Reward

In the central plaza of Stromgarde, the elven female mage stood gracefully, her staff held firmly in her hand.

Nearby, the little miser Meryl Winterstorm was also feeling rather nervous. He didn't have the pressure of competing for first place; as for whether Shawn could cast Fireball, he only felt hope and anticipation. What he truly cared about in his heart—was still the money!

Shawn stood in the center of the plaza, ten meters away from a humanoid straw target, commonly known as a scarecrow.

Shawn extended his left hand, and fire elements began to coalesce in his palm.

Ten seconds later, the fire elements condensed into a sphere the size of a basketball.

Shawn closed his eyes slightly, channeling his mental energy to draw upon the arcane energy drifting through the space, compressing the fire elements in his palm—compressing, and compressing again.

After another ten seconds, the fire elements were finally compressed into a fireball the size of a fist.

"Launch!"

"BIU!"

The fireball flew in a crooked trajectory toward the scarecrow, striking it dead center in the chest.

"BOOM!"

With a massive explosion, the entire scarecrow burst apart, its limbs severed, and the remaining torso erupted into raging flames.

Success!

Shawn let out a long breath, turned around to face the elven female mage, and beamed with a brilliant smile.

Yes, he had succeeded; he had successfully cast Fireball.

And in that very instant, he had successfully promoted to a formal mage.

Within the attribute interface of the Space Garrison, his primary profession had changed.

Primary Profession: Novice Mage (Level 1).
Spells Learned: Summon Water Elemental (Tier 0), Summon Fire Elemental (Tier 0), Fireball (Tier 1).

Shawn's face blossomed with joy.

Seven seconds later, Meryl Winterstorm shrieked.

"Shawn! You did it, you really did it! You've become a formal mage! The first formal mage in human history!"

The elven female mage finally snapped out of her shock.

Indeed, Shawn had succeeded; he had become a formal mage.

This was the first formal mage in human history, and their hard work had not been in vain.

The decision of Anasterian, King of Quel'Thalas, was correct; the magical talent of humans truly exceeded the elves' imagination. And their spirit of diligent study, their unyielding willpower, and their rich creativity were things the elves could not compare to.

In less than a month, Shawn had become a formal mage. Meryl seemed not far behind. Beyond that, dozens or even hundreds of other humans had also made significant progress.

Perhaps in less than a year, dozens or hundreds of formal mages would emerge among humans. By then, this would be a powerful force, a force capable of influencing the outcome of the war.

Although they were still weak, they would improve. At their current rate of progress, it would not take many years before they advanced to intermediate mages, and then high mages...

The war between Quel'Thalas and the Amani Trolls had lasted for so long; how could it not wait a mere few years?

From Shawn, the elven female mage saw the hope of victory.

She wanted to exclaim, she wanted to shout, she wanted to cheer and jump for joy.

But she did not.

Tears welled up and spilled over; the elven female mage wept with joy.

She watched Shawn and Meryl embracing and laughing, a smile blooming in her heart.

She would tell Thoradin of all this, tell Anasterian, tell every human and elf.

She would hold a grand celebration for Shawn; both humans and elves needed this celebration, needed it for encouragement.

Coincidentally, Shawn happened to be a half-elf, a descendant of both elf and human.

Was he not the heaven-sent bond between elf and human?

The celebration was held the very next day.

In the royal palace, Thoradin sat upon his throne, with the elven female mage standing elegantly to one side.

Dozens of Arathor's nobles and knights stood below, everyone waiting.

Four elven mages stood opposite them, their faces also showing anticipation.

Hundreds of humans studying magic crowded outside the palace, led by Meryl Winterstorm, who was describing the scene of Shawn casting the fireball to the others.

Everyone was waiting.

Shawn finally appeared.

Although time was tight—only a single day—the royal tailor had managed to craft a magnificent mage robe. It was cut from precious materials, outlined with gold and silver thread, and enchanted personally by the elven female mage; its blue glow revealed its quality.

Blue Rare equipment, Green Intermediate enchantment.

The value of this mage robe was immense.

Shawn held a staff in his hand.

That was a staff from the elven mage's collection; although it could not compare to the one she held herself, being only of green Superior quality, its value was not a whit less than the mage robe. The quality of its enchantment was likewise green Intermediate.

Clothes make the man.

Shawn's new attire instantly transformed an ordinary half-elf youth into a noble mage.

At this very moment, the eyes of everyone in the palace were fixed upon him.

Shawn walked to the center of the palace and performed a mage's salute toward Thoradin and the elven mage.

The elven mage smiled, and Thoradin smiled.

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

The elven mage stepped forward, took Shawn's left hand, and slid a ring radiating a blue glow onto his finger.

"In the name of Thoradin, I bestow upon you the 'Arathor Gold Medal.' In the name of Celina Morningdew, I enchant this ring." The ceremony finally concluded, and Shawn's side quest, "Arcane Saint," was finally complete. Shawn had also received his well-deserved rewards.

Including the three pieces obtained during the ceremony, there were four items in total, each one extremely precious.

Arcane Saint Robe, Blue quality, Rare equipment. All Resistances +3, Defense +3, Spirit +4, Spell Power +3.

Fixed Magic: Mage Armor. Passively activated, forming an armor shaped from mana to resist any Tier 1 damage.

Basic Enchantment: Spirit. Spirit +2.

A mage robe meticulously tailored by the Stromgarde royal tailors. This is the first mage robe in human history; its exquisite craftsmanship and high-grade materials elevate this robe to Rare quality.

Arcane Saint Staff, Green quality, Superior equipment. Spirit +2, Casting Speed +2, Spell Power +2.

Basic Enchantment: Spirit. Spirit +2.

A treasure from the high-ranking elven mage Celina Morningdew. This is the staff she used in her youth, having accompanied her through long years. It has now been renamed, carrying the blessings and expectations of a mentor.

Arathor Gold Medal, Blue quality, Rare equipment. All Attributes +3.

Intermediate Enchantment: All Attributes. All Attributes +2.

This exquisite medal represents the glory of Arathor; only heroes who have made immense contributions to the empire are qualified to wear it. To date, fewer than 10 have been issued.

Ring of the Arcane Saint, Blue quality, Rare equipment. Spirit +4, Casting Speed +2, Spell Power +4.

Fixed Magic: Skyfire Flow. Summons flames from the Elemental Plane of Fire to descend from the heavens, scorching and incinerating all enemies. Consumes 1 point of Spirit per second.

This is a rare and exceptional ring possessing upgradeable attributes; products from the Fortress are guaranteed to be of the highest quality.