Magic Apprentice

A somewhat illusory green circular magic array appeared in the old man's hand, then slowly rose and spun around Parr's wrist.

"What is this?"

Startled, Parr hurriedly backed away several steps and vigorously shook his wrist, but he could not shake off the circular magic array at all. Just as he was about to grab it with his other hand, the old man spoke to stop him.

"Don't worry. This is merely the most ordinary Detection Magic. It won't harm your body."

The old man chuckled and explained, then beckoned. The circular magic array left Parr's wrist and flew back into his hand.

"Let me see..."

The old man carefully examined the altered circular magic array, and surprise appeared on his face.

"Remarkable! Little fellow, your bone age shows that you're only ten this year, yet your physical strength has already reached the standard of an Elementary Knight Apprentice. Not only that, your Mental Power is also very high. You're truly gifted!"

After saying that, the old man casually dispersed the magic array. The way he looked at Parr became even more kindly as he softly asked, "Little fellow, have you ever considered becoming a magician?"

"Huh?"

When it came to magicians, Parr's first impression was the two cultists from that night. Setting Colin aside, that other Bronze-level cultist had truly been formidable.

Forgive Parr for his lack of knowledge. Since arriving in this world, he had only ever seen spellcasters once, and they had been cultists. Thus, he asked, "What do magicians have to do with cultists?"

Parr retreated to the doorway and watched the old man warily.

"Heh!"

The old man gave a disdainful laugh, straightened up, and said proudly:

"Please do not associate us magicians with those madmen who possess no technical skill whatsoever and rely entirely on shouting to cast spells. Magicians are magicians, and cultists are cultists."

"Oh?"

Seeing that the old man did not seem to be faking it, Parr was tempted. With his Status Panel, becoming a magician should be easy, and leveling up should be easy too. Once he reached a high level... a fireball in his left hand, an ice ball in his right, lightning balls floating around him—just thinking about that scene was thrilling! "But how does one become a magician?"

"It's simple."

The old man gave Parr his answer.

"Just become my student!"

"..."

Parr lowered his head and thought for a moment before asking, "If I become your student, can I travel across the continent?"

The old man replied, "Not for the time being. If you want to become a qualified magician, you must first study basic knowledge under me for several years."

Parr asked, "How many years is several years?"

The old man said, "If you have good comprehension, ten years should do?"

"Uh..."

Ten years! If I can't go out and cut down cultists, why the hell would I study with you? Parr ranted madly in his heart. Then he glanced at his Mental Energy Points and asked with the last trace of hope in his voice:

"Can I go cut down cultists while I'm studying?"

"..."

The old man had not expected Parr to ask that. He looked at Parr and thought, How much does this little brat hate cultists? Every other word out of his mouth is about cutting down cultists. Did cultists kill his entire family? "Can I?"

When the old man remained silent for a long while, Parr pressed him again.

"No."

The old man shook his head and said, "Little fellow, if you want to cut down cultists, you can do so after becoming a One-Star Magician. Before that, you must focus on studying."

"Then forget it."

Parr shook his head and rejected the old man's proposal. He knew where his advantage lay. If he could not gain Energy Points through killing, he could not grow stronger quickly.

"Won't you reconsider, little fellow?"

Like the Black-Robed Man that night, the old man had seen Parr's talent in Mental Power and did not want to let such a promising seedling go. However, Parr still shook his head. If he was not allowed to cut down cultists, then it was a no.

After trying to persuade him for a long time, the old man finally gave up. A magician had to settle down and study. Looking at Parr, did he seem like someone who could settle down to study? Yet the old man did not give up entirely. He lowered his head in thought, then took out a black book with silver edges from his robes. He tore out a page covered in tiny writing and handed it to Parr.

"Little fellow, it would be a pity for you not to become a magician with such high Mental Power. Even if you do not wish to become a magician now, you should not waste your Talent. This is the most basic meditation technique. It can train and increase your Mental Power. Practice it first, and whenever you decide you want to become a magician, simply bring this page back to find me."

Parr silently accepted the page the old man handed him. When the Status Panel displayed a prompt for a learnable Skill, delight appeared on his little face. He looked up at the old man and sincerely thanked him.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

"Hahaha, you little fellow."

The old man smiled and shook his head, then took out a bronze badge from his robes. It also bore a crossed sword-and-shield emblem, but the stars below had become one. This was the Adventurers' Association's lowest-ranking One-Star Adventurer Badge, indicating that its holder possessed strength below the Bronze-level.

After taking out the badge, the old man recorded Parr's basic information on its back: name, age, registration location, and a string of numbers.

"All right, registration is complete. Take a look."

The old man tossed the One-Star Adventurer Badge to Parr. Parr caught it and looked it over. There were no problems, so he left the room.

"..."

Just as he was about to enter the association hall, Parr stopped. He remembered something and hurriedly turned back, just in time to see the old man walk out of the room. He called out loudly:

"Grandpa, I still don't know your name. What if I come back later and can't find you?"

"Hahaha, I thought you weren't going to ask!"

The old man clasped his hands behind his back and smiled, then said proudly, "Listen carefully, little fellow. My name is Abel. I am the president of Azure Stone City's Adventurers' Association, and a Four-Star Magician."

After finishing their business, Parr and John stepped out of the Adventurers' Association. On their way to the tavern, Parr could not suppress his curiosity and asked, "Uncle John, is a Four-Star Magician stronger, or are you stronger?"

"Duh!"

John rolled his eyes. Though he did not want to admit it, he could not defeat a Four-Star Magician, because...

"Little brat, a Four-Star Magician is already a Silver-level existence. Who do you think is stronger?"

"I see!"

Parr nodded, then looked at the Status Panel.

Ding! A learnable Skill has been detected. Spend 10 Mental Energy Points to learn it?

"Yes!"

Ding! 10 Mental Energy Points have been consumed. Skill learned successfully.

Ding! Congratulations, you have unlocked a new class realm.

Name: Parr Tianxing
Gender: Male
Race: Human Race

Age: 10 (20)

Realm:

Elementary Knight Apprentice (44/100)

Elementary Magic Apprentice (0/10)

Stamina: 81/100
Mental Power: 8/10
HP: 100/100

Talent:

Wake Up on Time LV3
Bright Eyes LV2
Danger Prediction LV2

Skills:
Wind Wolf Basic Breathing Technique MAX
Basic Wind Wolf Swordsmanship MAX
Dazzling Light LV1
Basic Meditation Technique LV1 (The most basic and most stable meditation technique. It can restore Mental Power extremely slowly, restoring 1 point every 30 minutes.)

Life Energy Points: 217
Mental Energy Points: 11

"Incredible! Incredible!"

Parr immediately noticed the changes on the Status Panel. The realm section now had an Elementary Magic Apprentice entry. The brackets and glow behind it meant he could upgrade that realm, which meant...

Ding! Spend 10 Mental Energy Points to upgrade your realm to Intermediate Magic Apprentice?

"Good heavens! It seems like I have three lives now!"

Parr did not choose to upgrade. Instead, he counted on his fingers. He already had one life of his own, the Elementary Knight Apprentice realm that could be upgraded at any time counted as one life, and now this newly appeared Elementary Magic Apprentice made three lives, did it not? And if he included using Life Energy Points to restore HP at a one-to-one ratio, then Parr currently had four lives.

"If I had nine class realms, would I become a cat with nine lives?"

Parr imagined that scene and felt it was a direction for him to strive toward in the future. But then again... were there even nine classes in this world?

John led the dazed Parr into a bustling little tavern. After looking around and finding no seats, he frowned. Dense Red Battle Qi surged from his body, and in an instant, everyone at the nearest table fled without a trace. The tavern's prettiest waitress immediately came forward, cleaned the messy table spotless, then bent at the waist and gestured invitingly.

"Please take a seat, Sir Knight. What would you like to eat? We have roast chicken..."

"Bring out the most expensive things you have!"

John still carried himself like a madman. He grandly waved his hand without even looking at the menu, then flicked a gold coin into the neckline of the pretty waitress's dress. He reached out and patted her butt, waggling his brows as he grinned.

"And prepare your best room as well. Have hot water ready—I want a bath after I eat. And after that... hehehe..."

"Yes, Sir Knight. Please wait a moment."

After having her butt patted, the pretty waitress's emerald eyes turned hazy. She knew she had encountered a generous adventurer today. This was a perfect chance to make some money! She hurriedly swayed her waist toward the tavern kitchen. After arranging everything, she went upstairs and opened the tavern's best room for John.

"Scumbag."

Having come back to his senses, Parr watched John's whole performance and muttered under his breath, sounding rather like sour grapes.

"Greetings, Sir Knight. I am..."

As the two waited for their food, an ordinary-looking young man with brown hair approached. After chatting with John for a few sentences, he started a conversation. He first rambled about all sorts of things, then finally explained his purpose.

"Sir Knight, our caravan will soon be heading to the countryside in Mist Viscount Territory to purchase some goods. We heard there are quite a few bandits there, so we would like to ask you to..."

Bang! Before the brown-haired young man could finish, John suddenly slammed him onto the table with one hand. Then he kicked a stool beside him away, tripping a brown-haired youth who had been running toward the tavern exit.

"Little brat!"

In fact, before John could even warn him, Parr had already noticed something was wrong and pounced forward. At some point, a slit had been cut into the large bundle at his feet, and several things inside were missing. Those things were in the hands of the brown-haired youth who had been tripped.

Bang! The brown-haired youth had just tried to get up when Parr pinned him to the ground and hammered him with his little fists. He only stopped when John came over, gripping the young man by the neck, and pulled him away.

Even so, Parr still was not satisfied. He gave the already unconscious brown-haired youth several more kicks.

"Stealing my things! Stealing my things!"

Who did Parr hate most? Cultists undoubtedly ranked first, while thieves ranked second. In his previous life, money he had earned through hard work had once been stolen by a thief, nearly leaving him to starve to death. The memory had left a deep impression on him.