Wizard:Starting from Synthesizing Gems

The next day, in the public classroom area of Lilith's Cottage during the All Things Class.

The dark elf Sassari stood on the podium holding a birdcage. He lifted the black cloth covering it, revealing a small sprite with green hair and dragonfly wings inside. Upon seeing the crowd of wizard apprentices, the creature immediately let out a piercing shriek.

The scream was so sharp it felt like it could rupture eardrums.

Simultaneously, the sprite's body began to split apart during its scream—one became two, then two became four, four became eight, until soon there were sixteen of these dragonfly-winged sprites crammed into the iron cage. Their collective screeching made all the Second-Class Wizard Apprentles in the classroom grimace, covering their ears in discomfort.

Sassari gave the apprentices a displeased glance and murmured an incantation under his breath.

Instantly, all the sprites in the cage screamed in agony before bursting like illusory bubbles, leaving only the original one behind—now silent.

Sassari covered the cage with the black cloth again and explained, "This is a Linser Sprite, native to the Mirror Lake shores in the southeastern corner of the domain."

"Don't let its small size fool you. Though its wild hazard rating isn't high and its capture difficulty is below average, if you children encountered it in the wilderness just now, you'd already be dead."

"The Linser Sprite innately possesses a 0.5-circle Screeching Blast, a sonic-type Spell from the Shaping School's acoustics branch."

"Now, can anyone tell me which classification this creature's self-duplicating innate magic belongs to?"

A middle-aged Second-Class Wizard Apprentice beside Locke immediately raised his hand. "Senior Sassari, I believe it's a form of transmutation magic—a variation from the Transformation School."

He continued confidently, "The Transformation School doesn't just alter object shapes but can also create duplicates."

Sassari's cold gaze swept over him. "Then tell me—what level of transmutation magic is required to create duplicates?"

Beads of sweat formed on the apprentice's forehead. "Well... that is..."

"Utterly foolish," Sassari said icily. Addressing the entire class, he explained, "Any duplication-capable transmutation magic, regardless of specific form, requires at least a First-Class Wizard Apprentice to perform."

"And even then, a First-Class Wizard Apprentice couldn't execute it flawlessly. Only a Formal Wizard can truly create a perfect duplicate through transmutation."

"That requires years of practice and endless research. As I mentioned earlier, this sprite's level isn't high—so the answer is: those duplicates were merely illusions."

"The Linser Sprite's Bloodline also carries a 0.5-circle illusion Cantrip called [Mirage Crowd]."

"In summary, all this creature's passive talents only create minor deceptive nuisances. But in the wild, with bad luck, they might just become the reason you lose your life."

Sassari said, "The hide of the Linser Sprite can be used for alchemical purposes to create various alchemical products, such as the [Mirage Cloak]."

"Its blood and eyeballs can be refined into potions to produce [Phantom Water]."

"You may want to take notes, as this knowledge might prove useful in the future."

"Alright, that's all for today. Class dismissed."

After Sassari left the classroom, Locke saw the wizard apprentices begin to disperse as well.

Most of the apprentices attending this class came to learn some field survival skills.

Of course, a small number of wizard apprentices were here to prepare for specialization in certain fields, such as Alchemy, Potionology, or breeding studies.

Locke organized his notes. Attending the All Things Class had indeed broadened his horizons, exposing him to many specialties from the southeastern region and typical products from other wizard territories.

Leaving the classroom, Locke hailed a lizardman-pulled rickshaw on the street and rode to Sophia's office.

Inside Sophia's office.

Sophia looked up at Locke and said, "I heard you've moved to Inverted Alley. Are you settling in well?"

Locke replied, "Yes, teacher."

"I moved there last night and found it much more convenient for many things. Inverted Alley is right next to the Chimera Market, and it has dedicated patrol wizard apprentices for security. Both safety and convenience are better than when I lived on Dwarf Street."

Sophia smiled and said, "Hmm."

"I lived in Inverted Alley for a while too. It's decent, but you need to be careful."

"There are many ill-intentioned people in Inverted Alley."

Sophia then said, "Let's test your mental power using the Amethyst Matrix."

Locke complied, placing his hands on the Amethyst Matrix, which then displayed the number [60].

Sophia frowned at the result and continued, "The effects of your Moonlight Elixir intake are far better than I anticipated."

"I should still perform a Bloodline trace for you when I have time."

"But this is good news."

Sophia looked at Locke and said, "Back to the main topic. Based on your current demonstrated aptitude, I plan to have you become a First Class Wizard Apprentice within four years."

"To become a First Class Wizard Apprentice, your mental power needs to reach 200."

"This isn't something that can be achieved simply by learning Spells and passively increasing mental power anymore, so you'll need to learn a Meditation Method."

Sophia paused to let Locke digest this information, then continued, "Additionally, you can take the Breeding Course. This way, you can take care of my magical plant cultivation chamber."

"Originally, I was considering hiring a First Class Wizard Apprentice from outside, but I don't quite trust external hires."

Locke knew that Sophia was a witch specializing in plant magic. Her magical plant cultivation chamber contained too many of her secrets—just the general variety of plants could reveal much about her.

Sophia added, "This would also be greatly beneficial for you. Since you're also studying plant magic,"

"it could become a source of Magic Stones for you in the future."

Sophia the Witch said, "Additionally, becoming a Breeder and obtaining the relevant certification can resolve another one of your problems."

Sophia handed Locke a job assignment document. "The academy has issued your assigned task—you'll be joining the enforcement wizard team responsible for patrolling the academy's territory."

"This matter is quite troublesome."

Locke took the document and asked Sophia curiously, "Teacher, according to my former neighbor Pierre—who's a local—he told me that positions like the patrol team usually require connections to obtain. Why is this considered a problem?"

Sophia shook her head. "Your friend only knows superficial details."

"That was in the past, not now."

"The wizard war between Lilith's Cottage and the Blood Curse Court has been raging for five full years."

"Currently, enforcement wizards on patrol duty face tremendous risks. Local wizard apprentices with connections are all trying to get transferred out of the patrol teams."

"So Wizard Seedlings of your background are typically assigned directly to patrol teams as standard procedure."

Sophia continued, "Of course, the choice is yours."

"Locke, you can choose to remain in the patrol team. But if you'd rather not, you'll need to find another solution."

"For example, if you can prove your value to the academy by obtaining a Breeder's assistant certification, I could arrange your transfer out of the patrol team."

Sophia looked at Locke and added, "Right now, the patrol team suffers daily casualties. Compared to combat-specialized Black Wizards, we White Wizards are at a significant disadvantage."

Locke suddenly understood—he was actually in a highly dangerous situation.

If Sophia hadn't warned him, he might have foolishly remained in the patrol team and been sacrificed.

Locke said, "Understood. Teacher, I'll follow your arrangements."

A slight smile curved Sophia's lips. "Have you prepared five hundred Magic Stones? I have several Meditation Methods here that would suit you particularly well."

"Oh, wait—do you even know what a Meditation Method is yet?"

(End of chapter)