Chapter 86
"Are you about to break through?"
"Little Garrett, are you really going to break through? That's fantastic!"
"How did it happen?"
Questions, congratulations, footsteps— the fifth floor of the Mage Tower buzzed with noise. Garrett kept his eyes closed, not answering, focusing entirely on sensing his own condition.
A breakthrough was imminent.
An upgrade was on the horizon.
The sensation was subtle and challenging to describe, like catching a whiff of flowers in a windless night—no evidence, but undeniably present.
Garrett first felt it when he stepped forward, saying, "I can see, I have a solution," proposing a plan to extract foreign objects from the airway using vines guided by X-rays.
As he drew diagrams and models, instructing Elder Elwin on the operation, it felt like a gentle spring rain in the dark, filling the pond.
"Breakthrough? Little Garrett, are you becoming an official mage?" Elliott blurted out. Mage Gelman Klaus, though silent, watched him anxiously. Garrett was just a hair away from passing the Mage Tower assessment; a breakthrough at this moment would fill that score gap!
Garrett remained silent. He stood up in a trance, as if meditating or sleepwalking. His palm lifted, extended forward, flipped, and pressed against his chest. In front of everyone, between the closed fingers, a faint but warm white light emerged!
"Healing Spell!" Elder Elwin's eyes lit up. At the same time, the old mage sighed softly, full of disappointment: "It's a breakthrough to the Priest level..."
The gentle healing power seeped into his chest like a fine rain, soothing the faint burning and discomfort. Garrett let out a long sigh; without this healing spell, the discomfort in his throat and the persistent cough would have been unavoidable.
Part-time priest, not bad.
Curing oneself of any ailment at a moment's notice—quite convenient!
Vibrant energy surged at his fingertips. Garrett smiled, opening his eyes. Mage Elliott rushed over, grabbing his hand.
"This is amazing! Garrett, it's truly amazing!"
He was overflowing with joy. While he didn't understand the types of priestly magic, the intensity of the magical fluctuations was palpable. Garrett's Healing Spell was indeed of a first-level priest's strength.
Seeing his happiness, Garrett was also in high spirits. For some reason, he felt like cracking a joke to tease his friends.
"But I broke through to the Priest level. Not the Mage level, hmm..."
"So what!" Elliott held onto his hand:
"When you first came, you were a priest apprentice. In just a few days, you learned meditation and immediately became a mage apprentice. Now you've broken through to the Priest level, becoming a full-fledged mage—just a matter of days!"
"But it's too late..." Garrett pretended to sigh:
"The Mage Tower assessment..."
"No problem with the assessment." The old mage smiled, watching them celebrate. Hearing this, he interjected:
"Garrett Nordmark, I admit, I underestimated your thesis. The use of detection magic in healing is more extensive, and the effect is more powerful than I imagined. Even if it requires advanced magical items, in terms of practicality, it can at least score a solid five."
"Yeah!"
"Passed!"
Cheers soared high. Garrett blinked in place, only then realizing that his score had changed, and his magic rating had directly jumped to 60 points—
Correspondingly, the Mage Tower's total score in magical creation overflowed to 115 points.
And when the Mage Tower's assessment results were calculated, it skyrocketed to 93.55 points!
Grade B!
With rewards!
Resource incentives!
Elliott and Kalan, two young mages, raised their hands high, laughing and jumping. After a while, one of them grabbed Garrett Nordmark's hand and shook it vigorously, laughing. If they had enough people and strength, they might have lifted him up and thrown him into the sky:
"We passed!"
"Excellent results!"
"No more tough days next year!"
"All thanks to you!!!"
Gelman Klaus, as the master of the Mage Tower, didn't behave as recklessly as them but showed an approving smile, nodding slightly to Garrett. The surprises from the old mage were yet to come:
"Modify this paper, and with today's achievement, I'll personally recommend it. If it gets published in a good journal with a high rating, the Magic Council will even reward you."
"Thank you so much..."
Garrett whispered his thanks. Having a renowned figure endorse a paper makes a huge difference; if he were to submit it himself, the best outcome would be a review period of over six months. The old mage waved his hand with a smile and earnestly advised him:
"Don't mention it. You are a mage of our lineage, and it's my duty. Go ahead, study magic diligently. Mages who can discover new spells often have a bright future, and they face fewer obstacles during promotions compared to others. Oh, and take this mana pearl for your advancement, use it wisely!"
A shiny white pearl was tossed over. Garrett quickly caught it, and upon closer inspection, the pearl was the size of a little finger, perfectly round and slightly glowing. Before he could express his gratitude, Gelman Klaus interjected:
"Don't forget to thank the teacher! It's a level-two mana pearl. It can replicate one of your level-two spells every day. Noteworthy because it can be used by both mages and priests. Once you level up, it'll come in handy!"
"Is this... swapping the Aen Stone for a mana pearl?" Garrett hurriedly expressed his thanks. Thankfully, he'd rather have this pearl than the Aen Stone he had pulled from his lungs. And regarding the one the old mage had taken out yesterday, if it were this pearl...
Given its size, it might have not only lodged in the bronchus but perhaps even blocked the airway entirely.
Garrett kept imagining, his thoughts flowing rapidly. Beside him, Elder Elwin Wilkinson chuckled and pointed to the old mage:
"Trying to make things difficult for me, aren't you? Since you've given such a valuable gift, I can't be light-handed with my own disciple's advancement. Garrett, go out with the teacher tomorrow; he'll prepare a healing wand for you!"
As this statement was made, several influential figures showed subtle reactions, indicating the considerable value of the healing wand. Just as Garrett was expressing his gratitude, the bald bishop chuckled and pulled something out of his pocket:
"Since everyone is so generous, I can't be stingy. Little Garrett, take this!"
A heavy metal badge landed in Garrett's palm. When he looked down, it was a shield-shaped silver badge, with an ancient and slightly dim hue. The bald bishop continued to chat away:
"It has a protective spell attached. Once a day, it can withstand a full-force strike from a level-one warrior. Just wear it on your body. If you don't want it to be conspicuous, you can keep it in your pocket."
"Bishop, this is too valuable!"
"What's valuable about it! Those drawings you did today, give them to me!"
Two consecutive people gave gifts, and the high priest of the Fountain of Springs Temple also had to join in, taking out a bottle of healing potion and stuffing it into Garrett's hand. Garrett didn't care what level the potion was; he thanked them nonetheless. Whatever level it was, he'd figure it out once he had it in his hands!
Left hand holding the mana pearl, right hand with the protective badge, and a bottle of healing potion tucked between his fingers. Garrett couldn't even hold them all, feeling like singing on the spot, "A chicken in the left hand, a duck in the right hand." Lucky for him, leveling up on the spot, what a huge profit!
Laughter and joy filled the scene, and Gelman Klaus, on behalf of the Mage Tower, presented consultation fees to the leaders of several church factions. After the banquet, he escorted them quite a distance. Upon returning to the Mage Tower, just as Garrett sat down to conduct an experiment, a servant reported:
"The Elder of the Nature Cult and the Bishop of the Temple of the God of War have returned together."
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