Open his eyes.
Above him was no longer the crude top of a tent, but a reassuring wooden ceiling.
He had slept very comfortably.
Judging by the sunlight outside the window, it was at least nearly noon.
Zelier first lay in bed in a daze for a while before slowly sitting up.
A dreamless sleep that relaxed both body and mind had greatly restored his physical condition.
His eyes flickered, and the panel emerged. Some of the data had changed slightly.
The analysis progress for Mistveil Embrace had reached 4%.
So it can increase by 4% in a day… Then it’ll take more than twenty days to finish analyzing it. What a torment.
As expected, Spell Formula Heavenly Evolution still needed time to develop. If he had chosen Spell Surge, he would have been able to directly improve his immediate combat strength.
His gaze moved downward. The mysterious Great Creation Spell was still at 0%.
Zelier collapsed back onto the bed and began thinking about what he should do today.
If he went to the Adventurers’ Association to take on a commission… it felt like there was no need to hurry. The money he had on hand was still enough to maintain his life for a while.
Besides, the original owner’s first adventure had truly been far too reckless. He had only brought a dagger as his weapon, and his protective gear was practically nonexistent.
It was fortunate the mission target had only been wild wolves, and that Marcus Gray had held off the Mist Demon. Otherwise, something would most likely have gone wrong.
He had to make ample preparations for his next adventure first.
In addition, there was also the matter of his mage rating to resolve.
Zelier urgently wanted to explore this world’s magic system.
In the original owner’s memories, Blackstone Town did have a Mages’ Guild. It was just that, because of cowardice and inferiority, he had never gone to make contact with it.
Since he had chosen the path of a mage, he would definitely have to deal with this organization in the future.
Perhaps he might even witness some mages casting high-level magic, allowing Spell Formula Heavenly Evolution to come into play.
“Then… I’ll go take a look around the Mages’ Guild today, and get myself rated while I’m at it,” Zelier muttered as he got out of bed.
After washing up simply, Zelier enjoyed another meal of minced salted meat with roasted potatoes before leaving the inn.
However, the first thing he did was not go to the Mages’ Guild, but to a clothing shop.
Zelier’s current attire was truly a bit shabby. Though it had not reached the level of a vagrant, it was not much better.
His coarse cloth clothes, stained with wolf blood and mud, made him look wild and slovenly.
At the Adventurers’ Association, that did not matter. Everyone looked like that. But the Mages’ Guild clearly would not accept such attire.
Those lordly mages might very well drive him out as a beggar.
Standing before the mirror, Zelier admired his new image.
He had chosen a gray long-sleeved, belted tunic, paired with black linen trousers and mid-calf soft leather boots.
Although it was a relatively common set of clothing, Zelier’s Charisma value of 46 points clearly played its role.
Years of farmwork had not tanned Zelier’s face into something dark, sallow, and rough. His skin was still fair.
His relatively low body fat gave Zelier a clear jawline and defined facial contours. With black hair, black eyes, and gentle features, Zelier’s overall appearance carried a handsome beauty leaning toward that of a pretty youth.
The person in the mirror did not look like an adventurer. He looked more like some young instructor from an academy.
“Not bad,” Zelier said with a light smile as he adjusted his collar.
He bought this outfit for five silver coins. He now had three gold and fifty-three silver left in savings.
Next, Zelier asked someone for directions, wandered this way and that, and finally arrived at his destination.
Compared with the Adventurers’ Association, the Mages’ Guild was undoubtedly far more luxurious and imposing.
It was not a single building, but a large compound made up of several buildings connected together. The surrounding area was also separated off by walls, and at the entrance stood a large white stone archway.
Even the guards standing beneath the archway were clearly superior in spirit and equipment to those at Blackstone Town’s city gate.
Zelier took a deep breath and walked forward of his own accord.
“Please halt.”
The guard raised a hand. “Show your identification.”
As usual, Zelier took out his adventurer’s badge.
The guard accepted it and looked it over, puzzlement in his voice. “You don’t have a badge issued by the Mages’ Guild?”
“This is my first time coming to the Mages’ Guild. I’m here today to undergo a mage rating,” Zelier said.
“Please wait a moment.”
The guard turned and went back to the room beside the archway to rummage around for a while, then brought out a small crystal ball.
At the guard’s request, Zelier covered the crystal ball with his palm.
He urged his mana slightly, and within the somewhat cloudy crystal, a burst of light bloomed.
Looks like it’s a little tool for detecting mana… Zelier mused inwardly.
“All right. You may enter.”
The guard stepped aside and pointed out a direction for Zelier. “The General Affairs Office responsible for mage level assessments is over there.”
“Thank you.” Zelier nodded.
The interior of the Mages’ Guild was somewhat quiet. Zelier looked around and only saw a few people passing by here and there.
In fact, this was normal. Compared with other professions, mages were few in number to begin with.
If Blackstone Town did not possess the two major resources of the blackstone mines and the Graywood Forest, the Mages’ Guild would never have established a branch here at all. Generally speaking, only city-level settlements had that qualification.
After crossing the lawn, Zelier arrived at the General Affairs Office in the building the guard had pointed out.
Inside was a spacious, bright hall, and the air was filled with a pleasant scent of books and paper.
The person in charge of reception was an elderly mage who looked advanced in years. His beard was long and white, and he was sprawled behind the counter, drowsy and half-asleep.
“Hello.”
Zelier softly woke him. “I’d like to undergo a mage rating.”
The old mage did not even lift his eyelids. He merely pointed toward a bench to the side. “Wait over there for a while.”
Zelier looked in the direction he indicated and discovered that a girl was already sitting there.
She looked about the same age as Zelier, wearing a pale purple mage robe of fine cut. A beautiful head of long, curly golden hair cascaded down her back, and at her waist hung an exquisite dark red wand.
The girl seemed to sense the movement. She tilted her head slightly, and her gaze happened to meet Zelier’s.
Her pupils are sapphire blue… quite pretty.
That was Zelier’s first impression.
Zelier politely nodded to the girl, then sat down a few seats away from her.
Perhaps because the waiting time was somewhat boring, the girl took the initiative to speak.
“Hey, are you here to take the rating too?”
“Mm.” Zelier nodded.
“I’m Bev Alberti. You?” Bev introduced herself openly and naturally.
“Zelier.”
“Zelier…”
Bev chewed over the name, a hint of inquiry in her tone. “No surname… so you’re not the son of a noble family, then?”
“That’s right. I’m just a commoner.”
Zelier laughed softly. “I learned magic on my own, so I thought I’d come and take part in a rating.”