At the critical moment!
A cold glint flashed through Li Ang's eyes as his mental power surged forth.
Two Wind Hammers, compressed to the utmost and shrieking through the air, formed instantly and shot out.
As if struck by iron hammers, the two "jellyfish" were blasted away.
"Splurt, splurt."
The dark-purple "jellyfish" burst apart in midair, their bodies oozing like two crushed tomatoes as shattered pieces scattered across the ground.
Helena stared at the suddenly appearing Li Ang, still trembling from the shock, her eyes filled with disbelief and tears of lingering fear.
"Y-you..." she had only managed to utter one word.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
Steady footsteps sounded from the entrance to the passageway.
Wizard Selenst approached at an unhurried pace, casually pointing along the way. Each time he did, flames consumed one jellyfish monster.
His sharp gray eyes, like those of a hawk, first swept over the remains of the two slain monsters on the ground. Then his gaze became almost tangible as it fixed firmly on Li Ang, who had just lowered his hand and was still breathing somewhat heavily.
The passageway fell deathly silent, broken only by Helena's suppressed sobs.
Selenst's gaze rested on Li Ang for a full three breaths. A faint trace of surprise flickered in his eyes before turning into a deep scrutiny and a nearly imperceptible hint of approval.
He said nothing, merely nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward the still-shaken Helena. After confirming that she was unharmed, he turned and left.
He had only come to confirm whether the stragglers had been cleared out. As for those candidates without the aptitude to condense starlets, he was not particularly concerned.
Only after Selenst had left did Helena finally calm herself. She gave Li Ang a deep bow.
Then she said in a trembling voice, "Th-thank you, Li Ang. If it weren't for you, I probably would have died."
Li Ang smiled. "Don't mention it. Even without me, Wizard Selenst probably would have been able to save you."
After comforting Helena for a while, he finally returned to his room.
Only then did Li Ang have time to examine the brass pocket watch he had picked up earlier.
[Acceleration Pocket Watch: Lv0] [Status: Bindable] [Binding Cost: 1 Mental Power]
Li Ang bound it impatiently, and a familiar sense of connection washed over him.
[Binding Successful] [Acceleration Pocket Watch: Current Level Lv0] [Current Effect: Carrying it accelerates your recovery speed.] [Lv1 Effect: Sleep recovery speed +10%, meditation mental recovery speed +10%, natural recovery speed +10%] [Upgrade Requirement: Mental World's Magic Starlet count reaches 1; consume 5 Mental Power.]
Seeing the pocket watch's effects, Li Ang suppressed his excitement and chose to upgrade it without hesitation.
Unlike facilities such as the Gale-Sailing Canvas, which would lose their effects once he left the ship, this was Wizard equipment that truly belonged to him!
That night, Li Ang slept for only a little over six hours and still woke feeling full of energy. This pocket watch would undoubtedly allow him to carve out a place for himself among the many apprentices.
The aftermath of the sea monster attack did not completely settle until the following morning.
The lower decks were filled with the heavy scent of blood and the lingering stench left behind by corrosive fluid.
The apprentice candidates were all wounded, and panic hung thick in the air.
During last night's chaos, three apprentice candidates had unfortunately died beneath the poisonous stingers of the small sea monsters. Their bodies were quickly dealt with and thrown into the sea.
Those who had survived were now all on edge, terrified that they might encounter another sea monster attack...
Yet at such a time, Wizard Selenst gathered everyone once more and announced news that took them all by surprise.
"Li Ang Carlson." Selenst called out the name in his icy voice. "Step forward."
Under the watch of dozens of complicated gazes, Li Ang calmly stepped out from the crowd.
Those gazes held shock, jealousy, and disbelief. Matthew's eyes in particular were filled with twisted resentment and a trace of fear he could not hide.
"Your performance last night proved your ability and worth."
"You successfully condensed a starlet and demonstrated courage and control over your spells in actual combat."
Selenst's voice remained utterly flat, but the words themselves were tremendous recognition.
"From this moment onward, you are officially promoted to Wizard Apprentice."
An attendant behind him stepped forward carrying a wooden tray.
On the tray lay a neatly folded gray robe of fine fabric, along with a copy of Fundamentals of Potioncraft, noticeably thicker than the Level-0 Spell Compendium.
"This is your apprentice robe and your new instructional text. There are other items to be collected once we return to the Wizard Tower. Move your residence to the third deck. You may choose any room there." Selenst was brief and to the point.
"Thank you, Lord Selenst." Li Ang bowed and accepted the items symbolizing his change in status with both hands.
As his fingers touched the soft gray fabric, he knew that he had finally truly stepped across the threshold of the Wizard's path...
When Li Ang changed into the slightly oversized gray apprentice robe and carried his simple luggage toward the stairs leading to the third deck, under Kavi's evasive, fearful gaze and Matthew's nearly fire-spitting stare, he could clearly feel the complicated looks behind him that seemed ready to bore through his back.
Helena's gaze, meanwhile, carried sincere blessings and a hint of envy.
The third deck was practically a different world from the lower decks.
The corridor was spacious and bright, covered with thick nonslip carpeting. The air no longer smelled of rotten mildew, but instead carried a faint, soothing fragrance.
Li Ang casually chose a room. Though it was not large, it was clean and tidy, furnished with a wooden bed, desk, and wardrobe. It even had a private washroom with a porthole.
Through the porthole, he could see the vast sky and azure sea.
At lunchtime, Li Ang ate in the small dining room on the third deck for the first time.
White linen tablecloths and gleaming silver cutlery.
A waiter in a tailcoat pushed over a serving cart and delivered the day's lunch.
The food here was no longer sour black bread and watery porridge clear enough to reflect a person's face. Instead, there was soft, fragrant white bread, steaming thick soup floating with oil and chunks of meat, and even a small glass of light fruit wine, clear in color and carrying a sweet, fresh fruity aroma.
Li Ang slowly savored the delicious richness of the soup and the satisfying fat within it, feeling the wheaty fragrance of the bread melt across his tongue. He took a small sip of the chilled fruit wine, and the mildly sour, sweet liquid slid down his throat, bringing a long-lost sense of contentment that belonged to "living," not merely "surviving."
After lunch, Li Ang walked back to his room across the thick, soft carpet. Half reclining on the soft bed, he could not help stretching comfortably.
"Mmm... yes, this is the normal life a person should have."
The past few days of living in the ship's hold had tortured him terribly, even though he had lived two lives and had never suffered hardship in either of them.
He no longer wanted to return to that life of an ant. To live better in this world, he had to keep growing stronger and prove his worth.
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