Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 51: Preparation

After all, six months provided inadequate time for significant progress in any specific field of magic.

Instead, he realized that his quickest path to increased strength lay in improving his focus and mana levels.

During this time, Sein observed that the academy’s public classes had been suspended, leaving fresh and junior initiates with no choice but to rely on the limited resources available in the public library for their studies.

This situation left these initiates in a disadvantageous position, as most lacked the necessary academy merit points to access useful resources.

It appeared that the full-fledged mages in the academy had abandoned their efforts to nurture the weaker initiates, possibly due to the anticipated changes set to occur in half a year.

As Master Morsidor had mentioned, only senior initiates and Quasi Mages would be equipped to assist the academy in deploying the “coordinate generators” in the unknown plane.

Even Sein, an intermediate initiate, might serve as nothing more than cannon fodder in the mission, let alone the weaker initiates.

Throughout this uncertain period, Sein engaged in numerous discussions with Leena about the unknown plane.

While Leena had already been informed about the upcoming mission by her mentor, Fareena, her knowledge was not as comprehensive as Sein’s.

Fareena had not disclosed the details regarding the “coordinate generators” and the threats from the surface world.

Leena was only aware of the academy’s plan to explore the other plane beyond the space-time rift in half a year.

After some contemplation, Sein decided to share this information with his two close friends, Marie and Bousse.

Bousse was taken aback by the revelation, as he had been unaware of the impending situation.

Although the six-month head start might seem brief, it significantly improved his preparedness compared to most junior initiates, potentially increasing his chances of survival in any future crisis.

To Sein’s surprise, Marie, despite being the apprentice of Master Daelis, had no knowledge of the impending events.

It became evident that Marie’s mentor held her in lower regard compared to Master Morsidor’s treatment of Sein.

While Leena had been informed of certain details by her mentor, Fareena, Daelis had deliberately kept Marie in the dark.

The reason could be due to Marie’s relatively lower strength as a junior initiate, which made her a less valuable asset compared to Sein.

Furthermore, Marie was not the sole apprentice in Master Daelis’ faction, so losing her likely would not cause the venomous beauty much distress.

The six months that followed were marked by a palpable tension in the academy.

Initially, only Sein, Leena, and a select few senior initiates were privy to the impending situation, but rumors gradually began to circulate.

While panic had not set in, an undercurrent of unease pervaded the academy.

Initiates were driven to enhance their strength or improve their chances of survival through various means.

Bousse’s magic shop experienced a surge in orders, while Marie received numerous requests for potions from junior and intermediate initiates.

Thanks to the advanced information Sein had shared with him, Bousse had invested a substantial sum of his own money into stocking up on a variety of items during this period.

In the face of an impending crisis, Bousse ultimately prioritized survival over profit and chose not to sell the useful basic magic ingredients and potions he had amassed.

Instead, he kept them for himself and made them available to Marie and Sein, who could make more effective use of these resources.

Furthermore, he managed to acquire a decent intermediate magic item. It was a cloak containing an intermediate magic spell—“Gale”—which could significantly improve his chances of survival.

Marie, on the other hand, made some unconventional decisions during these six months.

While she learned the enhanced version of the Minor Fireball spell from Sein, her primary focus remained on crafting potions.

Although she remained a junior initiate, her talent as an apothecary in training was exceptional.

It was no wonder that Master Daelis accepted her as an apprentice when she was still a junior initiate.

A year ago, she could craft intermediate healing potions and others of the same rank. Over the past year, she had progressed to master intermediate antidotes and rejuvenation potions.

Rejuvenation potion was a type of potion that could rejuvenate the focus of magic initiates and enhance their meditation efficiency.

After a day and night of experiments and research, when exhaustion set in, this potion could revive the weary spirit.

To most magic initiates, the real value of the potion lay in its ability to increase meditation efficiency and improve the recovery of focus points.

With the combined effects of the rejuvenation potions and the Acid Wand, even though Sein was only an intermediate initiate, his magic output was nearly on par with that of an average senior initiate.

Marie’s potions remained within their trusted group, which included Sein, Leena, and Bousse.

Among them, Leena was the strongest, but both Bousse and Marie had their respective roles to play as well.

Sein, on the other hand, dedicated several months to intense meditation, fueled by the rejuvenation potions provided by Marie.

In the final two months, he shifted his focus to crafting three magic items of the highest quality he had crafted thus far.

The first was an Obsidian Necklace designed to enhance the guiding and gathering effect of umbra elements. It was a gift intended for Leena and was considered the best basic magic item in its tier.

Given Leena’s strength, equipping her with magic items engraved with basic offensive spells would not significantly improve her abilities.

The functional Obsidian Necklace offered more value instead, amplifying her abilities beyond the scope of typical intermediate magic items.

For Bousse, Sein crafted a pair of anklets engraved with the basic magic spell “Lightfoot”.

Sein had initially considered crafting an offensive magic equipment for Bousse, but they both realized that such equipment would not boost Bousse’s overall strength or increase his chances of survival.

It would be more beneficial to create a life-preserving magic item to complement his cloak and enhance his escape capabilities.

The most remarkable of Sein’s creations was a Corrosive Wand, the highest-quality magic item he had crafted in the past two months.

He gave it to Marie, who was physically weaker than all of them, as a token of appreciation for her invaluable supply of potions.