Vienna stood in front of Rhys’s new residence and took a slow, calming breath.She looked at the contract in her hands one last time before lifting her eyes toward the front door.Everything their club could possibly offer had already been written into that document.If even this failed…She honestly didn’t know what else they could do.“What are you doing here?”A familiar voice came from behind her.Vienna turned around and immediately frowned.Teslan stood a short distance away, holding a folder that looked suspiciously similar to her own.She narrowed her eyes.“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”Teslan folded his arms.“Rhys is joining the Merchant Association.”Vienna snorted.“That’s quite an assumption.”“I was about to say the exact same thing.”“He’s joining our club.”Teslan shook his head confidently.“I doubt your club has enough resources to recruit someone like him.”Vienna immediately fired back.“I think you’re overestimating yourselves.”“And besides…”“Our connections

“So this is the Grand Magic Tower…”Rhys stopped and looked up.A smile slowly appeared on his face as his eyes traveled to the top of the enormous structure.The tower reminded him of the Ironhand Guild headquarters.Both buildings dominated their surroundings.The difference was scale.The Grand Magic Tower wasn’t simply taller.It was much broader, almost like several towers had been merged into one massive complex.Researchers and scholars constantly moved in and out through its countless entrances.Most of them wore elegant robes instead of armor.Compared to the cities Rhys had visited before, their attire looked much more formal, giving the entire place the atmosphere of a university rather than a commercial district.The surrounding city itself wasn’t particularly different from other major cities.Its buildings were well constructed, but they still couldn’t compare to the architectural grandeur surrounding the Ironhand Guild headquarters.Wyndia noticed him taking everything

“We’re here.”Wyndia pushed open the large auditorium doors.The hall was already bustling with people.Researchers, professors, scholars, and students filled nearly every section of the room. Even with a quick glance, Rhys estimated there were well over three hundred attendees, and more people were still filing in.The auditorium itself was enormous.Three levels of seating curved around the stage, with enough space to accommodate nearly a thousand people at once. The entire room had been designed so everyone could clearly see the presentations.“This is bigger than I expected…”Rhys looked around with interest.Wyndia simply smiled.“The biannual presentations are one of the Grand Magic Tower’s biggest events.”She led him toward the front rows where the presenters and senior professors usually sat.Before they had even taken their seats, an elderly man nearby noticed Wyndia.His face immediately lit up.“Oh?”“Professor Wyndia.”“I didn’t expect to see you here.”He stood up with a

As soon as Wyndia finished speaking, three more volunteers came forward.Each of them stepped onto the stage one after another, eager to see whether the crystal really worked as advertised.The first volunteer placed a hand on the crystal.A few moments later, the colored particles settled into place.Six orange particles.Five red particles.“Sixty-five Mana,” Wyndia announced.The audience quietly nodded.The second volunteer followed.This time, the crystal displayed something different.One yellow particle.One red particle.“A total of one hundred and one Mana.”A murmur spread through the hall.That was the first time everyone had seen a yellow particle appear.Finally, the third volunteer stepped forward.The crystal lit up again.Nine orange particles.Nine red particles.“Ninety-nine Mana.”Compared to the previous demonstrations, this one contained the greatest number of visible particles.By now…Most of the audience had already figured out where Wyndia was leading them.Sh

“After analyzing the data collected from more than one thousand Beast Tamers…”Wyndia turned back to the blackboard.“It became clear that no two people absorb Mana at exactly the same rate.”She picked up a piece of chalk.“And based on our findings…”“I propose the following growth classifications.”She neatly wrote them down.D Rank — 1.0 to 1.9 ManaC Rank — 2.0 to 3.9 ManaB Rank — 4.0 to 6.9 ManaA Rank — 7.0 to 9.9 ManaS Rank — 10.0 ManaAfter writing the final line, she faced the audience once more.“Our research shows that a single Lesser Class Core can increase a person’s Mana by anywhere between one and ten points.”She looked around the hall.“I’m sure many of you have noticed this yourselves.”“Some people seem to grow much faster than others.”“Some struggle no matter how many cores they absorb.”“You’ve all seen it.”“You simply had no way to measure it.”The room exploded.“What?!”“Wyndia, do you even understand what you’re saying?”“Are you trying to divide Beast Ta