The Combat Prowess of an Apprentice

At the end of the Frostfall Month (November), the first snow descended.

Blackstone City was adorned in silver, a vast expanse of white.

On this day, Su Nan’s learning progress in Mage Hand also reached 100%.

[Learning progress of ‘Mage Hand’ is full at 100%, ‘Mage Hand’ acquired]

A surge of information flooded his mind instantly. Su Nan closed his eyes to digest it for a while, then opened them, looking at the books on the table. His lips parted slightly, and he uttered a string of bizarre syllables.

The moment the sound emerged, the book gave a slight tremor, then slowly floated, shifting up, down, left, and right at his gaze.

The effect of Mage Hand allows distant objects to float and move at will.

To outsiders, it appears as if an invisible ghostly hand is moving the objects.

This is also why it is called Mage Hand.

Among various zero-level spells, Mage Hand is considered one of the most practical.

Whether in surgical experiments or potion-making, using Mage Hand as an aid can save a lot of effort.

In battle, Mage Hand can also be used to remotely wield weapons to attack enemies.

As for the effective range and weight capacity of the manipulated objects, it depends on the caster’s spell mastery and mental strength.

This is also why Su Nan chose Mage Hand as his first spell.

With Mage Hand, it will be much more convenient to make potions and extract lizardmen blood in the future.

“Which spell should I choose as my second?”

With a thought, three spell books automatically floated out from the bookshelf and landed on the table.

Acid Splash, Sleep Curse, and Flash Spell.

The effects of the three spells are easy to understand, as hinted by their names.

After some thought, Su Nan finally decided to learn the Sleep Curse first.

To advance his progress in Biological Modification, he has captured many small animals for experiments.

If he masters the Sleep Curse, conducting experiments will undoubtedly be much more convenient.

Since the Black-scaled Lizardmen have retreated, he doesn’t need to participate in battles for his territory right now, so there’s no rush to learn offensive spells.

In fact, the combat power of a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice is generally not considered strong.

Upon initial promotion, a Level 1 Apprentice actually just has greater mental strength than ordinary people, able to draw in external energy particles and store them in the body, forming a novice concept of mana.

Later, with meditation enhancing mental strength, the body will gradually become stronger due to the subtle immersion and improvement from energy particles.

At this stage, a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice isn’t much stronger than an Apprentice Knight.

Compared to Apprentice Knights, they have a little more spell resistance, far inferior to knighthood-level individuals.

Once they master two to three offensive spells, a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice truly gains combat capability, possessing the strength to contend with a full-fledged knight.

This situation continues until promotion to Level 2 Wizard Apprentice.

A Level 2 Wizard Apprentice can initially manipulate energy particles, enough to enhance physique to a high level, and with spell support, even a peak Knight cannot easily rival. Only a strong Grand Knight can withstand them.

Moreover, a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice can contract magical pets and use magical items.

A Level 2 Wizard Apprentice with a magical pet and combat magic items dares not face even a Grand Knight head-on.

At this point, the gap between Wizard Apprentices and Knights becomes truly apparent.

Collecting his thoughts, Su Nan picked up the Sleep Curse and began reading.

[Reading the ‘Sleep Curse Spell Model’, ‘Sleep Curse’ learning progress +0.08%]

[Reading the ‘Sleep Curse Spell Model’, ‘Sleep Curse’ learning progress +0.08%]

Time flew by.

After the Frostfall Month, the coldest and harshest Dormant Month (December) of the year also passed.

On the fifth last day of December, the Black-scaled Lizardmen finally withdrew through the snow in defeat.

This battle, lasting over two months, finally concluded.
After resting for five days, Blackstone City welcomed the first day of Winter Qin Month (January) in the year 1249 of the Starlight Calendar.

This day is the New Year in the Duchy of Starlit Stars.

The cold wind howled, yet it could not hide the joyous atmosphere within the city.
Everywhere on the streets, houses were adorned with festive decorations. Children, their faces rosy from the chilly wind, giggled and ran through the crowd in groups.

Inner Castle, guest hall.

The young maids bustled about, continuously serving fragrant ham, cheese, dried fruits, and wine onto the tables.

The knights gathered around the tables, drinking and making merry, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter.

Old Geller, directing the servants to arrange the hall, caught a glimpse of this scene and couldn’t help but feel sentimental.

In previous years, due to the losses caused by the Black-scaled Lizardmen, the former lord and the generals were so overwhelmed that they had no mind for a New Year banquet.

But this year was completely different.

According to Knight Jodun, they had severely beaten those lizard bandits this year, forcing them to retreat to their lair before the first snowfall.

The surrounding villages hardly suffered any losses.

Because of this, on the New Year’s first day, the serfs brought various agricultural products to the inner castle to express their gratitude to the Lord.

What puzzled Old Geller, however, was the talk that all this was credited to Young Master Su Nan?

The knights and leaders he knew all implied this, and they spoke of Su Nan with utmost respect.

Old Geller found this completely incomprehensible.

Having stayed in Blackstone City for decades, he could vaguely sense that some kind of positive change was occurring in this city.

“The Lord and Master Su Nan are here!”

A sudden exclamation rang out.

The hall instantly quieted down, and everyone turned simultaneously to look at the entrance.

Brother Ke Yi and Su Nan walked into the hall, side by side.

Both were dressed in formal attire, sharing seven or eight parts of resemblance, and equally handsome.

Brother Ke Yi, being the elder, was tall and robust, with a muscular body and solid lines, akin to a perfect ancient Greek statue.

Though Su Nan, the younger brother, still appeared thin, he no longer gave an impression of frailty, exuding an aura of sharpness.

Especially his eyes, deep and bright like stars, making it difficult for others to meet his gaze.

The brothers’ arrival instantly captured everyone’s attention.

“Lord.”

“Master Su Nan.”

The knights all bowed in salute.

The title for Su Nan had changed from Young Master to Master, indicating respect.

Ke Yi strode to the front of the crowd, raising his goblet.

“Thank you all for your hard work last year. Tonight, let us indulge in wine and food!”

The knights cheered loudly, the roaring noise almost lifting the roof.

Su Nan watched this scene quietly, taking a sip of fruit wine from the table.

After over two months of energy particle absorption, his physique had now grown to 2.79, nearly reaching the peak of an apprentice knight.

And because he could absorb energy particles, unlike other apprentice knights whose food intake increased to replenish the energy consumed during training,

he could go several months without food if necessary.

Now he ate more to satisfy his palate.

Just after finishing a glass of fruit wine, Ke Yi approached him.

“Why not drink with everyone?”

“I still prefer to be a bit quieter alone.”

Knowing his younger brother’s temperament, Ke Yi didn’t say much and smiled as he said, “I’ve got good news for you. What you wanted, I’ve found it. It should already be in your courtyard now.”