Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

The man in the bronze beaked mask fell silent.

The trade reached a deadlock.

A brief hush settled over the underground tomb, broken only by the flickering of pale violet flames.

This was the norm for such gatherings—supply and demand rarely aligned perfectly.

Moreover, what the hoarse-voiced wizard apprentice was asking for was an item capable of improving the efficiency of Spiritual Power meditation.

Anything with that kind of effect was hard currency among wizards.

Unless they had no use for it, very few would ever bring such items out for trade—they would have used them themselves long ago.

After a short silence, Mentor Sindru shifted his gaze toward another wizard apprentice standing beside the bronze-masked figure.

Judging by her build, she was likely a woman.

She spoke, "I'm selling Fire Lizard bile in exchange for techniques related to concealment spells."

Mentor Sindru scanned the room. Seeing no response from the others, he said to her, "I can provide that knowledge. It will be restricted to you alone—you are not permitted to pass it on in any form without my approval. Also, what is the quality of your bile? If it was collected last year, its effectiveness would already be halved."

The female apprentice let out a cold snort. A glass vial materialized in her hand, filled with a bubbling liquid of an enticing golden-red hue.

"I understand the rules. I'll swear an oath. And this bile was extracted just last month—it's absolutely fresh."

"Good." Sindru nodded.

He pulled out a thick tome and tore a single page from it, densely covered in writing.

A winged dog emerged from the shadows, delivered the page to the female apprentice, then took the vial of Fire Lizard bile from her.

After both parties examined their goods and expressed satisfaction, they nodded to each other, and the gathering continued.

For the next half hour, the tomb filled with hushed bargaining.

Some sought rare spellcasting materials.

Some tried to purchase First-Ring Spell structures.

Others attempted to trade dangerous cursed items for life-saving talismans.

But very few deals were concluded.

Finally, it was Levi's turn.

He spoke calmly, stating his request: "I need Stardust."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Mentor Sindru's eyes flickered slightly.

A First-Ring Wizard accompanied by an apprentice spoke up, "I have Stardust. What are you offering in exchange?"

"Two options," Levi replied. "One is a Silver-Scale Surge Potion that helps knights break through to the level of Great Knight. The other is a Silver Arrowfish."

"Silver-Scale Surge Potion? Never heard of it." The First-Ring Wizard shook his head. "I can't verify its effects."

"As for the Silver Arrowfish…" A glint flashed deep within his eyes. "Alive or dead?"

"Alive," Levi said.

He reached into the bundle behind him and took it out. Though it had been out of water for some time, its vitality remained strong—it was still alive.

The moment it appeared, both First-Ring Wizards reacted subtly.

Their eyes locked onto the Silver Arrowfish in Levi's hand.

"So it really is a Silver Arrowfish. This creature only lives in the underground rivers of Aetherlan. Hunting it is extremely difficult—it only occasionally comes to the surface."

"How did you obtain it?" Mentor Sindru couldn't help but ask.

Levi paused briefly before replying, "That's my secret."

"…My apologies. Please continue." Sindru realized his lapse.

Levi's expression remained unchanged as he turned back to the First-Ring Wizard.

After carefully examining both items in Levi's hand, the wizard hesitated, then shook his head.

"Your offerings don't interest me."

"What do you want?" Levi asked directly.

A mere Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice dares speak to me like that?

The First-Ring Wizard felt slightly offended and was about to respond when Mentor Sindru suddenly interjected, "Make the trade with him."

"I know what you want. I will provide it," Sindru said, looking at the First-Ring Wizard with his apprentice.

The man fell silent for a moment before finally speaking through clenched teeth: "…Fine."

The winged dog reappeared, facilitating the exchange between both sides.

Levi obtained the item he wanted—Stardust—and in a considerable quantity. It was already enough for his use.

As for that First-Ring Wizard, although what he received from the trade was not what he originally wanted, with Mentor Sindru's words laid out beforehand, he did not say anything further.

The trading continued.

But it was nearing its end.

Before long, no wizard or wizard apprentice raised any further requests for exchange.

Thus, Mentor Sindru spoke, "Recently, a Great Knight has arrived in Aetherlan. If anyone knows anything about his background or identity, you may contact me. I will provide compensation equivalent to the value of the information."

No one present spoke.

Even when Levi heard himself being mentioned, his expression did not change in the slightest. He had already known about this matter.

Sindru was not surprised by the silence. He continued, "No matter. This request will remain open. At our next gathering, if anyone has information, you may approach me privately."

"Now, I declare this gathering… concluded."

At his words, those present gave a slight nod toward Mentor Sindru, then turned and walked into the underground passageways.

Very quickly, the underground tomb was left with only Mentor Sindru.

And, of course, the increasingly dim violet flames.

He stood there, motionless, like a statue.

Time passed—who knew how long.

Another First-Ring Wizard, the one accompanied by an apprentice, returned to the place.

Standing in the shadows, he looked toward Sindru.

"What happened?"

"Nature… he was replaced," Sindru said.

"I didn't notice anything unusual," the First-Ring Wizard with the apprentice replied.

"Yes, you wouldn't. His disguise was flawless. If it weren't for my familiarity with him…" Sindru said.

"A Church inquisitor? If that's the case…" The First-Ring Wizard frowned, while his apprentice's eyes filled with fear.

"I'm not certain…" Sindru shook his head, sighing inwardly. The situation in the Duchy of Silverbrook was already unstable, and now such a mysterious figure had appeared.

"Could you tell how strong that person was?" the First-Ring Wizard asked again.

"When hostility arose in my mind toward him, I felt the presence of death," Sindru replied.

At those words, the First-Ring Wizard fell silent.

That meant the mysterious figure impersonating Nature was stronger than them.

At that moment—

The winged dog flew out from the passage Levi had disappeared into, carrying in its claws a pale-faced young man, along with a Silver Arrowfish and a vial of Silver-Scale Surge Potion.

Seeing this, Sindru let out a sigh of relief.

"At the very least… he's relatively kind."

"Perhaps," the First-Ring Wizard with the apprentice said after a brief silence.

Sindru said nothing more and fell into thought.

The underground tomb sank once again into silence.

…

Levi stepped out of the passage and destroyed his mask and hood.

A blue glow flickered in his eyes. He already knew that Mentor Sindru had sensed something off during the trade—but it no longer mattered to him.

The Stardust was already in his hands.

With that, there would be no issues with his Deepcurrent Echo Potion. He could brew it at any time.

He transformed into a Night Demon Owl and returned to the Golden Fleece Inn before sunrise.

Time passed in a flash.

A day went by.

With the assistance of Detection, Levi successfully brewed the potion.

[Deepcurrent Echo Potion: rapidly restores Magic Power, slightly increases Spiritual Power. Quality: Excellent.]

"Looks like I do have some talent for potion-making," Levi said with a slight smile, half in self-praise.

However, his expression quickly turned serious.

"Then let's begin."

With that thought, his mind shifted:

[Detection LV5 (63/1600)]

[Conversion LV3 (80/400)]

[Gathering Technique LV4 (128/800)]

[Wizard's Hand LV4 (792/800)]

[Polymorph: Greater Demon Owl LV4 (50/800)]

[Polymorph: Tide Arrow Frog LV4 (5/800)]

A total of six spells—six spell crystals within the sea of his soul.

Even many Third-Ring Wizards likely did not possess as many spell crystals in their soul sea as Levi.

If Levi mastered just two more spells, he would fulfill one of the necessary conditions to become a Fourth-Ring Wizard.

But even Third-Ring Wizard was still quite a distance away for him—

Let alone Fourth-Ring Wizard.

For now, Levi focused on how to make use of the newly brewed potion to raise the levels of his spells.

His gaze moved across the spells he had mastered.

Very quickly, he chose his target.

Wizard's Hand!

This spell, copied from the Striking Stick, had for a long time been Levi's only offensive spell, and it had played no small role.

Because he used it frequently, its proficiency had risen quickly. It was already close to Level 5—that is, the standard of a Second-Ring Spell.

Without hesitation, Levi consumed Magic Power and cast Wizard's Hand, increasing its proficiency.

[You have cast Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 793/800.]

Just 7 more points of experience, and Wizard's Hand would reach Level 5.

However, at this point, due to potion brewing and other expenditures, Levi's Magic Power was nearly depleted.

If he relied on meditation, it would take at least an entire night to recover most of it.

That would waste too much time.

So Levi chose to drink a potion.

Deepcurrent Echo Potion!

He swallowed the potion he had personally brewed, then began meditating to restore his Magic Power. It felt as though he were submerged deep beneath a lake—faint calls and the sound of flowing currents echoed in his ears, leaving him momentarily dazed.

By the time he came back to his senses, roughly an hour had passed, and his Magic Power had already recovered to ninety-five percent.

Though not fully restored, it was more than sufficient.

More importantly, Levi noticed that his Spiritual Power had also increased significantly.

Previously, while practicing the meditation method Sweet Corridor, once his Spiritual Power had reached the level of a Second-Ring Wizard, its rate of increase had slowed down.

Each session of meditation only increased his Spiritual Attribute by about 0.01 to 0.03.

That might seem small, but in reality, many Second-Ring Wizards could not even match his rate of improvement. Not to mention the issue of the soul sea's strength—bottlenecks were common, and many Second-Ring Wizards would never break through to the level of a Third-Ring Wizard in their entire lives.

Levi, however, had virtually no such bottlenecks. As long as he raised the levels of his spells, he could continue progressing. If he brought multiple spells up to the level of Second-Ring Spell, then until his Spiritual Power reached the standard of a Third-Ring Wizard, his path would be completely unobstructed.

In fact, as the number of spell crystals in Levi's soul sea increased—and as their levels rose—the upper limit of his soul sea's strength also increased. This, in turn, improved his meditation efficiency, raising the amount of Spiritual Power gained each session.

With the added effect of the potion, Levi's Spiritual Attribute increased by 0.8 in one go.

Before meditating, his Spiritual Power had been 30.95. After the increase of 0.8, it jumped to 31.75, and his maximum Magic Power rose to 10,557.

"Not bad."

Seeing this result, Levi was fairly satisfied.

After all, he had only recently become a Second-Ring Wizard. If he could maintain this level of efficiency every day, then…

Well, that would be truly incredible.

Of course, that wasn't possible.

The same potion could not remain effective forever.

Its effects would inevitably weaken over time.

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and stopped wasting time, immediately resuming his spell practice.

[You have cast Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 794/800.]

…

[You have cast Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 799/800.]

…

[You have cast Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 800/800.]

…

[Your Wizard's Hand has reached the upgrade threshold. Upgrade available.]

"Upgrade."

With a thought, the spell crystal corresponding to Wizard's Hand within his soul sea rapidly reorganized, becoming more complex. In the process, the strength of his soul sea increased once again.

[Wizard's Hand LV5 (1/1600)]!

At last!

After so long, Levi had finally obtained his second Level 5 spell—that is, a Second-Ring Spell.

Sensing the power of this Second-Ring Spell version of Wizard's Hand, he discovered that it could now easily lift objects weighing up to 2,500 kilograms, had a much wider range, and had become far more flexible, with a variety of applications. Moreover, Levi could now maintain multiple instances of Wizard's Hand at the same time.

This was what a Second-Ring Spell was supposed to be!

Levi's strength had increased significantly as a result.

Of course, correspondingly, the Magic Power consumption of Wizard's Hand at the level of a Second-Ring Spell had also multiplied.

But compared to its power, that was entirely worth it.

The leap from a First-Ring Wizard to a Second-Ring Spell was a qualitative transformation.

However, to raise a Second-Ring Spell to a Third-Ring Spell would require 1,600 experience points—it would take a very long time.

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar

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