Chapter 321 : Advancement: Tier-Three Witch Apprentice!
Chapter 321: Advancement: Tier-Three Witch Apprentice!
「Splash—」
Inside the library, Janna, who had continuously cast 【Reading Magic】 for several hours, slowly closed the final book in her hands.
As a pleasant system notification sound rang out, Janna, whose eyes were bloodshot from prolonged reading, quickly opened the quest interface.
【Today's Quest: Read ten or more books (Completed);
Quest Reward: 100 Talent Experience, 500 Skill Experience, Spirit Power +0.1】
「It really is Spirit Power」
At the moment she saw the quest reward, a flicker of excitement flashed across Janna’s exhausted face.
Over the past few days, through her constant meditation, Janna had not only successfully raised her 【Witch Level】 to level 30, but also increased her 【Spirit Power】 attribute from 29.7 to 29.9.
And it was precisely this final 0.1 point of Spirit Power that stood like a mental barrier. No matter how much effort Janna put in for days, it showed no sign of yielding.
Although Janna knew this was a hurdle all Tier-Two Witch Apprentices had to face when advancing to Tier-Three, it inevitably left her feeling slightly impatient.
「If it weren’t for the system’s help, this final bit of Spirit Power—I’d probably need to meditate for a few more weeks, or even a whole month, just to break through.」
Typically, there were two common methods for apprentices to break through bottlenecks.
The first was to spend a hefty price on a 【Barrier-Breaking Potion】 to increase the chance of success. The second was to grind it out slowly and steadily until Spirit Power advanced naturally.
If Janna didn’t have the system, her only option would have been the latter—sharpening herself over time to shatter the mental barrier.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford a 【Barrier-Breaking Potion】; it was simply that its supply was extremely limited. Even when available, it would be snatched up internally by witch families. Even with access to Jarvis-Roland’s auction channels, it was rare to encounter it———
Fortunately, besides those two methods, Janna had a third one—adding stat points.
「Hoo—」 Letting out a habitual deep breath, Janna, who had completed the quest, cast 【Hand of the Witch】 to return the ten thick books on the desk back to their shelves.
「I wonder how Senior Gawen is doing now.」
Just as Janna was about to head downstairs and leave, her eyes involuntarily drifted to the front desk of the library, to the unfamiliar face that had replaced Gawen-Toul.
Five months ago, following the conclusion of the Dordogne-White Tower Trial, the third-year apprentices entered graduation season.
This year, only two people from the Dooling Witch Gathering passed the final trial of the White Tower: Richard-Eva, who had already mastered the Power of Laws, and Padding-Green, known as "Ghost Child" from the Black Bone Forest.
As for the other graduates who became Tier-Three Witch Apprentices, some chose to join local witch organizations in Dooling to earn a livelihood, while others signed loyalty contracts with the witch families who had sponsored them.
A smaller portion chose to head toward other witch gatherings, seeking opportunities to join even more powerful witch organizations,
continuing to accumulate strength.
Gawen-Toul belonged to the third group. After graduation, he left the Dooling Witch Gathering alone—but where he went, even Janna wasn’t certain.
「Every opportunity in life is incredibly precious. A single misstep could lead to a completely different future.」
Having already exited the library, Janna looked at the darkening sky outside. She didn’t choose to return to her dormitory to rest. Instead, she decisively walked toward the magic tower.
The next day, early morning.
Janna, now fully rested, glanced briefly at the Flame Guardian and Lightning Accumulation Cloud curled up in the corner. Without further concern, she stood up and neatly arranged the advancement materials on the ground.
When a Tier-Two Witch Apprentice advanced to Tier-Three, aside from the requirements in mana and Spirit Power, the most crucial aspect was the transformation of life’s tier.
As a plant-type apprentice, Janna’s first step in life transformation required the infusion of elemental power from above,
and the elementalization of her body—transforming her flesh and blood into a semi-elemental lifeform in the true sense.
「This should be about right.」
Looking at the elemental array on the ground—composed of twelve plant-type elemental magic stones and six spiritual candles arranged in a hexagram pattern—Janna's face showed clear signs of nervousness.
「Hoo—」 Taking in a long breath and slowly exhaling it, Janna cleared her mind. Sitting at the center of the array, she once again picked up the mithril dagger placed beside her thigh, and gently made a small cut along her left wrist.
「Three times three is nine, six returns to nine, seven lies to the left, ten is the end——」
Drip—Drip—
Blood drops fell, and flames suddenly ignited.
As long incantations poured from Janna’s mouth, the droplets of blood on the floor quickly coalesced. Before long, several blood threads, as thin as hair, seemed to gain sentience and flowed toward the illuminated path of the candlelight, merging into the twelve plant-type magic stones.
「Buzz—」
At the moment the blood threads merged into the magic stones, the twelve plant-type stones burst into a dazzling glow.
「Now!」
Feeling the plant-elemental magic around her suddenly surge, Janna, still keeping her eyes tightly shut, once again picked up the mithril dagger and made an identical incision on her other wrist.
But this time, instead of dripping blood, the wound on Janna’s wrist turned into a deep green slit, frantically absorbing the surrounding elemental energy.
「Sizzle—」
As the plant-type mana became increasingly violent, the six spiritual candles surrounding Janna burned more intensely, swaying with eerie green flames.
At the same time, Janna, still keeping her eyes closed, ignored the surrounding anomalies. She instead directed her consciousness downward, passing through the Sea of Soul, arriving once again beneath the Witch Tree at the depths of her soul.
「Split—」
Gazing at the lush and dense Witch Tree, Janna didn’t hesitate and directed her consciousness onto the tree,
enduring the agony of soul tearing, she forcefully used her Spirit Power to split a second branch from the Witch Tree’s trunk, extending it toward the edge of her soul.
「Splash—」
At the instant the second branch touched the soul’s barrier, the Sea of Spirit that wrapped her soul surged violently within Janna’s soul vision, transforming into countless silver-white chains that anchored onto the tree trunk.
「Crack—」
With a crisp sound, the second branch of the Witch Tree successfully pierced through the soul’s barrier, officially completing the connection for the third soul circuit between the Witch Tree and Witch Ecology.
「Finally——it's done.」