Great Harvest, Distribution Department

He opened the bag.

First were the Magic Stones.

There really were not many Magic Stones—only twenty.

After all, he had invested a full hundred Magic Stones in Halman.

They had clearly all been used to treat his injuries.

"But it was fortunate he was injured. Otherwise, in perfect condition, he might have noticed the concentration of my Mental Power at the time."

Ian felt a wave of relief.

Besides that, the bag contained three spells, all Zero-ring Lower Grade spells.

All three spells were of excellent quality.

Layton Hines had also left a note.

It turned out that the bag had originally contained a Zero-ring Intermediate Grade spell of excellent quality—the Blood Hand he had seen before—which was suited for a Second-class Apprentice Witch.

However, it was Black Sorcery, and a Second-class Apprentice Witch with an intermediate-grade spell was too conspicuous, so he had replaced it with three spells Ian could use.

"Black Sorcery?"

Ian recalled the scene from that day. The blood-red hand had carried an obvious stench of blood; it really did resemble Black Sorcery.

So-called Black Sorcery was generally practiced only by Black Witches. Its processes were fundamentally cruel and violent, which was why White Witches had forbidden it.

At least, that was the case in Veridian Forest. He just did not know where Ross had obtained it.

"Acid Splash, Wind Shield Spell, Vine Entanglement."

Ian's eyes lit up as he looked at the three new spells.

Acid Splash was the spell he had seen at the very beginning. It could condense a mass of corrosive liquid and was quite powerful.

The Wind Shield Spell condensed a layer of wind around the body to block an enemy's attacks.

Vine Entanglement required Enchanted Seeds, which could then bind an enemy. It was a control-type spell.

They were all of excellent quality and could normally be sold at the Academy for a full forty-five Magic Stones.

And even then, there was a quota limit.

After all, someone who normally joined the Potions Department could only purchase three excellent-quality spells.

Layton was quite generous.

It also showed that this truly was no small matter.

Besides that, there were the basic materials for these spells, including Acid Vine Juice for Acid Splash, Wind Feather Grass Leaves for the Wind Shield Spell, and several Enchanted Seeds.

This differed from the spells Ian remembered from his previous life.

In this world, aside from certain spells like Mental Power Impact, many spells required materials to practice.

For example, when casting Acid Splash, some Acid Vine Juice was needed as a catalyst.

The Wind Shield Spell was the same.

As for Vine Entanglement, there was no need to even mention it. How could a low-level witch possibly create living, growing vines out of thin air?

The Wind Blade Spell Ian had learned before seemed not to require casting materials.

That was because the Wind Blade Spell had originally been imprinted on Mickey's feathers—the feathers themselves were the casting materials.

Once Ian had imprinted the rune, he no longer needed materials either.

Of these three spells, the first two might be able to achieve that someday, but no matter how Master Level Vine Entanglement became, it would never be able to do without seeds.

"So in the future, I should choose elemental-type spells whenever possible."

Ian thought it over. This type of spell required the fewest materials and relied more heavily on runes.

They suited him better.

After giving it some simple thought, Ian continued searching through the bag.

In the end, he found two useful items.

Lionheart Knight Method—Great Knight Chapter, and a silver ring.

"The continuation of the Knight Method."

Ian's eyes lit up.

This time, his knightly physique had not helped much, but it had allowed him to endure better while being controlled.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to cast a spell at all.

But how did Ross have the subsequent part of this Knight Method?

"He's Halman's brother. Naturally, members of the same family would have it." Ian could not help but smile.

"And this ring is interesting too."

Ian looked at the final silver-white ring. Perhaps this was his greatest gain this time.

Mental Power touched the ring.

A stream of information came through at the same time.

[Stealth Ring: Zero-ring mid-grade Witchcraft Artifact, inscribed with three Advanced Runes and twenty-six basic runes. Effect: consumes very little Mental Power to conceal the holder's Mental Power. Can also actively activate a Silence Domain; within a range of ten meters, sound cannot travel outward. Creator: Phil Stuart]

"A Witchcraft Artifact—and a zero-ring mid-grade one at that."

Ian drew a deep breath and suppressed his delight.

So-called Witchcraft Artifacts were the various alchemical tools used by wizards, graded according to the runes inscribed upon them.

And a zero-ring mid-grade Witchcraft Artifact was already something only a Second-class Apprentice Witch could possess.

It was worth at least several dozen Magic Stones.

Not to mention its effects—they perfectly matched his current needs, and it even had a domain.

Needless to say, that domain was the membrane Ian had seen that day, the one that had cut off his voice.

It would be very useful at certain times.

"Ross is a good man!"

Ian sighed emotionally.

This haul had truly been enormous.

Everything was something he needed: Magic Stones, Wizardry, materials, and a Witchcraft Artifact. Their total value exceeded a hundred.

He had been at the Academy for nearly a year, yet even counting his rewards, he had not gained this much.

Sure enough, that saying was right.

Murder and arson earned golden belts.

It worked just as well in another world.

"Together with the Magic Stones I've saved up, I have nearly twenty. That's enough for me to cultivate properly for quite a while."

Ian put on the ring and stored everything away, then could not help falling into thought about the life ahead.

He was about to enter the Potions Department.

What should he do from now on?

"Keep a low profile. Keep a low profile. Keep a low profile."

Ian pressed his lips together.

During the advanced apprentice stage, one often had no choice but to fight over resources. But after entering a department, he absolutely could not keep doing that.

When problems arose, he should try to keep a lower profile.

Develop quietly, then deal with them once he had grown strong enough.

Otherwise, it would be like this time again.

He could not possibly be so lucky every time, escaping each danger.

Only by staying alive could he become stronger.

Ian took a deep breath and began studying how to use the Witchcraft Artifact, as well as the three spells.

In the blink of an eye.

Three days passed.

Ian left Victor's room. At this moment, however, his Mental Power fluctuations were completely concealed, as though they did not exist.

"Really useful."

Ian touched the ring on his right index finger.

This was the effect of the Stealth Ring.

Although it consumed a small amount of Mental Power, it consumed even less than the amount restored by the Meditation Technique rune.

This meant it could remain activated twenty-four hours a day.

Feeling the change.

Ian hurried toward the Teaching Area. Today was the day the departments would be assigned.

By the time Ian arrived, most people were already there.

"Ian."

"Boss, where have you been these past few days?"

When the members of the Mutual Aid Society saw Ian, they hurried over. They had not seen him at all these past few days.

"Nothing. I stayed at Instructor Victor's place for a few days."

Ian said.

Ross's matter involved spies, so it naturally had to be kept completely secret. That suited Ian just fine.

Only then did the others understand.

"Tell me, where are you planning to go?"

Ian abruptly changed the subject and asked.

"I'm going to the Combat Department," Logan said.

"I chose the Logistics Department. I don't know if I'll be able to stay," Emily said with a blink and a smile.

The others had made much the same choice. Aside from Emily, everyone had chosen the Combat Department.

That was the mainstream choice now.

Before long, everyone had basically arrived. As usual, Joran entered the classroom, except this time quite a few people followed behind him.

"Now, we'll begin assigning departments."