Rewards

The Elf Sorceress stood gracefully in the central square of Stromgarde, staff in hand.

Beside her, the little miser Meryl Winterstorm was nervous too. He felt no pressure to compete for first place; all he could do was hope and pray that Shawn would manage to cast Fireball. What he truly cared about, after all, was the money!

Shawn stood in the middle of the square. Ten meters ahead of him was a human-shaped straw target, commonly known as a scarecrow.

Shawn extended his left hand, and Fire Elementals gathered in his palm.

Ten seconds later, the Fire Elementals had formed a sphere the size of a basketball.

Shawn closed his eyes slightly and drew on his mental strength to channel the Arcane Energy drifting through the space, compressing the Fire Elementals in his palm. Compressing them again and again.

Another ten seconds passed. At last, the Fire Elementals had been compressed into a fist-sized fireball.

"Fire!"

"BIU!"

The fireball wobbled its way toward the scarecrow and struck it squarely in the chest.

"BOOM!"

A tremendous explosion rang out. The scarecrow burst apart, all four limbs torn off, while the remains of its body went up in flames.

He'd done it!

Shawn let out a long breath, then turned to face the Elf Sorceress, his smile radiant.

Yes, he had done it. He had successfully cast Fireball.

And in that very moment, he had advanced to become a full-fledged mage.

His main class had changed in the attribute interface of the Space Garrison.

Main Class: Novice Mage (Level 1)

Spells Learned: Summon Water Elemental (Rank 0), Summon Fire Elemental (Rank 0), Fireball (Rank 1)

Shawn's face lit up.

Seven seconds later, Meryl Winterstorm cried out.

"Shawn! You did it! You really did it! You've become a full-fledged mage! The first full-fledged mage in human history!"

Only then did the Elf Sorceress recover from her shock.

That was right. Shawn had done it. He had become a full-fledged mage.

He was the first full-fledged mage in human history. All their hard work had not been in vain.

King Anasterian of Quel'Thalas had made the right decision. Humanity's talent for magic truly surpassed the elves' expectations. Their dedication to learning, their unyielding willpower, and their abundant creativity were beyond anything the elves could match.

In less than a month, Shawn had become a full-fledged mage. Meryl didn't seem far behind. Besides them, dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of other humans had made great progress.

Perhaps within a year, dozens or even hundreds of full-fledged mages would emerge among humanity. By then, they would be a formidable force, powerful enough to influence the course of the war.

They were still weak, but they would improve. At the rate they were progressing, it would take only a few years for them to advance to Mid-Rank Mages, then high-rank mages...

The war between Quel'Thalas and the Amani Trolls had gone on for so long. Surely, it could wait a mere few years.

In Shawn, the Elf Sorceress saw the hope of victory.

She wanted to cry out, to shout, to leap for joy.

But she didn't.

Tears spilled from her eyes, and the Elf Sorceress wept with joy.

She watched Shawn and Meryl embrace and laugh together, a smile blooming in her heart.

She would tell Emperor Thoradin, Anasterian, and all the humans and elves.

She would hold a grand celebration for Shawn. Both humans and elves needed a celebration like this—something to inspire them.

As it happened, Shawn was a Half-Elf, the child of an elf and a human.

Wasn't he a bond bestowed by heaven between elves and humans?

The celebration was held the next day.

In the royal palace, Emperor Thoradin sat on his throne, while the Elf Sorceress stood gracefully beside him.

Dozens of Arathor nobles and knights stood below, all waiting.

Four elven mages stood opposite them, their faces full of anticipation.

Hundreds of humans studying magic crowded outside the palace. At their head was Meryl Winterstorm, describing to the others how Shawn had cast Fireball.

Everyone was waiting.

At last, Shawn appeared.

Though time was short—only a single day—the royal tailors had still managed to make a magnificent Mage Robe. It had been cut from precious materials and embroidered with gold and silver. The Elf Sorceress had enchanted it herself, and its blue glow revealed its quality.

Blue-quality rare gear, with a green-grade intermediate enchantment.

The Mage Robe was extremely valuable.

Shawn held a staff in his hand.

It was one of the Elf Sorceress's treasured staffs. Though it couldn't compare to the one she carried and was only green-quality, fine gear, it was no less valuable than the Mage Robe. Its enchantment was likewise green-grade intermediate.

Clothes made the man.

With this outfit, Shawn had gone from an ordinary Half-Elf boy to a noble mage.

At that moment, everyone in the palace had their eyes fixed on him.

Shawn walked to the center of the palace and bowed to Emperor Thoradin and the Elf Sorceress in the manner of a mage.

The Elf Sorceress smiled. Emperor Thoradin smiled.

"By the name of Arathor, I bestow upon Shawn the title of 'Arcane Saint.' Shawn, you will be a role model for all humanity and the pride of Arathor!"

The Elf Sorceress stepped forward, took Shawn's left hand, and slipped a blue-glowing ring onto his finger.

"By the name of Thoradin, I bestow upon you the Arathor Gold Medal. By the name of Celina Morningdew, I enchant this ring." At last, the celebration ended, and Shawn's side quest, "Arcane Saint," was complete. Shawn also received the rewards he was due.

Including the three items he had received at the celebration, he now had four pieces of gear, each exceptionally precious.

Arcane Saint Robe, blue quality, rare gear. All Resistances +3, Defense +3, Spirit +4, Spell Power +3.

Imbued Spell: Mage Armor. Activates passively, forming an armor of shaped mana to repel any damage from a novice.

Basic Enchantment: Spirit. Spirit +2.

"A Mage Robe painstakingly made by the royal tailors of Stromgarde. This is the first Mage Robe in human history. Its fine workmanship and high-grade materials give it rare quality."

Arcane Saint Staff, green quality, fine gear. Spirit +2, Casting Speed +2, Spell Power +2.

Basic Enchantment: Spirit. Spirit +2.

"A treasured staff belonging to Celina Morningdew, a high-rank elven mage. She used it when she was young, and it accompanied her through many long years. It has now been given a new name, along with the blessings and hopes of her mentor."

Arathor Gold Medal, blue quality, rare gear. All Attributes +3.

Intermediate Enchantment: All Attributes. All Attributes +2.

"This exquisite medal represents the glory of Arathor. Only heroes who have made tremendous contributions to the empire are worthy of wearing it. Fewer than ten have ever been awarded."

Ring of the Arcane Saint, blue quality, rare gear. Spirit +4, Casting Speed +2, Spell Power +4.

Imbued Spell: Skyfire Flow. Summons flames from the Elemental Plane of Fire to rain down from the sky, scorching and incinerating all enemies. Consumes 1 Spirit per second.

"This is a rare ring with upgradeable attributes. Anything produced by the garrison is bound to be the finest."