Chapter 23

After two days and two nights.

When Sain stepped out of the side room again, he had already become a mid-level apprentice with mental and magical power exceeding 30 points.

Two days and two nights of meditation left Sain, who had just broken through, feeling deeply exhausted.

Although meditation can sometimes replace part of the function of sleep, it is not real sleep.

During these two days, Sain had only taken two doses of the nutritional potions given by his senior sister Fei'er to replenish his strength, and now he was both physically and mentally drained.

After stepping out of the side room, the first thing he encountered was the alchemical puppet made by his mentor Mosido.

A broom with a faint magical fluctuation was held in the puppet's hand.

The red light in its head flickered slightly, and then it entered the side room Sain had just left to start cleaning.

Looking around, Sain found that neither his mentor Mosido nor his two senior brothers and sisters were in the first-floor living room.

If he rashly pushed open the laboratory door, he might disturb them while they were conducting experiments or magical research.

Therefore, Sain tidied up his clothes and left his mentor's place.

...

A mid-level apprentice is considered a skilled individual in the Black Magic Academy of Mithral City.

According to the ratio of apprentices at different levels in the academy, mid-level apprentices are roughly at the top 20% of all apprentices.

Stronger magic and more magical power signify that mid-level apprentices have a certain self-protection capability in the underground world.

Moreover, once they reach the mid-level apprentice level, the black mages in the academy will not casually kill them.

Of course, with greater strength and access to more academy resources, mid-level and above apprentices must also bear corresponding responsibilities.

Every two months, the academy assigns mandatory tasks.

Simple and non-risky tasks, such as guarding the city gates of Mithral City, are available but require the right connections and networks to secure.

There are also more dangerous tasks, such as delving deeper into the underground world to collect certain magical materials or slaying corresponding magical beasts.

For low-level apprentices, mandatory academy tasks are only opened once a year.

Mid-level apprentices, on the other hand, have a task every two months, and the average risk is higher.

This makes mandatory tasks the primary cause of casualties among mid-level apprentices in the Black Magic Academy.

In return, mid-level apprentices receive more academy points after each task.

These points are necessary for mid-level apprentices to access the public library to look up information or exchange for urgently needed magical materials.

On the second day of becoming a mid-level apprentice, Sain returned to his mentor Mosido and was finally allowed to enter the laboratory where his mentor and others usually worked.

"These few magic notes, you should read them carefully later."

"Today, you will help your senior sister observe and record the energy data from that experimental table."

Mentor Mosido first handed Sain five thick magic books, then pointed to a small experimental table in the corner of the laboratory and said.

These five magic books were at least twice as thick as the "Basic Knowledge of Fire Elements" and "Introduction to Alchemy" that Sain had previously received.

They were: "Shaping Characteristics of Fire Elements," "On the Combination of Alchemy and Elemental Power," "Ankoda's Annotations," "The Essence of Magic," and "A General Overview of the Basic Knowledge of the Pan-Continental Wizard World."

The thickness of these five magic books was exaggerated, with each one being more so than the last.

Especially the last one, which was nearly half a meter long and almost as tall as Sain's shoulder.

Is this the weight of knowledge?

Sain also noticed a detail: his mentor made these books appear out of nowhere.

Having assisted other formal mages in experiments in public classes, Sain knew this was a very rare spatial equipment.

These five magic books were only a small part of the knowledge Sain needed to master as a mid-level apprentice.

Lina, a genius, spent nearly fifteen years at the mid-level apprentice stage, accumulating the foundation to advance to the high-level apprentice stage.

Sain had discussed this with Lina in private.

According to Lina, the transformation from a mid-level apprentice to a high-level apprentice is not just about increasing mental and magical power; it also requires a continuous acquisition of knowledge.

Only by truly creating and structuring a complete high-level magic in one's mind can mid-level apprentices have the capital to challenge the high-level apprentice realm.

Given the complexity of high-level magic, the knowledge system required to outline it is not only vast but also intricate.

Memorizing a high-level spell model does not mean one can become a high-level apprentice.

If one only knows the what but not the why, the most likely outcome is a magical backlash, with minor injuries to the mental sea and major loss of life.

Lina spent many years accumulating and learning before she began to construct the spell model.

For mid-level apprentices, it is crucial not to be blindly arrogant and rashly delve into higher-level spells.

Diligence and the accumulation of knowledge are the steps to their progress and growth.

In normal circumstances, entering the high-level apprentice stage at the age of thirty can be considered a genius.

The average age for apprentices in the Black Magic Academy to enter the high-level apprentice stage is between forty and fifty.

Sain had never asked his senior sister how old she was, as mages have corresponding methods to extend their lifespan or maintain their youth.

Especially female magic apprentices, who place great importance on this aspect.

Sain laboriously moved the five magic books to the corner of the laboratory, waiting to move them back to his dormitory after assisting his mentor with the experiment.

Senior sister Fei'er was already waiting by the small experimental table in the corner of the laboratory.

A complex instrument was placed on this small experimental table. According to senior sister Fei'er's explanation, their main task was to observe a semi-transparent round crystal on the experimental table and record the specific energy values reflected by the complex instrument.

This small experimental table was just one part of the experiments conducted by mentor Mosido. The truly important part was on the large experimental table in the center of the laboratory.

There were three experimental tables in the laboratory. Besides the one where mentor Mosido was and the one where Sain and his senior sister were, senior sister Fei'er introduced the last medium-sized experimental table, which was operated by the senior brother.

A special magical glow then rippled through the corners of the sealed laboratory.

When Sain saw mentor Mosido embed a dazzling energy crystal, comparable to the one Master Ferona used to bribe the vice-dean, into the main experimental table, he couldn't help but ask his senior sister quietly.

"Senior sister, what experiment are we doing?"

"Hmm... According to the senior brother, we are making a four-element fission generator."

"The one in front of us is almost done. It seems to be a task given to the mentor by the academy," senior sister Fei'er whispered.