Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 50: A Genius’s Treatment
Mo Ning hesitated for a moment but decided to tell her the truth. "I just received a notification from my Guiding Ring. The paper I wrote earned a Two-Star reward."
He had long suspected that a senior member of the Noble Lady’s family must have some connection with the academy’s Supervisors, who were responsible for monitoring the newcomers.
’Even if I don’t say anything, she’ll be able to find out. If that’s the case, why hide it?’
Anya gasped, her eyes flying wide.
Of course, she knew what a Two-Star reward signified.
A senior member of her family was a Third Level Apprentice, so she had grown up hearing stories about paper ratings.
The three concepts—’a newcomer,’ ’a first paper,’ and ’Star Badge Second Level’—crashed together in the Noble Lady’s mind, causing quite a stir.
A moment later, the Noble Lady probed in a tone full of envy, "How many Black Tower Points did the academy award you?"
Mo Ning was about to answer when something unexpected happened again.
A cool sensation flowed from the Guiding Ring a second time.
[Reward Notification: Serial Number 7-118-256, Mo Ning.]
[The Sub-zero Level Witchcraft "Flash" that you improved has been deemed to have practical combat value and will be included in the academy’s "Mysteries Hall." Please name the new Witchcraft.]
[Permission Notification: You have unlocked access ahead of schedule.]
[You can access the projection space of the Mysteries Hall—the Mirror Image Mysteries Hall—through Dawa’s Grocery List.]
[You can currently view all Sub-zero Level Tricks.]
Mo Ning was both surprised and delighted.
He was surprised because, from what he understood, the vast majority of Witchcraft improved by Apprentices didn’t meet the threshold for the Mysteries Hall.
It wasn’t that they didn’t work hard, but that their improvements had a fatal flaw—a lack of general applicability.
They might have increased a Witchcraft’s power or casting speed, but they sacrificed its general applicability, making it unsuitable for most people.
Mo Ning truly hadn’t expected that his improved Sub-zero Level Trick would actually be chosen by the academy.
He was delighted that the Mysteries Hall had opened to him ahead of schedule.
Back at Lakefront Manor, there had been rumors that newcomers would only gain access to the Mysteries Hall and the Black Tower Library on their fifteenth day at the academy.
This arrangement was made because some newcomers in the past had squandered all their sponsored Black Tower Points on the very first day, leaving them without enough to even attend Meditation Class.
A fifteen-day buffer period was enough for newcomers to understand the scarcity of Black Tower Points, so they naturally wouldn’t dare to spend them recklessly anymore.
Soon, the reward information appeared in Mo Ning’s mind.
[To reward your contribution to the exploration of Witchcraft knowledge, the Black Tower Wizard Academy hereby grants you 50 Black Tower Points and a bottle of Magic Potion.]
[All funds have been transferred to your Guiding Ring account. Current balance: 1085 Black Tower Points. We look forward to your perseverance on the path of pursuing truth and your contribution to the construction of the great Witchcraft Tower.]
[The Magic Potion will be delivered to your secure locker within half an hour. Please be sure to collect it.]
A flicker of joy appeared in Mo Ning’s eyes.
’Another Magic Potion reward!’
Of course, Mo Ning was familiar with the Magic Potion.
This item was listed on Dawa’s Grocery List for 63 Black Tower Points, and it had only one function—to rapidly replenish the Magic Power in one’s Magic Pool.
For him, at his current stage, this kind of Magic Potion wasn’t useful yet.
Only after condensing the first Spirit Ring would the ring begin to actively absorb ambient Magic Power from the outside world, forming a so-called "Magic Pool."
Sub-zero Level Tricks consumed a minuscule amount of Magic Power, which could be sustained by ambient Magic Power alone; they didn’t require a Magic Pool at all.
The consumption of Level Zero Witchcraft was far greater than that of Tricks. If one relied only on external Magic Power, the casting speed would be infuriatingly slow. It had to be powered by a Magic Pool.
Therefore, for Wizards and Apprentices alike, a Magic Pool was indispensable for casting Witchcraft.
In an intense battle, the Magic Pool could easily run dry, at which point even the most powerful Witchcraft could not be cast.
That’s why any Apprentice leaving the academy would surely have a few bottles of Magic Potion in their pockets—it was a second life.
With a surge of excitement, Mo Ning responded to the Guiding Ring’s request with his thoughts, "Name the new Witchcraft ’Illusion Flash’."
’It’s a name I came up with a while ago.’
’Flash has an illusion-like effect. Put them together, and you get Illusion Flash.’
Another wave of information flooded his mind.
[Naming successful!]
[The Witchcraft Model for Illusion Flash has been listed in the Mysteries Hall. This Witchcraft is priced at 4 Black Tower Points.]
[For the next ten years, for every Witchcraft Model of Illusion Flash sold in the Mysteries Hall, the academy will collect 1 Black Tower Point, and you will receive 3 Black Tower Points.]
[After ten years, the profit-sharing ratio will be adjusted: for every unit sold, the academy will collect 2 Black Tower Points, and you will receive 2 Black Tower Points.]
A faint sense of joy welled up in Mo Ning’s heart.
’Although Illusion Flash is a Sub-zero Level Witchcraft, its strength lies in its extremely low Magic Power consumption, making it quite useful in actual combat.’
’There are tens of thousands of Apprentices in the academy. Someone is bound to be interested in it.’
’Even if it only sells an average of one hundred copies a year, that’s a thousand copies in ten years—which amounts to a huge sum of three thousand Black Tower Points.’
He suddenly felt as if he’d secured a long-term meal ticket. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was a stable, steady stream of income.
Mo Ning recalled a sentence he had read in a certain book: "In the academy, making money with your brain is far faster than relying on brute force."
Seeing him stare blankly for a couple of seconds without speaking, Anya thought she had been too forward and quickly said, her face full of apology, "If it’s not convenient..."
Mo Ning shook his head, cutting her off. "This paper brought me quite a few rewards. All in all, it added up to about one hundred Black Tower Points."
He only told her part of it.
He casually omitted the largest part of the reward. It wasn’t out of distrust, just that it wasn’t necessary.
Anya was stunned.
She opened her mouth, and after a long moment, managed to squeeze out a heartfelt compliment: "You’re amazing."
Mo Ning smiled faintly and quoted a line he’d read in the Royal Library: "This is merely an unexpected boon on the journey to knowledge."
He remembered something else and smoothly changed the subject. "By the way, in four days, the academy will be holding the second round of assessments for newcomers."
He glanced at Anya. "If I’m not mistaken, the subject should be wilderness survival."
Since he had accepted the Noble Lady as a teammate, it was only natural to share this important information with her.
Anya froze for a second, then asked subconsciously, "How do you know the time and subject of the assessment?"
Auntie Nasha was a prospective member of the Rose Council and a Third Level Apprentice. After clawing her way through the academy for so many years, her information network was anything but lacking.
’But even Auntie doesn’t know the subject of the second assessment. How could he?’
Mo Ning’s tone remained placid. "For the first round of assessment at the cafeteria entrance, my score was slightly ahead, so the academy gave me some preferential treatment and informed me of the next round’s subject in advance."
Anya was dumbfounded.
’Slightly ahead?’
The Noble Lady instantly realized—no, it definitely wasn’t "slightly." He must have taken first place in the assessment and received an extra reward.
Everyone, including her, had thought Vino was the newcomer with the best score in the first assessment.
Anya never would have dreamed that the person sitting across from her, this quiet "underachiever" who always seemed to stand at the edge of the crowd, silent and unnoticed, was actually the true first-place winner.
The revelation was quite a shock to her.
Mo Ning’s tone was still unhurried. "You can prepare for the assessment in advance."
Anya composed her shocked expression and hummed softly in agreement. "I understand."
She stared unblinkingly at his face—one that couldn’t be called handsome, merely well-featured—as an indescribable emotion stirred in her heart.
Even though it was a shocking revelation, he maintained such an understated attitude, as if he were just passing along some trivial, insignificant piece of news.
There was no showing off, no self-satisfaction, not a trace of pride in his voice.
If it had been Sitt, who was widely acknowledged as the strongest—that sensitive and arrogant person who couldn’t stand anyone outshining him—he probably would have been shouting it to the whole world by now.
The more the Noble Lady looked, the more she felt that this almost unnaturally calm face held a subtle, indescribable charm.
Mo Ning stuffed the last piece of black bread into his mouth, opportunely ending the team’s first "get-together." "I’m heading back."
He gave her a nod and quickly stood up and left.
Anya watched his retreating back disappear through the cafeteria doorway and sighed silently.
She had to admit it—she was starting to fall for him.
This wasn’t the "woman’s philosophy of survival" her mother had taught her by word and deed, but a genuine, soul-deep flutter of her heart.
*****
「Apartment 804.」
Mo Ning held Dawa’s Grocery List, tapped his fingertip lightly on the copper foil surface, and excitedly issued a command.
"Mirror Image Mysteries Hall!"
The Mysteries Hall had opened early, and now that he was holding a four-figure "fortune," how could he not go take a look?
The moment the words left his mouth, the power of Witchcraft surged like a tide, completely transforming the world before him.
The apartment walls, the desk, the Magic Energy Lamp—all the familiar shapes rapidly faded into darkness, as if gently erased by an invisible hand.
From the depths of the darkness, a statue slowly emerged.
It seemed to be carved from a single block of obsidian, its entire body a deep, uniform black without a trace of any other color.
The marks of time had etched fine cracks into its surface, yet they didn’t detract from its solemnity, instead adding a hard-to-describe, ancient quality.
The statue held a thick tome in both hands, its face mostly hidden by the shadow of a hood, revealing only the line of its jaw.
All of this was intensely real, with not the slightest hint of illusion.
Mo Ning could even clearly sense that the statue’s eyes, hidden in the darkness, were quietly watching him—not the empty gaze of a stone figure, but an older, heavier kind of "seeing."
"Thou, what dost thou believe in?"
An infinitely ancient, raspy voice sounded from the darkness.
The voice was unhurried, yet it carried an irresistible power, as if it came from the end of time itself.
It contained a strange magic that left Mo Ning with no intention of hiding his true thoughts.
He spoke without hesitation, his voice exceptionally clear in the darkness: "Knowledge."
Since his transmigration, the pursuit of knowledge had become ingrained in his very soul.
The ancient voice fell silent for a moment, then responded with what seemed to be a faint trace of approval, "Then, the hall of knowledge shall open for you."
A stream of information flowed into Mo Ning’s mind.
[Permission Notification: Serial Number 7-118-256, Mo Ning.]
[You have unlocked access to the Mirror Library ahead of schedule.]
[You can access the projection space of the Black Tower Library—the Mirror Library—through "Dawa’s Grocery List."]
[You can currently borrow all books from the newcomer stage, as well as some books from the First Level Apprentice stage.]
Mo Ning was stunned for a moment.
Only then did he belatedly realize—it seemed he had passed a hidden test and could now enter the library early.
Moreover, the access granted by the academy was clearly higher than the normal permissions for a newcomer.
He had read in the Royal Library’s collection that newcomers could only borrow books from the newcomer stage; he had never heard of anyone being able to borrow books for First Level Apprentices.
’So is this another special privilege reserved for geniuses?’
