Chương 92: Advancement Rewards

Before he realized it, Zeliel had already become the person he once looked up to.

"Seriously..." Zeliel couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh. A complicated feeling welled up inside him.

"It really feels like another lifetime ago..." The cheers in the arena continued for quite some time. Only after Marven raised his hand to signal did the crowd slowly quiet down and begin dispersing.

"Alright, come with me, Zeliel." Marven led him away from the training grounds. Along the way, almost every mage they passed turned their gaze toward Zeliel. The attention was practically unavoidable. After the surge of pride and excitement from earlier gradually faded, Zeliel still found himself uncomfortable with so many eyes following him.

"You'll have to get used to it." Walking along the peaceful tree-lined paths of the Guild, Marven noticed Zeliel's reaction.

"A sixteen-year-old Junior Mage with such terrifying progress can already be compared to that genius from the Imperial Capital, Caine Roderick. It's only natural that people would look at you a little more."

"I still think keeping a low profile is better." Zeliel smiled helplessly.

"Your talent has nothing to do with the word 'low profile.'" Marven chuckled.

"Sometimes, letting your brilliance shine isn't necessarily a bad thing." The two entered the Comprehensive Affairs Office. Marven walked directly to the counter and asked the old mage there—the same old man who was always half-asleep—to upgrade Zeliel's badge.

"Zeliel..." The old mage picked up Zeliel's previous white badge and carefully examined the information recorded on it. His brows slowly furrowed.

"Marven, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? He only became a magic apprentice last month."

"He just advanced into a Junior Mage. I personally conducted the examination." Marven replied calmly. The moment he heard those words, the old mage's drowsy eyes widened. He straightened himself and leaned forward, peering at Zeliel behind Marven with a look of disbelief.

"Talents really are appearing more and more often these days..." The old mage muttered, then sat back down. He buried himself behind the counter and busied himself for a while. Soon, he placed a coin pouch and a new badge on the counter. A magic apprentice's badge was a small white jade token. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The Junior Mage badge was also made of jade, but unlike the apprentice badge, it carried a faint purple glow.

It looked far more elegant and prestigious. After receiving the twenty gold coins, Zeliel felt an immense sense of satisfaction. His savings had now reached seventy-five gold. Once this month ended, he would receive another twenty gold in subsidies. Add in a few more missions here and there... He would soon have enough to reach one hundred gold coins.

"By the way..." Zeliel suddenly remembered something.

"Mentor Marven, I wanted to ask... what are the requirements for becoming an Intermediate Mage?" Marven stared at him for a moment. Then he smiled. A very happy smile. A smile that somehow carried the feeling of'you really are hopeless.'

"I think what you're actually more curious about is how much subsidy Intermediate Mages receive every month, isn't it?"

"Well... that's not entirely true. I'm curious about both." Zeliel answered honestly. Marven brought Zeliel to the Silent Chamber.

"Advancing from a magic apprentice to a Junior Mage can be considered the beginner stage. Therefore, the focus is mainly on mana manipulation skill and casting speed."

"But Intermediate Mages are different."

"They must develop in every aspect. Both mana strength and mana control have to improve together."

"The first requirement is reaching the necessary mana strength." As he spoke, Marven placed his hand against the same crystal pillar that had previously been used to test mana capacity. The dormant crystal suddenly lit up with blue light. The glow surged upward rapidly. It quickly surpassed two meters... And continued rising. Then, the blue light gradually changed. The color deepened. Eventually, it became a profound violet.

"An Intermediate Mage's mana strength must reach this level before they can be considered qualified." Marven withdrew his hand and pointed at the violet light that remained suspended. Zeliel tilted his head upward and estimated the height. This was... At least three meters, wasn't it? Compared to his previous test, it had nearly doubled.

"Secondly." Marven raised one finger.

"You must master a Tier 4 spell."

"A Tier 4 spell? That doesn't sound too difficult." Zeliel frowned slightly. After all, he already knew three Tier 4 spells. Wouldn't that mean he only needed to focus on increasing his mana strength?

"It's a Tier 4 spell with a Multi-layer Spell Matrix." Marven smiled. Hearing that term, Zeliel froze slightly. A Multi-layer Spell Matrix... That was true. Until now, every spell he had encountered— From simple Fireball to the complicated Mist Veil— had only used a single-layer Spell Matrix. He had never seen a multi-layer one. A Spell Matrix formed from countless interconnected layers had extremely complex mana circuits. The difficulty of casting such spells increased exponentially.

Without sufficient Intelligence, casting them was almost impossible.

"Finally..." Marven revealed a faint smile. He spoke the one thing Zeliel cared about the most.

"Passing the Intermediate Mage examination grants you a monthly subsidy of one hundred gold coins." The moment he heard that reward, Zeliel immediately became serious. Once again, he gained a profound understanding of the Mage Guild's terrifying wealth. One hundred gold coins... He needed to work even harder and level up faster.

"How is it? Motivated now?" Marven asked.

"Extremely motivated." Zeliel answered without hesitation.

"Hmph..." Marven laughed.

"This is only the most basic reward. The benefits of becoming an Intermediate Mage go far beyond that."

"There are other benefits?" Zeliel looked surprised.

"Of course."

"After becoming an Intermediate Mage, you gain the right to enter the Vault and choose one item that suits you."

"The Vault?" Zeliel became curious.

"Yes." Marven's tone became deliberately enticing.

"You can think of it as the Blackstone Town branch's personal treasury."

"It contains magical items the Guild has accumulated over many years through countless channels. Every single item inside is extraordinarily valuable."

"For example...?" Zeliel's curiosity was completely hooked.

"Some Memory Crystals contain complete spiritual recordings of former Elemental Masters casting advanced Multi-layer Spell Matrix spells."

"They are priceless treasures capable of greatly accelerating your learning progress."

"Or an Eagle Eye Ring crafted by ancient elves."

"When worn, it grants eyesight and dynamic perception comparable to the finest rangers. Anyone trying to ambush you from the shadows would have nowhere to hide."

"Or a small vial of Mana Spring brewed from incredibly rare materials."

"Its effect is simple."

"It permanently increases the maximum amount of mana your Sea of Consciousness can store."

"There are also Cat's Eye Pendants that improve the wearer's memory and comprehension, allowing you to research Spell Matrices with twice the efficiency."

"Of course..." Marven spread his hands.

"If you aren't interested in these functional items, there are plenty of simpler and more direct choices as well."

"Such as high-grade monster cores..."

"Or precious materials that have long disappeared from the market."

"The variety is so vast that you won't have trouble finding something you want."

"The only problem is that there are too many choices—you might end up losing yourself trying to pick one."