Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

After a good night's sleep, Dago came back to life.

After a simple wash and breakfast, as usual, he should go for a run or go to the lakeside for meditation.

However, this morning Dago planned to go to the wizarding hall in town first.

Firstly, I need to follow up on the previous report about the black market dealers, and secondly, I need to go to the Wizard Hall to get certified as a second-level apprentice wizard.

He currently only has thirteen magic stone fragments left and urgently needs to go to town to find ways to earn more magic stones.

Wearing the apprentice robe that his predecessor had been reluctant to wear was far better than the linen robe he usually wore.

The apprentice's robes were made of soft, close-fitting material, with the emblem of the Academy of Wizarding Arts Arnark embroidered on the chest; a pentagram encircled a mountain peak.

This was purchased from the Wizarding Hall at a high price by the predecessor.

Dago straightened his robe, fastened his money pouch and water bag to his waist, turned and left, not forgetting to lock the shelter door before he went.

The wind was our companion along the way.

He returned to the town of Enark, only four days after his last visit, and found himself at the Wizard's Hall with practiced ease.

Just then, a group of people came out of the hall, chatting and laughing, and headed straight towards the direction of the Aynak Wizarding Academy on the mountain peak.

These people were all dressed in brand-new, beautiful clothes, and their hands, which were occasionally exposed by chance, wore bright rings that emitted energy particle fluctuations.

The leading wizard, in particular, had an air of unapproachability. He glanced at Dago, whispered a few words to the person next to him, and then burst into laughter.

"Looks like there are Celestial Dragons in the academy too!"

Dago stepped back to the side of the street and whispered something.

After the group of academy wizards left, he stood on the street and carefully admired the most luxurious building in the town.

From the outside, the Wizarding Hall looks like a giant champagne bottle, while looking inside, the cold light of countless marble slabs shimmers with golden bubbles.

Even the air smelled of evaporated money—a blend of polished metal, aged wood, and rare spices, an aroma exclusive to wizards and nobles.

Dargo straightened his robes at the entrance to the wizarding hall before striding inside.

He found the same counter he'd visited before, walked over, and discovered that the same pretty girl he'd seen before was sitting behind it. Dago's eyes lit up.

Since there weren't many people in the hall at that time, she was engrossed in reading a book.

Dargo quietly crept up to the counter and pounded on the tabletop a few times.

The girl was so frightened that she hurriedly hid the book in the cabinet next to her.

She looked up and saw Dago. She remembered him. She glared at Dago with a hint of anger, already cursing him dozens of times in her mind.

"Has the drug dealer we reported last time been caught?"

Dago spread his hands and smiled, asking casually.

"He's been caught, and he's currently in a wizard-controlled prison."

The girl said irritably.

"There's another matter I'm here for today. I've been promoted to a level two wizard apprentice, and I'd like you to help me with the certification process."

She glanced at Dago in surprise; it was not a common occurrence for a first-level wizard apprentice to advance to a second-level wizard.

She took a coin-sized badge from the cabinet next to her and handed it to Dagger.

"This is an apprentice-level badge used by the Wizarding Alliance to specifically test second-level wizard apprentices. Use your mental power to activate it."

Dargo took it and examined it for a while. It was a silver badge with an open book on one side and a crystal the size of a fingernail embedded in the middle.

On the other side was a rune that he couldn't understand.

After toying with the badge in his hand for a moment, a deep blue light appeared in his azure eyes.

The crystal embedded in the center of the badge then emitted a blue glow, seemingly capturing the spiritual energy emanating from Dago.

The girl watched Dago's every move until she saw the crystal on the badge light up with a ghostly blue light, then she looked away.

She pulled out a few sheets of paper from a drawer under the counter and handed them to him, looking at Dago with a professional, fake smile.

"Mr. Dago, congratulations on becoming a newly promoted second-level apprentice wizard at the Enark Wizarding Academy. You may now come over to register your information."

Dago stopped channeling his mental energy, put down the badge in his hand, picked up the paper on the table, and began to read it carefully.

The first form is the official wizard registration form from the Wizarding Alliance; you only need to fill in your own information.

However, the college student loan program is a trap. It basically states that if you are unable to pay your tuition fees during your studies, the college can provide you with a loan to help you.

However, the condition is that the academy can mandate a five-year work assignment for its wizards.

Putting aside the tuition fee of ten low-level magic stones per year, this mandatory clause alone is enough to make Dago hesitate.

"This is a loan provided by the academy to impoverished second-level apprentice wizards. The cost is a bit high, but it allows them to successfully graduate from the academy and become esteemed wizards. Isn't that a worthwhile investment?"

The girl noticed the change in Dago's expression and gently explained to him.

Dago waved his hand without reacting, then used the quill pen on the counter to write his information on the first piece of paper.

Then he handed the papers back to the girl, who immediately understood what Dago meant and didn't try to persuade her further.

She only retrieved the few pieces of paper, but returned the badge to Dago.

"The badge is an identification given to every second-level wizard apprentice by the Wizarding Alliance. It costs five low-level magic stones to replace a lost one or repair a damaged one."

Upon hearing this, Dago carefully placed the badge into his cloth bag and kept it safe.

After thanking the girl, he got up and left the wizard's hall.

"Moneying up the future for the present? Too bad I'm a man with a cheat code."

Dago stood on the street, watching the people coming and going, and muttered something to himself.

He did not regret his choice. Although he could not receive the academy's formal education and could only be an auditor, he had the advancement system, so it made no difference to him.

Two minor spells are enough for now. I'll go to the academy to learn new spells once I've earned enough magic stones.

His immediate priority is to find a way to earn magic stones.

He had thought about things like soap and lime from his past life, but when it came to actually doing them, it wasn't like that at all.

Perhaps the fundamental physical rules of the two worlds are different. This world even has gods and ghosts, which didn't exist in my previous life.

He banished all distracting thoughts from his mind and began to stroll through the bustling streets of the town.

He bought an old brass pocket watch in a secluded antique shop, which cost him two magic stones, and the price made his heart ache.

However, he will be able to tell the exact time from now on, and he will no longer need to look at the sun to estimate the time. The time markings on the pocket watch are almost the same as in his previous life, and he can understand them at a glance.

He continued wandering around aimlessly and finally discovered a way out: selling meat.

He observed that the butcher shops in town were doing very well.

There are two main reasons: first, ordinary people in towns do not eat animal offal because it is too fishy; second, ordinary people do physical labor and need meat protein to supplement their diet.

So he made a decision in his heart: after returning to the sanctuary, he would start hunting wild animals in the forest and become a wizard hunter.

He originally lived in the forest and had discovered many traces of wild animals.

This gave him a new source of income, and secondly, it didn't affect his magic practice; in fact, it could even increase his combat experience—it was a win-win situation.

The wild animals of the Emerald Forest can only suffer.

He quickly ate lunch at a restaurant in town to fill his empty stomach with some meat and oil, and then set off back to the sanctuary in the forest.

........

.....

Inside the shelter, Dago changed into a light hunting outfit and tucked a gleaming dagger into his waistband.

These were all old items that the old hunter Roland had given him before he left. It was a pity that he was too old to hunt in the forest anymore and could only choose to go to the big city to enjoy a peaceful life.

Before leaving, he also taught Dago some dangerous things in the forest and some tips for hunting wild animals.

Looking back now, I realize he was really good to me!

Dago mentally summoned the system panel.

[The Wizarding Universal Meditation Method (Beginner 49/1000); Air Bomb (Newbie 23/100)]

With advancements in the magic air bullet technique, its power has increased significantly.

Dago tested it, and the impact power of the air bullet is roughly equivalent to the impact of a motorcycle traveling at 40 miles per hour in his previous life.

It's perfectly adequate for hunting small wild animals in the forest.

With his current total mental energy, he can probably release air blasts two or three times, and then he needs to meditate to recover his mental energy.

Therefore, he should strive to hit the target with one strike, but if he misses, he can simply run away.

He tidied up his supplies, slung his cloth bag over his shoulder, and headed into the forest to search for traces of prey.

The emerald forest, with its towering ancient trees, resembled a green ocean. Dago parted a clump of bushes, casually pulled out an old brass pocket watch from his pocket, and glanced at the time.

Nearly an hour had passed since he left the shelter, and he had several scratches on his skin from tree branches, leaving bloody marks.

Hearing the sound of a stream not far ahead, Dago gradually slowed his pace.

In the wild, water sources are places where danger and opportunity coexist.

He hid in the shadows and observed for a long time, but found no prey or danger. Only then did he decide to go wash his face and refresh himself.

Reaching the pool in the stream, Dago scooped up some water and washed his face, feeling much more refreshed. Just as he was about to comfortably take off his shoes and wash his feet...

"Rustle!"

A rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes not far away.

Dago quickly turned his head to be on guard. He crouched down and quietly hid behind a tree not far from the stream.

A small deer resembling a sika deer was slowly walking towards the pool in the stream; this was the deer Roland had told him about.

Named for their speed, the forest is home to countless stags, making them one of the most common animals hunters encounter in the forest.

Little Chilu wrinkled its nose and sniffed the air. Perhaps it smelled an unfamiliar scent, because it pricked up its ears and listened for a while.

The peaceful life in the forest made it forget the danger, and it still chose to continue to lower its head to drink the sweet stream water without a care.

At this moment, Dago didn't dare to breathe. Seeing that it hadn't noticed him, he raised his right hand, a halo of light appeared in his eyes, and the air currents suddenly changed.

A solid mass of air, about the size of a basketball, was rapidly gathering in the palm of his right hand.

Only then did the deer realize that the air currents were abnormal, and its animal instincts warned of impending danger. It looked up and surveyed its surroundings.

In the blink of an eye, Dago emerged from behind the tree, throwing a solid ball of energy from his palm at Chilu.

Chi Lu was instantly terrified and jumped up on the spot in fright.

"Bang!"

The solidified air mass accurately struck the lower abdomen of the leaping deer, exploding with a deafening roar. The violent impact sent it flying several meters away.

Its body stirred up bits of grass, leaves, and dirt, and the deer fell to the ground, wailing in pain.

Dago rushed over to check its injuries and to see how powerful his spell was.

Dage was shocked to see that the ribs in the deer's abdomen were almost completely broken; it seemed that his attack had crippled the deer.

Seeing the deer lying on the ground struggling in pain, Dago chose to end its suffering quickly.

He took out a sharp dagger from his waist, covered Chi Lu's eyes with one hand, and decisively slit his throat.

After clumsily removing the bones, internal organs, and fur, he went to the stream to wash the dagger and the bloodstains off his body.

He packed the edible venison and its pelt together, lifted it up, estimated it to be about 20 or 30 pounds, and laboriously hoisted it onto his shoulder as he walked towards the shelter.

As evening approached, they returned to the shelter, and Dago, panting heavily, threw the deer-hide-wrapped venison onto a wooden stump.

Before long, he lit a fire in the open space of the shelter, with venison skewered on branches stuck around it.

The venison fat dripped onto the charcoal, igniting small flames and making a sizzling sound.

As Dago gazed at the fragrant roasted venison, his stomach rumbled uncontrollably, and his mouth watered uncontrollably.

Before long, he picked up a skewer of venison that was a bit dark, sprinkled it with a little salt, and began to wolf it down.