Time flew by, and another week had passed.
In the basement of Colin's residence on Lye Holy Street.
Whoosh!
A fireball the size of a washbasin suddenly appeared!
The orange-yellow glow reflected on Colin's impassive face, which seemed stripped of any emotion.
The next moment.
A misty red light shot out from his hand, striking the intensely burning fireball in front of him in the blink of an eye.
The brilliance of spirituality twinkled and the fireball swelled with the wind, instantly conjuring a flaming humanoid figure in the basement.
Raging flames burned, and heat steamed up!
With his mechanical mind coupled with his superbrain state, Colin keenly captured every detail before him.
The hard grey floor slightly blackened under the licks of flame, and some exposed sawdust on the nearby humanoid pig iron target turned yellowish-brown under the sweep of heatwaves.
'Approximately two meters in height, the temperature of the flames is about the same as the Fireball Technique. Overall humanoid in shape, but without gender characteristics.'
Colin waved his right hand.
Boom!
The next second, a fireball the size of a human head shot out fiercely from the hands of the Fire Element, brutally striking the pig iron target and then exploding violently!
Under his deliberate control, the attack power of the fireball was not great; it merely shattered the pig iron target and then stopped.
Typically, fireballs have two ways of inflicting damage, one is the explosive impact, and the other relies on the high temperature of the flames.
Spells like Fireball Technique are innate to Fire Elements.
Now, the newly cultivated Fire Elements, although essentially different from the previous Fire Elements.
Yet through the relentless improvements by successive Wizards, the cultivated Fire Elements in their behavioral logic and mastered skills have virtually no significant difference from the real Fire Elements, and in some aspects, they are even better than the actual Fire Elements.
After meticulously testing all the aspects of the Fire Element, Colin deactivated his mechanical mind.
His icy demeanor gradually melted away, and his gaze became more vibrant and humane. He sighed softly and turned to walk up from the basement.
Swish!
With his movement, the Fire Element behind him began to shrink from its limbs and eventually dissipated.
Walking up the dim staircase from the basement, Colin's thoughts moved and he called up the Golden Paper.
[Name: Colin Leonard]
[Rank: First Rank Wizard (1/100); Ultimate Knight (100/100)]
[Meditation Method: Holy Ring Meditation Method (15/100)]
[Breathing Skill: Sunlight Breathing Technique (Gold); Yili Breathing Method I (23/100)]
[Witchcraft: Zero Level Tricks: Various; Zero Level Witchcraft: (Arrow Shooting Skill; Swift Skill; Flying and Diving Skill; Silent; Traceless; Detect Evil; Purification Evil Power) all Gold; Steel Temperature Resistance Field↑ (100/100); Fireball Skill II↑ (100/100);
First Rank Witchcraft: Summon Fire Element (45/100); Mechanical Mind (51/100)]
[Exotic Skill: Anando's Dice (0/100)]
[Skill: Various]
[Talent: Strong Life I (4/100)]
[True Talent: Superbrain (0/100)]
[Limit Breaking Point: 0]
These past days, he hadn't wasted any time. He had basically mastered the witchcraft acquired after advancing to the First Rank Wizard and upgraded his original witchcraft to the limit.
That meant the Steel Temperature Resistance Field and Fireball Skill II were both ready for limit breaking.
Unfortunately... he didn't have any extra Magic Stones to break limits.
It was time to start strategizing for earning Magic Stones.
He made up his mind.
As for asking Lillian for another loan... he really couldn't bring himself to ask.
Walking up the stairs to the first floor, Renee was already waiting for him.
"Master, Lady Lillian has come to visit and is waiting for you in the sitting room," Renee said upon seeing Colin ascend.
"I understand," Colin nodded.
"I didn't expect that I had just thought of Lillian, and she would visit... just that I don't know why she has come."
He walked briskly to the reception room, with a hint of puzzlement.
Lillian was sitting by a window.
At this time, it was morning, and the golden sunlight poured in from outside the window, shining on Lillian's equally golden hair, making it even more dazzling, as if enveloped in a hazy halo.
"Lillian," Colin called out as he approached.
'Could it be that Lillian is here to collect a debt?' For some reason, he thought this to himself.
But soon, he shook his head internally, dispelling such thoughts... it was clearly because he had not returned the Magic Stones to Lillian for too long and felt somewhat guilty.
"Colin." Lillian looked at him, squeezing out a faint smile on her serious face.
Before Colin even sat down, she cut to the chase,
"The School has assigned you a task."
"Mm," Colin nodded, pulled out a chair, sat down, and waited for Lillian's next words.
"Do you know that the Alus Association will start soon?" Lillian continued.
"I do," Colin nodded again.
Last time at Black Castle, Wizard Larrel had mentioned the event, and later, he had heard Leva mention it again at the Teaching Castle.
"This time, the Alus Association is a bit different from the past," Lillian explained,
"Due to the current situation of the war in the remote Southern Sea Domain and several attacks on the Wizard Alliance followers, the Supreme Council has decided to set the task location of this Alus Association in the remote Southern Sea... It is said they want to test the apprentice wizards' actual combat abilities and use these abilities as the benchmark for assessment."
"The Alus Association this year is so dangerous?" Colin exclaimed, surprised.
As far as he knew, the tasks of the past Alus Associations were much more benign, and although they still involved a significant amount of actual combat, such battles were usually conducted within secret realms that had been explored and controlled.
Compared to that, the danger was much lower, and the apprentices were less likely to face life-threatening risks.
Lillian glanced at Colin but didn't continue that line of conversation. Instead, she said,
"Your task is to serve as one of the accompanying wizards for this Alus Association."
"Hm?" Colin was slightly startled.
Why would such a task fall to him, a newly Advanced First Rank Wizard?
Sensing his confusion, Lillian explained.
"You have just advanced to First Rank Wizard and might not be aware, but the situation in the Southern Sea Domain, while not dire, is also not optimistic."
"In this half year since you joined the School, the Supreme Council has issued several orders, and by now, nearly every School in the city has sent more than half of their Official Wizards to the Southern Sea Domain... There are not many people left in the School, and even I will probably head to the Southern Sea Domain with you."
Colin nodded, his expression grave.
'The situation in the remote Southern Sea Domain has gotten to this point...'
He had not forgotten the might of the divine beings.
Even though he was now a First Rank Wizard, if he had to confront that golden god-like being, he still lacked confidence.
At the same time, he understood why the School assigned the tasks this way.
In fact, compared to wizards like Lillian who had to face the war directly, leading a group of apprentices in the supposed Alus Association was evidently less dangerous... The School had assigned him a task with less risk.
"Lillian, as an accompanying wizard for the Alus Association, what kind of reward does the School offer?"
After a brief silence, Colin asked.
Now that the task assigned by the School was a settled matter, instead of continuing to worry about what work carried less risk, it was better to focus on further improving his strength.
And to enhance his strength, there were two witchcrafts on the Golden Paper that could perform Limit Breaking; only Magic Stones were needed, and his strength would be able to increase instantly.
Furthermore, before heading to the Southern Sea Domain, he intended to purchase another batch of Zero Level witchcraft to seek fusion and enhancement...
As for why he didn't look for First Rank witchcraft...
In reality, First Rank witchcraft was largely in the hands of the School, and although he had this channel as a member, exchange still required academic points.
And those First Rank witchcraft that were available outside required a large number of Magic Stones he didn't have...
"The reward... like for a First Rank Wizard like myself going to the battlefield, the School will give a one-time subsidy of ten thousand Magic Stones before embarking to the Southern Sea Domain, and the Supreme Council will also issue a subsidy of five thousand Magic Stones.
As for you, I'm not quite sure," Lillian shook her head, but then added,
"However, since both are heading to the Southern Sea Domain, I think it should be the same as myself... maybe even more because of the Alus Association."
Hearing this, Colin breathed a slight sigh of relief, at least there would be Magic Stones by his side.