Graduation

Kalei read the information on the panel several times, still unable to believe it. In less than a day, both his Druid and Arcanist levels had crossed the level-20 threshold without a hitch, reaching level 28 and level 27 respectively.

Besides that, he had also gained two personal talents: Nature Affinity and Arcane Affinity.

With these two talents, he had directly mastered four basic abilities: Nature Sense, Arcane Sense, Nature Drain, and Arcane Drain.

His training and casting speeds were naturally much faster than before, and his spells were much more powerful.

And all of this was simply because he had received Elune's blessing.

He had to admit, the power of the gods was formidable. In an instant, it had transformed him completely and solved the problem that had long troubled him.

He couldn't help but thank Elune from the bottom of his heart. From then on, he declared himself a devout follower of Elune.

Speaking of Elune, Kalei had also discovered some interesting information through the panel.

A line had appeared on the panel: "Elune, guardian deity of Azeroth, the Supreme Star Soul."

The title Supreme Star Soul was easy enough to understand. According to the original lore of World of Warcraft, the Warcraft universe contained a class of the most powerful lifeforms known as Titans. Titans were born from star souls, which were world-souls hidden inside planets.

Azeroth was an immature star soul, and the most promising of them all. Once fully grown and mature, she could become the most powerful Titan, so it was fair to call her supreme.

But what did "guardian deity of Azeroth" mean?

As far as Kalei knew, the game had never settled on Elune's true identity.

Some believed she was the one true god of this world, while others thought she was a Titan of the realm of Life. Still others believed she was the Void Lords, born of the union of Light and Darkness.

This phrase, "guardian deity of Azeroth," seemed to offer a different clue.

Kalei also noticed that Elune's blessing had not only strengthened his nature energy; it had significantly increased his arcane energy as well.

Did this mean that Elune had command over at least two kinds of magical power, Nature and Arcane?

As everyone knew, the foundations of the universe were the six cosmic forces and the five elements.

The five elements were Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Spirit.

The six cosmic forces were Light, Void, Life, Death, Disorder, and Order.

In the eyes of mortals, Light manifested as Holy Light, Void as Shadow, Life as Nature, Death as Necromancy, Disorder as Fel, and Order as Arcane.

The forces of Life and Order were not mutually exclusive. It was entirely possible for Elune, as a goddess, to wield both.

But if Elune wielded both Life and Order, then she could use both Nature and Arcane magic. Why, then, did the Priestesses of the Moon, led by High Priestess Tyrande, reject Arcane so strongly? Was there some secret behind it?

The more Kalei thought about it, the more he felt there was something complicated going on. He began to worry about thinking any further.

If he did, he feared High Priestess Tyrande would come after him with a knife and make him experience the Warrior of the Night firsthand, even though he had never met Tyrande.

Still, although he didn't know what was going on, Elune clearly had no objection to his studying Arcane. She had even blessed him, so he had no fear of being found out.

If anyone ever objected, he would tell them to take it up with the goddess.

At the thought, Kalei's mood lifted. Before long, he was lying comfortably in bed, fast asleep.

But before he had slept through the night, a knock at the door woke him.

He hurriedly got dressed and opened the door. The little girl Dinia was waiting outside, holding a letter.

His heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Dinia, what is it?"

Dinia handed him the letter. "Senior Brother Kalei, this is for you."

Kalei took it. "Who brought it?"

"The village chief sent it with an owl messenger."

"When did it arrive?"

"Before dark."

The letter had been sent in such a hurry. Had something happened to his mother and the others? A bad feeling rose in Kalei's heart, and he quickly opened the letter to read it.

As it turned out, things had happened just as he feared. On their way home, his mother and the others had been attacked by a corrupted Furbolg.

Fortunately, they had a Saber to help them. Together, they killed the Furbolg and escaped without injury, though they had been badly frightened.

Even so, Kalei still felt a lingering fear. He had known that something would happen to his mother and the others if things continued as they were. He just hadn't expected his fears to come true so soon.

"What happened?" His teacher, Matt Hardwood, came over and asked.

Matt Hardwood wore a standard-issue Druid robe. He looked to be in his thirties, with an unremarkable appearance and a steady temperament. He spoke in a rather rigid, precise manner.

When Kalei saw his teacher, he quickly bowed. "Good evening, teacher."

Matt nodded. "Good evening, Kalei. Let's talk in the sitting room."

The three of them went to the sitting room and sat down. Matt asked, "You look troubled. Did something happen at home?"

Kalei briefly explained what had happened to his mother and the others.

Matt furrowed his brow. "Are the Furbolgs in Bristlelimb Village really causing that much trouble? They've even affected Moonshadow Village."

Kalei asked in surprise, "Teacher, do you mean something really happened over there in Bristlelimb Village?"

Matt nodded. "Something has happened, yes, but it's a complicated matter. Let's eat first. We can talk about it afterward."

Dinia smiled beside them. "Senior Brother Kalei, when teacher heard you were back, he personally cooked a delicious meal for you."

Kalei had already noticed the plates of steaming food arranged on wooden platters across the table. Among them were his favorite Night Elf delicacies: Moon-Marked Venison and Colorful-Fin Fish.

He set aside his worries about his mother and Bristlelimb Village for the moment and smiled. "Thank you, teacher. I'll go wash up and be right back."

Matt gave a quiet nod. "Mm."

Kalei quickly washed up, then returned to the table, picked up his utensils, and joined the other two for dinner.

He had only taken a couple of bites when Matt suddenly stopped with his wooden fork in hand and stared at him. "Kalei, have you advanced again?"

Before Kalei could answer, Dinia's eyes widened. She grabbed his arm and asked, "Senior Brother Kalei, is it true? Have you advanced again?"

The advancement Matt and Dinia were talking about didn't mean leveling up. In the real world, there was no concept of levels; that was just how Kalei's panel had chosen to quantify and divide strength.

In the real world, the strength of practitioners was divided into six broad ranks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Hero, Legendary, and Demigod. Kalei didn't know what came after Demigod.

Kalei's rough estimate, based on the panel, was that levels 1–20 corresponded to Beginner practitioners, levels 21–40 to Intermediate, and levels 41–60 to Advanced. After level 60, practitioners had to cross an enormous threshold to become Heroes, and the panel could no longer quantify their levels.

With Elune's help, Kalei's Druid level had risen from 13 to 28, carrying him past the level-20 threshold. In other words, he had advanced from a Beginner Druid to an Intermediate Druid!

Kalei nodded with a smile. "Yes. It happened yesterday."

Dinia sighed. "Senior Brother Kalei is amazing. No wonder you're a genius!"

The corner of Kalei's mouth twitched. The two words he least wanted to hear were "genius."

Matt smiled with satisfaction and nodded. "Good. You haven't let your father down."

Then his expression turned serious, and he announced loudly, "Kalei Nightdew, I hereby declare that you have graduated. From this day forward, you are a true Druid."

Kalei was taken aback. "Teacher, don't I still have to pass an assessment?"

Matt said, "Normally, you would. But your abilities have already surpassed my expectations, so there's no need."

Kalei was overjoyed. "So I've really graduated?"

Matt smiled. "Of course."

Damn, fifty years—and he'd finally graduated! Kalei couldn't help shouting in celebration, his excitement plain for all to see.

Dinia clapped for him from the side.

Matt watched them with a broad smile. He had seen scenes like this many times, and every time he did, he felt a sense of accomplishment he couldn't put into words.

He waited until the two had settled down before asking, "Kalei, now that you've graduated, have you thought about what you want to do next?"

In ancient times, Druids mainly helped the Night Elves fight demons or assisted the Green Dragonflight in the Emerald Dream with maintaining its stability.

But now, as more and more Night Elves took up the path of the Druid, they had more choices.

They could serve in the Sentinel Corps, join the Cenarion Circle to work and study, or even go their own way, free from anyone's control, and pursue their own dreams.

Kalei had taken up the path of the Druid to gain power and protect himself and his family. He had only just begun to learn the ways of the Druids, so there was no chance he would abandon them halfway.

He thought it over, then said, "Teacher, I've already made up my mind. I've decided to join the Cenarion Circle and continue pursuing the path of the Druid."

Matt wasn't surprised by Kalei's choice. He nodded. "Kalei, with your talent, joining the Cenarion Circle won't be a problem. But even though you've studied under me for decades, you haven't completed a single task worth mentioning. With your current record, applying to join the Cenarion Circle may not be easy."

Kalei frowned. "What do you think I should do, teacher?"

Matt set down his fork and thought for a moment. "You wanted to know what was happening in Bristlelimb Village, didn't you? As it happens, I have a task here that concerns that village."

"The Circle has received word that Furbolgs from the Bristlelimb Tribe have been causing trouble there. They've bitten quite a few people, and apparently their wounds are difficult to treat."

"The Temple of the Moon plans to send a priestess to treat the villagers and investigate the situation. They hope the Cenarion Circle in Maestra will send a Druid to assist with the investigation."

"The Cenarion Circle is short-handed, so the person in charge at the town asked me to find an experienced Druid to look into it. I haven't found anyone suitable, so why don't you go and see what's happening? Complete this task and add something to your record."

Kalei asked in surprise, "Is the Circle short-handed now?"

Matt said, "Mm. The beasts in the forest have become active again recently, and the Circle has had to send more Druids to clear them out and maintain the balance of the forest."

Kalei knew the Cenarion Circle had roughly thirty thousand Druids under its management. Half were responsible for maintaining the Emerald Dream and the natural balance of the entire continent, while the other half handled the day-to-day affairs of the various towns. It was no wonder they could easily find themselves short-handed.

He thought for a moment and realized Matt's task was probably not simple. But he wasn't the type to back down when faced with difficulties, so he didn't refuse.

Matt smiled. "I'm glad you're willing to take on this task. It shows that you have not only the ability to protect nature, but the courage to do so as well."

He then stood up and went upstairs. When he returned, he carried a white-cloth-wrapped object and a scroll.

Matt first handed Kalei the scroll. "This scroll contains several spells you can learn. I'd meant to give it to you after your assessment, but since you've advanced again, you should have no trouble learning them. You can have it now."

Kalei's face brightened as he accepted it. "Thank you, teacher."

Matt nodded slightly, then handed him the object wrapped in white cloth. "This is a staff I used to wield. I have no use for it anymore, so consider it a graduation gift."

Kalei set down the scroll and took the gift. Slowly, he pulled away the cloth, revealing a staff of pure silver. Its top curved like a crescent moon, and a soft glow radiated from it.

"You have discovered the weapon Crescent Staff."

Item: Crescent Staff

Quality: Fine

Common Effect 1: Increases casting speed by 50%.

Common Effect 2: Increases spell power by 10%.

Common Effect 3: Increases physical attack power by 50%.

Special Effect: None

Description: A staff carved from the heartwood of a young oak from Moonglade. Its tip curves naturally, cradling a smooth moonstone. It makes the flow of magic smoother than ever before.

It was the Crescent Staff! Kalei was stunned. The Crescent Staff was a famous top-tier staff from the early days of World of Warcraft. He hadn't expected his unassuming teacher to have one.

Dinia, eating nearby, sensed how extraordinary the staff was and couldn't help voicing her admiration.

Kalei felt the staff over a few times. He could tell that it let him gather magic much faster and reduced the strain on his mind. He couldn't yet see any obvious difference in his spells' power, but overall, it clearly provided a substantial boost to low- and mid-level casters.

He put down the staff, hesitating. "Teacher, this staff is too valuable. I..."

Matt waved a hand, cutting him off. "It really is a fine staff, but it's no longer of any use to me. I've been looking for a new owner for it all these years. You're the student I have the most faith in, so I'm willing to entrust it to you. Are you unwilling to accept this responsibility?"

Hearing the word "responsibility," Kalei understood how much his teacher believed in him. He took the staff and nodded firmly. "Don't worry, teacher. I won't let you down."

Matt picked up his fork again. "Good. Complete this task and write a report for your record. Then applying to join the Circle will be no trouble."

Kalei said, "I understand. Thank you, teacher. I've finished eating. When should I go?"

"The priestess from the Temple of the Moon will be setting out soon. The Sentinel Corps will arrange an escort for her. Go to the Sentinel Outpost and find them, then travel with them."

Kalei set down his utensils, tucked the scroll into his shirt, and wrapped the staff in its cloth before slinging it over his back. He stood up. "All right. I'll head over now."

Matt warned him, "Mm. Be careful when you get there. From what I've heard, there's more to this Furbolg incident than meets the eye."

Dinia added, "Senior Brother Kalei, be careful."

"I will." Kalei said goodbye to Matt and Dinia, then headed outside with his newly acquired staff on his back to find the sentinels.