Chapter 23: Festival
Punk, who had just been promoted to trainee level (level 5), began to eagerly learn trainee-level spells on his way back to Konola City. These spells were already engraved in his memory by this body's parents.
Soon, Punk found out that trainee level spells were only the upgraded version of apprentice level spells.
So, in theory, as long as you master the basic knowledge of apprentice-level spells, it should be easy to learn trainee-level spells, However, Punk discovered that wasn't the case.
Trainee-level spell models were designed to hold twice as much mana and exert far greater power than apprentice-level spells, making their structures far more complex.
So, even with the help of the system, the process of learning trainee-level spells was still significantly more challenging than that of apprentice-level spells.
There was also another issue troubling Punk: he had received very few trainee-level spells from his knowledge inheritance, and based on what Punk had seen at the Mage Union's spell exchange table, the price of a trainee-level spell was outrageously high...
Punk felt gratitude towards the original body's parents for the substantial amount of knowledge they had left for him. Without it, as a rogue mage, Punk would have had to invest a significant amount of time and effort in acquiring these spells from an organization.
The rarity and value of such common spells was also one of the important reasons why there were so few rogue official-level mages. In contrast, mages with an inheritance didn't face these challenges. Typically, one could only become a candidate for inheritance after accepting a teacher or mentor's guidance.
However, these mages with inheritance had to invest in purchasing training resources before being eligible for inheritance. In contrast, "scholar/academic" mages had access to a wealth of high-level magical knowledge. This access allowed them to significantly enhance spell effects through various experiments, such as spell combinations.
For instance, the combination of "Astral Oil" and "Fireball" produced an effect comparable to the spell "Blaze" but consumed only one-third of the latter's mana.
On the other hand, most academic mages had the opportunity to acquire a range of rare and powerful spells, sometimes even unique secret skills, without incurring additional costs. This ability made their method in combat quite unpredictable.
In contrast, rogue mages generally only learn a few very common spells, they have very few combat methods and limited knowledge, and their skills are also not powerful.
Despite having more combat experience, rogue mages often found themselves at a disadvantage when facing academic mages of the same level, not to mention the absence of powerful backing.(mentors)
The higher the level of knowledge, the rarer it becomes. Punk now understood that "his" parents were among the lucky rogue mages because their inheritance contained at least some high-level of knowledge
At the moment, Punk had a decent grasp of trainee-level knowledge. However, achieving official-level knowledge would be quite a challenge. As for legendary-level knowledge, There was none.
Punk feels that he has to come up with some plans for the future. Although Punk was still a long way from the official level, it might be too late to change anything when he finally reached that level,
So Punk planned to wait until he returned to Konola City and began searching for an official mage willing to take on a discipline.
"But these matters can be put on hold for now," Punk sighed softly. Once he was back in Konola City, his primary focus would be exchanging the alchemy potion formula and establishing his own alchemy workshop.
While high-level professionals might not prioritize money due to the incredible value of secret skills, at lower levels, money still held considerable importance.
For Punk, time always flies quickly when he was immersed in learning and practicing magic. Now, he could see the shadow of Konola City's wall in the distance. It was a sudden realization for Punk that he has been walking in the wasteland for three days!
During these three days, Punk hadn't encountered any disturbances while he focused on studying new spells. Whenever any wandering beasts felt the pressure brought by the Punk's trainee level soul, they ran as fast as they can, let alone find trouble with him.
None dared to provoke him.
As a result, Punk's journey back to Konola City proceeded without any problems. When he entered the city through a side gate this time, the old gate guard was so astounded that he momentarily forgot to ask Punk to register his name.
The memory of professionals was always solid; even the apprentice-level professionals were no exception.
The old guard clearly remembered that this young mage was still an apprentice level mage when he entered the city last time; now, only after going out for a week (9 days in a week in Pheren), this young mage had become a trainee-level powerhouse. The old guard could not help but complain in his mind -
"When? promotion became this easy!"
Punk completely ignored the old apprentice-level warrior guard, who stood on the side and seemed to have suffered a heavy blow to his worldview and outlook on life.
Punk's focus was now on his surroundings. During the week he had been outside of Konola City, the city's atmosphere seemed to have undergone a significant transformation, exuding a strong natural vibe.
Punk noticed that the houses facing the street had been painted with inexpensive green dyes. Although the work was clearly not of professional quality, the rough patterns resembled seedlings.
These were the seedlings of a plant called the "Qu-Qu Wheat," a staple food often planted on the plane of Pheren.
Punk also observed people wearing grass rings made from leaves and long grasses on their heads. Some of the young girls beautifully decorated their grass rings with small flowers. Many individuals were dressed in green clothing, creating a cheerful atmosphere filled with laughter. The green paintings and ornaments of various plants gave the whole city a feeling of vitality, and the whole city's atmosphere became very different.
Punk didn't think much about it He intended to wait until he handover the mission first and then inquire about the changes from the hotel owner. He didn't ask the pedestrians who passed by about it; because as he was walking on the street dressed as a mage, all the pedestrians moved far away. And if he casually stops people to ask questions on the street, that might scare the shit out of them or even cause panic. Now Punk wants to find a mentor from the lawful camp, so he needed a good reputation for the time being.
Unexpectedly, Punk came to a halt when he reached a familiar shop – the barbecue shop where he had previously purchased barbecue meat last time. The barbecue served here was undeniably delicious. Despite his ancestry being influenced by ancient elves blood, "He still quite enjoyed the delicious and juicy fluffy steak and the moderately salty and fragrant sauce of that barbecue.
The Punk walked into the shop and saw the enthusiastic middle-aged shopkeeper. As the shopkeeper noticed a new guest, he initially intended to greet them. However, upon seeing that it was a young mage, he hesitated for a moment, then suddenly recalled that this mage had purchased barbecue meat last time. After all, he was just an ordinary barbecue shop owner. He has received only a handful of professionals; although this mage has always been wearing a hood and only showing a smooth white chin, the shopkeeper still remembered Punk.
"Haha, lord mage, thank you for taking care of the shop's business again," The barbecue shop owner said with a very familiar tone.
Punk didn't respond to the greeting and instead placed an order for barbecue, then fell silent.. Seeing this, the shop owner touched the back of his head awkwardly and laughed stiffly.
After the barbecue was placed on the table, Punk used a low voice to ask about the changes in the city.
Once the barbecue was served on the table, Punk inquired about the recent changes in the city in a low voice. Initially, the barbecue shop owner appeared somewhat surprised by the question, but then he responded to Punk in an exaggerated manner
"Young master must be a foreigner. It is now harvesting season in the Kingdom of Camos, so we are all celebrating the "Green Festival."
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