A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 32 Completion of the Burning Ritual

"This is the fifth time already. If it needs to be changed again, it will have to be redrawn."

Looking at the energy-binding array that had been modified five times, Jiang Shuzhou felt a headache coming on.

Although it was revised five times, the results were gratifying; the energy binding array finally passed the test successfully this time.

One should press on with one's might, for the second attempt will be less effective, and the third will be exhausting. Although it was already dusk, Jiang Shuzhou still intended to complete the ceremony today.

Jiang Shuzhou took the chopped Life Wood out of his inventory and stepped into the magic circle.

"Whoosh..."

This was the sound of the Life Wood being ignited. Jiang Shuzhou placed the burning Life Wood into the fire pit and entered meditation.

A rich array of elements filled his body, and Jiang Shuzhou could feel his magic undergoing a transformation.

It has become more resilient and more substantial.

It was an indescribable feeling, a feeling that defied description. Magic was permeating every corner of his body, something Jiang Shuzhou would have noticed if he were looking at his attribute panel.

Strength: 6 → 8

Endurance: 6 → 8

Agility: 7 → 9

The various attributes of the body have been significantly improved, which is obviously due to the transformation of magic, which has led to the improvement of the body.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Shuzhou gradually regained consciousness. The strange feeling had long since disappeared, and the life tree in front of him had been burned to ashes.

"Burning Ceremony (Completed)"

"Finally finished. Tomorrow I'll learn one more spell, and then I'll become a real mage."

Looking at the completed burning ceremony on the system panel, Jiang Shuzhou finally felt relieved. He had been worried that his slow advancement would prevent him from participating in next month's competition.

In retrospect, he was worrying unnecessarily.

Looking at the time again, it's already 11 p.m.

"Is it that late? I feel like only ten minutes have passed."

I have this feeling that someone is stealing my time.

With a sigh, Jiang Shuzhou logged off and went to sleep.

Today was another fulfilling day.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In a certain city, at the countermeasures bureau.

"Damn it, today is just pure bad luck. I didn't do anything, just sat here wasting my time."

Hua Ge was speechless. He was initially nervous when he was brought here, but after the initial nervousness, all that was left was frustration.

He waited there for a full five hours before an old man in a white coat finally appeared.

"Let me introduce myself first. I am Wang Bowen. You can call me Professor Wang."

The old man in the white coat in front of me said.

"Alright, what do you want? Did you have to invite me over so early in the morning? You even confiscated my phone. But that's not the worst part. The worst part is, do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"

"I couldn't even use my phone for five hours!"

Clearly, Hua Ge is in a state of collapse. As a modern person, going five whole hours without eating or drinking, doing nothing but spacing out, and not even being able to use his phone must be incredibly painful. Just thinking about it makes one feel miserable.

"Please understand, I was only able to come here now because of something important."

"Ha, I don't care. Now you should tell me what's going on, right? If you don't tell me what's going on, I won't say a word."

Hua Ge wants an answer.

"We are the Countermeasures Bureau, or the Anomaly Management Countermeasures Bureau for long. We are a newly established organization, and we are currently mainly responsible for investigating anomalies in the game Astral Descent."

Professor Wang patiently explained to Brother Hua.

"So, do you have any questions?"

Perhaps his doubts had been answered, Hua Ge's attitude softened considerably after hearing that the other party was an official. Since the other party had explained things to him and given him a way out, he didn't need to hold on to it anymore.

"I'd like to ask if the posts you made on the forum are true?"

"Of course it's true, otherwise where would I get 100 million gold coins?"

"Okay, I have a few more questions. You can leave after you've answered them and signed the confidentiality agreement."

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

……

Over the next few hours, Hua Ge was repeatedly questioned about various details of what happened. He had long forgotten some of these details, but Professor Wang insisted that he recall them, even if it meant waiting an extra ten minutes.

If it weren't for the fact that he went out for a meal in the middle and was given a two-hour rest at noon, Brother Hua would have quit long ago.

"That's all. No matter how many times you ask, I've forgotten the rest. Who would know exactly how tall those two people are?"

"You ask me how the shackles were unlocked? They just opened automatically after that person walked out. How would I know how they were unlocked?"

After patiently repeating his previous statement several times, Professor Wang finally stopped asking questions.

"Thank you so much for answering all my previous questions, but I have one more request."

"What request?"

"Can you join the Countermeasures Bureau?"

What is that?

No!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ring ring, ring ring."

The alarm clock rang throughout the room, and a hand reached out from under the covers and turned off the phone alarm.

Jiang Shuzhou sprang up from the bed in a somersault.

After eight hours of restful sleep, Jiang Shuzhou woke up at eight o'clock in the morning, finally freeing himself from the feeling of exhaustion.

He had been very tired for the past two days. Although yesterday was relatively easy, Jiang Shuzhou was still inevitably overworked because the energy binding array needed to be engraved.

The consequence was that although his body had not undergone any exercise, Jiang Shuzhou still felt extremely tired, as if the exhaustion in his soul had also come with him.

However, he still managed to crawl out of his warm bed with his own willpower. After all, he was going to learn magic today. Once he learned magic, he would no longer be a mortal, but a true sorcerer.

Of course, more importantly, once he becomes a first-tier mage and has the ability to protect himself, Jiang Shuzhou can follow the direction of the compass needle and go to the civilized world.

No more eating bread and drinking salted meat soup every day, or having to be stingy when eating fruit.

Those days are gone forever.

Starting today, I will return to the civilized world!

Same as always.

"Astral Plane: Descent, Activate!"

The familiar feeling of being pulled out of consciousness returned, and Jiang Shuzhou was back on his loyal desert island.

Although the island is now desolate, with most of the forest in the middle cut down and the sparse, leaning trees telling the story of Jiang Shuzhou's brutality against them.

But this did nothing to dampen Jiang Shuzhou's good mood.

Because he was finally leaving this wretched island.

However, before that, he should learn some first-tier spells.

It's important to know that the ocean is known for its ruthlessness, not its friendliness. If you want to cross the ocean in a small boat to reach the civilized world, you can't do it without some preparation.

Jiang Shuzhou has already prepared the food; if it's still not enough, you can buy more from the trading post.

The remaining navigation is handled by the pointer.

Item Name: Pointer (Velisco)

Category: Magical Items

"Class: First Rank"

Function: Navigation

"Description: It has two pointers, the larger one pointing south and the smaller one pointing to the port city of Velisco, making it an essential item for travelers."

This magical item was given to him by a senior, along with the book that Jiang Shuzhou regarded as his guiding principle.

I must say, he was a really good person.

The only thing left to prepare now is to learn first-tier spells; it's just a matter of time.

Jiang Shuzhou has already planned out the spells he should learn next.

These are: Fireball, Language Proficiency, Appraisal, Mage Armor, Gale, Heal Minor Wounds, and Freeze.