I Am Doing Daily Tasks in the Wizarding World

Chapter 123

Chapter 123

A hunched figure stood in the laboratory.

He lifted his head to gaze at the ceiling, while beside him, an old man lay in an ice coffin. The old man’s face was pale, his eyes tightly shut.

The hunched figure slowly pulled back his hood, revealing a withered, greenish-purple face. His pupils were jet black, with deep flames seeming to burn within their depths.

“Why can I toy with the undead at will, yet still not extend your life?”

The wizard muttered to himself.

As he looked at the old man in the ice coffin, his mind wandered across the long stretch of years, back to his childhood hundreds of years ago.

His parents were a pair of first-level wizard apprentices. Finding it difficult to advance due to their limited aptitude, they had returned to their hometown to have him. Immersed in the world of wizards from a young age, he had developed an early interest in wizardry.

Though his own aptitude wasn’t remarkable, it was significantly better than his parents’. After mastering all the knowledge he could, he set out for the wizard academy entrance exams with their blessings.

That year, he was full of youthful vigor, waving goodbye to his parents and family.

“Little one, I look forward to the day you get into the wizard academy. You will be my pride,” his father had called out encouragingly.

“Don’t listen to your father. Even if you only learn to roast sweet potatoes, I will be proud of you. For in my eyes, you will have learned a new skill,” his mother had said gently.

He had embarked on his new life, full of hope, while his parents stood at the door, watching him leave, wishing him a bright future. Their figures gradually blurred as he walked away.

After many hardships and challenges, he finally crossed the threshold and became an official wizard. He suddenly felt an urge to boast about his success to his parents. In the eyes of others, he was a cold, ruthless wizard, but only in front of them did he show his remaining bit of tenderness. Returning to his hometown, he discovered that his parents had grown old and frail.

Over the years, he had exhausted all means to extend their lives, consuming vast resources and much of his energy.

Many of his peers, who had broken through later than he did, had now reached higher levels, while he progressed slowly.

Some had advised him that it wasn’t worth it. With his mediocre aptitude, becoming an official wizard was already a rare stroke of luck. He needed to seize every opportunity and strive to climb higher and farther.

But he was stubborn, resolute.

A pair of aged fingers lightly brushed over the ice coffin, and the wizard’s expression remained serene.

The mirror beside him showed the image of Lynn and his group being led into the wizard tower. The wizard closed his eyes, then opened them again, and turned to leave the laboratory.

“I am the wizard who issued the task. You may call me Wizard Dragon.”

“First, let’s test your aptitude. Drop a bit of your blood onto this and then inject your mental strength into it.” Dragon took out a crystal ball.

Some of the wizard apprentices in the room hesitated, wary of the blood ritual. It didn’t appear entirely trustworthy.

“Rest assured, this procedure has passed the academy’s requirements. There are no hidden curses or traps. All tasks published through the academy are monitored by the wizard network,” Dragon explained.

The lone apprentice standing aside unsheathed the sword from his back and slashed his palm. Blood trickled down, drenching the crystal ball. The surface of the ball absorbed the blood, its color turning vivid, and the once-clear orb now glowed with a faint luminescence.

As his palm pressed against it, and with the infusion of his mental energy, the color within the crystal ball began to shift. A bright blue light gathered at the base, slowly rising. It finally stopped, having filled four-fifths of the orb.

The apprentice released his hand and looked at Dragon.

“Your aptitude is quite impressive,” Dragon praised. “Aptitude is classified into five grades from low to high. Yours falls into the second grade.”

He smiled. “With diligent study and a bit of luck, becoming an official wizard shouldn’t be difficult for you.”

The other three apprentices tested their aptitudes one by one. The best among them only reached the third grade, while the other two were fourth grade.

First grade was the highest, and fifth grade the lowest.

Dragon consoled the apprentices. “Your aptitudes are decent. For instance, my aptitude was only fourth grade. Remember, aptitude is merely the starting point, not the destination.”

When it was Lynn’s turn, he dropped his blood onto the crystal ball and infused it with his mental energy. The crystal ball began to absorb the surrounding ambient mental particles, almost as if it were meditating on its own.

Lynn observed thoughtfully, beginning to understand the crystal ball’s function.

It seemed that the crystal ball was designed to mimic the host’s blood for meditation, temporarily absorbing the mental particles from the surrounding air.

However, this absorption was only temporary, and the mental particles could not be stored. Still, it was sufficient to test the efficiency of meditation.

In just a few breaths, the crystal ball in front of him was filled with a bright blue light.

“First-grade aptitude!” Dragon paused, looking at Lynn with a deep, probing gaze. The first-grade classification indicated the highest measurable limit, not necessarily Lynn’s ultimate potential. He had noticed that the blue light’s rise still had some residual force.

“Your aptitude is truly rare. With adequate resources, attaining the status of an official wizard should not be difficult for someone with first-grade aptitude,” Dragon remarked.

“Given this, the two of you will proceed,” Dragon said, pointing to Lynn and the solitary, aloof apprentice. “The rewards will be distributed as stated. Each of you may select one source material.”

Having been selected, Lynn found himself with additional duties, assisting Dragon in his experiments.

It was clearly stated from the beginning that Dragon was conducting experiments related to undead studies.

The foundation knowledge of undead studies required from the apprentices was not high; they merely needed to be obedient and cooperative with the experiments.

As Lynn delved into the experiments, he learned that Dragon was researching a soul extension ritual.

Compared to the decay of the physical body, the soul also decays, albeit at a much slower rate. When the soul reaches the end of its decay, it signifies the end of life.

Dragon’s research focused on rejuvenating the souls of ordinary people.

The strength of a soul increases with a wizard’s meditation, and a powerful soul is the foundation for accepting various transformations and transformation rituals.

As the experiments progressed, Lynn’s understanding of soul studies deepened significantly.

He even gained a new Life Occupation—Soul Studies.

Unlike undead studies, soul studies is a separate discipline, although the two are closely related.

Much like the relationship between bloodline studies and mutation studies, undead studies and soul studies have many similarities and overlaps.

The higher a wizard’s meditation efficiency, the more sensitive their perception of the soul. Dragon’s experiment required precise capture of soul particles. Lynn and the other apprentice’s daily work involved observing the efficiency of different ritual arrays in absorbing soul particles. This was why he needed high-aptitude apprentices.

Dragon was developing a ritual that could passively absorb and enhance the soul. If successful, even ordinary people could gradually strengthen their souls by staying within the ritual array, indirectly extending their lifespan.

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