Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “An Invitation from the Wyvern Club”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wizard Saffi formally invites Leo to join the Wyvern Club, but allows him time to decide. She tells him to give his answer after surviving the upcoming Great Summons.
• Enchantress gives Leo a Wyvern Club contact badge, allowing him to communicate with her whenever necessary.
• After Saffi’s spiritual projection disappears, Enchantress and the other club members cautiously distance themselves from Leo, wary of provoking a potentially reckless Prossian.
• Fenlai arrives through a giant earthworm and challenges Leo, noting that the fight would now be four against one. However, One-Eye informs him that Wizard Saffi has ordered them not to continue fighting, so Fenlai reluctantly withdraws.
• Fenlai reveals that both sides failed to completely accomplish their missions. The Wyvern Club’s main objective was nevertheless achieved: the Moonflower Leaf base was destroyed. Their members will still lose some Magic Stones because of the mission’s partial failure.
• Barbara, who escaped the battlefield earlier, is captured by Olek and placed unconscious on the back of a wyvern. Olek prepares to leave with her.
• Leo unexpectedly encounters Olek in midair and realizes that Olek’s identity as a Wyvern Club member has been exposed. To preserve the club’s secrecy, Olek attacks Leo, declaring that only the dead can keep secrets.
• Olek initially dominates the confrontation and mocks Leo for avoiding a direct clash. Leo, however, criticizes Olek’s arrogance and poor combat judgment.
• Leo launches his Flesh Puppet sword, prompting Olek to fly higher and assume that the weapon cannot reach him. An unseen arrow then pierces Olek’s forehead, leaving him stunned and wondering what spell Leo has used.

Character Developments

• Leo: Demonstrates restraint by not immediately accepting or rejecting the Wyvern Club’s invitation. His confidence and combat awareness remain strong, and he recognizes Olek’s arrogance and tactical carelessness. He continues concealing the full extent of his abilities.
• Wizard Saffi: Establishes her authority by stopping the conflict and giving Leo a chance to join the Wyvern Club after the Great Summons.
• Fenlai: Remains eager to test himself against Leo despite Leo’s impressive performance against three opponents. His competitive nature and confidence are emphasized.
• Enchantress and the other club members: Become cautious and distrustful of Leo, fearing that he might act unpredictably despite their contract and Saffi’s protection.
• Olek: Is revealed as highly confident but careless. He attacks Leo primarily to protect the Wyvern Club’s secrecy, underestimating Leo and assuming that his superior strength guarantees victory.
• Barbara: Suffers defeat and is captured by Olek, becoming the “merchandise” he intends to deliver.

Significant Themes

• Power and authority: Even strong apprentices must obey the commands of Formal Wizards, as shown when Fenlai abandons the fight after Saffi’s order.
• Secrecy and trust: The Wyvern Club’s secrecy leads Olek to attempt killing Leo rather than risk having his identity exposed.
• Overconfidence versus combat intelligence: Olek relies on raw strength and status, while Leo evaluates an opponent’s tactics and weaknesses.
• Strategic restraint: Leo avoids unnecessary conflict, considers the club’s offer carefully, and waits for the right moment to reveal his abilities.
• Competition among Wizards: Fenlai’s determination to fight Leo reflects the Wizarding world’s emphasis on testing strength and proving superiority.

Character Interactions

• Saffi and Leo discuss the Wyvern Club invitation, with Saffi giving him a deadline tied to the Great Summons.
• Enchantress provides Leo with the club’s contact badge but keeps her distance afterward.
• Fenlai confronts Leo, but One-Eye invokes Saffi’s command to end the conflict. Fenlai leaves while promising to challenge Leo again.
• Olek and the Wyvern Club members discuss the failed mission and its consequences.
• Olek captures Barbara, then encounters Leo while attempting to escape.
• Olek attacks Leo and taunts him, but Leo responds dismissively and counters with an unexpected arrow spell that pierces Olek’s head, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Key plot points and events

• Leo kills Olek with Arcane Hand, finding him unexpectedly easy to defeat, then uses Necromantic Communication to question his corpse.
• Olek reveals he belongs to the Flame Truth Club, a secretive organization specializing in fraud and deception. He attacked Leo to protect his identity.
• Olek had planned to abduct Barbara, whose Sunken Light Elf bloodline made her valuable merchandise for auction. He intended to use a conflict between the Wyvern Club and manipulated Third-Level Wizard Apprentices to create an opening. The Wyvern Wizards killed the apprentices.
• When Leo asks about other Flame Truth Club members, a protective spell makes Olek’s corpse evaporate, apparently preventing him from revealing their identities. Leo destroys the remaining traces.
• Sono arrives with greatly increased mental energy and a confident demeanor, a sharp contrast to the timid person Leo remembers. He invites Leo to collect moonflower leaves, offering to split them.
• Leo accepts, partly because his prismatic dragon scale detects no hostility and partly out of curiosity. Sono leads him to leaves preserved in ice and melts the ice with a precise spell. Needle-like twigs then emerge around the plants.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo remains cautious and analytical: he interrogates Olek, recognizes the limits imposed by the Flame Truth Club’s safeguard, and assesses Sono before accepting his offer.
• Olek is revealed as an opportunistic kidnapper whose arrogance outstripped his combat ability. His death exposes the Flame Truth Club’s secrecy measures.
• Sono has changed dramatically, becoming confident and powerful, but avoids explaining how he advanced so quickly. He and Leo cooperate, though Leo remains wary.
• The chapter’s key interactions are Leo’s interrogation of Olek and his guarded negotiation with Sono.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and control: The Flame Truth Club protects its members through lethal magical safeguards.
• Appearances versus reality: Olek’s arrogance masks incompetence, while Sono’s sudden transformation raises unanswered questions.
• Caution and trust: Leo weighs evidence of Sono’s intentions before agreeing to work with him.
• Opportunity amid danger: The hunt for rare medicinal plants begins as a cooperative venture but ends on a new, potentially hazardous discovery.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo and Sono harvest Moonflower Leaves from a dangerous volcanic plant. The leaves release needle-like thorns that dissolve nonliving matter and carry lethal poison against living creatures.
• Sono explains that Flesh Puppets are ideal for harvesting because they are immune to poison. Leo uses one successfully to collect ten portions, which the two divide equally.
• Afterward, Sono ends their cooperation and departs. Leo notices that Sono now possesses unusual spiritual power, confidence, spell knowledge, and familiarity with Moonflower Leaves—traits inconsistent with his known Level 2 spiritual talent.
• Leo investigates the volcano and discovers that the Wyvern Club’s actions have frozen the crater, destroying the high-temperature environment required for Moonflower Leaves to grow. He views their resource exploitation as harmful to the wizard-apprentice ecosystem, though the Club is protected by Formal Wizards.
• Returning to the Tower of Dawn, Leo refines the Moonflower Leaf materials into thirty perfect-quality Blazing Lava corresponding potions, along with several lower-quality bottles.
• After consuming the perfect potions, Leo raises his Blazing Lava Codex to perfect mastery. His spell becomes faster and more powerful, and his heat resistance improves enough to withstand Enchantress’s flames without injury.
• Reflecting on his battle with the Wyvern Club, Leo begins studying evasion-type spells—techniques that transform or alter the caster’s body to avoid magical attacks rather than merely outrun them.
• He finds that Elementalism contains the widest variety of such spells across different elements. Since light-based Elementalism appears undeveloped, Leo chooses Lightning Flow Transformation as his next spell.

Character Developments

• Leo grows stronger through potion refinement, achieving perfect mastery of Blazing Lava and greatly improving his resistance to heat. He also becomes more strategically aware, recognizing the importance of defensive and evasion-based magic.
• Sono is revealed to be far more capable and knowledgeable than Leo previously believed. His sudden change in demeanor and expertise raises suspicions about his identity, abilities, or hidden circumstances.
• The Wyvern Club is portrayed as powerful but environmentally destructive, exploiting the volcano for immediate profit while disregarding the long-term consequences.
• Enchantress and One-Eye influence Leo’s development indirectly by demonstrating the effectiveness of elemental transformation-based evasion spells during combat.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and secrets: Sono’s transformation suggests that appearances and known identities may not reflect the truth.
• Resource exploitation versus sustainability: The destruction of the volcano’s ecosystem highlights the conflict between short-term gain and preserving magical resources.
• Continuous self-improvement: Leo responds to the weaknesses exposed in battle by strengthening both his offensive magic and defensive capabilities.
• Power and hierarchy: The Wyvern Club’s protection by Formal Wizards demonstrates how authority can shield harmful actions from consequences.
• Elemental mastery: Elementalism is presented as a versatile combat discipline, especially for defensive transformations and evasion.

Character Interactions

• Sono instructs Leo about the Moonflower Leaves and praises his mastery of Flesh Puppet spells.
• Leo questions Sono about his unexpected knowledge, but accepts Sono’s explanation that his mentor, Wizard Uriel, prepared him.
• The two divide the harvested materials according to their agreement before parting amicably.
• Leo’s reflections on Enchantress and One-Eye’s transformations motivate him to seek an evasion spell capable of protecting him from powerful attacks.

Chapter Summary: “Lightning-Current Spell”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo selects the Lightning-Current Spell as his next evasion spell because it offers a strong balance of attack, evasion, and speed, though it requires ten lessons to master.
• After completing his daily meditation, Leo’s mental energy increases from 101 to 104 points. He recognizes that combat improves mental energy more quickly than laboratory research, though he remains far below the 1,000-point requirement for becoming a First-Rank Wizard Apprentice.
• With preparations for the Great Summons complete, Leo searches the Knowledge Book for Level 2 Potions capable of helping a Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice grow mentally.
• He discovers that the most suitable potions—the Sinking Dream Potion and Azure Potion—both require Feng Fruit.
• Leo visits several shops to locate Feng Fruit. Woodpecker Hut lacks it, and other advanced shops sell it at the extremely high price of 3,000 Magic Stones per portion.
• At Woodpecker Hut, Leo learns that Barbara, the shop manager, has not returned. He reveals that she was carried away by a flying dragon belonging to a Wizard from the Flame Truth Club.
• The counter elf becomes distressed upon hearing this, since the Flame Truth Club is viewed as an overwhelmingly powerful organization.
• Leo contacts the Wyvern Club through the communicator given to him by Saffi. The club does possess Feng Fruit, but warns that outsiders must pay higher prices.
• Leo begins considering whether he may eventually need to join the Wyvern Club because of its monopoly over Level 2 potion materials.

Character Developments

• Leo continues progressing steadily as a Wizard Apprentice. His improved mental energy and growing combat ability increase his confidence, but he remains aware of the long distance before his next major breakthrough.
• He demonstrates practical resourcefulness by investigating multiple shops and contacting the Wyvern Club directly rather than abandoning his potion plans.
• Leo’s attitude toward Barbara is revealed to be detached and somewhat resentful. Because she previously abandoned him during danger, he feels no strong obligation to rescue or pursue her.
• The counter elf shifts from professional cheerfulness to excitement and then despair after learning Barbara was taken by the Flame Truth Club.
• The Enchantress remains wary of Leo because of his overwhelming strength during their recent encounter and hopes he might join the Wyvern Club.

Significant Themes

• Power and advancement: Leo’s meditation, combat experience, spell selection, and potion research all reflect his constant pursuit of greater magical strength.
• Combat versus research: The chapter contrasts the rapid mental-energy gains achieved through fighting with the slower, more controlled progress of laboratory study.
• Resource monopolies and factional power: Rare materials such as Feng Fruit are controlled by powerful organizations, forcing independent practitioners to depend on or negotiate with them.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Leo prioritizes his own advancement and avoids involvement in Barbara’s fate, emphasizing survival and personal benefit over loyalty.
• The cost of magical progress: The enormous price of Feng Fruit suggests that advancement requires not only ability but also substantial financial resources or political connections.

Character Interactions

• Leo and the Woodpecker Hut counter elf discuss potion materials and Barbara’s disappearance. Leo provides information about the Flame Truth Club but declines payment.
• Leo contacts the Enchantress through the Wyvern Club communicator. She confirms that Feng Fruit is available through the organization and warns him that nonmembers will face external pricing.
• The chapter ends with Leo weighing the possibility that joining the Wyvern Club may be necessary to secure the materials required for his future development.

Chapter Summary: Flying Pumpkin Improvement Work

Key plot points and events

• Leo reluctantly considers joining the Wyvern Club, recognizing that although it offers advantages, its monopolistic and troublesome nature makes it unpopular—even with First-Rank Wizard Apprentice Sally.
• At the Pella Research Lab, Leo meets Wizard Fia and Wizard Mode after returning from his trip with the materials he needed.
• Leo asks Fia about the Wizards expected to attend the upcoming Great Summons, intending to compete for the Genius Wizard Title.
• Fia identifies the strongest Wizards from her batch:
  • Raleigh, Jeno, and Violet, all combat-oriented Third-Level Wizard Apprentices invited by the Wyvern Club.
  • Sephir, a Level 6 Mental Power Talent genius with mental energy above 500.
  • Banville, a Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice with mental energy above 800, aided by perfect-quality potions prepared by his Formal Wizard mother.
• Fia informs Leo that Kyle, a Level 6 Mental Power Talent genius from the Uriel Gathering, recently died in an apparent accident while traveling to the Central Region. Leo suspects the circumstances may be suspicious.
• Leo begins working on improving the Flying Pumpkin. The modified version can fire weak, low-frequency freezing beams while airborne, but Leo judges its offensive ability to be too limited for serious combat.
• He compares it unfavorably with Wizard Nova’s Bird Wing Spell, which allows group flight and can interfere with opponents’ movement and rhythm.

Character developments

• Leo shows ambition by openly acknowledging his desire to win the Genius Wizard Title, while remaining realistic about the overwhelming competition. He also demonstrates skepticism and strong intuition regarding Kyle’s reported death.
• Fia reveals herself as well-informed and supportive, providing Leo with valuable information about the Great Summons and its leading candidates. She encourages Leo by emphasizing the combat advantages of his Prossian heritage.
• Banville is established as a privileged but exceptionally powerful competitor whose rapid advancement is largely supported by his Formal Wizard mother.
• Kyle’s death introduces a possible mystery and suggests that dangers surrounding talented Wizard seedlings may extend beyond ordinary accidents.

Significant themes

• Competition and unequal advantages: Talent, family connections, resources, and faction support all influence a Wizard’s advancement.
• Combat ability versus raw talent: The Genius Wizard Title is judged by practical fighting strength rather than mental energy alone, giving Leo a chance despite his shorter cultivation history.
• Factional power and monopoly: The Wyvern Club’s control over resources highlights the political and economic influence of Wizard organizations.
• Suspicion and hidden dangers: Kyle’s unexplained death hints at possible conspiracies or risks connected to the Central Region.
• Innovation and practical effectiveness: Leo evaluates magical improvements not merely by novelty, but by how useful they would be in real combat.

Character interactions

• Leo and Fia have a candid, informative discussion about the Great Summons and its competitors. Fia initially questions Leo’s confidence but ultimately recognizes that he has a genuine chance.
• Fia’s reassurance contrasts with Leo’s cautious self-assessment: she stresses his Prossian combat instincts, while Leo focuses on the advantages possessed by Sephir and Banville.
• Leo’s questions about Kyle reveal his investigative instincts and cause him to reconsider the official explanation of Kyle’s death.
• Through his work at the lab, Leo engages indirectly with the research efforts of other Wizards, especially Wizard Nova, whose Bird Wing Spell serves as the benchmark for improving the Flying Pumpkin.

Key plot points

• Leo reviews nearly a thousand improved Flying Pumpkin varieties, searching for one that could rival the Bird Wing Spell. She finds a speed-focused variant, the Accelerated Flying Pumpkin, and decides it may suit her.
• The next day, envoy Ulala inspects the Pella Research Lab. She criticizes its management for losses in the first and sixth groups, but praises Leo for stabilizing the plants and helping other groups recover.
• Because Leo’s work made up for the losses, Ulala keeps the lab’s evaluation from being lowered, while warning that such failures must not recur.
• After the inspection, Ulala takes the reports to Formal Wizard Plaisey, who oversees the magical plant project.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo shows initiative both in her research and in supporting the lab. She accepts praise modestly and admits she is still inexperienced, despite her rapid progress and Second-Rank Apprentice-level mental energy.
• Pella accepts responsibility for the lab’s management failures and is grateful to Leo for protecting the lab’s evaluation.
• Ulala is direct but fair: unlike the prejudiced, overbearing envoy Keli, she recognizes Leo’s contributions and encourages her. She also hints that strong work could lead to a place on one of Plaisey’s S-rank projects.
• Fia reminds Leo about the inspection, while Mode helps prepare and verify the reports.

Significant themes

• Merit and recognition: Leo’s results earn her respect despite her youth, unusual background, and short time as a wizard.
• Responsibility and teamwork: The lab’s shortcomings are serious, but Leo’s support helps protect the whole team.
• Ambition balanced with humility: Leo pursues a stronger Flying Pumpkin while remaining cautious about whether she is ready for major projects.

Chapter Summary: The Familiar Red Hair

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ulala reports to Wizard Plaisey that Leo, a new Prossian student and already a Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice, has shown exceptional talent in Potionology and is performing well in Wizard Pella’s Flying Pumpkin improvement project.
• Plaisey acknowledges Leo’s promise but criticizes the project itself, believing it lacks the innovation and potential needed to surpass existing flight spells.
• Plaisey explains his personal investment in Flying Pumpkin research: he invented the spell, but Wizard Nova’s Bird Wing Spell has made it inferior. His pride motivates him to support research aimed at improving it.
• Plaisey instructs Ulala to be less demanding of Leo so that he can develop quickly. He then contacts Wizard Aikesi, who confirms that the Tower Master wants Leo to receive assistance.
• Privately, Plaisey recognizes Leo’s rare magical-plant talent but admits that, because of the Tower Master’s prophecy, Leo may need to be pushed to grow rapidly rather than being carefully developed through a conventional foundation.
• Several days later, the Enchantress informs Leo that she has arranged a meeting with Huangtu, a member of the Wyvern Club who controls the selling rights to Feng Fruit.
• Leo meets Huangtu and his daughter Alice at an expensive restaurant. The Enchantress leaves so they can negotiate privately.
• Leo notices that Alice resembles Wizard Saffi, particularly because of her striking red hair, hinting at a possible connection between the two women.

Character Developments

• Leo: His reputation grows as influential Wizards recognize his talent and potential. He is placed under the Tower Master’s indirect protection and becomes involved in an important trade negotiation.
• Plaisey: Reveals both professional pride and personal frustration over Nova’s superior Bird Wing Spell. He shifts from his usual emphasis on balanced, foundational growth to supporting Leo’s accelerated development for the sake of the Tower Master’s prophecy.
• Ulala: Acts as an evaluator and messenger, bringing Leo’s achievements to Plaisey and carrying out Plaisey’s instructions.
• Huangtu: Is introduced as a wealthy and influential Wizard connected to the Wyvern Club and the Feng Fruit trade. His calm, formal manner suggests he is prepared for a serious business transaction.
• Alice: Appears emotionally distant and difficult to read. Her resemblance to Saffi immediately makes her significant to Leo.
• The Enchantress: Helps arrange the Feng Fruit deal but deliberately withdraws to avoid influencing the negotiation.

Significant Themes

• Innovation versus imitation: Plaisey argues that Wizards who merely follow established research paths may gain short-term rewards but eventually lose their creativity and ability to advance.
• Talent and cultivation: The chapter contrasts careful foundational training with rapid development driven by urgent external goals.
• Political and prophetic influence: Leo’s growth is being shaped not only by his own abilities but also by the Tower Master’s prophecy and the interests of powerful Wizards.
• Pride and rivalry: Plaisey’s determination to improve Flying Pumpkin is closely tied to his wounded pride after Nova’s Bird Wing Spell surpassed his creation.
• Hidden identities and connections: Alice’s familiar red hair and resemblance to Saffi introduce the possibility of an undisclosed family or personal relationship.

Character Interactions

• Plaisey and Ulala discuss Leo’s abilities, the limitations of the Flying Pumpkin project, and how Leo should be treated within the research lab.
• Plaisey communicates with Aikesi and learns that the Tower Master has specifically authorized assistance for Leo.
• The Enchantress acts as an intermediary between Leo and Huangtu, arranging the meeting but leaving before negotiations begin.
• Leo formally meets Huangtu and Alice, studying both of them and especially noticing Alice’s resemblance to Saffi.

Chapter Summary: Perfect-Quality Sinking Dream Potion

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo meets Wizard Huangtu and Alice to negotiate for Feng Fruit.
• Huangtu confirms that Leo is a new student and recognizes his exceptional progress. Leo is already close to forming a Spell Pyramid Prototype, a milestone normally associated with First-Rank Wizard Apprentices.
• Huangtu explains that mastering nine spells is only the basic requirement for constructing a Spell Pyramid. A wizard must instead reach the fourth level of spell mastery, the point at which a spell is considered completely mastered.
• Huangtu compares Leo to Nova, noting that Leo is only the second new student he has seen achieve such rapid mastery.
• Huangtu offers Leo sixty portions of Feng Fruit in exchange for protecting Alice during the upcoming Great Summons.
• Leo agrees, on the condition that Alice obey his commands while they are teamed together. Huangtu accepts.
• After Leo leaves, Huangtu reveals that wandering Wizards from Blackwind Isle—including powerful Prossian Combat Wizards—may participate in the Great Summons. He wants Alice to accompany Leo because Leo’s Prossian ancestry may offer them protection from hostile Prossian Wizards.
• Leo begins refining the Level 2 Sinking Dream Potion. His first attempts produce ordinary and high-quality versions, while his Codex gradually advances.
• After several days, Leo masters the Perfect-Quality Sinking Dream Potion Codex and gains 1,000 Refinement Points.
• He successfully creates and drinks a perfect-quality potion, increasing his mental energy by five points. He estimates that he can refine fifty such potions before the Great Summons.

Character Developments

• Leo: Demonstrates remarkable growth, advanced spell mastery, and increasing knowledge of wizardry. He negotiates confidently, accepts responsibility for Alice’s safety, and continues rapidly improving his mental energy through potion refinement.
• Huangtu: Reveals himself as a highly capable wizard, likely a First-Rank Wizard Apprentice. He recognizes Leo’s potential and strategically arranges for Leo to protect Alice.
• Alice: Though powerful herself—with mental energy comparable to a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice—she accepts that teaming with Leo is the safer choice. Her relationship with her absent mother is also briefly highlighted.
• Nova: Although absent, his reputation is reinforced as the Tower of Dawn’s exceptional “star of tomorrow,” serving as the benchmark for Leo’s talent.

Significant Themes

• Talent and rapid advancement: Leo’s progress places him among the most exceptional new students and draws comparisons to Nova.
• Preparation and strategic cooperation: Huangtu’s concern about external threats emphasizes the need for alliances despite personal strength.
• Power versus experience: Alice is strong enough to survive independently, but the dangers of powerful wandering Wizards make teamwork essential.
• Cultivation through resources: The Feng Fruit and Sinking Dream Potion show how rare materials and alchemical skill accelerate a wizard’s advancement.
• Family and absence: Alice’s brief question about her mother introduces an emotional undercurrent of separation and unfulfilled expectations.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Huangtu engage in a respectful negotiation centered on Leo’s strength and the protection of Alice.
• Huangtu praises Leo’s spell mastery while explaining the deeper requirements of the Spell Pyramid.
• Leo establishes authority by requiring Alice to follow his commands during the Great Summons.
• Alice questions Huangtu’s decision, but changes her mind after learning about the threat posed by wandering Prossian Wizards.
• Huangtu’s concern for Alice reveals both his protective role as her father and his confidence in Leo’s abilities.

Chapter Summary: “Invitation Letter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo is summoned by Sally to his mentor’s office, where Ilis excitedly shows him the Nova Title rankings. She is ranked first and has already qualified for the finals, making her likely to obtain the Nova Title.
• Ilis asks Leo to communicate with the phantom of her deceased grandfather using his remains.
• Away from the office, Ilis asks whether her grandfather truly wanted her to become a gladiator. He explains that he originally wished for her to marry into nobility, but because that was unlikely, he wanted her to become a gladiator—or at least gain enough strength to protect herself.
• Ilis then asks whether he would be happy if she became a Wizard. Her grandfather replies that he could die peacefully if she achieved that goal.
• Encouraged by this answer and by her success among Wizards, Ilis declares that she wants to rise to the top of the Wizard world and become one of its strongest figures.
• She also renews her promise to defeat Leo, treating him as the target she must surpass. Their agreement remains unchanged: once Ilis becomes a Nova, Leo will return the portion of her grandfather’s remains in his possession.
• After returning to the office, Ilis announces her intention to advance to a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice after earning the Nova Title.
• Tesla gives Leo a special invitation to attend the Nova Title finals in person. Sally then indicates that the group will move on to discuss her own matter.

Character Developments

• Ilis: Experiences major growth from a simple, instinctive former gladiator into an ambitious Wizard determined to stand above others. Her motivations combine a desire to honor her grandfather, prove her worth, and defeat Leo. Although she embraces the Wizard path, she retains her aggressive and competitive nature.
• Leo: Supports Ilis’s transformation and recognizes that ambition often emerges when a person possesses sufficient talent to act on it. He compares Ilis with Chris, reflecting on how greater ability might have changed Chris’s destiny. Leo remains confident that Ilis will not ultimately surpass him.
• Ilis’s grandfather: His phantom reveals that his past wishes were motivated by concern for Ilis’s safety and future, rather than by any special admiration for gladiatorial life. He wholeheartedly approves of her becoming a Wizard.
• Tesla: Encourages Ilis and acknowledges her exceptional talent while providing Leo with the invitation to the finals.
• Sally: Initiates the meeting and prepares to address a separate matter after Ilis’s concerns are resolved.

Significant Themes

• Ambition and ability: The chapter suggests that ambition is often shaped by one’s talent and opportunities. When Ilis discovers she excels among Wizards, she develops aspirations that were impossible during her anonymous gladiator career.
• Legacy and family expectations: Ilis seeks confirmation that her chosen path would make her grandfather proud. His approval gives emotional significance to her pursuit of Wizardry.
• Transformation and identity: Ilis is evolving beyond her former identity as a gladiator, but her fierce, predatory personality remains intact.
• Rivalry as motivation: Ilis views Leo as both her mentor and ultimate target, establishing their rivalry as a source of pressure and growth.
• Different paths and unrealized potential: Leo’s comparison between Ilis and Chris highlights how talent and circumstance can determine whether someone develops ambition and advances.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Ilis: Leo acts as mediator between Ilis and her grandfather, then becomes the person she openly challenges. Their relationship mixes mentorship, mutual respect, rivalry, and a standing bargain.
• Ilis and her grandfather: Their exchange resolves Ilis’s uncertainty about his wishes and confirms that he values her safety and success above any specific profession.
• Leo and Tesla: Leo seeks Tesla’s confirmation about Ilis’s advancement, while Tesla later entrusts him with the invitation to the finals.
• Ilis and Tesla: Ilis confidently announces her future advancement, and Tesla responds with approval and encouragement.
• Leo and Sally: Sally brings Leo to the office and, after Ilis’s issue concludes, prepares to discuss her own concern.

Chapter Summary: “Accelerated Flying Pumpkin”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sally informs Leo that his recent performance has attracted more than a hundred invitations from research labs, particularly those associated with Combat Wizards.
• She explains that the Drew Research Lab has invited him again, this time sincerely, to join its Flying Pumpkin project. However, Sally warns that the project is mainly intended to satisfy Formal Wizard Plaisey and obtain a higher evaluation, rather than genuinely advance Leo’s arcane-botany career.
• Leo learns about the upcoming Great Summons, where Wizards from different Gatherings must form teams of at least five. He expects to team up with Lady Alice and possibly Ilis, but still needs two additional members.
• Leo asks about leasing farmland to cultivate improved magic plants for his own spells. Sally explains that Gathering farmland normally requires an arcane-botany research project led by a Gathering Wizard.
• Sally suggests that Leo apply to Pella, the head of his research lab. Pella agrees to lend him the damaged former Group One farmland and its equipment for 800 Magic Stones per month.
• Leo purchases seeds for Flying Pumpkins, Potato Mines, and bright red chili peppers—the ingredients needed to create Accelerated Flying Pumpkins.
• After some time, Leo successfully grows robust Flying Pumpkins while adjusting the farmland’s environment.
• Fia invites Leo to attend the afternoon’s Nova Title selection with her. He accepts after explaining that he already has an invitation.
• Fia notices Leo’s crops and is shocked to learn that he is cultivating the difficult A-grade Accelerated Flying Pumpkin project independently.

Character Developments

• Leo continues to establish himself as a highly talented arcane-botany Wizard. Rather than accept a prestigious but potentially superficial research opportunity, he focuses on developing an original project that can demonstrate his genuine ability.
• He shows initiative and independence by seeking farmland, purchasing seeds, and personally experimenting with improved magic plants.
• Sally acts as a practical adviser, guiding Leo away from the Drew Research Lab’s shortcut-oriented project and helping him understand the Great Summons and farmland regulations.
• Pella demonstrates trust in Leo by allowing him access to damaged farmland and equipment at a relatively low price.
• Fia becomes more openly friendly toward Leo, inviting him to the Nova Title selection and showing genuine curiosity about his research.

Significant Themes

• Genuine achievement versus superficial recognition: Sally urges Leo to pursue work that proves his arcane-botany talent instead of joining a project designed mainly to gain favorable evaluations.
• Independence and innovation: Leo chooses to cultivate a rare plant variety himself because it cannot be purchased on the market.
• Opportunities and institutional limitations: Although Leo receives many invitations, research-lab rules and Gathering regulations restrict how he can access land and organize teams.
• Cooperation and networking: The Great Summons requires Wizards from different Gatherings to work together, while Leo’s progress also depends on relationships with Sally, Pella, and Fia.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Sally: Sally advises Leo about the Drew Research Lab, explains the Great Summons, and helps him find a possible route to obtaining farmland. Leo listens respectfully but keeps his options open.
• Leo and Pella: Leo requests farmland, and Pella offers him the former Group One facilities, including equipment, under favorable leasing terms.
• Leo and Fia: Fia reassures Leo that he has fulfilled his research-lab duties, invites him to the Nova Title selection, and reacts with surprise when she learns about his Accelerated Flying Pumpkin project.
• The chapter ends with Fia questioning whether Leo can truly cultivate an A-grade magic plant project that another Wizard previously failed to complete.

Key events

• Leo explains that he is growing Accelerated Flying Pumpkins for personal use, not trying to produce them on a large scale. He considers them a modest improvement and plans to develop a Flying Pumpkin variety superior in more ways.
• Using his Compendium Manual, Leo can fuse magical plants and identify the results without waiting for them to grow. His experiments have produced heavier pumpkins, water-spraying pumpkins, and stone-spitting pumpkins—but he regards these as failed improvements.
• Before attending an exchange meeting, Leo asks Wizard Mode to adjust one of his plots using his written instructions. He offers her 100 Magic Stones, but she refuses, saying that Leo has already helped her group and accepting more would violate equivalent exchange.
• Envoy Ulala visits Pella Research Lab to verify damage to its plots. When she learns that Leo has been assigned the last plot in Section One, she asks to inspect it.
• At the plot, Mode identifies its crop as Accelerated Flying Pumpkins, based on Leo’s report. Both Pella and Ulala are surprised, and Ulala asks to see the document and examines the plants.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo is ambitious and methodical, pursuing a broader improvement program rather than settling for a limited enhancement. He respects professional boundaries by accepting Mode’s refusal of payment.
• Mode acts as Leo’s trusted assistant and upholds the principle of fair exchange.
• Ulala is a skeptical, demanding evaluator. She thinks many pumpkin projects are motivated by a desire to impress Wizard Plaisey and that Drew Research Lab’s project deserves a lower grade than it received. Leo’s work, however, catches her interest because Plaisey had singled him out for preferential treatment.
• Pella cooperates with Ulala’s inspection and helps her reach Leo’s plot.

Significant themes

• Research and innovation: Magical-plant improvement requires experimentation, and Leo’s unusual tool lets him bypass the normally lengthy growing-and-observation process.
• Merit versus favor: Researchers may pursue popular projects to attract powerful patrons, while evaluators must balance standards against political considerations.
• Fair exchange and professional trust: Mode refuses extra compensation because she and Leo have already helped one another.
• Ambition and discernment: Leo sees the Accelerated Flying Pumpkin as only a stepping stone; the chapter closes on the possibility that his work may prove more significant than outsiders expect.

Key plot points and events

• Special Envoy Ulala inspects Leo’s cultivation field and confirms that he has successfully grown an Accelerated Flying Pumpkin, a rare and difficult variety.
• She concludes that Leo likely solved the problem of cultivating it at scale, judging from the unusual arrangement of plants in the field.
• Pella briefly considers claiming the work for her lab, but Ulala makes clear that the pumpkin was grown outside Leo’s assigned research. Pella drops the idea.
• Ulala orders Pella to support Leo’s botanical research and keep her visit secret so attention from Wizard Plaisey will not interfere with his work. Plaisey already thinks highly of Leo.
• Ulala also examines three unfamiliar Flying Pumpkin varieties Leo has developed. Neither she nor Pella can identify them, suggesting they may be entirely new varieties. Ulala invites Pella to report Leo’s future progress privately.
• Elsewhere, Leo walks with Fia. When she asks whether anyone from their Esmond Gathering will earn the Nova Title, Leo answers that one person will—but the chapter cuts off before he names them.
• They encounter Molly, whom Leo introduces to Fia as a newcomer. He senses that Molly’s mental energy remains far below ten points.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo is established as a gifted, self-directed researcher whose accomplishments attract the notice of senior figures, even though he is absent during the inspection.
• Ulala shifts from overseeing Leo’s development to openly admiring his genuine talent. She protects his independence while arranging institutional support.
• Pella is tempted to take credit for Leo’s work but backs down after Ulala’s warning; she then agrees to provide him with resources.
• Fia shows curiosity about the newcomers’ prospects and Leo’s prediction.
• Molly enters the scene as a fellow newcomer, while Leo’s observation of her mental energy hints that progress toward the Nova Title depends on reaching a demanding threshold.

Significant themes

• Merit versus political maneuvering: Leo’s achievements stand apart from deliberate attempts to win favor with powerful wizards.
• Talent and recognition: His work draws admiration and interest from Ulala and Plaisey.
• Protecting independent research: Ulala believes secrecy and support will let Leo develop without outside attention distorting his work.
• Ambition and selection: The question of who will earn the Nova Title introduces a competitive thread.

Chapter Summary: “Taking Her Place”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Molly waits outside while Fia and Leo enter the reception hall for the Nova Title selection. Although Molly technically meets the qualifications, she feels sidelined as Leo and Fia behave as though they are the important participants.
• Inside, Leo and Fia discuss the declining value of this year’s Nova selection because newly advanced Wizards are ineligible. However, the participation of Ilis—a rare Level 6 Mental Power Talent genius—restores much of the event’s prestige.
• Ilis arrives energetically and announces her determination to win first place and claim the Nova Title. She openly embraces her ambition to surpass Leo.
• Fia meets Ilis and immediately approves of her competitive attitude, while Leo remains amused and somewhat helpless in response to Ilis’s confidence.
• Fia points out two notable newcomers from the Uriel Gathering: Sono, a highly capable Third-Level Wizard Apprentice despite possessing only Level 2 Mental Power Talent, and Milo, whose spiritual trait is unusual.
• Fia explains that Uriel Gathering is attempting to replace Esmond Gathering as one of the recognized large-scale gatherings. This creates an emerging rivalry that may develop over several years.

Character Developments

• Molly: Becomes increasingly isolated and resentful after seeing Leo and Fia take center stage. Her reaction suggests insecurity and frustration at being overlooked despite being the qualified candidate.
• Leo: Demonstrates familiarity and goodwill toward Ilis, describing her as ambitious and potentially capable of surpassing him. He also learns about the growing rivalry between Esmond and Uriel Gatherings.
• Fia: Shows a cold attitude toward Molly after sensing her spiritual energy, implying that she recognizes something unusual or threatening about Molly. She is perceptive about inter-gathering politics and enthusiastically supports Ilis’s ambition.
• Ilis: Publicly acknowledges her ambition and transforms it into a driving force. She is energetic, confident, competitive, and determined to win first place rather than merely participate.
• Sono and Milo: Are introduced as important representatives of Uriel Gathering, suggesting that they may become significant rivals in the selection or in future conflicts.

Significant Themes

• Being overlooked and displaced: Molly’s exclusion from the social focus despite meeting the official requirements reflects the chapter’s title, “Taking Her Place.”
• Ambition and competition: Ilis openly treats the Nova selection as a test of superiority, presenting ambition as a positive and necessary part of the Wizardry path.
• Appearance versus reality: Ilis appears innocent and impulsive, yet Leo insists that appearances can conceal serious ambition and potential.
• Institutional rivalry and prestige: The competition between Esmond and Uriel Gatherings shows that status, recognition, and access to resources are important forces within the Wizarding world.
• Talent versus achievement: Ilis possesses exceptional innate talent, while Sono’s accomplishments are impressive despite his low talent rating, suggesting that innate ability is not the only measure of potential.

Character Interactions

• Molly briefly interacts with Fia and Leo but is left behind when they enter the hall, deepening her sense of exclusion.
• Fia and Leo discuss the significance of Ilis and the Nova selection, revealing their differing perspectives on ambition and talent.
• Ilis greets Leo enthusiastically, boasts about surpassing him, and receives Fia’s immediate encouragement.
• Leo introduces Ilis to Fia and cautions that her innocent appearance should not be mistaken for a lack of ambition.
• Fia informs Leo about Sono, Milo, and Uriel Gathering’s attempt to challenge Esmond’s position, establishing a broader political conflict beyond the Nova competition.

Chapter Summary: “Wizards with Long Lifespans”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fia warns Leo that the Uriel Gathering remains a serious threat despite Mentor Esmond’s disappearance. Because wizards live so long, three to five years is insignificant to them, and the Uriel Gathering could gradually replace the Esmond Gathering if everyone becomes careless.
• Sono greets Leo and reveals that his mental energy has risen to 70, showing impressive growth.
• Sono introduces Milo, Mentor Uriel’s granddaughter and a new member of the Uriel Gathering.
• Milo openly declares Leo to be her future opponent, saying she intends to surpass him and use him as a stepping stone.
• Ilis immediately claims that she—not Milo—is Leo’s true rival. Milo counters that she has already surpassed Ilis, explaining that she intentionally remained at 10 mental energy to measure the difference between herself and someone with Level 6 Mental Power Talent.
• The Nova selection event begins, overseen by Tesla and other First-Rank Wizard Apprentices. Ilis is temporarily ranked first, Milo second, while the other candidates are far behind.
• Fia explains Milo’s unusual “Simulation” mental trait, which allows her to imitate another person and gain greatly enhanced learning and growth in techniques related to that person’s abilities. Combined with Milo’s Level 5 Mental Power Talent, the trait can temporarily give her an effectiveness comparable to Level 6 talent in a specialized area.

Character Developments

• Leo: Remains calm and observant while recognizing that Milo may genuinely be capable of surpassing Ilis—and perhaps becoming a serious rival himself.
• Fia: Demonstrates strategic awareness, emphasizing the long-term danger posed by the Uriel Gathering and explaining Milo’s abilities.
• Ilis: Becomes openly competitive and irritated by Milo’s condescending attitude. Although she currently ranks first, Milo’s confidence makes her question whether she can retain her position.
• Milo: Is introduced as emotionally detached, highly confident, and aggressively ambitious. Her mechanical manner contrasts with the provocative nature of her words. Her Simulation trait makes her a potentially formidable opponent.
• Sono: Shows continued, impressive growth, reaching 70 mental energy, though he remains less advanced than Leo.

Significant Themes

• The importance of long-term thinking: Wizards’ extended lifespans make short periods nearly meaningless, so threats can develop slowly and still become devastating.
• Competition and ambition: The Nova rankings intensify rivalries, especially between Ilis and Milo, while Milo positions Leo as the benchmark she must surpass.
• Talent versus specialized ability: Raw Mental Power Talent is not the only measure of potential; Milo’s Simulation trait can greatly amplify her performance in specific areas.
• Confidence and psychological pressure: Milo’s detached taunts unsettle Ilis and challenge Leo, showing how rivalry can be established through words before direct combat or competition.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Fia discuss the continuing threat from the Uriel Gathering, with Fia correcting Leo’s overly optimistic assumption.
• Leo and Sono exchange polite remarks about their respective growth.
• Milo introduces herself to Leo and directly challenges him.
• Ilis interrupts to assert her own claim as Leo’s opponent, leading to a tense exchange in which Milo dismisses Ilis’s current ranking.
• Fia and Leo analyze Milo’s abilities after the encounter, concluding that her confidence may be justified.

Chapter Summary: “Waking from a Beautiful Dream”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The freshman selection reaches its final stage: spellcasting. Each selected Wizard Seedling must demonstrate their strongest spell inside a transparent Magitech Spell Box.
• The contestants perform in reverse ranking order. Most of the lower-ranked freshmen receive mediocre evaluations, with the judges criticizing their limited spell mastery.
• Milo of the Uriel Gathering delivers the most impressive performance by casting Lightning Flow Transformation, an advanced Elementalism spell normally mastered only by Second-Rank Wizard Apprentices. Though her mastery is only at the second stage, the feat astonishes the judges.
• Ilis, a Level 6 Mental Power Talent genius, performs an introductory Elementalism spell at the second stage. Her result is excellent compared with the other freshmen, but it cannot match Milo’s performance.
• After deliberation, the final results are announced: Milo ranks first and Ilis second. Both receive the prestigious Rising Star evaluation.
• Leo notices that Hughes and Lexus are absent, despite Hughes previously asking Lexus to deliver a letter, though this matter is not resolved in the chapter.

Character Developments

• Milo establishes herself as the strongest freshman and demonstrates exceptional talent, advanced spell knowledge, and powerful inherited mental traits. Her calm, striking presence further reinforces her superiority.
• Ilis experiences a major emotional setback. Although she performs well and earns Rising Star status, losing to Milo shatters her growing belief that she could become an unmatched genius.
• Leo observes the competition analytically, comparing the contestants’ spell mastery with his own and recognizing how greatly the Compendium Manual has accelerated his learning.
• Tesla receives praise for Ilis’s improvement, though he modestly claims that Ilis’s sudden willingness to work hard—not his instruction alone—produced her progress.
• Fia explains that the Rising Star selection is based not merely on ranking but on whether candidates meet the judges’ standards.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus effort: Ilis has worked hard to overcome her earlier lack of motivation, but Milo’s natural gifts and advanced abilities reveal the limits of effort alone.
• The fragility of ambition: Ilis’s dream of becoming a peerless genius collapses when she encounters someone far beyond her expectations.
• Standards of excellence: The judges evaluate not simply whether a spell is functional, but how deeply and skillfully it has been mastered.
• Humility and perspective: Despite ranking second, Ilis still earns recognition as a Rising Star, suggesting that falling short of first place does not erase genuine achievement.
• Waking from illusion: The chapter’s title reflects Ilis’s painful realization that her perception of herself as uniquely gifted was incomplete.

Character Interactions

• The First-Rank Wizard Apprentices openly critique the weaker freshmen while becoming increasingly impressed by Milo.
• A representative of Uriel praises Milo as the finest freshman besides Kyle and highlights her inherited talents.
• The judges and Tesla discuss Ilis’s unusual improvement and potential.
• After the results, Leo tries to comfort Ilis by emphasizing that second place still qualifies her as a Rising Star, but Ilis remains focused on her defeat and Milo’s overwhelming superiority.

Chapter Summary: “Three Formal Wizards”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After losing the Nova Title competition, Ilis vows to become stronger and not lose again. Although she places second, she still receives the Nova Title evaluation.
• Leo hopes the visiting Formal Wizard will be Aikesi, allowing him to complete the letter-delivery mission given by the island wizard. Instead, Wizard Saffi, founder of the Wyvern Club, arrives.
• Saffi’s overwhelming Magical Pressure affects everyone in the venue, including Leo and senior Wizard Apprentices. She awards the Nova Title badges to Ilis and Milo, then leaves without explanation.
• The selection concludes, and the attendees discuss how vastly more frightening a Formal Wizard’s presence is compared with that of a First-Rank Wizard Apprentice.
• Milo reveals that she has already condensed her Spiritual Seed and advanced beyond the Wizard Seedling stage. She tells Sono that her grandfather ordered them to form a team, while Sono jokingly promises not to hold back the “super genius.”
• Ilis also reveals that she has condensed her Spiritual Seed. Leo praises her Level 6 Mental Power Talent, but Ilis remains focused on surpassing him and promises not to let him advance beyond her.
• Hughes contacts Leo, panicking because he missed the Nova Title selection while attempting to become a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice. Leo explains that the mission could not have been completed anyway because Aikesi did not attend.
• Leo and Hughes discuss the dangerous information concerning traitors within the Tower of Dawn. They ultimately decide that, as freshmen, they cannot solve the problem and should focus on becoming stronger.
• At the Tower of Dawn, Aikesi reports to Augusta that nobles of the Twin Continents have allied with wandering Wizards, including forces supported by the Prossians.
• Augusta orders three Formal Wizards—Jindeli, Tor, and Brock—to travel to the Twin Continents. All three belong to the Golden Eagle Faction and are hostile toward the Prossians, suggesting that a major confrontation is imminent.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Ilis remains competitive and determined despite losing to Milo. Her successful Spiritual Seed condensation marks a major advancement, and her promise to keep pace with Leo shows both ambition and growing personal investment in their rivalry and friendship.
• Leo becomes more aware of the gap between Wizard Apprentices and Formal Wizards after experiencing Saffi’s Magical Pressure. He accepts that strength is necessary for survival and recommits himself to studying and cultivation.
• Milo demonstrates exceptional talent by becoming a full Wizard shortly after receiving the Nova Title. Her conversation with Sono reveals her confidence, emotional restraint, and privileged position within the Uriel Gathering.
• Sono responds to Milo’s command with humor and humility, establishing a potentially competitive but cooperative partnership.
• Hughes relies on Leo for reassurance. Their conversation emphasizes both their limited status as freshmen and their awareness of the Tower’s larger political dangers.
• Saffi is introduced as a powerful and intimidating Formal Wizard whose presence alone can suppress the will of nearly everyone in the hall.
• Augusta reacts decisively to the Prossian interference, mobilizing three Formal Wizards rather than treating the conspiracy as a minor issue.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming gap in power: Saffi’s Magical Pressure illustrates how insignificant even advanced Wizard Apprentices are before a Formal Wizard.
• Ambition and self-improvement: Ilis and Leo both respond to setbacks and danger by resolving to grow stronger.
• Youth versus larger political forces: Leo and Hughes recognize that the conflict involving traitors, nobles, and wandering Wizards is beyond their current ability to influence.
• Survival through strength: Leo concludes that only personal power can protect him when the surrounding environment becomes dangerous.
• Factional conflict and impending war: The Prossians’ involvement in the Twin Continents and Augusta’s deployment of three hostile Formal Wizards signal escalating tensions within the wizarding world.
• Duty and missed opportunities: Leo’s failed letter mission remains unresolved, while the information it contains may have serious consequences for the Tower of Dawn.

Key plot points and events

• Leo’s mental energy has climbed to 222 points thanks to the Sinking Dream Potion, though he has run out of Feng Fruit. He hopes his preparations will be enough for the coming Great Summons.
• At the gathering, Wizards are forming teams of five. Leo meets up with Alice and Ilis, intending to form a team with them.
• Alice questions whether Ilis is experienced enough, but Leo shuts down their argument, pointing out that both are Third-Level Wizard Apprentices.
• Leo looks for additional teammates among Wizards from smaller assemblies. He briefly invites Eric, who has just been rejected by his team, but Eric uses the invitation to pressure his former lover Anna to take him back. Leo withdraws the offer.
• Bruce, a member of Eric’s former team, leaves it and asks to join Leo’s group. Leo welcomes him, leaving the team one member short.
• Bruce explains that Anna has grown close to Banville and pushed Eric out of the team amid their romantic dispute.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo remains practical and self-assured, managing Alice and Ilis’s bickering and seeking suitable teammates. His dry teasing of Ilis shows their familiar rapport.
• Alice and Ilis clash over their relative standing, but both defer to Leo’s judgment. Ilis is easily provoked by his teasing.
• Eric appears more focused on winning Anna back than on joining a strong team, undermining Leo’s confidence in him.
• Bruce leaves his old team and joins Leo’s, though his account reveals tensions and romantic complications among its members.
• Anna prioritizes team strength—or Banville—over her relationship with Eric.

Significant themes

• Romance versus loyalty and practicality: Anna’s team decision and Eric’s reaction show how personal relationships can disrupt group choices.
• Competence and hierarchy: The Wizards judge teammates by strength and usefulness, while Leo sees little difference between apprentices at the same rank.
• Conflict and team-building: Forming a team requires navigating egos, rivalries, and personal agendas as well as finding capable members.

Chapter Summary: “Targeting”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bruce explains that Anna, his former teammate’s girlfriend, left him for Banville, the handsome son of a Formal Wizard. Alice condemns Anna’s betrayal, while Ilis argues that her choice is understandable even if not morally right.
• Leo identifies Banville as a likely major competitor in the upcoming operation, especially because of his powerful family background.
• Wizard Tesla notices that Leo’s team has only four members and warns him that failing to find a fifth could result in being assigned an undesirable teammate. Tesla offers to recommend someone from a previous cohort.
• Before Tesla can return, Formal Wizard Jindeli arrives to oversee the Great Summons. His presence alarms the young Wizards, since the mission apparently warrants the involvement of a powerful Formal Wizard.
• Jindeli reacts coldly upon seeing Leo, particularly because of Leo’s white hair and Prossian identity. Tesla warns Leo not to make eye contact or draw attention to his hair, suggesting that Jindeli may hold hostile feelings toward him.
• Jindeli assigns Baosi to Leo’s team. Baosi has weak Mental Power fluctuations and is someone Leo previously brought back, making him an unwanted and seemingly burdensome addition. Jindeli appears pleased at Leo’s discomfort.
• Jindeli explains the operation: each team will follow an assigned route, assassinate the nobles on its death list, enter Sogra’s royal city, and ultimately kill the current Sogra King. Teams will receive no outside assistance and must rely entirely on their own strength.
• The team that kills the Sogra King will receive the title of Genius Wizards, along with fifty bottles of perfect-quality potions and five unconditional permissions to establish research projects. These rewards excite the assembled Wizards.

Character Developments

• Leo remains focused and pragmatic, ignoring the argument about Anna and Banville while assessing potential competitors and trying to strengthen his team. Although unhappy about Baosi’s assignment, he controls his reaction and welcomes him politely.
• Alice demonstrates a rigid, merit-based worldview. She despises Anna for abandoning Bruce and dismisses Banville’s achievements as products of family influence rather than genuine talent.
• Ilis is more emotionally observant and pragmatic than Alice. She believes Anna’s attraction to Banville is understandable, though she does not necessarily approve of it.
• Wizard Tesla acts as a cautious ally to Leo. He provides important inside information about the team assignments and recognizes the danger posed by Jindeli and Baosi’s forced inclusion.
• Baosi is shown to be socially awkward and weak compared with the other candidates. He senses the team’s hostility and tries to conceal his discomfort.
• Jindeli is introduced as an authoritative and potentially hostile Formal Wizard. His cold reaction to Leo and satisfaction at assigning Baosi suggest that he may be deliberately targeting or disadvantaging Leo.

Significant Themes

• Merit versus privilege: Alice questions whether Banville deserves his status, arguing that family background and parental support have artificially elevated him.
• Betrayal and moral judgment: The discussion of Anna explores the difference between understanding someone’s motives and approving of their actions.
• Political manipulation and targeting: Baosi’s assignment appears designed to weaken Leo’s team, showing that the operation is influenced by forces beyond simple competition.
• Danger and rising stakes: The presence of a Formal Wizard and the assassination mission reveal that the Great Summons is far more dangerous and politically significant than the participants initially expected.
• Competition and survival: The rewards encourage fierce rivalry, while the lack of outside assistance means each team’s preparation and internal strength will determine its survival.

Character Interactions

• Ilis and Alice argue over whether Anna’s decision was understandable and whether Banville possesses genuine charm or merely inherited advantages.
• Tesla privately warns Leo about the danger of Jindeli and urges him to hide his Prossian features.
• Jindeli publicly intervenes in Leo’s team formation by forcing Baosi into the group, creating immediate tension between Baosi and the other members.
• Leo maintains outward composure and welcomes Baosi despite the team’s reluctance, while Ilis and Alice make their disapproval clear through their cold reactions.

Chapter Summary: “Displaying Spells”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jindeli assigns the Wizards’ teams their mission routes using randomly distributed number plates. Leo’s team receives Route Seven, one of the worst assignments because it is both far away and populated by nearly twice as many nobles as most other routes.
• After the assignment, Tesla confirms Leo’s suspicion that Jindeli deliberately targeted his team. He explains that Jindeli belongs to the Golden Eagle Faction, which is openly hostile toward Prossians.
• Tesla describes the three major factions among the Central Region’s Formal Wizards:
  • Golden Eagle Faction: hostile toward Prossians
  • Mysterious Eagle Faction: led by Mentor Esmond and relatively friendly toward Prossians
  • Hunting Eagle Faction: neutral, led by Lord Wizard Aikesi
• Leo begins to suspect that the mission may involve more than hunting ordinary nobles. The Tower of Dawn’s decision to send a Formal Wizard to oversee the operation suggests that powerful Wizards or dangerous enemies may be involved.
• Leo spends the preparation period gathering potions, studying spells, and learning about his teammates’ abilities.
• He gathers Ilis, Alice, Bruce, and Baosi for a strategy meeting in the training ground. He asks them to demonstrate their spells so he can understand their potential roles and weaknesses.
• Alice reveals that their enemies may include wandering Wizards, confirming Leo’s concerns. Leo then demonstrates his own extensive spell repertoire, astonishing Alice and Bruce.
• The other team members disclose their abilities:
  • Ilis: Arcane Hand and Ignition Spell
  • Bruce: Arcane Hand, Lightning Particle Spell, Rapid Recovery Spell, and Stone Wall Spell
  • Baosi: Arcane Hand
  • Alice: Arcane Hand, Plant Growth Spell, Ignition Spell, Wooden Man Spell, and Burning Spell

Character Developments

• Leo becomes more cautious and strategic. Rather than treating the mission as a simple hunt, he prepares for the possibility of facing powerful Wizards or Mutated Creatures. His broad spell knowledge establishes him as exceptionally talented despite having joined the Tower only recently.
• Tesla acts as a supportive ally and warns Leo about the political hostility of the Golden Eagle Faction. His explanation helps Leo understand that the route assignment may be deliberate discrimination.
• Ilis remains boastful and self-assured, joking that her Level 6 Mental Power Talent makes her a target of envy. However, she is also willing to support Leo’s preparations.
• Alice demonstrates strong awareness and access to valuable information. Her warning about wandering Wizards reinforces her intelligence and reliability despite her cold demeanor.
• Bruce initially underestimates the mission but becomes concerned after hearing Alice’s information. His spell set suggests he can contribute both offensive and defensive support.
• Baosi is revealed to have very limited magical abilities, possessing only Arcane Hand, which may make her vulnerable during the mission.
• Jindeli is established as an antagonist who uses his authority and factional bias to disadvantage Leo’s team.

Significant Themes

• Factional prejudice and discrimination: Leo’s Prossian identity makes him a target of hostility from the Golden Eagle Faction.
• Political conflict within the Tower: The mission is influenced not only by external enemies but also by rival factions among the Wizards.
• Preparation versus complacency: Leo refuses to underestimate the mission and emphasizes teamwork, spell knowledge, and contingency planning.
• Hidden danger: The official assignment may conceal a much more serious threat, with hints of wandering Wizards, Mutated Creatures, and powerful magical intervention.
• Talent and perception: Leo’s rapid mastery of many spells surprises experienced Wizards, highlighting his unusual potential.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Tesla: Tesla apologizes for failing to prevent the poor assignment, but Leo reassures him. Tesla then honestly confirms that Jindeli is targeting Leo because he is Prossian.
• Leo and Ilis: Leo apologizes for involving Ilis in his conflict with Jindeli. Ilis dismisses the concern confidently, maintaining her proud and self-important attitude.
• Leo and his team: Leo takes the initiative as their leader, asking everyone to reveal their spells and encouraging them to prepare for threats beyond ordinary nobles.
• Alice and Bruce: Alice’s warning about possible wandering Wizards challenges Bruce’s assumption that the mission will be easy, causing him to reconsider the danger.
• Leo and the team: Leo demonstrates his spells first, earning Alice and Bruce’s respect and amazement while establishing a foundation for coordinated combat.

Plot points and events

• Leo recommends that the team buy Magitech Devices to broaden their abilities, offering an interest-free loan. Alice, Ilis, Bruce, and Baosi all decline for their own reasons.
• Later, Leo and Alice catch Baosi secretly handing their team’s spell information to another Wizard in exchange for Magic Stones.
• Baosi admits he leaked some spells but claims he kept the rest back. Leo and Alice suspect he was saving them to sell later. When Baosi threatens to call for help, Leo kills him.
• Leo uses a necromantic spell to question Baosi’s corpse. Baosi says he acted to earn tuition money and denies helping anyone else or having contact with Formal Wizard Jindeli. Alice burns the body to conceal the evidence.
• At the harbor, the Wizards of the Great Summons assemble for the operation. Jindeli hovers beside an enormous ship.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo is pragmatic and guarded: he anticipates Baosi’s betrayal, kills him decisively, and protects the secrecy of his own spell mastery. He reveals that he may have spells mastered beyond the second stage.
• Alice is cold and decisive, calling for Baosi’s death and helping dispose of the body. She is surprised by Leo’s skill and cautions him that their spells have been exposed.
• Baosi is revealed as financially desperate and willing to betray his team for Magic Stones. He tries to bargain for his life with information about the Decapitators, but Leo dismisses the offer.
• Leo and Alice work closely together, though Alice mildly reproaches him for making the killing messier than necessary. They also discuss how openly Ilis and Bruce have shared their abilities.

Significant themes

• Trust and betrayal: A teammate’s need for money undermines the group’s security.
• Secrecy as power: Leo treats spell knowledge as a Wizard’s essential tools and keeps his capabilities concealed.
• Pragmatism and survival: The characters weigh resources, risk, and utility; Leo and Alice handle betrayal with ruthless efficiency.