The Old Mage

"However, relying on Species Essence to raise one's potential and strength isn't without safe methods."

With broad shoulders and a wide back, Andeno smiled at Yang Yu. His pectoral muscles flexed from side to side, and his eyes brimmed with anticipation.

"In the Dragon God Council State at the center of the continent, a tournament is held every ten years. All young people under thirty may participate. The top three contestants receive the dragons' blessing, and among the many rewards is the Species Essence of dragons.

The dragons grant suitable Species Essence according to a contestant's ranking and the limits of what they can endure.

The next tournament will be held in August, two years from now. Anyone with a letter of recommendation can attend.

I'm sure Lord Yang Yu will be able to earn an invitation through his own strength, shine brilliantly at the Dragon God Tournament two years from now, win a ranking, and rise step by step."

What made Andeno happiest was watching the younger generation gradually rise. He had a feeling that if the young man before him won a ranking in the Dragon God Tournament, he would surely forge a new legend in the future.

Yang Yu had no idea what Andeno was thinking and merely began pondering it in his mind.

Setting aside the Dragon God Tournament two years from now, he could only be considered barely outstanding at present. Going by the usual plot, those participating in the Dragon God Tournament had to be the best of the younger generation on this continent. Who knew what their average levels were?

If he wanted to find out, he would have to look up information on previous winners. The Dragon God Tournament was such a major event; there had to be plenty of gossip about it.

After finding that information, he would have to work hard to improve himself and at least reach their level. Otherwise, with his weak commoner's attributes, he could easily get crushed.

"I can give it a try, though the chances aren't great. Are there any other ways to obtain Species Essence?"

Andeno shook his head. "That's the only official, public channel. If you truly want to rely on Species Essence to improve yourself quickly, I recommend going to the Library of All Things in the center of our Three Human Kingdoms. As long as you become a member there, you can freely browse the information they have collected from all over the world.

"I'm sure there is plenty of information on other races there. As long as you can become true friends with those races, I imagine they would be willing to share a little of their Species Essence with you.

"Furthermore, the library records what is said to be the most comprehensive skill compendium in the world, along with the ways to acquire those skills. Perhaps the skill you asked about before, [Taunt], can be found there as well."

That was truly exciting news.

With a skill catalog, Yang Yu could allocate his skill points more carefully, learning only skills with high cost-effectiveness or special mechanics.

For example, a passive that dealt true damage equal to 8% of maximum health every third hit; an active skill that dealt damage based on his own defense; a status ailment that caused the enemy to lose more health the longer the battle lasted; or buffs that greatly boosted attributes.

After thanking Andeno, Yang Yu continued asking about Bai Jin's Disease. Andeno said he knew very little about it, which was understandable. After all, he spent most of his time training his muscles in the Adventurers' Guild's VIP room.

Just as Yang Yu was about to ask the other adventurers, an old man with graying hair and a long beard drifted over. He hovered in midair using magic, light and floaty. With his hunched back, he looked exactly like a little weather doll on a sunny day.

"Good morning, Andeno," the old man greeted lazily.

"Good morning," Andeno replied simply.

Yang Yu knew this old man. More precisely, he knew the old man's identity through his status panel: Tella, LV69, the Adventurers' Guild's mage instructor. His attributes were extremely high, making him one of the guild's hidden powerhouses.

The old man casually exchanged a few pleasantries with Andeno before his gaze fell on Yang Yu. He studied him with great interest.

"You're Yang Yu? I've heard quite a bit about you. Such accomplishments at such a young age. So, would you like to learn magic from me?"

"Learning magic requires talent. I don't have that talent."

"Don't be modest. You're a rare talent."

"That still doesn't prove I have talent for magic."

He had put all his attribute points into speed and endurance. If he changed classes now, he would be speeding around while chanting a Fireball with laughably weak power, then tossing it at people's faces like a sandbag. The image was too beautiful for Yang Yu to imagine.

Besides, he had already spent several skill points on warrior skills. It was too late to start investing in mage-class skills now.

"Haha, I was only joking. You're a celebrity in the Adventurers' Guild right now. I merely came over to get acquainted. Also, I have a high-paying task here and want to find some reliable adventurers to handle it. Are you interested?"

"Not interested."

Yang Yu refused flatly, and Tella nearly fell to the floor.

Wasn't he supposed to ask what kind of task it was before deciding? What was with this kid refusing without a second word?

"Well—don't be so quick to refuse. Let's find somewhere to talk first."

Yang Yu did not want to refuse either, but improving his strength and curing Bai Jin's Frailty had to take priority right now. All other tasks would have to wait.

Just as Yang Yu was about to refuse again, Tella's voice sounded in his mind.

"Take this task, and you'll also get what you want: Species Essence. So, shall we talk?"

This was magical telepathy. Yang Yu narrowed his eyes and examined Tella. Could this old mage be a key NPC specifically meant to guide him toward finding Species Essence?

"All right, let's talk."

Nodding in agreement, Yang Yu followed Tella into the mage instructor's VIP room. The room was simply furnished, with one table and two chairs. The rest of the room was empty except for magic scrolls.

Tella floated onto a chair, then used magic to pour Yang Yu a cup of tea. He invited Yang Yu to sit across from him and continued communicating through telepathy.

"This is a secret task, so it isn't convenient to speak of it aloud. Please forgive me. Also, whether you ultimately accept this task or not, I hope you can keep it confidential."

Yang Yu nodded.

Tella smiled. "I'll get straight to the point. I hope you can infiltrate the Silver Orchid Merchant Guild and help us investigate them."

Yang Yu casually picked up his tea. "What exactly am I investigating?"

"In recent years, the Silver Orchid Merchant Guild has developed rapidly and now controls more than forty percent of our nation's business. They have their hands in medicine, steamships, carriages, and every other field. But this growth was not built on their own strength; they used certain despicable methods. This commission is to investigate those methods and obtain tangible evidence."

After he finished speaking, a new quest appeared on Yang Yu's system panel.

[Quest: The Silver Orchid Merchant Guild is one of the largest merchant guilds in the Teren Kingdom, with trade spanning north, south, east, and west. Yet its rise has come with all sorts of unspeakable dark costs. The Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild discovered those dark costs, and in order to reclaim the market, they decided to firmly seize the Silver Orchid Merchant Guild's fox tail.

Quest Requirements: Complete the infiltration and obtain documents proving that the Silver Orchid Merchant Guild is colluding with an armed organization or a certain nation, or acquire materials related to its dark research.

Quest Rewards: Depending on the amount of evidence obtained, you may receive the following rewards (1–3 lottery draws, 5,000–100,000 gold coins, Skill Scrolls, 1,000–10,000 experience points, Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild discount coupons, Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild Favorability +50)]