Corrosion Phenomenon

Leo opened the door and took the books from the Lizardman's hands.

Just as Leo was about to close the door, the Lizardman servant added, "Lord Danville, there's this as well."

The Lizardman handed over a badge and said, "This is your identification for the Tower of Dawn."

The badge had a gray base and no patterns.

However, the words "Esmond Gathering" were written on it.

Leo accepted the badge, and it changed.

The badge's base turned silver. Above the words Esmond Gathering, a circular frame appeared, displaying the number seven.

The Lizardman explained with a smile, "Lord Danville, this number represents the 'dynamic ranking' among this batch of Wizard Seedlings. The color of the base represents your 'dynamic ranking tier' among this batch of students."

"Outside the top hundred is gray. Within the top hundred is bronze. Within the top ten is silver. Within the top three is gold."

The Lizardman said, "Lord Danville, try to wear your badge whenever you go out. Lower-ranked badges may not be very useful, but a Silver Badge like yours can sometimes save you a lot of trouble."

Leo nodded slightly.

After the Lizardman left, Leo examined the badge before putting it on.

Returning to his room, Leo placed the books the Lizardman had delivered on the table.

The title of the book was: Melee Wizard Primer.

Leo opened the book. After reading it, a gentle notification sounded in his mind.

[Basic Body Fortification]

Quality: Inferior

Effect: Uses spiritual energy to strengthen cellular abilities, granting explosive power several times greater than one's natural physical capabilities.

Cost: 100 Refinement Points

Superior Codex: Basic Spell Model

This book introduced the core ability of Battle Mages: body fortification.

The fighting style of Battle Mages was very straightforward. They used spells to strengthen every aspect of their body's combat ability.

Strength, speed, and defense—the main focus was on fortifying these three areas.

And Basic Body Fortification was the most fundamental spell.

However, this combat style placed strict demands on the body, so it required Wizards to possess strong physiques.

As a Prossian, Leo fully met that requirement.

Leo used the Codex and began learning Basic Body Fortification.

In an instant, Leo felt the strength, defense, and speed of his entire body temporarily increase.

When Leo threw a punch forward, the airflow it created made the room's curtains flap loudly.

Leo took a deep breath. His physical abilities had now been enhanced by roughly one to two times.

That was an incredibly exaggerated increase.

Especially since Leo was also a Prossian.

However, after about ten seconds, Leo decisively dispelled the spell.

When he dispelled it, Leo's spiritual energy had been severely depleted.

Battle Mages were Wizards too.

Casting spells also consumed spiritual energy.

Spells were techniques cast with a Wizard's spiritual energy as their foundation.

At Leo's current level, he still needed to further increase his spiritual energy if he wanted to use spells properly.

After resting for a while, Leo continued studying the Codex.

Improving the Codex's quality could reduce the cost of Leo's spells while increasing their power.

If he wanted to increase his combat strength while lacking spiritual energy, this was another direction worth exploring.

Although he was in an environment with a strong atmosphere for learning, this was the Wizard world. Wizards still relied on strength to speak for them.

Therefore, Leo believed it was necessary to improve his combat power while studying.

Some spells had materials that could assist with cultivation, and Basic Body Fortification was one of them.

Melee Wizard Primer mentioned a type of potion: the Withered Wood Potion.

The Basic Body Fortification Spell could be cultivated alongside the Withered Wood Potion.

The formula for the Withered Wood Potion was in the book, so it was not difficult to find.

"Withered Grass Tree Root..."

After memorizing the names of the required herbs, Leo said, "When I go to the market with Chris and Molly tomorrow, I can ask about the prices of the herbs needed for this formula."

Leo only gave Basic Body Fortification a brief try.

He devoted more of his time to the Basic Spell Model and Arcane Hand.

Leo was very interested in the question Sally had raised.

The next day.

Inside Leo's room, his eyes gleamed with a fervor for exploring the truth.

"So that's how it is."

After a night of exploration, Leo had finally glimpsed some of the secrets hidden within spiritual energy.

Leo extended his hand and lightly touched the bed.

He activated Arcane Hand.

He did not choose to form a longsword. Instead, he formed a glove.

When the glove touched the bed, the area it touched became distorted and corroded.

Leo dispelled the spell and said, "This should be the secret behind how Lane killed that Prossian."

"Once spiritual energy is materialized, it can release a kind of spiritual fluctuation that corrodes surrounding matter."

"That Prossian was killed by this corrosive spiritual fluctuation."

"And..."

Leo pondered briefly before saying, "It was not just Lane. The physical abnormalities I experienced when I met that powerful Formal Wizard before, when I looked into his eyes, were probably related to the effects of this spiritual fluctuation as well."

Sally had been right not to tell Leo the reason directly.

If Leo had known the answer beforehand, he might not have connected this corrosive phenomenon to the Formal Wizard he had encountered then.

A thought crossed Leo's mind.

He put Arcane Hand over his hand again and touched the bed.

This time, Arcane Hand did not cause any corrosion to the bed.

Leo said, "As long as I understand the underlying principle, I can freely release this corrosive phenomenon at will."

"This truly is a dangerous world, yet one that makes people unable to resist uncovering the reasons behind its phenomena."

Having made a discovery, Leo could not help smiling.

He then packed his things, left his room, and went downstairs.

Chris and Molly were waiting at the entrance.

Chris was dressed like Leo, wearing a white robe with casual clothes underneath.

Molly wore a light blue dress underneath, paired with a shawl.

Both of them wore badges.

Chris had a bronze badge, while Molly had a gray one.

Molly's gaze fell on Leo's badge, and a trace of envy flashed through her eyes.

Tactfully, Leo did not bring up the badges. He said, "I'm not late, am I?"

"No, you're right on time," Chris said. "You really do arrive at the last possible moment every time. No wonder your spiritual energy is so high. You work too hard."

Leo smiled, unconcerned by Chris's teasing. "Let's go."

The Tower of Dawn was located in the Half-Moon Strait.

The Half-Moon Strait was at the central junction of two continents, and its territory was vast.

The residences of gatherings such as Esmond Gathering were in the south. The central region was where Formal Wizards and the Wizard Seedlings with Level 6 spiritual aptitude whom they had taken a fancy to lived. To the north were numerous laboratories established by graduate students.