Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Dago returned to the wizard's inn and found Serena, telling her about his decision.

Serena's decision to him was neither pretentious nor sentimental; it was a matter of respect for her own life.

"In the battles of the wizards, I was indeed a burden to Dago." This was the cruel truth buried deep in Serena's heart, one she was unwilling to acknowledge.

Once or twice might be luck, but what about three or four times? If it had been his own squad that stayed behind at the watchtower to rest, he would have been the one who died, not old Marico.

She did not live a peaceful life in her short life, always wavering between "almost" and "should have". Some people may find it sad, but she did not.

Because she encountered the two most stunning beams of light in her bleak life.

She bit her lip, pondered silently for a long time, and finally nodded gently.

Dago breathed a sigh of relief; he certainly didn't want to experience anything like a melodramatic soap opera.

Noon arrived quickly, and on the airship platform behind the academy castle, a huge airship lay across the platform like a mining truck.

The other four ships must have gone out to sweep away the black-robed wizards in the forest.

Dago took out his storage pouch and handed it to Serena, hand in hand.

He had already erased his spiritual imprint from the storage bag, which still contained a considerable number of mid-level magic stones and another exquisite rune robe.

"This is my initial investment in you. The future growth and success will depend on you, Serena," Dago said to her with a smile.

"I will, Persia," was a new word Serena had learned from Dago.

She then took a piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Dago, saying, "Persian, this is the address of my hometown. Remember to come and find me when you're done with your work."

Dago took the paper, still warm from Serena's body, put it into his storage ring, waved his hand, and said nothing.

He led Serena to an entrance beneath the airship, where the two of them appeared so small beneath the behemoth-like vessel.

Dago handed the gold card to the serious-looking middle-aged wizard guarding the entrance to the airship.

The middle-aged wizard inserted the gold card into a verification device next to him, and after a long "beep," he said to the two men, "One ticket per person, hurry up and get on the boat."

Serena didn't rush in; she kept her head down as if frozen, as if searching for a reason to go in.

Seeing this, Dago pushed her through the entrance, and she turned back to look at Dago with reluctance.

Dago's heart softened, and he said softly, "Getting on the boat doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. I promise I'll come find you. Since I won't be by your side anymore, you need to be more independent. Do you understand what I mean, Serena?"

Serena nodded and entered the cabin without looking back, as if she had made up her mind.

"Huff...huff..."

The power of the rune array on the airship stirred up a gale, causing the exquisite robes of the academy wizards on the platform to flutter wildly.

Judging from their robes, these are wizards of high status and strength in the academy, here to bid farewell to their family or friends.

As the silver patterns on the airship grew brighter, it slowly lifted off the ground.

On the deck of the airship, Serena's gray hair was blown about by the wind, adding a touch of liveliness to her face.

She waved goodbye vigorously to Dago below.

This was also the first time Dago had truly seen Serena's eyes clearly. They were like twinkling stars in the night sky, bright and deep, with clear eyes that seemed to hold a pool of clear spring water.

Dago waved his hand, wondering to himself if he had set a flag for himself.

Only when the airship became a tiny black dot and completely disappeared into the clouds did Dago turn around and leave the airship platform, slowly returning the way he came.

With Serena's departure, Dago felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart, and he felt a sense of relief and relaxation.

The passing of old Marico deeply affected Dago, which is one of the reasons why he sent Serena away first.

As for what followed, Dago was finally able to unleash his full potential and boldly practice advanced witchcraft.

Even he had almost forgotten that before coming to town, he was a hunter in the forest.

..........

Dago walked briskly down the snow-covered street, occasionally analyzing where the best hiding spots were.

With the advancement of his meditation skills, his memory improved dramatically, and he could easily memorize the ambush locations and escape routes of the entire town.

Urban warfare has always been a nightmare of war, because detection wizards cannot see through stone walls. You never know when a scoundrel might jump out from any corner and launch a surprise attack, casting spells right in your face. Even a god couldn't save you.

As he passed the notice board outside the Wizarding Hall, Dago stopped to take a look.

There weren't many wandering wizards gathered around the bulletin board anymore; just a dozen or so of them were talking amongst themselves, their faces beaming with joy—it seemed to be good news.

The content of the employment order above is not much different. Considering that many employed wizards cannot even last a month, their wages have all been converted into daily magic stones.

However, practically no foolish wizard would choose to sign any employment contract anymore; the apprentice wizards in town who could be fooled are basically all dead.

Below the bulletin board, there are many more bounty notices issued in the form of quests, which are open to the only remaining wizards in the entire town.

In order to win this war, the academy has mobilized all its resources to gather wizards in the town, which is a huge financial burden.

As a wizard like Dago, who is half-academic and half-wandering, he has no mentor in the academy and no one has taken care of him since Viser's death. Naturally, he can also take on bounty missions.

If you were a formal student of the academy, you would most likely be assigned by your academy instructors to carry out high-risk combat missions where you could lose your life at any moment.

The rewards for each mission are highlighted in bold fluorescent paint—potions to boost mental power, low-level magical items, magic stones, tickets to leave the academy, and even the chance to become an apprentice of a formal wizard.

Dago's gaze lingered briefly on the first reward; it was the only one on the bulletin board that truly attracted him.

Most of the missions involve killing black-robed wizards from the Darkblood Council. Each black-robed wizard can be exchanged for three bottles of potions to enhance mental power.

Adding to the spoils already possessed by the black-robed wizard, Dago's greed stirred slightly.

"My mental strength has now undergone a transformation. I'm only one step away from becoming a half-step wizard, and the only thing missing is the accumulation of mental strength. Potions that enhance mental strength can greatly accelerate this process."

"On the contrary, the best and most tempting reward for a wandering wizard is actually the most useless to him. Regardless of whether the reward is real or fake, he already has a path to become a formal wizard."

Thinking of this, Dago once again felt grateful for Viser's selfless gift.

In order to achieve his goal of becoming a full-fledged wizard more quickly, Dago was willing to take the risks.

However, the thought of the devastating night in the north of the city yesterday, and the battle between the two formal wizards that Dago had witnessed, still left him with lingering fear.

Although hunting apprentice-level wizards is a piece of cake for him, he fears he would be reduced to ashes if he encountered a full-fledged wizard.

"I still need to be careful. Once I'm stronger, at least I'll have the ability to escape from a formal wizard."

That's what Dago was thinking.

Only after the skills "Ice Crystal Technique" and "Ice Crystal Cannon" have progressed to the Transformation stage will one's combat power undergo a qualitative change.

"I still need to cultivate and improve more, both mental strength and witchcraft, I need to grasp both and be strong in both."

Dago shook his head and looked away from the bulletin board.

Now, he is alone again, with fewer worries, but he is more focused and undistracted.

The next focus should be on increasing cultivation progress points. While ensuring your own absolute safety, you should hunt down the black-robed wizards who enter the town in exchange for the rewards from the Wizard Hall quests.