The sunlight poured through the window into the room, quiet and peaceful inside.
Gauss opened his eyes, as if waking from a long, long dream.
He reached out to block the light briefly.
Perhaps just awakened, he found the sunlight a bit glaring.
Where am I?
Sitting up in bed, he paused for a long while before recalling the memory before sleep.
Oh, right.
I was "in cultivation" in the Cultivation Chamber of the Mutual Aid Association.
First crazy eating and drinking, then drowsiness set in.
So, have I successfully ascended?
Finally wide awake, Gauss excitedly looked down at his body.
As his brain slowly revived from slumber, he felt many differences.
This change was indescribable; if previously every attribute enhancement gave him a sense of renewal, what he now experienced was the cumulative feeling of complete revitalization.
All the cells in his body were groaning comfortably upon awakening, as if telling him his body had entered a completely new realm.
In his sight, light shone into the chamber, revealing the rough red brick walls, nearby stone table radiating a cold hard sheen, and remnants of food scattered from earlier eating, details and colors vividly clear.
Every particle of dust in the air was fully visible.
They floated in the air, whimsically undulating like little elves.
Transparent!
Gauss could only use this word to describe the world he now felt.
And there’s so much Magic Power inside.
He sensed it slightly, at least several times more than before sleeping, and it felt completely different.
If the previous Magic Power was textureless, dispersed like flowing water, now it was notably viscous, its texture conveyed many times heavier despite the same quantity.
So much.
The feedback of changes in his body upon waking left Gauss overwhelmed.
He immersed himself for a while, then opened the Adventurer’s Handbook.
A moment later, a deluge of pent-up information poured out.
"Successfully converted profession!"
"Profession level increased to: 1"
"Current profession: Magic Envoy"
"Received professional talent: Spell Mastery"
"[Spell Mastery], enhances the caster’s ability to control the origin of Magic, increases the efficiency of learning various Magic, optimizes Magic Power usage, enhances spell efficacy."
"Magic Envoy, master of spell application, born caster."
The first thing before Gauss was his profession change information.
Magic Envoy?
Gauss blinked.
Seems similar to Mage, both are some kind of magic profession.
He actually anticipated long before stepping into the profession stage that his chosen profession might not be an ordinary Mage.
After all, others -- mainly Andri -- mentioned several times his unique Magic Power, combined with his varied abilities and talents, it was not difficult to predict becoming a special caster-related profession.
Feeling the surging Magic Power within, he was quite satisfied with his new profession.
Moreover, the profession-talented skills it brought also left him very pleased.
[Spell Mastery], one talent, several effects.
Whether it’s enhanced control over the origin of Magic, faster learning Magic, reduced Magic Power consumption, or increased spell efficacy, he’s satisfied with every aspect.
Especially after inquiring about common Mage professional talents for comparison, he’s even more satisfied.
Many Mages might awaken a talent like [Precision], gaining increased spell hit rate.
Others could be [Piercing], [Alertness], [Silent Spellcasting]....
Typically, they are relatively simple skill effects.
His is quite strong.
Gauss attempted to control his Magic Power to operate, immediately sensing the effects of Spell Mastery, it was a smoothness as if directing with precision.
The Magic Power became particularly obedient and spiritual.
Moreover...
Gauss discovered that the core skill [Mage Armor] also underwent changes.
As if he could use it with a mere thought, no longer needing great focus to operate and release Magic Power as before.
He decided to try it right away.
Just as he issued the thought to use [Mage Armor], a layer of heavy armor Force Field burst forth from his body!
"Boom!"
This time, the Mage Armor was greatly different compared to before.
First of all, it felt more "substantial" to Gauss, though not cumbersome, essentially it didn’t bring any weight, thus not affecting movement agility, the substance referred to as "shield volume."
After ascending to Magic Envoy, Mage Armor became several times sturdier, with an extra layer of special Force Field.
He looked down at his surroundings, feeling the air slightly distorted under Mage Armor’s influence.
Almost as if Mage Armor isolated inside and outside into two worlds.
Moreover, the casting speed is so fast.
Almost instant, is this the effect of a core skill?
Gauss knew other apprentices, upon profession ascension, their corresponding core skill would also receive some enhancement, such as reduced consumption, faster casting, but whether it could accelerate to near-instant levels, he wasn’t sure.
In any case, it’s a good thing.
Looking again at the Adventurer’s Handbook Attribute Panel, its information noticeably changed.
Name: Gauss
Strength: 6
Agility: 6→7
Constitution: 6→7
Intelligence: 7→8
Perception: 6→7
Charm: 6→7
Core Skill: 1st-level Spell Mage Armor Level 4 (0→23/100) (This skill has surpassed the original skill effect, can be renamed)
Other Skills:
0th Ring Trick Light Spell Level 2 (7→19/20)
0th Ring Trick Mage’s Hand Level 3 (27→35/50)
1st-level Spell Magic Missile Level 3 (17→26/50)
Basic Swordsmanship Level 2 (12/20)
Enhanced Jump Level 1 (1/10)
Talents: Rapid Digestion, Magic Resistance, Spell Mastery
Except for Strength, all other attributes increased by 1 point, totaling a 5-point rise.
The greatest increase was Intelligence.
Though it seemed each attribute rose 1 point, seemingly undifferentiated.
The change from 7 to 8, however, was vastly superior to the change from 6 to 7.
He even felt his 8-point Intelligence might be among the stronger within this phase.
Sounds peculiar, but because the panel only displays attribute values as integers, even if the points are the same, there is considerable deviation.
Gauss surmised, whether 8.1 or 8.9, the panel would still display as 8 points.
Regarding skill proficiency, apart from Basic Swordsmanship and Enhanced Jump, non-caster related skills, all four spells gained varying degrees of improvement.
Light Spell increased by 12 points, Mage’s Hand by 8 points, Magic Missile by 9 points, while the highest proficiency Mage Armor surprisingly increased the most, by 23 points.
Altogether, totaling 52 points in skill proficiency.
"Do you want to rename the Mage Armor skill?"
Gauss hesitated for a moment, then opted to rename it; this spell had essentially transcended its original foundation.
"All-Purpose Armor."
"Renamed to All-Purpose Armor."
The information on the panel changed accordingly.
Though named All-Purpose Armor, it didn’t achieve total protection yet, just a pleasant wish.
As a core skill, it would grow with him, perhaps one day evolving into its complete form envisioned by Gauss.
Gauss shifted his attention away from the Adventurer’s Handbook.
Focusing again on himself.
He felt much stronger now.
Closely perceiving, he found something previously overlooked.
That was the source of Magic Power entwined within his body, seemingly holding an illusory anomaly.
Carefully perceiving, it is a small cup constantly surging with Magic Power.
Gauss intuitively understood its presence.
Apparently, this is the Profession Tier, the powerhouse for professionals.
Not a tangible entity, but a conceptual existence.
Though not ethereal, it’s the conceptual core formed by his body’s condensed Magic Power.
The existence of a Profession Tier enables professionals to command their strengths effectively.
With its aid, scattered Magic Power gains a backbone, massively enhancing its "quality."
He sensed that using spells now, even not as core skill like Magic Missile, its power far surpassed the apprentice stage.