Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Dago slowly walked back to the wizard's inn along the snow-covered streets.

Along the way, Dago would occasionally run into wizards dressed in gray robes, walking with great interest toward the wizarding hall.

Compared to before, the Wizard Inn has far fewer tenants. This is partly because the rent is indeed high, and partly because it is employed by the Academy, which provides accommodation for free, making management easier.

Entering the deserted wizard's inn, I saw old Marico and Serena sitting around the fire in the tea room, brewing tea.

Dargo walked over, sat down, and told the two about the employment notice posted in the wizarding hall.

He looked at old Maric and asked, "What's your opinion on this?"

Old Maric took a sip of his hot tea and set it aside, then slowly said, "Based on my experience with wars, employed wizards did relatively well in the early stages, but as the intensity of the war increased, they only had one fate: to become cannon fodder."

"Whether they are wandering wizards or civilians, they are among the people who suffer the most casualties in the war."

"War is simply one peasant's son fighting another peasant's son."

After hearing old Marico's words, Dago and Serena had complex expressions on their faces.

This was almost inevitable.

It's not just Marico and Dago who can see this, but it's impossible to be unaffected by the Academy in a town; most people end up having no choice in the end, including the three of them.

Old Maric continued, "There's one more thing I need to tell you, Dago. The Evans have already left town with his wealthy uncle's caravan."

"When they were leaving, they came to say goodbye, but unfortunately you had already gone out."

Where are they headed?

Old Maric said nostalgically, "South of the Emerald Forest, there is a city of [Emerald Life]."

"I wish them a safe journey."

Dago murmured those four words to himself, looked up towards the south, but could only see a gray sky filled with snow-covered clouds.

He forgot which wizarding book he had seen it in.

It is said that the Emerald Life is an organization jointly established by elves and wizards.

..........

As night fell, light snow drifted outside the hotel, and a biting wind blew.

The inn, however, was warm and peaceful, thanks to a special rune array designed to ward off the cold, which explained its high rent.

Having just finished his meditation practice, Dago stepped into the bathtub filled with hot water.

Since the Resonance spell reached its transformation phase, low-activity ice elements have been covering his skin, much like an enhanced form of albinism.

Now, her arms, chest, and back have all turned into pure white skin.

Dago raised his pale right arm, the entire arm displaying a perfect streamlined shape, and with a slight exertion, it exuded power.

The more advanced his resonance technique became, the more noticeable the physical growth became—something he hadn't anticipated.

In the wizarding world, there are very few spells that increase physical strength; this is a choice made through long-term development.

No matter how much physical training is done, who would dare to physically withstand the magic of the shaping system?

However, in the wizarding world, there exists the concept of a dharma body, which is a state in which energy particles coexist with the physical body.

This was also a major reason why the Resonance Technique became famous. Once the body adapts to the external energy particles, it becomes no different from a humanoid monster.

Dago was really looking forward to the Resonance spell bringing him a Dharma Body. With the support of the Progression System, that day might actually come.

The next step, to advance to a formal wizard, is the transformation of one's mental strength, which is also the first major obstacle for apprentice wizards.

These apprentice wizards, whose spiritual power has been transformed, are half-step into formal wizards; they are only one step away from becoming formal wizards.

These were all things that old Marico told Dago, and he became very frustrated whenever he talked about them. Anyone who had worked hard their whole life and was still in the apprenticeship stage would break down.

Old Maric and his practice were based on the "General Wizarding Meditation Method," which did not record any methods for transforming spiritual power. They could only meditate endlessly and accumulate spiritual power, waiting for it to transform spontaneously.

Little did they know, old Marico had almost lived his entire life waiting for his mental transformation, and there must be something missing, or perhaps his wizarding talent was insufficient.

Therefore, the wizarding world has no shortage of apprentice wizards, who are already trapped in a large net from the moment they embark on the path of wizarding.

Countless apprentice wizards could only glimpse genius wizards and family wizards as they continued their wizarding journey through the mesh of the net.

This is also the biggest lure in the academy's employment contract: the hope of becoming a formal wizard is enough to make many apprentice wizards flock to it.

After soaking for a while, Dago felt the bathwater getting a bit cold, so he got up, dried himself off, and put on his robe.

He began a new round of meditation training, and with the transformation of his meditation technique, the deep blue spiritual energy liquid he refined in his mental space was coming faster and faster.

Within the spiritual space, neither side is above nor below. A sun-like sphere of light hangs in the mist, while a vast, dark ocean occupies the other half of the space, constantly churning.

As the sphere of light slowly rotated, it drew in a large amount of mist, which was then refined into drops of deep blue spiritual energy.

The droplets of spiritual energy swirled around Dago's soul until they disappeared into his brow.

At this point, Dago's soul body has been repaired by four-fifths. Once it is completely repaired, he will have completed the soul repair of the apprentice stage and reached the advanced level three apprentice wizard.

Based on his cultivation speed, not counting those witches who use drugs, it's astonishing.

He once asked old Maric that the soul of an apprentice wizard is replenished very slowly because the mental spaces they open vary in size. Larger mental spaces have more mental mist and thus more refined mental power, while smaller ones have less.

This is determined by the wizard's talent.

Furthermore, the speed at which the spiritual core refines the mist, and the amount of soul entropy generated, are all obstacles to the completion of the soul body. Generally, an apprentice can only practice meditation four or five times a day.

This is determined by the quality of the meditation technique.

Dago sighed deeply. Although he had the support of the system, none of these things would become insurmountable obstacles for him. But what about the other struggling apprentice wizards? Did they have systems?

Even apprentice wizards struggle to make progress, let alone ordinary people.

What a hopeless world!

The next morning, an unexpected person arrived at the wizard's inn.

Wearing a magnificent robe, Viser sat in the tea room brewing tea, while the people from the wizard's inn stood respectfully to his side.

The three of them, including Dago, were asked to come down by the hotel staff. They were a little stunned when they first saw Viser, and then looked at Viser with a hint of disdain.

They hadn't forgotten how this guy used his teammates as shields.

When Viser signaled that they could leave, all the staff at the wizard's inn politely departed.

Viser raised his teacup, took a sip, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, and said calmly, "Captain Dago, and my teammates from the patrol team, it's been a long time. Please have a seat."

Dago and his two companions slowly walked to the tea table and sat down. Dago spoke first: "Speak, what do you want with us?"

"Captain Dago, there might have been a misunderstanding at the academy gate last time. My mentor, Raymond, had some doubts about your identity, which is why he didn't let you into the academy."

"Oh, who was it that spoke ill of him?"

Viser said somewhat awkwardly, "Dag, your progress has been rather astonishing, which is why this misunderstanding has arisen. I recently advanced to a Level 3 Advanced Apprentice Wizard and came to discuss something with you."

Dago said coldly, "Speak, what is it? If it's a trivial matter, please don't disturb our peace."

"The academy recently assigned me a task: to form a patrol team in town. It makes perfect sense that I want to find my former teammates, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry, the Forest Patrol no longer exists. Viser, please leave."

"Don't forget your identities, Dago and Serena. You two are wizards of the academy. Now that the academy is in trouble, you must return to the academy and participate in its mission."

"We're just wandering wizards who paid tuition; has the wizarding academy ever truly valued us?"

Viser looked at the two men with a cold gaze and said with a hint of threat, "That's none of my business. Wearing the academy's robes while ignoring the invasion of the academy, are you spies sent by the Darkblood Council?"

"Dago, have you thought this through? It won't be me coming; it will be the academy's security detail."

Dago was in a dilemma this time. This was a blatant threat, and he was trying to figure out how to deal with it.

Old Maric then stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, Viser, we can join the town's patrol squad, but the three of us must stay together."

Upon hearing Maric's words, Viser didn't wait for Dago's reply and stood up, saying, "Alright, the three of you come to the academy's security office at noon today."

After saying that, he turned and left the wizard's inn.

Serena said hesitantly, "Grandpa Marico, you're not a wizard from the academy, you don't need to get involved."

"We're family, aren't we?"

After hearing this, Dago felt uneasy. Without strength, one is always bullied.

In the end, the three of them had no choice but to join the town's patrol team.