The Last Witchblood

Chapter 2: Legends?

【'My Legendary Witch System' has been Activated】

【By completing tasks that would make you a legendary Witch King, you can obtain corresponding huge rewards】

【Family Members within Black Stone Tower】: 2 (Selene Meolyn, Carlson Meolyn)

【Followers within Black Stone Tower】: None

【Initial Task】: Confirm Core direction of your legendary path.

【Reward】: Unlocks 1 corresponding core talent for your chosen path.

【Initial Task】:A future witch king can not be without those who share blood. Ensure at least one family member becomes a core apprentice of an official Gold-ranked Wizard.

【Reward】: Family Trait — Pathfinder (All Family members who follow you within this Black Stone Tower will have their mental power increase speed by ten percent)

...

【Discoverable family members with a basic 50% loyalty or favorability who can be cultivated. By teaching family members or followers, advanced knowledge can be obtained】

【Potential Target】: Selene Meolyn

【Age】: 16

【Mental Power】: 40.5

【Health Status】: Good

【Level】: Uninitiated

【Aptitude Evaluation】: ★★★★★★☆ (6.5/10)

【Suggested training direction】: Spell Theory, Alchemy Construct Studies, Rune magic.

___________

This is...

Kai's breathing became increasingly rapid and heavy.

Quests to become a witch king along with generous rewards?

Wait. Witch King. What is that?

I have a cheat in this world?

Kai didn't rush. He quietly calmed himself down and moved his gaze downwards.

Soon, he discovered the first tasks this system had given him:

'Choosing a core direction for his path to this Witch King and Ensuring at least one family member becomes a core apprentice of a Gold-ranked Wizard.'

The corresponding reward was a core talent for the chosen path and a trait called 【Pathfinder】, which would increase the mental power growth rate of every family member with at least 50% loyalty to him in the school by ten percent.

Kai instantly understood the core logic of the system—as long as he continuously completed tasks, he and his followers in the tower would gain more and more benefits, and in a way, his power would become stronger and stronger.

'Doesn't that mean, if I play my cards right, I could take this tower or even the Academy for myself?'

In addition, Kai himself also had a unique way to improve his strength besides the tasks:

【Acquire advanced knowledge for whatever you teach family members and followers.】

When he saw this, Kai realized that this was a precious opportunity that could change his destiny...

Because right in front of him, there was an excellent candidate for cultivation!

Kai's eye fell on the platinum blonde girl in front of him:

The system panel clearly stated—Selene's aptitude evaluation was "6.5 stars out of 10"!

And this so-called "6.5 stars" represented Selene's mental power talent.

Kai had been at the Black Stone tower for three years, and even with poor knowledge reserves, he knew the importance of mental power talent for an Apprentice.

Many formal Witches and Wizards even stated directly:

Mental power talent is the most important talent, bar none.

It often represents the upper limit an Apprentice can reach.

Because the higher an Apprentice's mental power talent, the higher their initial mental power and the faster their growth rate.

For example, Kai's talent was only "3 stars," with an initial mental power of 22.01, which, if one had to be honest, just met the admission standard.

It was precisely for this reason that Kai took a full three years to just reach the stage of a Second-Level Apprentice.

If he could possess talent like his half sister, the time spent would be compressed to within a mere half a year! Or if he could gain more access to advanced knowledge that could have helped him escape this predicament.

However... there are exceptions to everything.

The Essacasta Academy has no shortage of geniuses with low mental power talent but astonishing creativity in a certain discipline.

For example, Grand Magister Magnus, who was a product of this Academy, was presently one of the most powerful wizards in the world, he achieved a matchless accomplishment in the study of extraordinary bloodlines 35 years ago.

He held no less than eleven powerful ancient legendary bloodlines, each and every single one could cause top noble families to compete fiercely for them, and created a unique mythical bloodline with these bloodlines for himself and created a family of his own.

However, people like Grand Magister Magnus are, after all, a minority.

Most people will not make achievements in various disciplines.

Breaking through existing knowledge boundaries and advancing the progress of magical civilization... these are often things that only Grand Magisters and legendary Wizard Kings who have lived for countless years can do.

Therefore, Selene possessing such excellent talent was definitely a good thing for Kai. This information was slowly rekindling his once-lost ambition from his old life...

'It's fortunate that magic doesn't manifest until 14, perhaps I wouldn't have been the one sent here.'

"Kai... Your sister is talking to you."

Seeing his somewhat strange expressions, Ariya, who was beside him, couldn't help but call out to him softly.

Before coming to the Academy, She spent most of her time in the Meolyn Family's territory, so she was not unfamiliar with this beautiful blonde girl, and their relationship could even be said to be quite good.

However, the awkward situation before them didn't allow her to say much...

Before Kai could speak, Selene, let out a soft sigh.

She raised her bright, intelligent blue eyes and looked at her half-brother with a complex expression:

"I'm sorry, Brother...I never meant for things to turn out like this... I'll try to fix it if I can", Following that, she lowered her sights, her expression unreadable...

In truth, deep down, she held no hostility towards this brother of hers and even had a bit of fondness for him.

After all, when she was little, he was one of the few who dared to defy the Countess's orders and secretly take her out of the castle to have fun—that was the most colorful and brilliant period of her childhood.

It was just a pity that after she turned thirteen, he never appeared again.

Her life was once again occupied by the cold and damp castle, a rigid and strict countess of a mother, and the boring and tedious etiquette lessons...

And what made her saddest was that their reunion after three years would not bring warm memories, but cold hostility...

However, just as she was prepared to be met with a cold shoulder, she heard an unexpected reply.

"What are you apologizing for though?"Kai looked at the blonde girl in front of him and spoke calmly.

"Ah?" Selene was stunned for a moment, instinctively glanced at the two people in front of her, and for a moment didn't know what to say:

Why apologize?

Does it even need to be said? Of course, it's because her arrival would inevitably lead to him being put in a precarious situation.

Although she was young, she was at least an adult and understood these matters.

But such words naturally couldn't be spoken directly...

Looking at her flushed face, Kai couldn't help but feel amused, 'She's still the same as when she was little...just as they were in my new memories'

He waved his hand, his mind became active as he  looked into her eyes, saying:

"I won't blame you. After all, this is something that can't be helped. I'm more shocked about how much you've grown already. Suddenly, you are an adult."

The girl looked at him speechlessly.

He didn't let her feel awkward for long, "Let's forget about that for now. You just arrived at the Academy, you probably haven't been sorted to a tower or chosen a mentor yet, have you?"

"Ah, yes... The Wizard in charge of admissions said that we'll officially choose mentors a month from when we get sorted out. Before that, we only need to attend some general courses..." Selene didn't understand why Kai suddenly brought this up, but she still answered honestly.

Hearing this, Kai nodded calmly, 'Just like when I first entered the Academy!'

However, he maintained his calm on the surface:

"Anyway, It's a good opportunity to take you around this Tower, maybe the academy, and perhaps teach you some basic knowledge in advance. We can't have you looking like a lost lamb right?

That way, you'll definitely have a head start compared to the other apprentices of your cohort.

What do you think?"

As his words fell.

Not only Selene, but even Ariya, who was beside them, was stunned.

If Kai not blaming her was understandable, then his current enthusiastic and selfless help towards her seemed a bit strange, especially with the way things are.

After all, no matter what, it was precisely because of her arrival that he was in danger.

Thinking about the way life in the academy was, Ariya was beginning to worry that Kai might have some devious plan against the naive girl.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, his actions at this moment seemed a bit too "generous."

However, although Ariya was suspicious, and Selene couldn't quite figure out his thoughts, she still nodded and agreed:

"Okay... Then I'll leave all arrangements to you Brother.."

After all, for her, getting familiar with the school and course content in advance was indeed beneficial.

What's more, she also genuinely hoped that her relationship with Kai could return to how it was a few years ago.

____________

Of course, Kai wasn't simply trying to help her.

His actions were ultimately for his own benefit.

One must know, according to the description in that text, any knowledge he taught Selene would be returned to him in an advanced form.

And the key point was... his sister was a genius with "6.5 stars" Mental talent!

This meant that her mental power would improve much faster than ordinary people, and she would begin learning Spell models and other knowledge much earlier than ordinary people.

Theoretically, if Kai acted quickly, he could use the time before Selene chose a mentor to improve his own strength, thereby changing his current situation...

This was an excellent opportunity.

He had to seize it firmly.

Thinking of this, he turned to Ariya beside him and said,

"I remember you should have some basic meditation methods and some zero-level spell models for sale, right?"

She nodded before speaking with narrowed eyes, "Yes, I have three basic meditation methods here.

As for zero-level spell models, I have 【Minor Binding】, 【Ignite】, 【Pain infliction】, and 【Scent Tracking】..."

"What about introductory textbooks for each of the specialized courses?" Kai once again asked.

Ariya's expression turned a bit strange, but she still gave an answer, "I have introductory textbooks for Alchemy Construct Studies, Witchcraft, and runology..."

Kai spoke with a smile, "I want all of these! How much do I owe you?"

"One hundred fifty-seven mana stones..."

She responded subconsciously, but she quickly reacted and whispered with some suspicion,

"You're not thinking of teaching all of these to her, are you? Wouldn't that be a bit too rushed? After all, she can choose a mentor in a month."

Kai could only laugh a little, if only she understood Selene's talent, "The extent to which apprentices can improve during this period without a mentor's guidance is also one of the angles Wizard adults use to assess students.

So this month is still very important; at least it can create some distance from other Apprentices."

"That's true... but what I mean is, wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate for you to be responsible for teaching her...?"A hint of hesitation appeared on her wheat-colored pretty face, she still couldn't bring herself to say what she was suspecting.

"Whatever ever do you mean?, These are all areas I excel in," Kai lied without batting an eye.

"..." Ariya opened her mouth, as though she had heard something incredibly absurd.

However, after pondering for a moment, she still chose to close her mouth...

Ultimately, no matter what Kai was planning, it was still their Meolyn Family's business.

As an outsider, it was better for her not to get involved...

Soon, after spending nearly half of his savings, Kai obtained several parchments from Ariya that recorded basic meditation methods and zero-level wizardry.

In addition, there were two introductory textbooks on Apothecary, Witchcraft studies, and runology.

Feeling the heavy weight in his hands, he understood, more than ever, how precious knowledge was.

Ignoring his friend's strange gaze beside him, he looked at Selene in front of him and said,

"Let's go."

"...Where are we going?"

"The meditation room. I'll teach you how to meditate first."

Selene's tone was a bit surprised, "Are we starting now?"

"Of course! The earlier the better" he responded with a smile, "Time is the most valuable resource, Selene. You'll understand this very soon."

...

The Black Stone Tower alone had over 60 floors, and almost every floor had several meditation rooms.

However, this most common and indispensable public facility in the Tower was not provided for free.

An ordinary meditation room costs one mana stone per day, while an advanced meditation room costs three mana stones per day.

In order to allow Selene, fully immerse herself in learning the basic meditation methods, he simply waved his hand, threw out fifteen mana stones, and rented an advanced meditation room for five days.

However...

He soon discovered that this was the most foolish waste of money he had spent since entering the Black Stone Tower.

"Brother..."

In the quiet, dark-toned meditation room, Selene, with her platinum blonde hair tied high, looked at Kai and asked innocently,

"What should we learn next?"

At this moment, Kai was sitting opposite Selene.

He didn't answer her question but sat there with a complex expression, tightly clutching the parchment that recorded 【Gander's Star Sea Meditation】.

This was one of the most commonly used basic meditation methods used by Apprentices in the Black Stone Tower, and it was also the meditation method Kai had been using since he entered the Tower.

Although it was basic, its effect on condensing mental power was quite good, so the difficulty of learning it was not low.

It took him a whole week to truly master this meditation method and achieve his first subtle improvement in mental power...

However, when he taught her all of its learning methods and usage essentials, he truly understood why the high-level wizards in the school valued the aptitude of their apprentices so much.

Two hours and fourteen minutes...

This was the total time it took her to master 【Gander's Star Sea Meditation】...

Compared to the time he spent, it was simply a world of difference.

"Whoosh—"

Looking at Selene's pure and innocent expression, he let out a long breath, trying to dispel the frustration in his heart.

After all, no matter what, her fast learning speed only benefited him, with no downsides.

Just now, when she successfully mastered the meditation method and her mental power improved slightly, that mysterious line of text appeared before his eyes again.

"Congratulations, your family member Selene Meolyn has successfully learned 【Gander's Star Sea Meditation】. You have received a reward: Advanced Meditation Method, 【Gander's Star Cluster Meditation】!"

It was a very strange feeling.

It was as if someone had suddenly crammed many non-existent memories into his mind.

So much so that he felt a sense of "not being himself."

And this anomaly only disappeared after several minutes.

Although he experienced brief discomfort, Kai was still very pleasantly surprised at this moment—because he had actually directly mastered a higher-level meditation method.

One must know that learning a meditation method was never an easy task.

Although both 【Gander's Star Sea Meditation】 and 【Gander's Star Cluster Meditation】 were created by the same legendary figure in the wizarding world—Grand Magister Gander—the difficulty of learning them was fundamentally not on the same level.

Of course, corresponding to the difficulty was its excellent effect.

Compared to the basic form, 【Gander's Star Cluster Meditation】 increased mental power by a full seventy percent.

There was no doubt that after practicing the new meditation method, his mental power speed would be significantly improved from before!

However, having tasted the sweetness, Kai was no longer satisfied with this.

His gaze towards his sister grew even more fervent "Very good, Selene, you are indeed different from those mediocre people.

I know that the family sent you here with great expectations.

So I have decided to teach you something real."

"Something real?"

Selene was stunned, and her gaze towards Kai also changed.

She suddenly felt a little strange:

Her brother seemed to know quite a lot...

At least not as useless as the elders in the family believed...

"That's right!"

Kai naturally had no idea what Selene was thinking, but he continued speaking,

"What I'm going to teach you next is the advanced version of 【Gander's Star Sea Meditation】—【Gander's Star Cluster Meditation】!"

[A/N: (Normal progression- 3 levels each)Apprentice-Bronze-Silver-Gold-Platinum-Diamond-Grand Magister-Wizard King]