Chapter Summaries

Locke Augustine faced mockery at Aurelian Academy after the fall of his kingdom left his family unable to pay his tuition. He considered how to stay safe and support himself, and focused on his Synthesis Cube and the academy’s mysterious Outstanding Graduate quota.

• Cohen Julian mocked Locke over the fall of the Anjou Kingdom and threatened that he would soon be expelled for unpaid tuition.
• Locke ignored Julian’s taunts and reflected that Aurelian Academy mainly served as an expensive gilding ground for noble heirs.
• Locke worried that his family had not contacted him and that leaving the academy would expose him to Frank soldiers hunting Anjou people.
• Locke checked his Synthesis Cube, which was set to combine three sapphire fragments after another hour.
• Locke recalled that Aurelian Academy awarded only a handful of mysterious Outstanding Graduate quotas each year, with no clear criteria or public record of recipients.

Locke refused Professor Alder’s offer to copy historical texts, suspecting the work had caused the previous owner’s death, and was threatened with expulsion over unpaid course fees. As Professor Alder took Angel to work for him, Locke considered his options and concluded that Aurelian Academy’s language course might offer a way forward.

• Professor Alder offered Angel ten gold coins per day to copy historical texts, and she accepted.
• Professor Alder urged Locke to resume copying documents and threatened to bar him from history class unless he paid six hundred gold coins.
• Locke refused again, and Angel scolded him for rejecting Professor Alder’s help before hurrying after the professor.
• Locke considered leaving the Academy and avoiding a return to Anjou, then decided to attend language class while the Synthesis Cube completed its work.
• Locke reasoned that the language teacher’s authority made language class the likeliest path to the Outstanding Graduate opportunity.

At Aurelian Academy, Locke used his newfound learning ability to complete Headmaster Tungus's Runic Script homework and win his attention. Tungus gave him a separate notebook of questions to finish and bring to his office, while Locke's Synthesis Cube announced that a level 2 item had been synthesized.

• Headmaster Tungus taught Runic Script to a mostly inattentive class, while Locke quickly memorized the material and completed the assigned homework.
• Locke handed his homework to Tungus, who doubted he could keep up after missing so many classes.
• After reading several pages, Tungus criticized the work's errors but gave Locke a yellowed notebook and told him to finish it and visit his office.
• Locke left the classroom with the notebook, and his Synthesis Cube announced that a level 2 item had been synthesized.

Locke tested the Horadric Cube’s ability to turn cheap gems into valuable items and considered how to use it to solve his financial problems. To prepare for Dean Tungus’s difficult assignment, he hired Patti Isa for tutoring, leaving his success uncertain.

• Locke synthesized three sapphire fragments into a level-two sapphire and saw that the Cube had greatly increased their value.
• Locke began a new synthesis using a sapphire, a gold ring, and a ruby, which would take two hours to produce a level-three item.
• Locke examined Dean Tungus’s difficult assignment and decided to seek help rather than try to teach himself the material in two days.
• Locke asked Patti Isa to tutor him in ancient language and agreed to pay her two hundred gold coins.
• Patti Isa accepted but warned Locke not to blame her if he still failed to learn the material.

Locke met with Dean Tungus to learn why his ancient-language assignments mattered and discovered that Aurelian Academy was a branch school screening students for wizarding aptitude. He learned that Corfu was only an island in a dangerous sea, and Dean Tungus prepared to test Locke’s potential while warning him about the Wizarding World.

• Angel tried to persuade Locke to return to work for Professor Alder, but Locke said he was working for Dean Tungus.
• Dean Tungus praised Locke’s completed assignment, then asked why he had suddenly begun studying and pursuing Outstanding Graduate status.
• Dean Tungus explained that the Academy used ancient-language courses to identify students with aptitude for becoming wizards, and revealed that Aurelian Academy selected students for Verdantia University.
• Locke learned that Corfu was a small island in the Endless Mysterious Sea and that Dean Tungus had been unable to return to the Wizarding World for fifty years.
• Locke decided he wanted to enter the wider Wizarding World, and Dean Tungus asked for his blood to test his talents with an Elemental Emerald Potion.

Principal Tungus tested Locke’s wizard talent with an Elemental Emerald Potion and found that Locke had slightly below-average aptitude but strong compatibility with several elements. Locke’s vision then revealed a substantial Dark Element affinity that Tungus dismissed as too minor to record, though Locke suspected his fused soul had given him two primary affinities.

• Principal Tungus prepared an Elemental Emerald Potion with Locke’s blood and told him to drink it, explaining that Locke would owe five Magic Stones for the test.
• Locke drank the potion and saw colored elemental particles, most prominently Wood Element and Metal Element, along with weaker traces of the four basic elements.
• Principal Tungus judged Locke’s wizard aptitude to be around Grade 3 and identified Wood as his primary affinity and Metal as his secondary affinity, recommending several White Magic academies.
• Locke’s vision abruptly changed to show dense black particles and Fire Element particles, and he asked whether someone could have a second primary compatible attribute.
• Locke inferred that his fused soul had given him two primary affinities, while Tungus identified the black particles as Dark Element and chose not to record Locke’s minor affinity for it.

Locke chose to learn the Vine Hand cantrip and joined Aurelian Academy’s secret society, accepting a two-year deadline to become a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice. Headmaster Tungus laid out Locke’s studies and costs, then warned him to keep the existence of wizards secret.

• Locke decided not to tell Headmaster Tungus that he had two primary elemental affinities, and Tungus explained that supplying Wizard Seedlings benefited their families in the Wizarding World.
• Headmaster Tungus invited Locke to join the Academy’s secret society and told him he had two years to become a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice.
• Headmaster Tungus offered Locke five Cantrip Models, and Locke chose Vine Hand based on Tungus’s advice.
• Headmaster Tungus gave Locke nine thick tomes and explained the prerequisite courses, the discounted ten-Magic-Stone cost, and Locke’s waived mandatory Academy fees.
• Headmaster Tungus told Locke to study with him each evening and warned him not to reveal that wizards existed.

Locke synthesized a level 4 sapphire that could stabilize Mental Power and continued studying at Aurelian Academy as a Wizard Seedling. In history class, Professor Alder praised Locke instead of expelling him, while Patti Isa welcomed him into the secret society and invited him to an event.

• Locke synthesized a level 4 sapphire, which the Horadric Cube identified as Deep Blue Jade with the ability to smooth Mental Power fluctuations.
• Locke studied late, reflected on how the Outstanding Graduate quota had secured his place at Aurelian Academy, and went to sleep before his compulsory history class.
• Professor Alder announced that students with poor history averages would need to earn performance points, then praised Locke Augustine for improving his grades.
• Angel and Cohen Julian were stunned that Alder did not target Locke, and Cohen Julian stopped daring to provoke him.
• Patti Isa congratulated Locke on passing, welcomed him as a fellow member of the society, and told him about its event that afternoon.

Six months after arriving at Aurelian Academy, Locke had caught up with and surpassed Patti and Kode, aided by his Level 3 wizard talent and a Deep Blue Jade ring made through the Horadric Cube. As Professor Alder’s abuse of students’ lifespans worsened, Locke chose to focus on his studies and prepared to cultivate Magic Vine for his first cantrip, Vine Hand.

• Locke studied Mana Control Class with Patti Isa and Kode Newman, who admired how quickly he had surpassed them.
• Locke credited his progress to his Level 3 wizard talent and to the Deep Blue Jade ring, which improved his concentration but wore out after about half a month.
• Patti told Locke that Angel had died more than five months earlier after Professor Alder took students’ lifespans; Locke said he had warned her, and the group discussed Alder’s growing recklessness.
• Locke decided he was ready to cultivate Magic Vine and planned to ask Headmaster Tungus for seeds, expecting to pay with Magic Stones.

Headmaster Tungus gave Locke a Mandrake seed for completing the Vine Hand Spell Model and told him that his family had arrived near Aurelian Academy. As the Frank Empire conquered the Norman Kingdom, Locke went to find his family and saw tensions rising among the Academy’s students.

• Headmaster Tungus explained how to care for Mandrake seeds and sold Locke one at a discounted price, while refusing to provide more because Corfu Island’s magical resources were scarce.
• Headmaster Tungus told Locke that members of the Augustine Family had come to the Academy and gave him the address of their nearby house.
• Locke learned that the Frank Empire had destroyed the Norman Kingdom, leaving his family displaced again, and reasoned that the Academy could protect them.
• Locke saw Norman students grieving and denouncing the Frank people while Frank students mocked them.
• Professor Alder greeted Locke and approached the upset Norman students, apparently preparing to act against them.

Locke reunited with his father, Count Augustine, and brother Goria after earning an Outstanding Graduate slot. Count Augustine revealed that Locke’s mother had been a witch from the Wizarding World and gave Locke a ring that might help him find her.

• Professor Alder watched Locke leave and tried to persuade struggling noble students to work for him.
• Locke met Count Augustine, Goria, Sienna Brown, and his young half-sister at the Augustine family’s house.
• Count Augustine told Locke and Goria that their mother had been a witch who came from beyond the Corfu Continent and had returned to the Wizarding World ten years earlier.
• Count Augustine revealed that Locke and Goria had another younger sister, whom their mother had taken with her because she had exceptional wizard aptitude.
• Count Augustine gave Locke his mother’s black iron ring and left him to decide whether to seek her out.

After a year and three months at Aurelian Academy, Locke completed the Vine Hand spell by grafting his matured Mandrake onto his Mana, becoming a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice. He tested the powerful spell and planned to use the three months before the Wizard Ship arrived to ask Teacher Tungus what else he needed to learn.

• Locke finished the nine books on Vine Hand and reviewed the dangers of grafting his Mana onto the Mandrake.
• Locke used a flower to nourish the Mandrake, carved sixteen Ogham Tree Runes into its vine, and completed the graft.
• The Mandrake wrapped around Locke's arm, and Locke realized that completing Vine Hand had made him a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice.
• Locke tested the spell with a Daffodil, and the Mandrake tore a hole in his dormitory wall with its vines.
• Locke concealed the Mandrake beneath a black trench coat and decided to tell Teacher Tungus, Kode, and Patti about his advancement and ask Tungus for guidance.

Locke encountered Professor Alder pressuring Cohen Julian and learned that Alder had become dangerously unstable. Alder offered to teach Locke Skull Explosion and share his magical notes in exchange for Locke brewing a potion before the Wizard Ship arrived, leaving Locke to consider the deal.

• Locke saw Professor Alder intimidate Cohen Julian, who realized his family’s power could not protect him from Alder.
• Alder recognized Locke as a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice and revealed that he had known Locke survived his Life-Loan Ritual two years earlier.
• Alder said he wanted Locke to brew a potion using materials and instructions he would provide, and apologized for what had happened before.
• Alder offered Locke his magic notes, Skull Explosion, and its learning materials in exchange, arguing that Locke could strengthen his evaluation before boarding the Wizard Ship.

Locke became a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice and asked Headmaster Tungus for advice about brewing Alder’s potion and the mysterious ring inherited from his mother. Tungus encouraged him to accept Alder’s offer but warned him to keep the ring, likely made of rare Still Iron, hidden as he prepared to leave Corfu Island.

• Locke visited Headmaster Tungus, who congratulated him on becoming a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice and estimated his Mental Power at eleven to thirteen points.
• Locke met Julianne Frank, Tungus’s newly adopted daughter and the sixth princess of the Frank Empire, and watched Tungus dismiss her when she interrupted his discussion with Locke.
• Locke asked Tungus about Alder’s Stone Crab Bloodline Essence Potion, and Tungus explained the risks, judged Alder unlikely to benefit, and advised Locke to accept the deal for the experience and reward.
• Locke showed Tungus the Black Iron Ring, and Tungus identified its material as likely Still Iron, warned that it could attract trouble, and promised to keep its existence secret.
• Locke put the ring away and wondered about his mother’s origins as he left the question for later investigation.

Locke joined Professor Alder to begin processing a Stone Crab for a bloodline modification potion, while Alder explained the creature and the experiment. The chapter ended with Alder teaching Locke the careful dissection techniques needed to preserve the Stone Crab’s blood and spiritual nature.

• Alder left his office with Locke, while Cohen Julian watched them and continued copying documents after recalling his father's demands.
• Alder showed Locke a dissected Stone Crab and explained its longevity, his past research, and the Stone Crab Bloodline Modification Potion.
• Alder asked Locke to help refine the potion in exchange for knowledge and the Spell Model for Skull Explosion, explaining that the chest's preserved materials had to be used soon.
• Alder dissected the Stone Crab and separated its shell and limbs while preserving its blood-storage areas, teaching Locke how to avoid wasting materials or damaging their spiritual nature.

Professor Alder taught Locke the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method for separating the Stone Crab bloodline, but Locke’s first attempt produced an impure result. Locke decided to practice the technique with ordinary water before risking the remaining materials, and Alder resolved to teach him Skull Explosion regardless of the outcome.

• Professor Alder extracted Stone Crab blood, divided it into three portions, and explained the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method to Locke.
• Locke used his Mana to create a vortex in the vial, but Alder warned that Locke had rotated it too quickly and lowered the purity of the result.
• Locke judged that repeating the attempt without practice would likely fail and decided to rehearse the technique with ordinary water.
• Alder agreed that Locke’s plan could improve the chances of success and thanked him.
• Locke took an empty vial outside to practice, while Alder decided to teach him Skull Explosion properly.

Locke barely succeeded in extracting Stone Crab Bloodline Essence, allowing Alder to make and inject a Stone Crab Bloodline Modification Potion. Alder planned to teach Locke Skull Explosion, but the transformation’s side effects left Locke wary as Alder considered using noble families’ descendants as pawns.

• Locke used the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method to extract Stone Crab Bloodline Essence on his third and final attempt.
• Alder refined the Stone Crab Bloodline Modification Potion and injected it into his arm, which swelled and turned stone-gray as his body changed.
• Alder credited Locke with a successful potion refinement and explained how Wizarding World spell power was measured in circles.
• Alder told Locke to attend lessons on Skull Explosion every noon, while Locke noticed Alder’s fatigue and changing eyes and worried about the potion’s side effects.
• Locke left the classroom, and Alder considered exploiting noble families’ descendants as disposable pawns to extend his life.

Locke tested a level-five Deep Blue Jade and concluded that improving it would require a new synthesis formula. Professor Alder demonstrated the deadly Skull Explosion spell, then began intensively teaching Locke Death Magic, starting with Negative Energy Fundamentals.

• Locke found that the level-five Deep Blue Jade was barely different from the level-four version and planned to combine a level-four ruby with two Deep Blue Jades.
• Locke arrived at Professor Alder's classroom and recognized the rat skull Alder used to demonstrate Skull Explosion.
• Professor Alder explained the spell's mental, explosive, and poison damage after its blast destroyed a tree and contaminated the surrounding ground.
• Professor Alder revealed that Skull Explosion required a small animal skull and the deathly aura of someone killed within the past forty-eight hours.
• Professor Alder said he would teach Locke every afternoon and began the first lesson, Negative Energy Fundamentals.

Locke said farewell to the Augustine Family and left Corfu Island aboard the Wizard Ship with Patti and Kode. As they entered the Wizarding World, the ship’s immense Magic Pressure and its strange artificial sky revealed how unfamiliar and unforgiving their new life would be.

• Locke bid farewell to the Augustine Family, and Count Augustine told him Emperor Frank had restored their title and arranged a princess’s marriage to Goria.
• Locke met Headmaster Tungus, Professor Alder, Patti, and Kode at the docks as the Wizard Ship arrived and subjected them to intense Magic Pressure.
• Headmaster Tungus and Professor Alder received Contribution Points for the three Wizard Seedlings, but the ship’s wizards refused Tungus’s request to deliver a letter home.
• Locke boarded last, watched Corfu Island recede, and paid his respects to his teachers as the ship departed.
• Locke, Patti, and Kode discovered the Wizard Ship’s artificial sky and garden-like deck, then met Lorne Guerrero, who offered to explain the ship.
• Three black-robed wizards approached to arrange the newcomers’ accommodations.

Locke and his friends underwent testing aboard the Wizard Ship and were assigned separate rooms according to their wizard aptitude. As the ship continued collecting Wizard Seedlings, Locke settled into a relatively comfortable cabin and heard someone arguing for a place on his level.

• A wizard mentor tested Locke, Patti, and Kode, recording their Mana and spells and confirming their wizard aptitudes.
• The mentors explained that Wizard Seedlings' rooms were separated by aptitude, leaving Kode on the lowest level, Patti on the second-lowest, and Locke on the level just beneath the deck.
• Locke overheard Jarvis and Dali discuss his outdated Mandrake-based Vine Hand and the dangers of the Endless Mysterious Sea.
• Locke chose an empty room beneath the deck and considered using the Horadric Cube to improve his Mandrake vines.
• Locke heard an argument outside as a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice with Mental Power 14 demanded to live on Locke's level instead of in the lowest cabin.