A Mage Who Couldn't Cast Magic (Please Vote!)

The next morning.

Mason hurried to the Magic Academy with a flowerpot in his hands.

He had tossed and turned at home the night before, his emotions rising and falling like a roller coaster—excited one moment, dejected the next.

On one hand, he imagined himself breaking through his bottleneck and successfully advancing to a Tier Four Mage. On the other, he feared this was still nothing more than a dream, and that he would end up with nothing.

No one could guarantee that the Nether Orchid he had bought would help him break through.

But it was his last straw, and all he could do was cling to it tightly.

He had not even gone to the Glorious Mercenary Group's office to verify whether the Flower Shop owner's words were true.

Perhaps he was afraid deep down—afraid that everything he hoped for was only an illusion.

So, at five in the morning, he climbed out of bed without even eating breakfast and rushed to the Magic Tower halfway up the southeastern hill of the Magic Academy.

Only after arriving did he remember that Old White, the goblin in charge of the Magic Tower, was still asleep in the lounge at this hour. The tower normally did not open until six.

Thus, Mason could only stand outside the Magic Tower and wait anxiously for time to pass.

He tried his best to calm himself so he could face the upcoming advancement in a stable state.

Six o'clock arrived.

Old White still had not gotten up.

Mason stomped his foot and glanced at the notice posted by the entrance: Opening hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Mason stopped waiting and ran directly to the lounge beside the Magic Tower, pounding on the door.

"Which bastard is making noise so early in the morning!?"

A shrill, grating yell came from inside the lounge, followed by a rustling commotion.

The door opened.

Old White was a typical goblin: green skin, large ears, and a hooked nose. He was sharp-tongued and greedy, and when he found himself eye to eye with Mason, he immediately scowled. "What is it? Did you sleepwalk here in the middle of the night? Do you need me to hand you a vial of sleeping potion!?"

Although Mason prided himself on being a calm and steady mage, he still possessed a dwarf's bluntness and temper. "It's already six o'clock. This is the academy's designated time for opening the tower. You're the one sleepwalking, aren't you? This is dereliction of duty!"

"What mage comes to the Magic Tower this early?" Old White curled his lip. "Only a dwarf freak like you would do that."

"Just hurry up and open the door!" Mason said impatiently. "I applied for a meditation room with an Earth Element Gathering Array, and I need it now! As the Magic Tower's gatekeeper, do your job properly!"

"I am a Magic Tower administrator specially hired by the Magic Academy! Not a gatekeeper!" Old White flew into a rage as if Mason had stepped on a sore spot. "Damn it! You mediocre dwarf mage, you're just wasting the Elemental Stones in the Gathering Element Array!"

"As an assistant instructor at the Magic Academy, I have the right to enter the Magic Tower for meditation and cultivation five times a month. It is what I am entitled to!" Mason retorted without hesitation.

"A fellow who has failed four times to advance to a Tier Four Mage still dreams of trying again? How laughable." Old White grabbed the keys and walked out of the lounge, sneering as he spoke.

"Even if I failed, I'm still a Tier Three Mage. What about you? A perpetual Second Order rookie! You can only be a gatekeeper!"

The two of them argued all the way to the entrance of the Magic Tower, their battle quite intense.

"I've been here for twenty years and watched countless mages fail. You're merely one of them, you mediocre dwarf mage!" Old White said disdainfully as he opened the Magic Tower's doors and plopped down onto a reclining chair beside the entrance.

Holding the Nether Orchid, Mason entered the Magic Tower. He had no intention of continuing to bicker with that damned goblin, so he snorted coldly. "We'll see about that!"

Ruby District, Eckley Street.

Ron practiced in the courtyard that morning, continuing his cultivation of the Bright Sword Canon.

Thanks to the Natural Meditation Method and the Nether Orchid, he had become a First-Order Mage in just ten days.

However, his progress in the Bright Sword Canon was clearly not nearly as fast.

Still, Ron, who possessed Andre's bloodline, had fairly good talent in this regard. By his estimation, he would only need about a month of training before he could attempt to condense a Battle Qi Vortex and become a First-Order Warrior.

Following the Bright Sword Canon's requirements, he performed all sorts of difficult movements in the courtyard, squeezing out his body's potential and forming a stream of "qi."

This was the embryonic form of battle qi.

Once he could squeeze out enough "qi" in one go, he could try condensing a Battle Qi Vortex—creating an "engine" that could continuously gather battle qi.

By then, he would truly be cultivating both magic and martial arts.

After advancing to a First-Order Mage yesterday, he first haggled with the dwarf Mason and sold his first Nether Orchid. Then he invited Lyle to dinner and sold him the method for making seasonings.

As a result, he had spent all night teaching Lyle how to make the seasonings. They had kept at it until very late, and in the end, he had not even meditated before collapsing into bed and falling asleep.

Therefore, he still had not had the chance to experience a mage's abilities.

So after finishing his usual morning training, he did not immediately return indoors. Instead, he activated his Magic Seed.

Threads of magic power seeped out from it, and then he suddenly realized a problem—

He did not know a single spell!

...

Ron lowered his head in silence, allowing the magic power to dissipate into the air.

Other than making the air slightly more humid and the soil beneath his feet slightly softer, he had caused no changes at all.

This was fucking embarrassing...

[Shop]

[Seed Germination Technique]: 100 Wealth Points

Sensing its host's embarrassment, the system immediately and "thoughtfully" provided a new product.

"I really have to thank you for that..." Ron said through gritted teeth as he looked at his 21 Wealth Points.

Of that, 20 gold coins had come from the dwarf Mason, while the remaining 1 gold coin was what Lyle had paid for the seasoning-making method.

"Are you hiding lots of other good things? Why not bring them all out at once? It's not like I can afford any of them anyway." Ron spoke irritably.

The system replied, "Products in the Shop update in real time according to the host's increased abilities. Products beyond the host's range of use will not appear in the Shop."

"So a wisp of breeze that can lift an elf girl's skirt is within my ability range?" Ron sneered.

The system replied, "Temporary products are not subject to this standard."

Ron rolled his eyes. After returning to the Shop, he immediately slipped into the Dimensional Plane and grew more than a dozen Nether Orchids in one morning.

After a simple lunch, he consumed a Nether Orchid fruit and meditated. In the afternoon, he opened the Shop doors and began business.

At around five in the afternoon, Ron would close up, have dinner, read, bathe, and meditate.

He only spent four short hours a day working at the Shop.

It was a pretty sweet life.

He just did not know how the dwarf mage Mason, who had bought a Nether Orchid yesterday, was doing now.

If the effects were good enough to spread through the Magic Academy, then his Shop certainly would not have to worry about sales.

As Ron thought this, Mason, far away in the Magic Tower, had also reached a critical moment.

I want recommendation votes (′?`"∠)_

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