Chapter 59: The True Purpose of the Teaching Senior
"Senior Byron."
"Hm?"
"Do you want to write off the debt you owe me?" Saul smiled, extending his hand toward Byron.
"Huh???"
...
2:00 AM.
Kongsha lay on the floor.
She didn’t like sleeping on the bed.
Sleeping under the bed gave her a greater sense of security.
How ridiculous!
She was the most formidable second-tier apprentice, the one with the highest chance of advancing to the third tier among them all.
Yet, she was still afraid.
More than anyone else.
And the best way to conceal fear was to make others fear her first.
She raised her hand and gently touched her face. When her fingers brushed the intersection of her cheek and the glass, they started trembling.
Knock, knock, knock.
A rhythmic knocking sounded at the door.
Not too loud, not too soft.
If someone were asleep, it might not wake them.
But Kongsha heard it clearly.
The eyeball in her mind eagerly pressed against the glass wall, vaguely seeing a small figure standing behind the door.
"Saul?" She became excited.
Saul was hers now. Every time he came, it meant a fresh apprentice's brain.
Kongsha crawled out from under the bed, tidied her clothes, and ensured she still looked dazzling.
Swaying her hips, she walked to the dormitory door and opened it.
Outside, Saul maintained a polite smile, looking at Kongsha with sincerity.
"Senior, do you want another second-tier apprentice brain?"
The eyeball churned.
Kongsha's gaze, however, landed on Saul's left hand, gripping the door handle so tightly that it nearly shattered.
She stepped aside to let Saul in.
"You… underwent body modification?"
"Yes, I was lucky to survive."
Kongsha sneered coldly. Her little servant had slipped out of her control without her noticing.
Seeing Kongsha’s expression turn dangerous, Saul immediately said, "It was also thanks to your potion, Senior. Although I no longer need the second dose, I will continue bringing you gifts."
Gifts?
Brains!
Kongsha’s eyeball trembled, the white fluid inside seemingly boiling.
But she eventually calmed down and accepted Saul’s promise.
"Since you no longer need my potion, why are you still willing to bring me brains?"
"First, because Senior Kongsha saved my life. If you need something, I wouldn’t refuse. Second, I am asking Senior Kongsha to save me once more." Saul said earnestly, "Afterward, I will work hard to prepare even more valuable gifts for you."
Kongsha glanced at Saul's left hand. She didn't ask how he had done it—he wouldn’t tell her the truth anyway.
Finally, Kongsha smiled charmingly.
"Tell me, who do you want to kill?"
A peaceful night passed.
The next day, during class.
Saul unexpectedly appeared in the public lecture.
Keli turned and looked at him as if seeing a ghost.
"Why are you here?"
"I figured it out, so I came." Saul smiled and sat beside Keli.
"Your hand?" Keli immediately noticed Saul’s uncovered left hand.
"I made a glove. Not bad craftsmanship, right?"
Keli blinked. "It’s ugly."
Saul: "..."
As they spoke, the apprentice lecturer for Cognition of Everything stepped onto the podium.
This class had a fixed instructor, always the same second-tier apprentice from the beginning.
Today, he was covering the Herbs section of the Botany chapter.
Saul listened attentively from start to finish, not missing a single word.
Then he realized—the lecturer was simply reading the text word for word!
What was the point of this class?
It was even more sleep-inducing than an automated reading device.
Not a single extra explanation was given.
Beside him, Keli was already writing and sketching. Saul glanced over and suspected she was analyzing the construction model of a zero-tier spell.
He didn’t look closely.
First, it wasn’t appropriate.
Second, he feared Keli might charge him money.
The second-tier apprentice finished reading, casually set the book down, and said, "If you have questions, ask." Then, he pulled out another book from his bag and started reading.
The classroom was sparsely populated—almost half the students from the last lecture were missing.
Of those who remained, few were actually paying attention.
So what was the purpose of this class?
Saul rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. "Big Powder said that knowledge is a wizard’s tool. But how are these tools supposed to be used?"
Staring at the teaching senior for a while, Saul put away his book, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stood up.
"You’re leaving again?" Keli asked without looking up.
Saul walked quickly and didn’t answer her.
He approached the podium, faced the slouched senior apprentice, and respectfully asked,
"Senior, may I ask you a question?"
"One credit, five minutes." The senior was still engrossed in his book, responding reflexively.
"Alright. Can you keep my question confidential?"
The senior raised his head.
Saul’s voice wasn’t loud, but a few apprentices in the front rows heard it.
Some turned their heads curiously.
The lecturer suddenly smiled and recited an incantation.
Then, his voice echoed in Saul’s mind.
"Bidirectional Messaging Spell. You can speak normally, and no one else will hear or see your lips move. But now, it costs two credits."
What a rip-off!
Still, Saul’s eyes lit up.
Messaging Spells are zero-tier magic. Could this Bidirectional Messaging be a first-tier spell?
A senior who chose to learn this type of auxiliary first-tier magic…
That meant he must know many practical spells!
Before Saul could speak, the senior added, "Pay up first."
"Senior, how do I transfer credits to you? Do I need to go to the registration office?" Saul asked.
The senior shook his head and took out a piece of paper with a record of times and names.
"Use your badge, activate it with your spirit, and leave your mark here. I'll redeem it at the registration office tomorrow. If you trick me, you owe ten times the amount."
The senior even seemed excited at the prospect, as if hoping someone would try.
Saul didn't hesitate and followed his instructions, leaving a mark.
In the upper-left corner of the paper, the name "Monroe, Second-tier Apprentice" was written.
It was likely his name.
After Saul left his mark, Monroe took out a blue hourglass, let Saul see it, then flipped it over.
Time started ticking.
Saul immediately asked, "Senior, why does the same zero-tier spell have a much weaker effect on new apprentices compared to ordinary people?"
"Because of resistance." Monroe looked at Saul and asked in return, "Have you killed someone?"
Saul froze, becoming alert.
Saul was startled, his expression turning cautious.
“It’s nothing, I was just curious. You don’t have to answer.” Monroe waved his hand dismissively before continuing his explanation. “Resistance is divided into mental resistance and magic resistance.”
“A new apprentice, even though their magic power and mental strength haven’t increased significantly yet, gradually builds up resistance through daily study, meditation, rune construction, and witchcraft practice. On top of that, the mysterious influence of the Wizard Tower further enhances their ability to withstand witchcraft.”
“But this resistance is actually very minimal. It’s enough to handle Tier-0 tricks, but if you try to rely on it against Tier-1 or higher spells, you’re just asking to die.”
“The real way to avoid being harmed by someone else's witchcraft is through defensive spells. Many wandering sorcerers don’t start by learning offensive spells—they learn defensive ones first. They’d rather fight with swords and knives because they understand how fragile they are and how terrifying witchcraft can be.”
“That’s all I’ll explain on this topic. Anything deeper isn’t something you should be learning yet.”
Saul nodded, then immediately asked, “Then what’s the difference between a Level-1 apprentice and a Level-2 apprentice?”
Monroe’s eyes widened with excitement. “There is no difference.
“Even though apprentices are categorized as Level-1, Level-2, and Level-3, they are still just apprentices and don’t have any fundamental differences. Their mental strength doesn’t increase drastically, and they can’t solidify spells, so in combat, they rely heavily on their reflexes. Once you reach 50 Joules of magic power and learn your first Tier-1 spell, you’re considered a Level-2 apprentice. But in reality, even if you only have 40 Joules of magic power, as long as you’ve learned a Tier-1 spell, you can still put on a Level-2 apprentice’s badge!”
Saul immediately caught the key point. “So the core requirement for becoming a Level-2 apprentice is mastering a Tier-1 spell?”
Monroe nodded. “But your magic power shouldn’t lag too far behind. And advancing to Level-2 too quickly isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
He remained slouched, resting his chin on his hand.
“Once you reach Level-2, you’ll realize… you haven’t gotten much stronger, but the world has become much more terrifying.”
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