Chapter Summaries

Locke bought supplies for his magical plants and asked Witch Sophia to establish a five-mu botanical garden for him. Sophia agreed to help him secure approval within a week, warned him about the dangers of reckless breeding, and planned to teach him Thorn Whip next.

• Locke spent 100 Magic Stones on a basic Breeder's Three-Piece Set and had the Gray Dwarves and Ox-Headed Minotaurs carry it to his residence.
• Locke tested the six Ox-Headed Minotaur slaves and found their physiques comparable to Formal Knights, then assigned the two Cat-girl maids to clean his house after collecting a blood sample from each.
• Locke asked Witch Sophia to apply for his botanical garden, and she explained that the Academy's reviews would otherwise delay approval for months.
• Witch Sophia told Locke about the Abyssal Plant Calamity and warned him to respect the dangers of breeding experiments.
• Witch Sophia said Locke's Super Mandrake Vine garden should pass review within a week and that she would help him leave the Patrol Squad.
• Witch Sophia told Locke that she would teach him Thorn Whip the next day, followed by the advanced Vine Frenzy series.

Wizard Sophia met with Advisor Francis, who questioned Locke Augustine’s rapid progress and confirmed that the Academy had approved his botanical garden and assigned him Magical Plant Investigation. Francis also tried to persuade Sophia to remain at Lilith's Cottage, then wondered whether Locke’s achievements had an explanation while deciding that keeping Sophia mattered more.

• Advisor Francis questioned Wizard Sophia about Locke Augustine’s rapid advancement and possible ties to Black Wizards.
• Sophia said Locke had no local wizard-family contracts and explained his talent in Mana stability, medicinal absorption, and breeding.
• Francis told Sophia that the Academy had approved Locke’s small botanical garden, moved him out of the Patrol Squad, and assigned him Magical Plant Investigation.
• Francis urged Sophia to sign a contract with Lilith's Cottage, but Sophia said she still needed to think it over.
• After Sophia left, Francis doubted whether Locke’s breeding achievements came from his own talent or resources from Sophia, then focused on keeping her at the Academy.

Nine months after establishing his plantation, Locke used its profits to raise his Mental Power to 195 and developed an idea to improve Wild Grass Entanglement with Goosegrass. After drinking Scarlet Echo Potion, he prepared to investigate a suspected magical-plant plague in a mortal city while keeping his journey secret.

• Locke examined the troublesome Goosegrass in his plantation and used Wild Grass Entanglement to bind an Ox Minotaur, then considered synthesizing the grass to improve the spell.
• Locke put three strands of Goosegrass in the Synthesis Cube and ordered his Ox Minotaurs to harvest the remaining plants for possible sale as Super Goosegrass.
• Locke noted that his Mental Power had reached 195 and that his plantation had earned him 3,600 Magic Stones over eight months.
• Locke drank Witch Sophia's Scarlet Echo Potion, expecting it to help him reach 200 Mental Power while causing temporary Vampire Syndrome side effects.
• Locke decided to request leave from Teacher Sophia and investigate a suspected magical-plant plague in a mortal city within seven days, keeping his destination secret as Witch Sophia required.

Locke traveled to Ashgra City to investigate an outbreak of paralysis and facial deformities that the Academy suspected was caused by a wild Magic Plant. He dismissed the previous investigator’s report, hurried to the quarantine zone, and spotted numerous wildized half-Magic Plants along the way.

• Locke hired three Centaur brothers to take him from the port city to Ashgra City and reviewed the Academy’s mission materials during the journey.
• Locke judged the previous investigator’s theories about the Rot-Faced Fern and Parasitic Chickenblood Vine to be unreliable because their known effects did not fit the outbreak.
• Locke reflected on the unstable rise of his Mental Power from the Scarlet Echo Potion and the strain of forming the Magic Pressure structure needed to become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice.
• After arriving, Locke rejected the Lord of Ashgra’s welcoming banquet and ordered him to take the carriage straight to the plague district.
• The Lord of Ashgra told Locke that more than a thousand residents were ill and that the outbreak had crippled the city’s trade.
• On the way to the quarantine zone, Locke noticed dozens of wildized half-Magic Plants among the vegetation and dismissed the idea that the illness was divine punishment.

Locke entered Ashgra City's Quarantine Zone and determined that a Magic Plant was causing the residents' deformities, though Gabi Montoya's Rot-Faced Fern theory was mistaken. He began investigating whether the patients' homes shared a common factor, and Gabi agreed to help.

• Locke inspected the patients and found that their unusually active Wood Element Particles pointed to a Magic Plant, not a contagious disease.
• Lord of Ashgra stayed at the entrance with his soldiers and pleaded with Locke to save Ashgra City.
• Locke entered the Quarantine Zone and met Gabi Montoya, the Wizard Apprentice assigned to investigate the illness.
• Gabi proposed that Rot-Faced Ferns were responsible, but Locke rejected the theory because the patients lacked the plant's characteristic facial spores.
• Locke asked whether Gabi had visited the patients' residences, and she admitted she had not.
• Locke invited Gabi to investigate the residents' homes with him.

Locke and Gabi Montoya investigated the strange illness in Ashgra City and traced it to rats infected by a parasitic fungus. Locke suspected Rotten Soil Konjac was controlling the rats and decided to investigate it with Gabi rather than report back to the Academy first.

• Locke and Gabi Montoya inspected the abandoned houses and found that the homes of the sick residents were especially filthy.
• Locke noticed a rat behaving unnaturally and followed it despite Gabi's call to wait.
• Locke examined the rat and found fungal threads, rotten flesh, and a peculiar scent that exposed it as the source of the illness.
• Locke concluded that a Magic Plant was controlling the rats and identified Rotten Soil Konjac as the likeliest culprit.
• Locke asked Gabi Montoya to transform into a cat and find where the rats gathered, and she agreed.

Locke and Gabi Montoya followed rat scent trails into a dangerous underground cave, where Locke used his vines and Level-6 Goosegrass to traverse and stabilize the passages. At an underground river, they encountered a human-shaped Clivia, and Locke realized the cave held two rare Magic Plants.

• Gabi Montoya transformed into a cat, tracked the rats to a cave, and warned Locke that it was deep and connected to underground water.
• Locke and Gabi entered the cave, with Gabi changing into an owl and Locke using Invisible Mandrake Vines to move through the twisting passages.
• Locke used Level-6 Goosegrass to create Ironwire Ox-Tendon Grass and reinforce a crumbling passage so they could cross safely.
• Gabi sensed rats and a strange fragrance near an underground river, where they found a large patch of Konjac leaves.
• A human-shaped Clivia attacked Locke and Gabi with sharp leaf blades, but Locke blocked its strikes with a vine shield and identified it.

Locke and Gabi found and removed the Magic Plants causing Ashgra City’s plague, while Locke broke through to become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice. After discovering an Astral Ring among the remains of an Azure Ring Society apprentice, Locke claimed it and the two rare plants, then paid Gabi for her help and asked her to keep the discovery secret.

• Locke dug up Clivia’s hidden true root, stopping the plant and preserving it while Gabi recovered from its attack.
• Locke’s newly awakened Magic Pressure frightened the infected rats away, revealing the Rotten Soil Konjac as the plague’s source.
• Locke identified the nearby skeleton as an Azure Ring Society First-Class Wizard Apprentice whose remains had nourished the konjac and Clivia.
• Locke claimed the Astral Ring, stored the skeleton and both Magic Plants inside it, and removed the konjac to halt the plague.
• Locke gave Gabi antidote water, offered her seventy Magic Stones for her assistance, and asked her to keep what she had seen confidential.

After curing Ashgra City’s plague, Locke finished stabilizing his mana, advanced his Mandrake Vine to Level 7, and prepared to return to Lilith’s Cottage with Gabi. On the journey, the vine detected intense hostility nearby, warning Locke that someone was targeting him.

• The Lord of Ashgra and the city’s residents thanked Locke and Gabi, while Locke stayed inside to avoid harming civilians with his Magic Pressure.
• Locke finished regulating his mana after becoming a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and measured it at 220.
• Locke combined three Level-6 Mandrake Vines into an Omen Level-7 Mandrake Vine and developed a stronger spell toxin called Mad Laughter Toxin.
• Locke told Gabi he was returning to Lilith’s Cottage, and she agreed to travel with him.
• After two days on the road, the Omen Mandrake Vine turned dark crimson, alerting Locke to hostility within a hundred meters as he passed near Waterwheel Town.

Locke and Gabi were ambushed on the road by Wizard Apprentices from the Blood Curse Court, but Locke revealed his First-Class rank and defeated them with his Mandrake Vines, Skull Explosion, and Poison Berry Shot. The surviving attackers detonated in a Corpse Explosion, leaving Locke wary of the Blood Curse Court and the effects of Scarlet Echo.

• A hypnotized coachman attacked Gabi as five Vampire Apprentices from the Blood Curse Court emerged and tried to kill her.
• Locke's Omen Mandrake Vines restrained the attackers, and his Magic Pressure revealed that he was a First-Class Wizard Apprentice.
• Two Second-Class Vampire Apprentices pretended to flee, then turned back to attack Locke at close range.
• Locke used the severed heads of three Vampire Apprentices for Skull Explosion, blasted the remaining attackers, and poisoned one with Poison Berry Shot.
• A planted spell made the two surviving Vampire Apprentices explode, and Locke shielded himself and reflected on the Blood Curse Court's methods and Scarlet Echo's effects.

Locke returned from resolving the Ashgra Mountains plague, reported his success to Witch Sophia, and revealed that he had become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice. Sophia set him a certificate deadline and asked him to teach her new Wizard Seedling students, leaving him about to explain his other important news.

• Locke collected the five Blood Curse Court apprentices’ remains and continued to the Academy with Gabi after protecting her from the attack.
• Locke reported to Witch Sophia that a Rotten Soil Konjac had caused the Ashgra Mountains plague and returned the Amethyst Matrix.
• Witch Sophia realized Locke had become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and praised his rapid progress and potential.
• Sophia tasked Locke with earning either a Formal Breeder Certificate or a Potion Assistant Certificate within a year and a half, and planned to teach him for two and a half hours daily.
• Sophia asked Locke to teach her new Wizard Seedling students and offered him a birthday present before asking what else he had wanted to report.

After Blood Curse Court apprentices ambushed Locke, Witch Sophia arranged protection and assigned him dangerous Shadow Leech potion work while advising him to learn advanced plant spells. Locke enrolled in the courses with Sasari, who was astonished by his rapid rise to First-Class Wizard Apprentice and explained the Academy benefits awaiting him.

• Witch Sophia told Locke the ambush suggested a spy within Lilith's Cottage, promised to seek protection for him, and advised him to learn Oyster Flower Cannon and Armed Plants.
• Witch Sophia entrusted Locke with making Shadow Leech Bloodline Separation Potion and asked him to meet the new Wizard Seedlings arriving the day after tomorrow.
• Locke told Sasari he wanted to enroll in the Oyster Flower Cannon and Armed Plants courses, and Sasari was shocked to discover Locke had become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice.
• Locke credited his unusual talent to the limits of aptitude testing, and Sasari congratulated him and described the new contract, benefits, and duties the Academy might offer.
• Sasari approved Locke's enrollment in Oyster Flower Cannon and said he would have to wait a week to take Armed Plants with another student; Locke accepted the tuition fees.

Locke found that ordinary meditation and Magenta Jade barely increased his Mental Power, so he turned to designing a Bloodline Separation Potion and expanding his plant business. At Golden Secret, he presented his independently bred Ironwire Ox-Tendon Grass, and Yuli Burns prepared to negotiate a price for its seeds.

• Locke stopped meditating after finding that his Mental Power had grown too slowly, then began designing a Shadow Leech Bloodline Separation Potion.
• Locke brought Ironwire Ox-Tendon Grass seeds to Golden Secret, where Madam Irina praised Yuli Burns for her management.
• Locke told Madam Irina that he had independently bred a second Magic Plant and gave Yuli Burns its certification report.
• Yuli Burns confirmed that Ironwire Ox-Tendon Grass strengthened Wild Grass Entanglement and Green Thicket Entanglement, as well as related spells.
• Madam Irina left Locke and Yuli Burns to discuss the business, and Yuli proposed negotiating a price for the seeds.

Locke negotiated a contract to sell Ironwire Ox-Tendon Grass Seeds to Golden Secret for one Magic Stone per gram, giving Yuli Burns hope of resolving the shop’s poor sales. After promising to recommend Locke to influential Breeders, Yuli was asked why she looked so old.

• Yuli Burns explained that Golden Secret would buy Locke’s Ironwire Ox-Tendon Grass Seeds for one Magic Stone per gram, and Locke agreed the price was reasonable.
• Locke considered the seeds’ high yield and broad demand among Wizard Apprentices, then signed the contract with Yuli.
• Yuli thanked Locke, called him a friend, and promised to introduce his work to prominent Breeders and the vice president of the Breeders' Association.
• Locke asked Yuli why she looked so old despite not yet being thirty.

Yuli Burns told Locke how her dangerous Aging Curse experiments ruined her future and left her unable to find work, while Locke offered comfort and agreed to keep her confidence. After leaving Golden Secret, Locke returned to the Chimera Market Slave Depot to buy five Ox-headed Minotaur noble slaves for his botanical garden.

• Yuli Burns explained that years of cursing and lifting the Aging Curse to improve her Mental Power caused the curse to backfire and damage her soul.
• Yuli said her experiment led to an Ethical Review Mechanism investigation, left her unable to find normal work, and fueled her resentment toward her wizard mentor, Harlan Vela.
• Locke reassured Yuli, promised not to repeat what she had said, and left Golden Secret after discussing their future cooperation.
• Locke returned to the Slave Depot in Chimera Market and learned from Benny that Ox-headed Minotaur noble slaves had risen in price to ten Magic Stones each.
• Locke paid fifty Magic Stones for five Ox-headed Minotaur noble slaves and declined Benny's offer of a Mermaid slave with an Ancient Creature Bloodline.

Locke received the benefits and duties attached to becoming a First-Class Wizard Apprentice at Lilith's Cottage. He chose Rotten Soil Konjac twice and selected the Forbidden Forest as his Wizard Secret Realm.

• A Second-Class Wizard Apprentice halfling gave Locke his badge and explained his monthly subsidy, residences, Secret Realm opportunity, and choice of a Magic Plant and Magic Item.
• Locke signed the Academy contract, settled his student loan, and learned he would maintain the Academy's Public Super-Large Plantation for half a month each year.
• Locke chose Rotten Soil Konjac from the Magic Plant list and exchanged his Magic Item selection for a second one.
• Locke reviewed the available Wizard Secret Realms and chose the Forbidden Forest for its resources suited to Potion Masters and Breeders.

Headmaster Tungus received news that Locke Augustine had become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and a Breeder genius in the Wizarding World. He shared the letter with the Augustine Family, whose standing with the Frank Empire rose as Locke’s achievement reached home.

• Headmaster Tungus dismissed his inattentive students and saw a Cretan Albatross deliver a letter from Lilith's Cottage.
• Tungus read that Locke Augustine had become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and a Breeder genius, and hurried to inform the Augustine Family and Emperor Frank.
• At a private banquet, Count Augustine gave the letter to Goria, who realized the princess had heard about Locke’s success and was eager to have a child with him.
• Count Augustine said Julianne Frank had told him the emperor intended to elevate the Augustine Family to a ducal family, and he and Goria toasted Locke.

Locke processed Shadow Leeches into valuable Bloodline Essence and advanced toward qualifying as an Assistant Potion Maker. Sophia explained the steep costs of reaching the Formal Wizard level and revealed that Locke would need to purchase access to an Advanced Meditation Method, leaving him facing a costly contract-bound barrier.

• Locke moved his laboratory and Plantation beside Sophia’s cabin, then successfully extracted ten bottles of Shadow Leech Bloodline Essence.
• Sophia praised Locke’s work and recommended that he buy the Mind-Calming Ointment formula and learn to brew it for his Potion Assistant Certificate examination.
• Sophia explained that Tears of the Stars and Bloodweeping Nightshade potions were costly and insufficient to overcome the enormous Mental Power gap to becoming a Formal Wizard.
• Sophia told Locke that Advanced Meditation Methods were essential and that Lilith’s Cottage students could pay fifty thousand Magic Stones for the right to learn one.
• Sophia offered Locke a meditation method loan contract, explaining that the White Wizard Society’s agreement prevented her from teaching him directly.

Locke signed a 50,000-Magic-Stone loan contract to obtain an Advanced Meditation Method, then learned that the Academy had rejected his application for a medium-sized botanical garden because opportunities were limited and another apprentice had influential connections. Wizard Sophia suggested that Locke could compete for the remaining spot by earning a Breeder Certificate and winning competitions, and she introduced him to the White Wizard Association Breeder Competition.

• Locke signed the loan contract after Wizard Sophia explained its terms and confirmed that he could repay it early as a First-Class Wizard Apprentice.
• Wizard Sophia told Locke that the Academy had rejected his medium-sized botanical garden application because he lacked a Breeder Certificate and another apprentice with a First-Ring Wizard father was seeking the limited opportunity.
• Wizard Sophia advised Locke to apply for a small-to-medium botanical garden and seek a Breeder Certificate and competition victories to improve his chances of obtaining a medium-sized garden.
• Wizard Sophia explained how White Wizard Association competitions helped apprentices gain resources and introduced the 257th Breeder Competition, whose registration would begin in half a year.
• Locke learned that the competition required a Breeder Assistant Certificate and that Wizard Sophia had once placed seventh.

Sophia taught Locke the Breeder-level Mana Resonance Cultivation Method, explaining how precise magical radiation could induce mutations in Magic Plants before targeted breeding. She revealed that Locke’s exceptional Mana stability made him well suited to the path, and he left thinking about acquiring materials and recipes to improve it further.

• Locke demonstrated that he had mastered the methods for concealing and withdrawing his Magic Pressure, then answered Sophia’s questions about which assistant-level cultivation methods suited different plants.
• Sophia explained that Breeders combined the three major cultivation methods with magical radiation to influence Plant Essences and cultivate Magic Plants more efficiently.
• Sophia lent Locke a Focus Spell Monocle, through which he saw magical energy and Plant Essences inside Phoenix-tail Flowers.
• Sophia used magical radiation to alter the flowers’ Plant Essences and explained how Breeders selected Mana frequencies to induce targeted mutations.
• Sophia told Locke that his talent for Mana stability suited him to Mana Resonance cultivation, and Locke thought about obtaining Dark Cyan Jade, Deep Blue Jade, and recipes that could improve his stability.