Chapter 56: The Wizard Apprentice

Like hearing thunder on flat ground, Daina felt hot all over and found it difficult to breathe. She slowly recovered, breathing heavily.

After a long while, Daina felt rested. She lit the oil lamp and looked at her brow in the copper mirror.

A tiny, silver pattern was clearly visible under the oil lamp. After observing it for a long time, she confirmed it did not affect her appearance. Half the anxiety in Daina’s heart subsided.

She began to study the Grimoire. With her mental command, the Grimoire automatically flipped pages. She perceived the first page and immediately understood the function of each of the six pages from the information Ace had pre-stored: the Ritual Page, the Control and Retrieval Page, the Rune Book Page, the Spell Book Page, the Magic Diary, and the Information Transmission Page. The spine contained a localized imperfect transformation spell.

Daina gently stroked the Grimoire, flipped to the second page, and activated the small-range retrieval ability, targeting herself. The Mana pre-stored in the Grimoire’s spine began to flow. The spell activated. Daina felt as if something was staring at her, causing her to shiver.

Daina tried again, finding no anomaly. She focused her attention on the second page, and text appeared on the page.

Contractor Daina, Mental Power Limit 0.8, Current Mental Power 0.4, Physical Strength Limit 0.3, Current Physical Strength 0.2. Recommended sleep: 6 hours or more.

Looking at the text displayed on the page, she yawned. It was true she should get some good sleep. Whatever had happened, it could wait until tomorrow.

It’s so warm. Someone seems to be talking to me. Don’t be loud! I want to sleep more!

“Thump, thump, thump!”

“Daina, Daina, wake up!”

That sounds like Scholar Ace! Oh no, I overslept.

Daina opened her eyes. Listening to the voice outside the door and seeing the high sun outside the window, she rubbed her already messy flaxen hair, pulled on a white top and a floral white skirt, wrapped a scarf around her hair, and, barefoot, gently opened a crack in the door.

“I am so sorry, Scholar Ace. I haven’t changed my clothes yet. Could you please wait a moment?” Daina apologized, showing only one eye through the door crack, looking at Ace standing outside.

“It’s alright, Daina. I just wanted to call you for breakfast. You might be too tired recently. Would you like to sleep a little longer and just have brunch at noon?”

Ace smiled like a gentleman and spoke to Daina through the door crack.

“No, no, thank you. Mr. Ace, please go ahead and eat. I will tidy up and be there shortly.”

Daina replied somewhat flusteredly.

Through the door crack, she watched Ace turn and leave, then quickly closed the door tightly.

“How embarrassing!” Daina muttered to herself with some resentment.

Daina felt that her mental energy had mostly recovered, but her body was still somewhat weak.

She picked up the Grimoire from the bedside, flipped to the second page, and stroked the patterns. Text appeared on the page: Mental Power 0.8, Physical Strength 0.25.

She removed the metal nail tip she wore and stuck it onto the back of the Grimoire. Accompanied by the rhythm of Mana, the nail tip vanished.

The book suddenly transformed like flowing water, shrinking. Finally, it turned into a tiny, sparkling nail tip, firmly attached to Daina’s index fingernail.

Having done all this, she began to frantically take off her top, preparing to put on decent, new clothes.

Just as she reached out her hand, the new clothes flew directly into Daina’s hand.

Daina’s sleepy eyes instantly widened. Her mouth dropped into an O-shape. She covered her mouth with a smooth hand, making a whimpering sound.

After a while, Daina suddenly leaped up. Immediately afterward, various clothes and accessories flew around Daina.

After about 10 minutes, Daina suddenly felt her vision darken.

The floating clothes and accessories immediately dropped to the floor. Daina felt dizzy, her chest tight, and her breathing labored, as if she had just finished a long run.

Daina struggled to climb onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.

The sun was scorching. Daina rubbed her tired eyes, opened the window, and saw the sun high in the center of the sky.

“This time, I’ve truly disgraced myself.”

Daina grumbled. She immediately knew she had entered the mental overdrive state mentioned in the pre-stored information, and she had overused it.

She quickly put on her clothes, straightened her messy flaxen hair, and hurried out of the room.

“Miss Daina, the Master requests you join him for lunch in the dining room.”

A servant bowed to Daina.

Daina nodded softly and anxiously walked toward the dining room.

“I apologize, Mr. Ace, Aunt Marina. For some reason, I felt dizzy today and slept in late.”

She apologized to Ace and Marina.

“It’s alright. It’s perfectly normal for a young lady to feel unwell. Come sit down and eat. Auntie sees your face is quite pale.”

Marina said understandingly.

Looking at Marina’s knowing eyes, Daina thought of the monthly visit from a certain relative and blushed slightly.

After eating, Daina asked Ace for leave.

“Mr. Ace, I really don’t feel well today. Could we please pause the study of Elementary Mathematics (Volume Three)?”

“No problem. You rest well. If you need anything, call me anytime.”

Ace said warmly to Daina. He was very satisfied with Daina’s mathematical and logical talent, and he was optimistic about her future path in Magic.

He rubbed the book-shaped ring on his finger—this was Ace’s Grimoire in its imperfect transformed state. Within the signal coverage area, Ace used his mental command to manipulate his Grimoire, adding an article titled Introduction to Wizardry to the fifth page of Daina’s Grimoire, the Magic Diary page.

Daina quickly returned to her room. She was now impatient to understand the miraculous experiences of the past two days. Every ordinary person has dreamed of being like a Hero in childhood. When that dream shines into reality, it is both wonderful and terrifying.

A mix of anticipation and fear, longing and retreat—this was Daina’s current state.

She removed the nail tip. Concentrating her willpower, Transform Grimoire!

Under her mental command, the nail tip slowly transformed into the shape of the Grimoire. The dense patterns flashed, then disappeared, leaving only the hexagram pattern on the cover.

“I must rest well and recover my mental power!”

Daina sat on the bed and muttered to herself.

“But before I sleep, I must look at the Grimoire again. Just one more look!”

Daina gently opened the Grimoire. She felt a cold sensation and the illusion of turning pages and smelling ink.

She focused her willpower on the second page. Magical energy swept across her body, making her shiver again. Her physical condition began to appear on the second page: Mental Power 0.2 (0.8), Physical Strength 0.25 (0.3).

Her heart was pounding. A brand new gate was opening before her. She already had a premonition that from the moment the mysterious masked man made a pact with her, her destiny had shifted.

She was no longer a mere mortal, a knowledge seeker, but a Wizard Apprentice with one foot in the mysterious supernatural world, pursuing supernatural knowledge and power.

Daina gently opened the fifth page. An article appeared in the Magic Diary, titled Introduction to Wizardry.

Her finger lightly touched the characters. The following words appeared on the page:

If there is no torch hereafter, I shall be the only light.

A strange sense of tragedy and grandeur washed over her, Daina thought.