waiting to be unleashed. Cyr held a throwing knife between her fingers, ready to send it flying at any instant.

Even the tip of Zelier's Ashwood Staff had a Wind Blade swirling and condensing, fully prepared. If Lante truly failed, they would kill the kobold before its stone axe could come crashing down. They had given Lante the chance to make a mistake. But they would never let him pay the price for it. When the kobold was less than five meters away from Lante, Zelier was almost ready to release his Wind Blade. Then— Lante suddenly opened his eyes. The determination burning in his gaze was stronger than ever.

"Uuuaaaahhhhhh!!!" A roar filled with courage erupted from his throat. At that moment, Lante broke through the fear buried deep within his heart! The complicated spell circuits in his mind flowed outward under the guidance of his subconscious, releasing with an astonishing smoothness. At the tip of his wand, the sapphire embedded within it burst into brilliant blue light. Crystals of ice formed, radiating bone-chilling cold. Ice Lance! Whoosh!

The icy projectile shot forward and struck the kobold's head with pinpoint accuracy. Crack! A sharp explosion of frost echoed. The kobold's charging momentum came to an abrupt halt. The freezing power expanded inside its skull, causing the entire head to burst apart from within. It died instantly. The headless corpse continued stumbling forward from sheer momentum before finally collapsing with a heavy thud right in front of Lante. [Kill Confirmed!] Lante looked as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. I... I actually did it? Lante stared at his own hands, then looked at the corpse lying before him.

"I... I really did it!"

"It's just a kobold. You made it sound like some heroic final battle." Grey chuckled casually from the side.

"But congratulations anyway, Lante. This is still your first step." A shadow suddenly fell over him. Zelier smiled and reached out a hand, pulling Lante back to his feet. Then he gave the young mage a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Good job, Lante." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. [Level 7 (40/250) → Level 8 (55/275)] [Level Up!] This time, Zelier had killed two Giant Kobolds and more than a dozen regular kobolds, earning a total of 265 experience points. On top of that, the Cloud & Mist spell Lante had just cast was added to Zelier's analysis queue. Zelier didn't hesitate. He continued pushing his Intelligence.

I refuse to believe I still won't reach the threshold for becoming a Lower Mage this time. STR: 65 AGI: 61 CON: 68 SPI: 71 INT: 86 → 90 PER: 30 CHA: 50 → 51 LUK: 41 Talent Skill: Matrix Deduction The instant his Intelligence reached 90, a strange sensation suddenly bloomed inside Zelier's Mindscape. It wasn't like the gradual improvements he experienced whenever he spent attribute points before. This time, it felt as if he had broken through an invisible barrier.

As if he had finally reached the very edge of a breakthrough. Could it be... The shackles preventing me from becoming a Lower Mage are about to break? Zelier suppressed his excitement. There was no need to rush. He would study it carefully after returning. With the final kobold slain, the battle inside the main cavern finally came to an end. The team began collecting their spoils. Unlike Goblins and Skeleton Soldiers, kobolds produced mana cores.

Grey used a dagger to cut open the corpse of an ordinary kobold and carefully extracted a stone-like sphere from the center of its chest. After wiping away the blood, faint ember-like red light could still be seen flowing within. The Giant Kobold's mana core was much larger. It looked like a pitch-black egg, with a much denser crimson glow swirling inside. The entire core radiated a faint warmth.

"Um..." Lante hesitated before pointing at the kobold he had killed himself.

"Can I keep this mana core?"

"Of course." Zelier nodded.

"Keep it safe. Consider it a souvenir from your first adventure." After clearing out all the loot inside the cavern, the team boarded their carriage and returned to Blackstone Town to turn in the commission. This time, the team had killed: Two Giant Kobolds. Twenty-three ordinary kobolds. The Giant Kobold bounty was five gold coins, with its mana core worth three gold coins. The ordinary kobold bounty was five silver coins, with its mana core worth three silver coins.

The total reward came to seventeen gold and eighty-four silver. Marcus divided the shares according to their contribution ratio: 3 / 2 / 2 / 1. 5 / 1. 5. Zelier received the largest portion. Cyr and Vaelis followed. Marcus and Grey received the remaining shares. Lante also immediately fulfilled his promise, giving every team member an additional five gold coins. From this mission alone, Zelier earned a total of ten gold and thirty-five silver. His total wealth successfully reached: 40 gold and 71 silver.

A Lower Two-Star difficulty mission had rewards almost comparable to the twelve-gold Goblin Nest extermination quest.

"Thank you all so much for protecting me and guiding me today." Under the setting sun, outside the Adventurer's Guild. Lante bowed deeply toward the team.

"This adventure taught me so much. It also made me realize how many weaknesses I still have."

"I'll work harder. Hopefully, I'll be able to go on another mission with you all in the future!"

"Will there be extra payment next time?" Grey asked with a grin.

"Uh..." Lante touched his already-deflated coin pouch.

"N-next time we'll talk about it!" Normally, Lante wasn't short on money. But this time, he had spent twenty-five gold coins all at once. That was practically an entire month's allowance... He definitely needed to save up again.

"Alright, don't listen to that guy Grey." Zelier ruffled Lante's hair.

"Go home. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress."

"Yeah! I'll definitely work hard!" Blackstone Town. Outskirts. Beside a clear stream, Zelier sat cross-legged, circulating his mental power through a shallow meditation. Ever since completing the kobold extermination mission, he had devoted several days entirely to this. He had been trying to capture that strange sensation he experienced inside the cavern. Zelier slowed his breathing. His consciousness gradually sank into darkness. The thoughts on the surface of his mind slowly receded like a tide.

Deep within the endless universe of his Mindscape, the Fountain Seed radiated brilliant light. Finally— A crystal-clear sensation of enlightenment emerged from the depths of his Mindscape. Zelier opened his eyes. A glowing blue interface unfolded before him. The Advanced Talent Skill section trembled slightly. Then, a new change appeared.

[Advanced Talent Skills] [Unlocked after becoming a Lower Mage] [Choose One] Option One: Source Overload Upon activation, your Fountain Seed will enter an overloaded state for a short duration. During overload: Mana intensity will be significantly increased. Mana recovery speed will be greatly enhanced. The casting time of all spells will be reduced to a certain extent. This state causes no side effects.

However, after using Source Overload, a full high-quality sleep is required to completely restore your mana before it can be used again.

"You thought this was my limit?" Option Two: Mana Compact You establish perfect harmony with your own mana. The two forces complement each other and form a permanent contract. Upon choosing this talent, your Strength, Agility, and Constitution will immediately increase. The amount gained equals 25% of your current Spirit attribute. Afterward, every time your Spirit increases by 4 points, you will gain an additional 2 free attribute points that can be assigned to Strength, Agility, or Constitution.

"Try cutting me again now." Zelier stared blankly at the two newly revealed talents. He unconsciously held his breath. Finally... Finally, he could see the talents of the next stage! Just like when he first arrived in this world, these two talents could not be chosen yet. They were only previews. But that also meant one thing— As long as he gained one more level, he would officially break through the realm of a magic apprentice... And become a true Lower Mage!