Dilemma

Emerald Heart Tavern.

Fran arrived at the seat opposite Elan, and Elan spoke up.

"Hey, isn't this the rising star of the Sword Chant School? What brings you to me?"

Fran's face darkened with annoyance as she retorted.

"I've already told you, I rejected the invitation from the Sword Chant School. I'm still just an apprentice."

But Elan was even more surprised than her, his smile fading away.

"You didn't join the Sword Chant School?"

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?"

Elan pushed his cup to the side and cleared his throat before saying:

"I'm starting to doubt whether you even want to become an official mage."

"Can't I become an official mage without joining a school?"

Elan continued:

"It's not impossible, but even if you use other methods to become an official mage, you'll find that you can no longer advance."

"Schools not only hold the methods for promotion, but they also have even greater control over the path to further progress."

Fran caught the subtle premise in his words and asked:

"Boss, you know a lot about these schools?"

"I was once a member of a school myself."

Fran's eyes lit up, and she followed up:

"Then could you tell me which school you joined? Introduce it to me—maybe I'll join your school!"

Fran had been searching for other schools these past few days, wanting to understand what they were like so she could make an informed choice.

But she had been met with cold shoulders at every turn; the gatekeeping in these schools had reached its peak.

Aside from the few famous ones, such as the Construct School, the Alchemy School, and the Elemental School...

The other schools didn't even make their names public. Fran had searched for ages only to find a name, without even knowing if the school actually existed.

Under these circumstances, it was impossible for Fran to learn what the inside of a school was like or what kind of spells they possessed.

In her final effort, Fran asked Bella, who had joined the Sword Chant School, to inquire about what other schools were like.

The result was a disappointment for Fran.

According to the response, even high-level apprentices like them didn't know how many schools might exist. There was basically no communication between them, and their mentors didn't educate them on the nature of other schools.

The only information they had about other schools came from seeing people from them during apprentice assessments, but they didn't even know what spells those people were casting.

So, when Fran heard that Elan was also a member of a school, she hurriedly asked, thinking it might be a good fit for her.

Elan chuckled and said:

"It's called the Law School. As for joining, don't even think about it; they won't be taking in any new students for the next few years."

A question mark flashed over Fran's head. She wanted to ask about the specifics of the school, but seeing the "I'm not saying another word" look in Elan's eyes, she stopped herself.

"Actually, you should just join the Sword Chant School. I think it's the most suitable one for you."

Fran didn't quite agree with that sentiment. Her thinking was that since she had this game panel, there were two paths for learning spells.

The first was broad learning; she was certain that once various spells were practiced to mastery, they would more or less grant some attributes or a [Trait].

If she kept every spell at a certain level and then practiced a few that she was comfortable with, wouldn't that be quite powerful?

The second was to choose a powerful school—either one whose spells were inherently strong, or one whose spells could have a chemical reaction with her game panel, allowing her to do what others couldn't.

However, this line of thinking was being stifled by the current reality of rampant gatekeeping across the continent.

Still, Fran wasn't in a rush. She would take her time to understand things first; joining a school on a whim might lead to regret.

In this world, there was no option to quit once you joined a school. So, if you saw someone from another school casting a powerful or cool-looking spell and wanted to learn it, that was basically impossible.

Therefore, she decided to wait and observe, slowly seeing what other schools were like before making a decision.

At the very latest, she would join one before next year's assessment so she could participate and get some rewards.

Her combat power was already exaggerated, and she had no idea what level she would reach by the time next year's assessment rolled around.

"Oh! I'll still take a look around. What if another school is a better fit for me?"

Elan said earnestly:

"You absolutely must join a school as soon as possible. Don't think you can get a good ranking in the assessment relying solely on your own spells."

"The unique spells and techniques of the various schools provide a huge boost to every apprentice."

"The sooner you join, the sooner you can learn those powerful spells."

Fran knew this, but she still stuck to her plan of observing the schools first before deciding.

"By the way."

Fran thought about inquiring about one particular matter.

"Boss, do you know the term Spirit Realm?" To avoid prying ears, she only used the first two characters of the item, hoping to see if she could find relevant information using the keyword.

Elan raised an eyebrow and replied:

"It seems you are quite serious about becoming an official mage, knowing even that."

Elan took a sip of water from his glass and continued:

"Perhaps you already know, but this is also a path to becoming an official mage."

"Promoting through the Spirit Realm is a method favored in other regions of the Alliance; it is not very common around here."

"I don't remember many of the specifics. If you want to learn more, I recall you are about to choose your courses. Select the [Spirit Realm Inquiry] class; that instructor is an official mage who promoted using this very method. You can learn about it there."

Fran took these words to heart; they were crucial pieces of information. Spirit Realm Inquiry, I will remember that course.

Being able to hear so much useful information here, Fran was very happy and stood up, ready to leave.

"Wait, don't go yet."

"What is it?"

"You came here just to chat with me?"

"Of course, to ask about the situation. What else would I do after asking?"

Elan wore a helpless expression, stood up, and gestured for Fran to follow.

The two arrived at the place where they had first discussed some 'business.'

"Tell me, are you not concerned about matters regarding potions? Such a big deal, and you didn't even come to find me immediately."

"I assumed you were busy with school affairs and couldn't attend to things here."

"But you came this time as if you hadn't even mentioned the potions; that is just too ridiculous!"

Elan complained to Fran in the secret room, and Fran realized she truly hadn't kept this matter at the forefront of her mind.

Fran asked sheepishly:

"Is it the news about the Pharmacist Association shutting down? I already knew that; didn't the examinations close..."

Elan looked shocked again and said helplessly:

"That was how many days ago? There are much more important things happening now; several new associations have been established."