Advent of the Archmage

Originally, Link had already given up on the white stone he received from the Prince of the High Elves as he simply could not find anything special about it. The dim glow emanating from the stone was thus a pleasant surprise.

He carefully observed the stone for a long time but to no avail. Apart from the faint glow that it was emitting, it was no different from its dormant state.　

Link was not about to give up so easily. He then took out the magnifying glass he usually used during enchanting to observe extremely small-sized runes.　　

This magnifying glass was a necessary tool for every enchanter. Link had also made some modifications to it, allowing him to increase the magnification to a scale 50 times larger. He was able to clearly see runes that were less than 100 nanometers in size with the help of the magnifying glass.　　

Link had also attempted to view the stone through the magnifying glass previously. However, the surface was still smooth and uninteresting at that time. Link was thus unable to get the information that he needed.

But things were different now.　　

The magnification coupled with the glowing light of the stone, Link finally got a glimpse of the true nature of the stone!

Through the lenses, the stone's surface still looked smooth, not having the slightest indent. However, there seemed to be a voluminous number of light spots on the surface.

As the light spots were too small, it was impossible to get a good look at their shape even under 50 times magnification. One could only determine that the spots were arranged according to a certain pattern.

Could it be runes? How can runes be so small? Link was in disbelief. He concluded that the runes were so small that they fell out of the measuring range of nanometers. That could be the only reason why his magnifying glass was unable to even get an approximate shape of the rune.　　

What should I do?　　

Link then turned his attention to the magnifying glass. He needed to create one that possessed an even higher magnification, something that would be termed a microscope.　

Link had a good knowledge of the optical theories on Earth. He simply had to stack two high convex lenses with high magnification power together. Coupled with Link's magic knowledge, this would be an easy task. He could even challenge the limit of optical theories by using the magic to strengthen the magnification strength of his new microscope.　

Link immediately got to work. He took out a few crystals and first refined them using transformation spells until they were completely transparent. He then made use of the Higgs Field to reshape the crystals. In a moment, two high-quality convex lenses were made.

Link did not bother with the structure that would hold the lenses in place. He simply used the Magician's Hand to keep the two convex lenses stable in the air while he made adjustments to their positions. After checking that the magnification was around 1000 times, he was satisfied. 　　

Link then adjusted the light in the room and placed the white stone under his simple home-made microscope.

Under the magnification, it was clear that the light spots were runes. However, they were not composed by merely a single rune, but a circle of them with each circle containing at least hundreds of runes. Even under 1000 times magnification, Link could not determine the exact shape of these runes.　　

"This stone has at least 1000 over light spots, meaning that there are at least 1000 circles of runes. This is only the surface of it, I have not even delved into its internal structure. What person could have made this monstrosity! Could it be God?"　

Link could not help but swear at the sight of the complexity. This was completely beyond his imagination.　

Link was bursting with curiosity and once again refined his microscope. This time, he increased the magnification strength to 2000 times. This was the limit. If he increased the strength any further, there would be visible signs of diffraction which would seriously impede his observations.

Link took a deep breath and stared through the microscope again.　

This time, he got an extremely clear view of the runes. The rune circles were arranged in a manner that he could not comprehend. He could recognize a small part of the individual runes within the circles. However, much of it were runes that he had not seen in his life! There were also some indistinct shadows beneath the surface, suggesting that there were more layers to the stone.

"Unbelievable! This is unbelievable!" Link repeated the words countless times. After he became a Level-6 Magician, he thought that he already had a general understanding of magic in the World of Firuman. Even if it was something new, it could not possibly go too far away from this framework that he knew. However, this white stone had shown him a brand-new horizon, making his previous achievements seem extremely insignificant.

"My knowledge is merely a drop in the entire ocean!" Link could not help but exclaim. An unfathomable ocean of knowledge lay right in front of him in the form of a white stone.

At that moment, Link felt some lights flashing in his field of vision. It was the in-game system providing him with information.　　　

It was the information of the white stone!

The Prophet White Stone (Uncharged)

Quality: Legendary

State: 0.1/100

Effect: When this object is fully charged, it could greatly enhance the power of a particular spell. The strength of the spell would increase by three levels.

Limitation 1: This object can only be used for three times.

Limitation 2: Only spells Level-6 and above can be enhanced.

(Note: The secrets of magic are endless.)　

Link did not expect this to be a Legendary item. Furthermore, the effect of this item was simply insane. If he could enhance the strength of his spell by three levels, his Level-6 Titan's Hand could be directly strengthened to a Level-9 spell. He could then defeat Tarviss in just a single hit!

Link immediately became excited and even heaved a sigh of relief. 　　　

Although he had successfully mastered a Level-6 spell, the Titan's Hand after a month of insane practice, the continuous high intensity of magic research had left him burned out and even made him slightly tired and disgusted of magic. Many a times, he wanted to escape from the academy and his stash of magic books and live a life of relaxation.

If learning a Level-6 spell required this much effort, he would absolutely go insane if he tried to learn a Level-7 or Level-8 spell.　　

He only persevered because he knew of the imminent dangers.　　

However, he did not expect such a useful item to appear in front of him at such a crucial moment.　　

Who is the prophet of the High Elves? He seemed to know exactly what I needed. This stone could enhance a spell by three levels, a power just enough to defeat Tarviss.

Link was slightly curious but stopped thinking about it soon enough. He believed that the person harbored no hostility and when the time was ripe, he would naturally meet this Legendary person.　　　

The imperative was then to charge up the white stone.　　

Link attempted to charge his mana into the stone. The stone immediately reacted to the inflow of mana and absorbed in like a sponge. It had an almost insatiable appetite for mana and at the same time, the glow surrounding it became slightly stronger.

Link continued charging the stone until he exhausted all 3000 Mana Points. The stone now glowed slightly brighter, much like the brightness of a firefly.

Link the observed the state of the white stone. 　　　　

Prophet's White Stone (Uncharged)

State: 3/100

Link was horrified. This stone was a bottomless pit. It needed 1000 Mana Points to recover one state point!

On second thought, the stone had an incredible effect. It was only natural that the Mana Points requirement would be enormous. Link then accepted it without any issue.　

Link's current Mana Recovery speed was 100 Mana Points per hour. His Maximum Mana was 2950 points as he had just become a Level-6 Magician. Compared to his Maximum Mana, his Mana recovery speed seemed to be lagging behind.　

Use 100 Omni Points to increase Mana recovery speed, Link thought　

A warm glow enveloped his body and after it dissipated, Link's Mana recovery speed had increased to 200 Mana Points per hour. He now needed less than a day to fully recover his Mana Points. 　　

If Link used all his Mana Points in charging the Prophet's White Stone, he would be able to charge it fully in a months' time. By then, it would still be one month before the bloody April 15th.

Link took a long breath at this thought. Screw Tarviss, the Black Moon Conspiracy and screw the Dark Elves as well, I can finally rest.　

Link put away the white stone and lay peacefully on his bed. Within a minute, he drifted quietly into the world of dreams.　

The sleep was unusually blissful. In his dream, he met the Demon Princess Celine. She was smiling gently at him, causing his heart to flutter.

The next morning, Link recalled the dream with fervor. He then cast a concealing spell around him and took out his treasured black feather. The feather automatically floated after appearing in the air, with many translucent light balls swirling around it. It was exceptionally beautiful.

Link couldn't help but think about Celine. He seemed to see the playful and charming face right in front of him as he thought, Celine, I have already caught up to you.

He was now a Level-6 Magician and had a strong foundation in magic. He would no longer be a burden to Celine. 　　

His only problem was that he had no idea where Celine was. After some thought, Link decided that he would track Celine down the moment he settled the issues in the academy and in his territory.

He had to tell her that she would be safe on his territory!

Link then put away the feather and washed up before heading down to the first-floor hall.　　　

The hall was still crowded as usual. The only thing different was everyone's look of surprise when they saw Link. This had nothing to do with his achievements, but one that had something to do with the time. Link had been the first person to wake up and the last person to sleep in the entire Mage Tower for the past month. However, it was already 9 o'clock in the morning and he had just woken up. It was extremely peculiar.

"Master, are you free today?" Rylai walked up and asked timidly.

She had accumulated many questions over the past month. They were not terribly difficult questions and she could get her answers from any of the more experienced Magicians in the Mage Tower. However, she felt that their explanations were always vague and not as defined as Link's. She hence kept all the problems and decided to consult Link one day.

"Of course." Link felt slightly guilty. He had been too busy and had neglected his disciple. He patted Rylai's head gently and pointed to a table nearby. "Let's sit there."　

Link then took Rylai's notes and started browsing through them. He then stared at his disciple with a somewhat surprised expression, "Have you started learning Hydrotherapy?"

Hydrotherapy

Level-1 Support spell

Effect: Creates a water bubble that contains a large amount of water elementals and air. When the target is within the water bubble, their recovery ability will increase significantly.　　　

"Yes, but the structure is complex and I don't understand some parts of it." Rylai was unusually nervous. She felt that the intangible pressure from her master had become even stronger. She was afraid to even speak.　

Link immediately sensed Rylai's apprehension and understood almost immediately. He had used 200 Omni Points consecutively and his strength had increased exponentially. This sudden increase in pressure was bound to scare Rylai.　

Link started to contain his magic presence and concealed much of the pressure emitting from his body. He then looked at Rylai again and noticed that the tension on her face had largely dissipated.

Link had never learned Hydrotherapy. However, he had a good knowledge of magic and could understand this magic structure in one glance. He could also tell the exact places Rylai had doubts in. After thinking for a moment, he then began to answer them one-by-one.

Rylai listened intently to Link's teachings. Meanwhile, the Magician's Apprentices around them stared enviously at Rylai. She was one of the newest and youngest apprentices in the Mage Tower. To think that she would have the honor to be taught personally by a Level-4 Magician! 　

Even though Rylai had accumulated many questions, Link answered all of them within an hour. Following which, under the respectful gaze of Rylai, he began to formulate a study plan for her. At that moment, an apprentice walked towards them with a merchant behind him.

Link turned around and saw a familiar face—it was Warter.

Link had been enchanting equipment whenever he was tired of his magic research for the past month. He had almost used up all the materials he had and created nearly 20 pieces of Level-2 to Level-3 low-level magic equipment. His total profit was more than 20000 gold coins and the Green Leaf Merchant Firm's reputation had also soared. From the gleeful look on Warter's face, one could tell that he had also earned his fair share from this collaboration.

Warter greeted Link before saying, "Mr. Link, I am here to collect the equipment."

"Oh, right." Link was prepared. He handed over a necklace and a ring. Both of which were intricately crafted.　　

Warter carefully put them away into a wooden box. He then handed over a letter to Link. "I have a letter here. A lady I met had entrusted this to me."　　

Link felt strange and immediately opened the letter. A tight frown then appeared on his face. This was a letter from Eleanor and only contained one line of words. She wanted to meet him alone in Hot Springs City.　　

At first glance, Link thought that she was simply here for her magic bracelet. That would not be a problem as he had already crafted it. However, there was something amiss. The handwriting on the letter was extremely sloppy and there were even visible pauses in that line of words. This could only mean that the writer was not in a calm state of mind.　

But Eleanor was a Level-6 Secret Magician. While she might not be able to maintain calm in all situations, what caused her to delve into such panic? She was either in great danger or was under pressure from someone to write the letter.　

Many thoughts flashed through Link's mind. Finally, he decided to make a trip to Hot Springs City. After all, not much could instill such fear and panic into a Level-6 Magician.

He then stood up and told Rylai, "I am going out for a while. If Master Moira asks, tell her that I went to Hot Springs City."

"Alright." Rylai nodded.

"Mr. Link, I am also about to return to Hot Springs City. The carriage is pretty empty. Shall we go together?" Warter immediately offered.　

"That would be great."