Wizard: I devour the stars with swarms of insects.

Flowers bloom and wither, the wind comes and goes; in the city of the Black Forest, time flows quietly.

With the arrival of spring, the trees and grass around the Natural Symbiotic Wizard Tower have grown lush and verdant, even thicker and more abundant than before.

Holman returned to the Wizard Tower once during the journey, seemingly because he had finally finished dealing with family matters.

They also brought Wayne some fresh clams, a local specialty from his hometown, in an icebox, to express their gratitude once again for what they had done before.

He then made a brief stop there before leaving again, as if his mentor Morse had given him some kind of task. He quickly left the Black Forest City.

As for Wayne, this promising first-class wizard apprentice, he was left here without any assigned tasks.

It seems that this was done so that Wayne could concentrate on meditation, improve his mental strength as soon as possible, and advance to the rank of first-class wizard apprentice.

Later, Wayne specially crafted and synthesized a Dawn Potion that could enhance the knight's strength and gave it to Isabel.

After taking it, it helped Isabel break through from intermediate knight to advanced knight.

After being promoted to a high-ranking knight, Isabel's jurisdiction over the knightly fiefdoms expanded considerably.

According to the nobility system of the Kingdom of Westland, one can obtain the treatment of a noble title based on military merits and one's own strength level.

[Junior Knight → Intermediate Knight → Senior Knight → Grand Knight]

If one's strength reaches the level of a high-ranking knight, one can obtain the same rewards and land as a baron, while a grand knight is similar to a viscount—this is the maximum.

Although it is still a knightly territory, the size and scale of the territory under its jurisdiction are now equivalent to that of a baron.

This is a tactic used by the Kingdom of Westland to win over powerful knights.

Regardless of who you were originally, as long as you are willing to join the Kingdom of Westland and swear allegiance, you can obtain a title and rewards based on your knightly strength.

Thanks to this system of "military achievements," the Kingdom of Westland enjoyed great military success, making it stand out among the many medieval kingdoms in the surrounding region in terms of military strength.

After Isabel was promoted to a high-ranking knight, she was able to annex the territory of the Frederick family, which was currently unclaimed, and expand her territory.

This delighted Isabelle.

His own knightly territory was already teetering on the brink of collapse under the watchful eyes of the Frederick family, and its very existence was hanging by a thread.

But now, things have turned out that he himself is able to annex the Frederick family's territory.

Relying on his knightly strength, he was able to re-hung the family's banner on the city wall.

Furthermore, they were able to recruit more subjects, build windmills and mills, maintain an army, prepare weapons, and collect taxes.

She transformed into a female lord, all thanks to following Lord Wayne!

Although the territory is still smaller than his father's former earldom, at least his family members no longer have to worry about being displaced.

At Wayne's behest, Isabel also built a detached castle in a secluded forest on the edge of the family territory, backed by a cliff and far from human habitation, as Wayne requested.

Furthermore, patrolling guards are stationed around the area to protect it and prevent anyone from approaching.

This is the "private base" that Wayne plans to build. In the future, if there are any experiments that he doesn't want to be seen, he can conduct them here and carry out his secret research.

......

Soon, six months later.

As the morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the Natural Symbiosis Wizard Tower, Wayne slowly opened his eyes.

As the eyes opened, a faint, tangible light seemed to flash and disappear within the pupils.

Furthermore, Wayne now felt that everything in front of him was within his field of vision... in perfect detail!

If an ordinary person's perception of the world around them is like being covered by a black cloth, they can only feel the most basic sounds, light, and heat... and cannot perceive the energy particles flowing in the air.

By the time one reaches the third-level wizard apprentice level, the black cloth has faded into a thin veil. Although it is still not very clear, one can vaguely sense a faint flow of energy.

Upon reaching the level of a second-class wizard apprentice, the veil that had shrouded the world seemed to be lifted.

I can already vaguely sense obvious points of convergence of magic around me, such as magical items, witchcraft models, or certain energy arrays.

Now that he has reached the level of a first-class wizard apprentice, he can not only clearly "inner-vision" the flow of his own spiritual power.

Furthermore, the perception of external energy has become clearer, enabling the detection of stronger life forms or energy sources from a distance of approximately ten to several tens of meters.

I can sense the thin, yet ubiquitous magical light particles floating in the surrounding air, like countless tiny specks of light of different colors, flowing and suspended in the air.

"Phew... I've finally broken through the mental strength threshold of a first-class wizard apprentice!" Wayne murmured to himself, a bright light shining in his eyes.

The [Hive] intelligent list in front of him showed that his current mental strength had reached [30.0].

[Real-time monitoring of mental strength: 30.0 (stable state)]

[Level Assessment: First-Class Wizard Apprentice (Certification standard of the Wizarding Guild of the Black Forest City has been met)]

[Note: The mental field is beginning to manifest externally; the breadth and depth of mental perception have been significantly enhanced; and the ability to process multiple threads of consciousness has entered a new stage.]

[Tip: It is recommended to undergo adaptive training to master the newly acquired mental power.]

"call......"

Next, Wayne opened the door and went outside the wizard tower.

At the entrance, Isabel is still dressed in silver-white armor, surrounded by several subordinates and guards.

Upon seeing Wayne emerge, he quickly went up to him and said...

"Lord Wayne..."

However, now whenever I look at Wayne, in addition to respect, there is always a hint of charm in my eyes, a seductive look.

However, this time, when he looked up at Wayne's face again, he felt a sharp, piercing sensation, and his eyes stung slightly.

"What?! This, this is..." Isabel was startled when she realized the change.

And it wasn't just Isabel; the other knights and guards around her were also somewhat afraid to look Wayne in the eye.

Otherwise, my eyes always feel a stinging sensation, like being pricked by needles.

Noticing their discomfort, Wayne's expression shifted slightly, and he smiled quietly. Sure enough... he had succeeded!

Besides the difference in the strength of their mental power, there is another obvious difference between first-class and second-class wizard apprentices.

That is, when one reaches the level of a first-class wizard apprentice, one's mental strength has reached a certain intensity, but one cannot control it well.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, some of one's mental energy will involuntarily spill out and surround one's brain.

This leads to ordinary people with insufficient mental strength being affected.

When looking directly at a first-class wizard apprentice, one will be affected by the spiritual energy field surrounding them, causing distorted vision and discomfort.

As if looking at something extremely sharp and pointed, in the classification of wizard apprentice levels, this surrounding energy field is called "magic pressure".

It is a sign of the formation of a preliminary spiritual force field.

However, of course, once one reaches the level of a formal wizard, their control over mental power becomes more refined and subtle, allowing them to perceive the big picture from small details.

So when that time comes, they will return to their original simplicity and become like ordinary people again, without having any further impact.

However, the appearance of "magical pressure" is undoubtedly a sign of advancement to become a first-class wizard apprentice.

"Lord Wayne, what...?!"

Sensing Wayne's powerful aura, Isabel looked surprised and astonished.