The Compendium of Tricks

[Talent: 100 (Fourth-grade Star)]

Though he had expected it, joy still flooded Ian's heart in an instant.

The difference between fifth-grade and fourth-grade talent seemed to be only a single grade.

But that gap was as vast as heaven and earth.

To say nothing else.

With fifth-grade talent, one could meditate two to four times, while with fourth-grade talent, that number doubled.

Reaching four to eight times.

If he had possessed this talent before, he could have successfully condensed the first part of the rune last week.

He had only been one step away from condensing a Mental Power Rune in the first place.

Now, he should be able to succeed as well.

Ian directly closed his eyes and began another round of meditation.

Ordinarily, he could only meditate four times.

But this time, even after four rounds, he still felt no discomfort.

Continue.

As the fifth meditation succeeded, the headache returned.

A clear rune finally appeared as well.

At that instant, Ian felt his mind tremble, and his vision suddenly opened up.

It was an incredibly wondrous sensation.

Like a stream flowing through his mind—cool, yet comfortable.

The specks of Mental Power seemed to have increased slightly, and he could sense a few more elements as well.

"This isn't even a complete rune, and it's already brought such changes."

A flicker of delight appeared in Ian's eyes.

And that was not all.

This time, his meditation proficiency had increased by a full eight points.

Previously, four rounds would generally raise it by around four or five points. He had only done one more round, yet the increase had nearly doubled.

Without a doubt, it was because his talent had leaped from fifth-grade to fourth-grade.

"If I can raise it to third-grade, I'm afraid it'll be even more different."

Ian's eyes lit up.

At this point, he finally understood.

It seemed that, for him, all kinds of extraordinary knowledge were what mattered most.

As long as he had enough knowledge, he could continuously raise his talent.

Even if he encountered obstacles, he could directly vault over them with high-grade talent.

"This is my path as a witch."

Ian thought silently to himself.

Of course, that was something for the future. He had yet to join a School, so all of it was still far away.

He would wait until three months had passed.

Nearly a month had already gone by, leaving only two months.

But the rune issue was no longer much of a problem. He did not lack skill; what he lacked was talent.

Now, that missing link had been filled.

A day passed.

It was time for the once-a-week lesson again.

Teaching Area.

Ian arrived rather late. Victor had already reached the classroom.

"Instructor Victor, good morning."

Ian politely nodded and returned to his seat.

Victor, however, gave him an extra glance.

As a Second-class Apprentice Witch, he naturally could tell that Ian had successfully condensed a rune.

But as far as he knew, Ian's talent seemed to be fifth-grade.

Still, it was no big deal.

Even the foremost Wizards might not be able to explain the mysteries of mental power clearly.

It was normal for errors to occur during talent testing.

Ian returned to his seat, with Logan and Rosen still on either side of him.

Neither of them noticed the change in Ian.

Not until the lesson began.

"Those who have condensed the first part of the rune, raise your hands."

Victor spoke.

Eight people raised their hands.

Naturally, they included the three with Third-grade Talent, Logan and the other person from last time, as well as three people including Ian.

"Ian?"

Rosen turned to look at Ian, his face full of surprise.

He remembered that Ian's talent was rather ordinary.

He had actually succeeded too?

One had to know that condensing the first rune was the most difficult step.

Those who could succeed at this point generally had to be among the better ones even within Fourth-grade Talent.

Ian hadn't answered him last time, either.

It seemed he should have Fourth-grade Talent, and not the worst among the fourth-grade ones at that.

I need to bring him into the Mutual Aid Society!

Rosen beside him also widened his eyes, apparently not expecting Ian to succeed.

He had Fourth-grade Talent, yet he still had not successfully condensed a Mental Power Rune.

He had even said Ian's brain wasn't good enough back then!

Yet in the end, he was worse than Ian.

Ian, on the other hand, remained calm. He knew this was nothing much.

Because...

"Those who have condensed the second part, raise your hands."

Victor said.

The three with Third-grade Talent all raised their hands.

"Third-grade Talent...!"

Watching this scene, Ian sighed inwardly. The gap between Fifth-grade Talent and Fourth-grade Talent was already so vast.

Let alone the gap between fourth-grade and third-grade.

It just seemed that their batch had no one with Second-class Talent. Otherwise, everyone present would probably have been even more disheartened.

"In the latter half of the lesson, those who have successfully condensed the second part may ask three questions. Those who have condensed the first part may ask one question."

Victor said.

They could ask questions.

Ian's eyes lit up. He did have a few questions he wanted to ask.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the latter half of the lesson.

Those qualified to ask questions did so in turn, with the Third-grade Talents going first as usual.

Soon, it was Ian's turn.

"What do you want to ask?" Victor asked, looking at Ian.

Ian pondered for a moment before saying, "Instructor, I would like to ask where I can obtain more tricks."

He had no questions about the Meditation Method, so he asked about tricks instead.

"You're interested in tricks?"

Victor was somewhat surprised, because the other apprentices had all asked questions about the Meditation Method.

"Yes."

Ian replied.

"Tricks aren't worth much, but they're still extraordinary knowledge. The market sells the Compendium of Tricks—one copy costs only five Magic Stones and contains more than a hundred tricks."

Victor said.

Five Magic Stones?

Ian knew about Magic Stones. They were the currency Wizards used for trade.

It was extremely valuable.

Put simply, in a mortal kingdom, one Magic Stone was enough to buy a Castle—and a noble title thrown in for good measure.

Perhaps some apprentice candidates had them, but he certainly did not.

Hard to come by!

But it contained a hundred cantrips. If he learned them all, wouldn't his talent reach two hundred?

That would definitely surpass the fourth tier, wouldn't it?

At that moment, Ian felt an intense longing.

But there was no way to get Magic Stones, was there?

Seeing his expression, Victor continued, "Each batch of apprentice candidates has a three-month limit, but if you successfully imprint a complete Mental Power Rune before the time is up, there are rewards.

One Magic Stone for every week early. If you can finish five weeks early, that's five Magic Stones."

His voice was loud, not intended for Ian alone.

Rewards?

Ian's eyes lit up, as did everyone else's.

"Five weeks early... that means I still have about a month. On average, I need to condense one part every ten days?"

Ian returned to his seat and considered whether it was feasible.

He wasn't sure whether he could do it. All he could do was give it his all.

Some time later.

The lesson ended.

The moment it did, a figure stepped in front of Ian.

"Logan?"

"Ian, I'd like to invite you to join the Mutual Aid Society." Logan stated his purpose.

Ian was about to refuse.

"The Mutual Aid Society exists to help one another. Its main purpose is exchanging experience and helping everyone successfully condense their Mental Power Imprints.

Many of its members are nobles and know other bits of information. Some people also have Magic Stones, Wizardry, and cantrips to trade. I noticed that you seem very interested in Wizardry, Ian."

Logan said.

Ian truly had no intention of joining, but the moment he heard that cantrips—and even Wizardry—could be traded, his eyes immediately lit up.

"I'll join."

"Welcome, welcome. We have an exchange meeting tonight at seven. I'll come get you then."

Logan was delighted.

"Alright."

Ian nodded.