A Sorcerer’s Journey

Glenn entered his room on the balloon airship.

The room was not that large, appearing to be only 15 square meters. Apart from a bed and simple desk, there was a washroom which also had a bath.

“We’ll arrive at the moon lake approximately two days later.” This was said deferentially by the sorcerer-apprentice in charge of piloting this balloon airship, full of admiration as they stared at the halo atop Glenn’s head.

“Ah,” Glenn readily responded with a single syllable.

*CREAK*

After the student left the room, Glenn did as he pleased, sweeping a glance at the room’s layout and then taking off the Ashen Mask. He also took off his moisture armor and gray sorcerer robes, entering the bathroom naked. Steam began to hang in the air and pervade the room.

The reason why they were going to the moon lake first was that Peranos wanted to conveniently go to see a friend he apparently hadn’t met in quite a long time.

A little while later.

After Glenn finished bathing and was neatly dressed, he opened the window of the room and warm sunlight lit up the cabin. Sitting in front of the desk and enjoying the gentle sunshine, Glenn held his somewhat damp, long, golden hair to dry over a fire. After a certain period of time, he took out two severed branches and his personal notes.

In the wake of the flash of the lightning grain of the mirrored surface of the cut layer on the broken branch dying, Glenn’s eyes shone faintly. Afterward, as if nothing had happened, he properly put away the broken branch on his person and looked toward his personal notes.

These handwritten notes were the current insight Glenn has recorded of the researched details pertaining to <Fire Blast Spell’s Destructive Properties>. Included among these notes were some conjectures of the destructive capabilities of the original work along with Glenn’s own experience after fully using the Fire Blast Spell.

In the first place, destructive energy cannot use any known material. The energy was even gathered by a balanced rune system to do it.

Secondly, destructive energy only possessed a super-intense energy reaction for a split second. Subsequently it will be automatically erased by world laws and, as a result, would be unable to use general perceptive apparatuses in traditional laboratories through conventional element experiments.

Then there was also how destructive energy attempting to get close to spiritual power wave bands also thoroughly disappeared, like a strange life-form that can devour anything. Comprised of light, the “split-second” born after and even itself would also be completely consumed.

Finally, only the initial level of destructive energy was utilized in the fire blast spell. According to <Fire Blast Spell’s Destructive Properties> in regard to the balance of the fire and water elements, even if there was a partial reaction of destructive energy, it was only the natural shape of destructive energy reinforcing the attacking attributes of the fire element. It merely exploited the fire element’s tendency to harm and was not harm from obliteration. Therefore, Glenn’s Body of Flame gift would be able to somewhat add to the Fire Blast spell.

As if…

As mentioned in <Fire Blast Spell’s Destructive Properties,> ancient sorcerers already had a tendency to further exploit the obliteration property of high-level spells. This one spell’s precise principle was to make the fire and water elements more stable to give rise to more pure and complete obliteration capabilities.

However!

Regardless of how the ancient sorcerers tried to use these types of opposite energy balancing spells to develop destructive force, it all was a kind of natural form of destructive force sorcerers was basically unable to take under their own control.

(Note: The self-control of sorcerers toward energy was namely the ability to change the shape of the energy. Being able to comprehend fireball, firebird, and fire bat spell shapes are the same as continuous perfect control of elements. Natural shapes are original flame energy, referring to the way otherworld beings used energy.)

For a moment, Glenn became indecisive.

What direction of the experiment should he decide to take?

To follow the footsteps of ancient sorcerers to constantly create purer and stabler water-fire elements while being unable to control the shape of the destructive force in an upgraded version of the Fire Blast spell or to pursue his own experimental research examining the properties of destructive energies?

It was not surprising Glenn found it difficult to decide.

If Glenn followed the path of the ancient sorcerers, the current powerful Fire Blast Spell might seem to belong to a high-level sorcerer when it was merely just a high-level ingenious application of shallow levels of water and fire elemental energy. As for the destructive force, because of being unable to refine or control this high-level energy, the deeper levels of levering laws in the power of sorcerer lever cannot be achieved.

(Explanation: Destructive energy itself is a new kind of high-grade energy obtained from levering the power of water and fire elements. It is a high-level evolution of the application of the initial sorcerer levering force. In case destructive force can be controlled after foundation, high-level energy “above” foundations would then leverage the multiplication rule. If it was an attempt to get pure essence and not develop research for control of destructive force, it was “under” this foundation of addition rule for high-level energy. It involves some mathematical logical thinking. Some friends that aren’t very good at mathematical logical thinking might need a lot of time to ponder over it.)

In completely different words, from high-class sorcerers’ knowledge and understanding of boundaries, the kind of upgraded Fire Blast Spell of ancient sorcerers will gradually fall behind the times on account of usage of some low-end levering force.

In other words, if Glenn chose to continue on the path of ancient sorcerers’ research, it was highly likely he would go from a preeminent first-rate sorcerer-apprentice during the student period now and gradually shift to become a mediocre and commonplace advanced sorcerer.

Glenn would absolutely not allow that to happen to himself!

Indeed…

In this case, Glenn only had two options left to choose from. One was to develop the groundbreaking in-depth use of destructive force himself to control destructive force. The other choice was to abandon the thorough research of destructive force, instead conducting thorough independent studies of fire-water elements or spatial force.

However, if he really gave up on researching destructive force and change to in-depth research of his basic gifts, Glenn also couldn’t guarantee he could reap a unique path for himself due to the popular nature of basic elements.

If he could not walk a path unique to himself, Glenn still wouldn’t have an opportunity to be that powerful top-notch sorcerer. Glenn would only become a sorcerer with a quirk at most by relying on the proprietary knowledge he had during his time as a student.

But by following the improvement of biological levels, his life code knowledge would gradually turn low-end and Glenn’s “quirk” would also lean towards becoming increasingly mediocre.

Huh?

Oh, that’s right! How could he forget his own innate gift?

According to what Ice Age Mille said during the Holy Tower Tryout, his gift ought to be connecting dimensional gaps and was considered the optimum medium of extremely advanced sorcerer space-time seal techniques. Maybe after advancing to a formal sorcerer, he could try his hand at his innate gift?

However…

While Mille said this gift was quite useless for low-level sorcerers, it was one of the strongest gifts with regards to high-level sorcerers. If he wanted to walk this road right away as a low-level sorcerer, it was going to be even more challenging. So much so that… he didn’t feel any desire to do so.

“Forget it!”

Glenn properly put away his personal notes and shook his head. “The definite road is still waiting to advance to formal sorcerer before bringing it up again. If the connecting dimensional gaps gift really can’t be studied in the time as a low-level sorcerer, then I’ll just go all out and research the properties of destructive energy! Of course… this “stupid” action might result in there being no progress in elemental sorcery for a long time after being promoted to a formal sorcerer. Some of the advantages as a student will gradually be lost in the time as a formal sorcerer. But, fortunately, I still have the formidable properties of my cellular double evolution. If mixing poison to refine my body is kept in pace with my spiritual power transformation after advancing to a formal sorcerer, I should not be too weak for the short-term.”

(Here Glenn has Black Isotta School “Two Years” foresight. He already understands that if he intends to fully research destructive energy, his elemental sorcery will be comparatively weak for a period of time in the future. So not wanting to lose his life during this period of weakness because of his “stupidity,” he decides to use the hidden trump of lianti sorcerers to replace the Ashen Mask of the First-Year Trial period.)

“Right. One only needs to survive, as there is a long century of serenity to meditate spiritual power after advancing to a formal sorcerer. Maybe I should consider improving my passive resistance to the common elements? In that case, I also need to take note of the high-grade food ingredients of the Holy Tower over there…” Glenn muttered plans to himself.

Later on.

*Sss…*

Glenn inhaled sharply and wrinkled his brows. He picked up a pen and started writing on a sheet of white paper: “In this way, if one wants to buy high-grade ingredients, there is a demand for a large number of magic stones or long-term steady and large income. If the present me, who has sampled so much sorcerer delicacies, wants to promote my passive elemental resistance as much as possible, in no way can my spending of magic stones as a newcomer student compare.”

Should he waste a large amount of time to once again try to invent such versatile merchandise like “Love Vials” or use the sorcery essence obtained after using up World-Core Fragments?

*BOOM BOOM BOOM!*

Suddenly, when Glenn was in the middle of letting his imagination run wild, sounds came from the room’s wooden door. When Glenn got up to open the door in a slightly distracted state of mind, the visitor actually turned out to be that 19th District School’s green-eyed female student, Julni.

What? Why did she come here?

Though somewhat suspicious, Glenn nevertheless stepped aside to let the other enter the room due to basic sorcerer etiquette.

“Hmm, is this your real appearance? Didn’t expect you to be very handsome.” The green-eyed sorceress said this while sitting across from Glenn. She continuously looked Glenn up and down.

Glenn wasn’t very accustomed to being stared at so attentively by others. He somewhat regretted not putting on his Ashen Mask. His brows wrinkled and he indifferently asked, “For what reason did you seek me out?”

Julni caught sight of Glenn’s discomfort and curled her lips. Her two eyes turned into strange vortexes, and then two tiny bees which seemed similar to elfin beings in children’s fairy tales appeared.

“Hee hee! Big Sister Julni.” One of the elves rapidly fluttered transparent wings at their back while laughing.

“Eh? He is… Ah! Previous response to that one mechanical armor machinery. He is that dark sorcerer-apprentice that disguised himself during the District War,” yelled the other elf yelled while pointing to Glenn in alarm.

Julni shrugged her shoulders. After placating the two elves, she faced Glenn and dully said, “I’ve come this time for the purpose of that mechanical armor core in your possession. Looking at you, you don’t look like you’re a student walking the path of studying machinery, right? As for the price I’ll pay, I’ll guarantee you’ll find it satisfactory. It’s something good you dark sorcerers absolutely have a use for.”

Mechanical armor core?

What kind of thing is that…

Suddenly, Glenn’s heart stirred. It had to be that metal sphere he never managed to get a result out of in his research, right?

(The underground remains of the Black Isotta Secret Mirror, Glenn picked up a metal sphere last time. And it resembles the metal sphere Machine Heart Victor[1] studied during the First-Year Trials.)

He was pleasantly surprised inside. This tiny metal sphere was unexpectedly a mechanical armor core that could change into mechanical armor?

Even if Glenn hadn’t thoroughly studied mechanical science, didn’t have mechanical blood and couldn’t possibly operate mechanical armor, Glenn still wouldn’t be stupid and conduct a transaction before knowing the definite value of this mechanical armor core.

As such, Glenn’s state of mind relaxed. He laughingly said, “That’s right. I have a mechanical armor core, but I won’t be making a deal with you right now.”

Julni curled her lips. “You still don’t know what I am willing to pay, you know. Hmph. Forget about it. Give your crystal ball imprint to me. After arriving at the Seven Ring Holy Tower, I’ll get in touch with you again. Currently, teacher is in the middle of something inconvenient.”

A moment later, after Julni left Glenn’s room, Glenn somewhat excitedly took out and carefully studied the metal sphere known as a mechanical armor core. The metal sphere’s certain scalable function and space function made Glenn know early on this was a good thing. It had the value of an intact version of a worker-ant grade marionette at the least, valuable enough that one could sell it for higher and not less.