The Test

Antinoa had tried this before—lying to him with the first sentence, then revealing the truth with the second.

Having fallen for it once, Zhao Xu normally would not have stepped into the same trap so easily again.

But Antinoa's explanation was simply too reasonable.

So reasonable that it struck right at his weak spot.

"Mentor, then why didn't that old Wizard named Mokar accept this spell when he was middle-aged?"

Zhao Xu asked. He still remembered the look in that elderly Wizard's eyes.

It carried a certain emotion.

For someone who had lived to that age to let a rookie like Zhao Xu notice it, that emotion could only have been far too intense.

"It's simple. He isn't qualified," Antinoa said.

Zhao Xu nearly failed to process that. "That can't be right, Mentor."

"There's nothing wrong with it. There is indeed more than one way to achieve immortality. Other classes have their own paths besides Wizards, and even some prestige classes can grant a form of immortality."

"Everything comes at a price. Mokar once believed he had a chance of reaching Legend, so he refused to give up and use other methods. Now, the methods still available to him are limited."

At that, Antinoa looked at Zhao Xu. "Remember this: the purer you are, the easier it is to break through the barrier to Legend."

In his Previous Life, Zhao Xu had barely even encountered Wizards above level 10, let alone Legends.

Yet after coming to the Floating City, Antinoa had already mentioned Legend to him several times.

Being praised as having the makings of a Legend was a good thing.

But turning that potential into reality was far too difficult.

"Then why don't you give that Wizard Mokar some low-cost form of immortality?" Zhao Xu could not help asking.

"If he can't see through the obstacle in his heart, he'll be a weak level 14 forever. Does he think he's the only one who knows what he's been plotting?" Antinoa sneered.

"From the moment each of you sets foot in the Floating City, the association creates a file for you. It contains analyses of your development and records of all your experiences. The things Mokar did are enough to make every big shot in the association look down on him."

Zhao Xu really wanted to complain.

A level 14 Wizard like Mokar was an absolute top-tier powerhouse to them, all right?

"Mentor, didn't he call you Teacher?" Zhao Xu suddenly remembered.

"Heh. I was the guide for his class back then, so I ended up with that title. He's called me Teacher for decades. It infuriates me."

"He's just clinging to a fantasy—that if I had been his mentor, he would have reached Legend long ago," Antinoa said.

Only then did Zhao Xu understand. That emotion had been jealousy.

Zhao Xu's small talk with Antinoa did not last long. A while later, she received a Telepathic Message notification and teleported away again.

Before leaving, she handed Zhao Xu a blank book with a silver cover and told him to copy his name onto the cover, then drip a drop of blood into it.

According to her, she had infused the book with the spiritual essence of the Spell Familiarity and Uncanny Foresight Feats. As long as Zhao Xu read it, the contents would emerge.

Antinoa had Zhao Xu study on his own, then log off and sleep.

The next morning, after getting enough rest, he was to log back in, Prepare Spell, and begin the Wizard duel.

Because Zhao Xu possessed the Mindful Caster Feat, Spell Familiarity posed no difficulty for him at all.

This Feat, which had reportedly stalled other players for days, took him only a few minutes to master.

He spent nearly the entire remaining day studying Uncanny Foresight.

However, Zhao Xu had no Spell Slots and could not test it in practice, so he could only learn through contemplation.

Finally, close to eleven that night, he suddenly sensed an empty feeling of something missing in his mind.

Only then did he notice that the names Uncanny Foresight and Spell Familiarity had appeared under "Flaw Bonus Feats" on his Character Card panel.

Zhao Xu smiled in satisfaction. It meant he had gained an initial grasp of both Feats; all that remained was practice.

Then Zhao Xu logged off where he stood atop the Obelisk Tower and woke up in the real world.

His two roommates still had their helmets on and were fighting in Arthur.

The other roommate, who was preparing for the graduate entrance exams, still had not returned.

Arthur had yet to reach peak popularity throughout society. It had not yet become a runaway phenomenon.

But many people in their class had already joined the game.

That was simply the nature of university life. When a few people played the same game, if it was fun, it could easily draw nearby classmates in as well.

Quite a few students who had originally wanted to prove themselves were thoroughly discouraged by Spellcaster classes, especially Wizard training, and obediently switched to other paths.

Holding a box of Vita Lemon Tea, Zhao Xu walked onto the dormitory balcony, unwrapped the straw, and took sip after sip.

He was finally a First-level Mage.

If he slept properly for eight hours tonight, then logged into Arthur tomorrow, he would have Spell Slots.

In his Previous Life, if someone fell ill, they had to find a physician who had leveled up the Medicine skill for treatment, and there was no guarantee it would work.

Yet a third-level Remove Disease spell could eliminate the vast majority of illnesses.

Spells could truly accomplish things beyond the reach of human effort.

Zhao Xu did not put the drink down until the carton had been sucked completely flat.

His thoughts had already been drawn to tomorrow's duel.

Before Antinoa left, she had told him something.

As long as he passed the assessment, she would give him a Magic Item as a gift for becoming a First-level Mage.

Would anything Miss Antinoa carried be worth less than 10,000 GP?

Zhao Xu did not believe it.

At this early stage, obtaining equipment worth 10,000 GP would count as a minor divine artifact among players.

But what form would this Wizard combat assessment actually take?

Zhao Xu could not help falling into deep thought.

Zhao Xu still remembered his Spell Slot list—

Zero-level Spell Slots: 3 = 3 (Wizard)

First-level Spell Slots: 2 = 1 (Wizard) + 1 (Intelligence)

He had five Spell Slots in total: three Zero-level Spell Slots and two First-level Spell Slots.

With his Intelligence Modifier of 3, he could leave three Spell Slots undecided and choose the specific spell only when casting.

Naturally, all of them were allocated to his First-level Spell Slots.

All that remained was deciding which spells to prepare for the two Zero-level Spell Slots.

Suddenly, Zhao Xu realized something.

Antinoa had left in a hurry today after teaching him two Feats.

But he still had his Human Talent Feat and Level 1 Character Feat unassigned.

Could it be that what she taught him would depend on tomorrow's duel result?

Zhao Xu clicked his tongue. He was basically learning everything through tests. Sure enough, even in a major organization, there was no such thing as a free lunch.

His gaze gradually hardened.

He was good at both working hard and risking his life.