Zelir clutched the Crystal Bottle tightly, his heart filled with a gratitude that was hard to put into words.

He said no more, simply placing a hand over his chest and giving Instructor Manlin a sincere salute.

"Thank you, Instructor Manlin. I won’t let you down."

...

After leaving Instructor Manlin’s office, Zelir thought for a moment before heading to the Exchange.

The place was as bustling as ever, but Zelir wasn’t here to buy anything this time. He wandered around until he found a shop that specialized in selling Magic Potions.

The shop’s interior was rather luxurious. It had its own storefront, so it didn’t have to compete with others for a stall spot outside.

As soon as he entered, he could see a brass emblem hanging at the front counter, engraved with the shapes of several strange plants. A refreshing and pleasant aroma filled the air.

In the center of the shop were several heavy, sealed display cases. Through the glass, he could see many differently colored Magic Potions, each one quite valuable.

"Lord Mage, what can I help you find?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile as he approached.

"Hmm..."

Zelir’s gaze wandered over the display cases until, finally, he saw a familiar potion—a Healing Potion.

However, the quality of the Healing Potion sold in the shop was clearly inferior compared to the one concocted by Instructor Manlin.

The green liquid sealed in the small Crystal Bottle was a much paler color, and its consistency was thinner.

"I’d like to ask, how much is this Healing Potion?" Zelir asked, pointing through the display case.

"Five Gold Coins. It can quickly stop bleeding, repair flesh and blood, and even counteract some minor toxins."

The shopkeeper quickly rattled off the description, then added, "The prices for Magic Potions are non-negotiable."

’Jeez...’

Zelir was inwardly shocked after hearing the shopkeeper’s introduction.

’A Healing Potion is that expensive? Five Gold Coins...’

’No wonder Valles said one bottle could buy his life back when Gray was injured.’

Low-level Adventurers toiled away on a mission just to earn a few dozen Silver Coins, and even less after accounting for equipment wear and tear.

Take the first wolf extermination mission, for example. If they hadn’t run into the Fog Demon, Zelir would have only been paid Eleven Silver Coins.

It was only because the Marcus Squad had two heavy hitters like Zelir and Valles that they could frequently take on Difficulty-rated missions to earn money quickly.

A single Healing Potion cost Five Gold Coins; they truly couldn’t afford it.

’And this is for the lower quality one. If it were the Healing Potion concocted by Instructor Manlin, I estimate it could sell for seven or eight Gold Coins, right?’

’Two bottles would be fifteen Gold Coins!’

’To think Instructor Manlin would gift me something so valuable...’

Seeing Zelir’s slightly surprised expression, the shopkeeper mulled it over for a moment before speaking again.

"Of course, if you find that too expensive, you could opt for the slightly lower-grade Recovery Potion. It’s only Three Gold Coins, but its effects aren’t as good."

"No... that’s alright."

Zelir waved his hand dismissively. He thought for a moment, then asked another question.

"Do you have any Magic Potions that can temporarily unlock one’s potential? For example... something like an Overclocking Potion?"

Hearing this term, the shopkeeper’s eyes visibly lit up.

"Lord Mage, that’s a hot-ticket item."

"An Overclocking Potion can temporarily unlock your potential. Although it has a side effect of weakness afterward, it can be a lifesaver in a critical moment!"

"I don’t have any in stock at the moment, but if you’re serious about buying, young sir, I can source it from elsewhere. However, you’ll need to pay a deposit first."

The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, thinking he had a big sale on his hands. "A deposit of Five Gold Coins. When the item arrives, you can pay the remaining fifteen Gold Coins."

This number left Zelir secretly speechless.

’Holy crap, an Overclocking Potion costs twenty Gold Coins.’

In that moment, Zelir’s gratitude toward Instructor Manlin grew even deeper.

"Thank you for the explanation. If I need one in the future, I’ll definitely come back to buy it." Zelir nodded to the shopkeeper, then turned and walked out the door.

The shopkeeper stood frozen on the spot, his expression a little dumbfounded.

After leaving the Magic Potion Shop, Zelir followed his usual routine and wandered over to the one place he always visited at the Mage’s Guild—the Martial Arts Arena.

However, apart from his first visit to the guild, when Zelir was Lucky enough to learn the Flame Breath Skill and Arcane Missile for free, the arena was usually deserted. No other Mage duels had taken place.

’Come to think of it, for most Mages, a Magic duel was actually a rather boring affair.’

’Unlike Warrior sparring, where one could hone skills, train the body, and identify weaknesses for timely correction, a duel between two Junior Mages was nothing more than standing a dozen meters apart and blasting each other with Magic like cowboys in a shootout. Whoever had the more powerful spell won.’

’The whole process involved almost no skill; it was a pure contest of power. With that kind of time, it was better to just focus on Meditation or spend energy on optimizing Spell Structures.’

Heading to the Martial Arts Arena today, Zelir was prepared to leave empty-handed.

But just as he was passing the building, which was shaped like a Beast Fighting Arena, Zelir was surprised to hear the lively buzz of discussion coming from inside.

’Could there be a Mage duel today?’

Delighted, Zelir quickened his pace.

Upon entering the Martial Arts Arena, he saw that the huge, circular viewing stands were actually filled with dozens of Mages. Most of them were Apprentice Mages who had not yet passed their Mage ranking evaluation.

In addition, there were a dozen or so Magic Apprentices and a handful of Junior Mages.

They were whispering amongst themselves, their gazes focused on the center of the arena.

"Hey, do you think Riley will pass the Junior Mage evaluation this time?"

"He should have a good chance, right? I heard he’s been working really hard, doing Meditation every day. He’s improving fast."

"If Riley succeeds, he’ll be the youngest Junior Mage in the Black Stone Town branch. He just turned twenty this year!"

"Yeah. While he’s no Kane Rodri from the Imperial Capital, he’s still very strong. His future is limitless..."

Hearing these words, Zelir understood. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

’So it’s a Junior Mage evaluation... Interesting.’

He looked toward the center of the arena with great interest.

Riley, the one undergoing the evaluation, had a tall, straight posture and neat, short brown hair. His face was filled with the confident arrogance of youth.

The examiner was none other than Instructor Marvin. He gave Riley a slight nod. "Are you ready?"

"I’m ready, Instructor Marvin!" Riley replied, full of confidence.

"Then let’s begin." Marvin stepped to the side, indicating that Riley could begin gathering his Magic.

Zelir’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’If I remember correctly, to pass the Junior Mage exam, one needs to have mastered at least ten types of Level Two Single-layer Spell Structure Magic, with a Casting Speed of under three seconds.’

’You also need to have mastered one Level Three Single-layer Spell Structure Magic with a Casting Speed of under five seconds.’

’Does Riley... have that kind of strength?’

’In any case, my Technique Celestial Calculation can be of great use today.’