Wizard: I devour the stars with swarms of insects.

Three months later.

In the cold, silent forest, a sharp blade fell.

Pfft—!

A mouse that had just run out of its burrow froze in place.

A line of blood appeared on its furry neck, which then quickly expanded, splattering bright red blood all over the ground.

Then, the body collapsed to the ground.

"Sir, this is the forty-seventh Flame Rat..."

Isabel sheathed her cross-shaped sword, picked up the fiery red rat from the ground that was radiating heat, and tossed it into a fireproof animal skin bag.

The Flame Rat is a common magical creature in the Black Forest.

Their fur and certain glands are common materials used by wizard apprentices to refine low-grade fuels and lighting agents.

You can sell it to potion-making apprentices in the wizard shop in the Black Forest City.

In exchange for the Soul-Burning Incense used to aid meditation.

During this period, Wayne would lead Isabel and her knight team every now and then.

Head into the city of the Black Forest, hunt and kill Flame Rats, then sell them to earn Magic Stones, which can be used to buy Soul Grass Incense.

"Now, the quantity should be about right..."

Looking at the heavy bag full of numerous Flame Rat corpses, Wayne pondered.

You should be able to exchange one Dead Soul Grass Incense stick for it at the Wizard Shop.

Next, Wayne led Isabel and the others back towards the Wizarding Academy.

Back at the academy, before parting ways, Wayne flicked his wrist and pulled out several bottles of pale pink potions from his wizard robes, casually tossing them to the knights in front of him.

"This is 'Vitality Extract,' which will greatly help you strengthen your physique and restore your strength."

"Thank you so much, Lord Wayne!"

The knights all looked delighted and expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

Wayne nodded slightly.

After all, the medicine he gave them wasn't anything particularly expensive.

They are just some nutrients extracted from the byproducts of biological experiments.

Even so, these knights were still deeply grateful.

This is the insurmountable gap between wizards and mortals.

For wizards with extraordinary powers, anything they "reveal" is considered a great blessing.

"After all, you can't expect a horse to run without feeding it."

This is Wayne's idea.

Occasional favors can motivate these knights to work harder and more energetically when running errands for you, thus increasing their initiative.

Next, after saying goodbye to the guards.

Wayne, alone, carried the heavy bag of Flame Rats, navigating the intricate streets of the academy, filled with all sorts of strange smells.

Finally, they stopped in front of a wizard's shop.

The sign for this wizard shop is an old wooden plaque that floats in mid-air and rotates slowly.

The edges of the wooden plaque are carved with constantly twisting vine patterns.

The shop's name was written on the signboard in a dark gold hue: 【Lord Uru's Hut】

Next, Wayne went into the wizard shop, where the goods displayed in the shop window were a chaotic mess.

A strangely shaped wizard's hat, several brightly colored bottles of potions that seemed to contain miniature storms, and a bunch of oddly labeled minerals that occasionally vibrate on their own.

In the corner, there was a strange plant that looked like a radish and made a slight snoring sound.

Behind the counter, a short, stout figure was now standing on tiptoe, trying to place a can of liquid that was constantly oozing purple foam onto the high shelf.

He was still muttering to himself.

"Sweetie, stop fooling around, just stay here... Ouch!"

The jar suddenly bounced in his hand, and a few drops of purple foam splashed onto his wizard's robe.

Several small holes were immediately corroded, and blue smoke rose from them.

"Damn it! This is my third wizard robe this month..."

The short, stout figure muttered curses.

This short, stout figure was already an old acquaintance of Wayne's.

Meanwhile, the owner of this shop, Uncle Uru, is a dwarf apprentice specializing in potions.

Because I've been selling Flame Rats to him quite a few times over the past few months, we've gotten to know each other quite well.

"Oh dear, it seems those rats in the Black Forest are in trouble again."

Now that he saw Wayne come in, Uncle Uru took the initiative to greet him.

Wayne shrugged and placed the heavy bag on the counter.

After opening the bag, Uncle Uru quickly counted the contents.

"Hmm... There are forty-seven in total, forty-three of which are of excellent quality, and four have minor flaws. Since you are a regular customer, I'll give you a good price: two standard-sized sticks of Dead Soul Grass incense."

Uncle Uru said.

Next, he carefully took two completely black incense sticks from the box in the lower cabinet and handed them to Wayne.

After Wayne took it, he checked the quality of the Dead Soul Grass incense and found it to be fine.

"I'm gone."

I greeted Uru and turned to leave the store, but Uncle Uru's voice could still be faintly heard behind me.

"Hey buddy, stop staring at those rats! The buy-in prices for 'Crying Mushrooms' and 'Shadow Bat Wing Membranes' are pretty good lately, keep an eye out if you're interested..."

As the shop door closed, Uncle Uru's voice could no longer be heard.

Next, Wayne returned to the Natural Symbiosis Wizard Tower with the two Soul Grass incense sticks he had obtained in exchange.

After arriving at his room, he closed the door.

On the lamp beside him, he lit a stick of dead soul grass and burned incense.

Amidst the billowing, hazy smoke, Wayne sat cross-legged on the bed.

You can skillfully visualize five black balls in your mind.

Simultaneously, the [Honeycomb] network is activated, with four fruit flies hovering around it, connected and linked by the binding threads.

With the help of fruit flies, simultaneously control the rotation of 5 black balls to begin the Five-Ball Suspension Meditation Method.

What is my current mental strength?

Wayne asked.

Current mental strength: 4.9

A notification from the [Honeycomb] AI appeared before my eyes.

"Judging by the time, after this last meditation today, my mental strength should reach level 5.0..."

Wayne pondered.

In the past few months, I have been able to increase my mental strength by about 0.1 to 0.3 with each meditation session.

Of course, because mental states vary during meditation and fluctuate, the increase in value after each meditation session is not fixed.

However, generally speaking, each meditation session can increase mental strength by at least 0.1.

"So, through today's final meditation, I should be able to reach the mental strength level required for a second-class wizard apprentice."

So, Wayne focused his mind and calmed himself down, visualizing the five black spheres in his mind.

Manipulate them to continuously orbit and rotate around a central location in the void.

Within his own consciousness, black spheres, like satellites, were orbiting evenly and rapidly.

Then, about half an hour passed.

After Wayne manipulated the five black spheres in his mind to complete a perfect revolution around a central point,

Suddenly, as if some kind of change had been triggered, the five black spheres, which originally required deliberate effort to maintain their clarity, became exceptionally stable and clearly defined.

It almost felt like it had a physical weight.

Although I am meditating now.

However, in the ocean of her own consciousness, she could hear the faintest footsteps in the corridor outside the room and the drifting trail of incense smoke.

Even the faint sound of one's own blood flowing... all perceptions become several times clearer.

To put it simply, it's like the world around us was originally veiled in a hazy mist.

But now, it's as if that light gauze has been wiped away.

Everything became clearer and more audible.

Furthermore, its multi-threaded processing capabilities have now been significantly enhanced.

You can precisely control the movement of the black ball while simultaneously observing the changes within your own body.

It can also reserve a small "thread" to monitor the status of fruit flies in the [Honeycomb] network, with minimal interference between them.

Next, Wayne slowly opened his eyes. In the room, only a small piece of the Dead Soul Grass incense remained.

With a thought, the data appeared before my eyes.

[Real-time monitoring of mental strength: 5.0 (Stable)]

[Note: This meets the minimum mental strength requirements for a "Second-Class Wizard Apprentice" from the Wizarding Guild of the Black Forest City!]

"good!"

Wayne's eyes lit up when he saw the current mental strength value.

Once your mental strength reaches 5.0, you'll meet the requirements to learn the [Thorn Tongue] sorcery trick.