Passing the Assessment

Two dark-green globules of acid shot out with precision, striking the heads of two Phantom Wolves.

The acid rapidly corroded them. The Phantom Wolves let out silent howls, their bodies twisting a few times before dissolving into the air, leaving behind two motes of light that merged into Luo Lin's identity plaque.

The 20% beginner proficiency of [Acid Spray] already allowed him to hit stationary or slowly moving targets at close range with considerable accuracy.

He continued onward.

The maze's passages were intricate and winding, with phantom monsters appearing from time to time: swift Shadow Cats and more heavily defended Stone-Skinned Monsters.

Luo Lin flexibly employed his three spells according to the monsters' traits.

Against fast targets, he used the wider area coverage of [Acid Spray] for area attacks.

Against single targets, he used more precise targeted shots.

[Mage Hand] was responsible for interference, pushing away monsters that got close or collecting the glowing points dropped by distant monsters.

[Weak Force-Field Armor] remained active at all times, blocking unavoidable scratches and impacts.

His fighting style was efficient and composed, without a single superfluous movement, and his mana allocation was exceptionally sensible.

With the mental strength and mana of a Third-Rank Apprentice supporting him, along with his fairly proficient spells, he advanced steadily through the maze as his score rose steadily.

Along the way, he also encountered other apprentices who had met the standard.

These people were clearly much stronger than the apprentices outside, using all manner of methods to clear the monsters.

Some used fire spells, some summoned earth elemental creatures, and some darted into close combat with enchanted weapons.

Seeing Luo Lin alone and using what appeared to be an ordinary acid spell with considerable efficiency, those apprentices showed slight surprise.

In a relatively spacious cave, Luo Lin encountered an apprentice using wind blade spells. The other apprentice was simultaneously dealing with three extremely swift Shadow Cats and appeared somewhat flustered.

One Shadow Cat broke through the wind blades' blockade and pounced toward the apprentice.

Seeing this, Luo Lin instantly activated [Mage Hand]. An invisible force shoved the Shadow Cat sideways, causing its pounce to veer off course.

At the same time, a shot of acid finished off the Shadow Cat.

The apprentice let out a breath of relief, looked at Luo Lin, and nodded in thanks before focusing on the remaining two Shadow Cats.

Luo Lin did not linger and continued onward.

He had no intention of forming an alliance with anyone. Acting alone better suited his habits and would also allow him to conceal his trump cards more effectively.

The maze gradually grew more difficult. Ghost-type monsters capable of launching weak mental attacks began appearing, along with swarms of small monsters.

Luo Lin's mental strength far surpassed that of an ordinary early-stage Third-Rank Apprentice, and with [Weak Force-Field Armor] reinforcing him, he handled them with relative ease.

He regarded these battles as opportunities to temper his spell coordination and mental resistance.

After an unknown amount of time, his identity plaque warmed slightly, notifying him that the assessment was about to end.

Luo Lin crushed the plaque. A flash of white light passed, and he reappeared in the plaza.

Most of the apprentices who had met the standard had already emerged. Their auras churned wildly, clearly showing that they had endured fierce battles.

Luo Lin was among the last to emerge, but his aura was comparatively steady. He had merely expended more than half his mana, making him not especially conspicuous among the crowd, yet certainly no inferior to anyone else.

The attendants began tallying the scores.

The rankings on the spell light screen continually scrolled, displaying only the scores of these seventeen successful candidates.

At last, the rankings settled.

First place: Kyle Silverglow (mid-stage Third-Rank Apprentice), score: 2850

Second place: Lina Sharp (early-stage Third-Rank Apprentice), score: 2650

Third place: Luo Lin (early-stage Third-Rank Apprentice), score: 2480

Fourth place:...

Luo Lin ranked third.

That was an excellent result. Considering he had only recently advanced and his spells were not particularly powerful, he had mainly gained the advantage through precise control and sound tactics.

Kyle Silverglow, ranked first, was a blond youth with an aloof expression and obvious elemental fluctuations radiating from his body.

Lina Sharp, who ranked second, was a petite girl with lively eyes. She seemed skilled at concealment and ambushes.

The old wizard on the platform looked at the rankings and nodded.

"Seventeen people have met the standard in this assessment."

"Overall evaluation: Kyle Silverglow, Lina Sharp, and Luo Lin have performed exceptionally well."

"Luo Lin, your advancement has been astonishingly fast. Your foundation is solid, and your combat performance has been stable."

The old wizard looked at Luo Lin. His tone was flat, yet carried a trace of approval.

"As one of the outstanding performers in this assessment, you may receive the following rewards:

First, all previous knowledge debts will be waived.

Second, you will be awarded 2,000 contribution points.

Third, you will receive one opportunity to enter the Low-Level Spell Vault and select one zero-ring spell."

The generous rewards drew envious looks even from the other apprentices who had passed, especially the debt waiver and the 2,000 contribution points.

Luo Lin remained calm and bowed. "Thank you, Wizard."

He knew this was only the beginning. The academy would only value those who had proven their worth and potential.

The assessment officially ended.

The apprentices who had failed were ashen-faced as the attendants led them away. Heavy debts or an unknown fate awaited them.

The seventeen who had passed let out sighs of relief and sized one another up, knowing that these people would likely become the academy's future backbone—and potential rivals.

Ignoring those gazes, Luo Lin walked straight to Wizard Eric and bowed again. "Thank you, Wizard, for your previous guidance and gift."

Wizard Eric nodded slightly. "This is the result of your own efforts."

"Keep it up."

With that, he turned and left.

Luo Lin understood that Wizard Eric acknowledged his potential, but the road ahead still had to be walked by himself.

He first went to the Administrative Tower to complete the procedures. The knowledge debt on his identity plaque was cleared, and it gained 2,000 contribution points. Added to his previous savings, his total contribution points reached nearly 5,000.

Next, he arrived at the academy's Low-Level Spell Vault.

The zero-ring spells stored here were more abundant and rarer than those in the library.

An old wizard sat before the vault with his eyes closed in meditation. After verifying Luo Lin's qualifications, he let him enter.

Luo Lin browsed the spell shelves.

There were offensive spells such as [Electric Arc] and [Flame Arrow]...

Defensive spells such as [Deflection Field] and [Lesser Elemental Shield]...

Support spells such as [Lightness Spell] and [Conceal Presence]...

There were also specialized spells such as [Detection Spell], [Literacy], and more.

He weighed his options carefully.

In terms of offense, he had [Acid Spray], which was sufficient for now.

For defense, he had [Weak Force-Field Armor].

For support, [Mage Hand] was highly versatile.

What he needed more was a spell that could compensate for his shortcomings or provide a unique ability.

In the end, his gaze settled on a spell called [Literacy].

This spell could help its user decipher most basic enchanted scripts, runes, and simple contract clauses. It would be of immense use for learning deeper knowledge, interpreting ancient texts, and even avoiding being disadvantaged in contracts.

It perfectly suited his needs.

Without hesitation, he chose the spell-model crystal for [Literacy].

Carrying the spell crystal and his generous rewards, Luo Lin returned to his stone house.

The turmoil of the assessment had passed. His third-place result had brought him into the view of the academy's upper ranks, but it had not drawn excessive attention.

With Kyle and Lina ahead of him, he knew clearly that becoming a Third-Rank Apprentice was merely a new starting point. The road toward becoming an Official Wizard was far longer and more arduous.

Yet in the days after the assessment, Luo Lin's pace of life did not ease. Instead, his broadened horizons made him busier and more fulfilled.

He clearly recognized that Third-Rank Apprentice was only a threshold. The path that truly led toward becoming an Official Wizard was only now officially beginning.

He first spent several days focusing on learning and constructing the newly acquired spell, [Literacy].

This spell model was somewhat similar to [Mage Hand], but it placed greater emphasis on the fine weaving of mental strength and the analysis of information flow rather than energy manipulation.

With the advantage of [Efficient Scholar], Luo Lin successfully constructed a stable model in his Mental Sea after failing more than a dozen times.

He tried using the spell on a basic botanical guide written in Ancient Helwen that he had borrowed from the library.

When the spell entered the model and his gaze fell upon those twisted characters, a wondrous sensation arose within him.

Those characters seemed to come alive, their meanings naturally flowing into his mind. Though he could not instantly understand every profound allusion and technical term, the basic meanings of words and the general sense of the sentences became clearly discernible.

[Spell: Literacy (Not Yet Initiated)]