The other items inside of the box were as follows:

  Pouch filled with ten thousand Ritars in the form of Violet Crystal,

  Universal Acolyte Guide Book,

  Reusable Scroll of Barrier Spell and Fire Spark Spell,

  Dried up Lively Ox Weed, High Whisper Root, Mortal’s Dew Flower and lastly,

  The Moonlight Energy Pendant.

  As Korin explained each and every item’s details, Illyan couldn’t help but be surprised by how much they actually valued him.

  He also could feel where this was going and Korin also knew he knew.

  ‘They want me to become an acolyte myself. Why? To not be a hindrance? Or to make me hooked?’ he wondered as Korin pointed at the scrolls in the box.

  “These are magic scrolls that acolytes use. The times are bad and self-defense is important.”

  The reusable magic scrolls spoke for themselves. It was something highly sought after.

  Even though the spells themselves were simple, they were indispensable during a fight where even a single lapse of judgment could cause doom. And this was especially true since one spell was offensive and the other was defensive.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t really optimistic to get this since Illyan could not use them.

  Or maybe he could, but definitely not through the orthodox way of infusing mana into it.

  Obviously, they would not give him something like this without a reason as the other items were even more shocking.

  “The book itself is something that Miss Vanda herself wrote. You may not be aware of it since you didn’t see her in action, but she is quite strong and knows a lot about the world outside. For scholars like you, the essence of its content can open many doors,” Korin said with a meaningful gaze.

  Since they didn’t know that he was the culprit behind their failure, they also didn’t know that he already fought Vanda and knew the extent of her abilities.

  ‘She was definitely strong though. If there was something in the book that could help me then…’

  Illyan took the guide in his hands and opened it as he browsed through a few pages.

  There, an introduction to the magical world and especially the knowledge about mana could be seen.

  It wasn’t as detailed and informative as Aurelia’s teaching, but there were definitely things that even she didn’t know.

  After all, while Aurelia was smart and talented, she was still confined to this horrid place and could never truly see the world outside.

  Feeling the tingling in his spine, Illyan suppressed the smile on his lips as he closed the book and took the herbs closer to his nose to take a whiff.

  ‘They are definitely better than the ordinary plants, but they are still below Firestorm Herb.’

  Illyan thought as he thought of the description Korin just gave him.

  Lively Ox Weed was a plant widely spread in the Grannars Plains. As its name implied, it was considered a weed since it was useless for the population outside of the kingdom that consisted mostly of acolytes.

  The plant’s name originated from the fact that it parasitized on other plants in the plains. Through that, they gained a bit of vitality above normal plants.

  But that was all. They were mostly a source of food for the fauna since they were spread everywhere and were not considered rare.

  However, it still served as a great tonic in larger quantities that strengthened vitality, endurance, and more. Of course, the result was minuscule if you compared it to the Body Refining Methods or real elixirs.

  ‘Saying that it was useful only in large quantities but giving me one… How devious...’ Illyan smirked as he knew that it was another small scheme.

  If he wanted more, he would need to accept the deal.

  ‘It will probably be useless to me since my body is far from normal, but it could be useful in some ways,’ Illyan thought as he looked at the High Whisper Root.

  The plant grew at the outskirts of the Forest of Dark Stillness and Forest of Silent Night.

  Since it grew in an environment without sunlight, it grew only a small part above the ground that was absorbing the water from the moisture-dense air, and most of it was underground.

  As for its effects… It slightly heightened sensitivity of all senses except for the sight.

  ‘This could be useful. Especially since I will soon open my apertures.’ Illyan was satisfied thinking about this. Even if it was actually very weak, as long as it helped him even a bit to make a breakthrough, it was a success.

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  And the last herb he got…

  ‘This is another trap…’

  He almost groaned when he saw that.

  The Mortal Dew Flower was extremely fragrant and beautiful, and soaking it in water made a drink capable of sharpening mana perception for half a day.

  However, the most important thing was not this effect but the way the smell influenced a person.

  ‘It makes me want to devour it as it is. That is not normal.’ Illyan frowned. It was definitely addictive.

  Normal people wouldn’t notice, but his strengthened smell made him able to sense it as he almost groaned in pleasure from smelling this flower.

  Considering that it was actually dried, Illyan feared what kind of effect fresh flowers would have on him.

  All in all, most of the things were quite rare in the Vanaras Kingdom but were quite common outside.

  Only the Ritars he got, that were the continental currency made out of purified and refined mana, could be said to be something above average as even Arwen had only a few hundred crystals on him.

  “There are many forms of Ritars, but the mana crystals are definitely the best for the current you. In fact, they were the first Ritar form to be created according to the old tales.”

  One Ritar word originated from the ancient word Ritari, which meant ‘Pure’, and it was also one of the names of the Old God.

  The quality and quantity of One Ritar was also inspired by an old tale about this god.

  The amount of one Ritar was believed to be the amount of energy that God used to perform an Evil Behemoth-Slaying Spell that felled The Beast threatening to swallow the world.

  The story about this was actually even in the library.

  However, it wasn't a historic book but rather a book for children. Mere fairytale.

  Looking at the small bead in his hand, Illyan also thought it had to be an exaggeration.

  The amount of mana inside of the One Ritar was minuscule even in his opinion.

  One hundred crystals were barely enough to perform an Apprentice-level spell.

  It was unheard of to be able to perform any kind of magic with such a small amount.

  However, at least the quality was up to par.

  These crystals were not like Magic Stones that were dug up in the mines.

  They were handmade by condensing mana.

  As long as one had enough mana, he could literally handmake money.

  However, usually, if one was not skilled enough, the condensation was too slow and was not strong enough, and only pale blue crystals could be condensed.

  But these were not accepted as they were basically useless.

  The higher purity and unity of these mana crystals, despite the minuscule amount inside each of them, also helped to keep their energy content without leaking in this damned land.

  However, in the end, all of this was pretty much useless to a normal person. Only the herbs were somewhat useful, but only in larger quantities.

  Just as Illyan wanted to check on the last item, Korin spoke up.

  “Kaoran…” His voice, completely serious, called out to him with his eyes shining with greed.

  “You definitely would think that these rewards seem… to be quite unfair. And that’s understandable since it was even me who told you that your talent wasn’t sufficient. However, that doesn’t mean these gifts are useless to you. No, what we are giving you is the opportunity. This is only the tip of the iceberg, the taste of what’s to come.”

  Hearing this, Illyan almost laughed in disbelief.

  “Are you saying that I can set my foot on the path of acolytes?”

  “No. I am saying that if you accept miss’ deal and help us get the inheritance, you will become magister in no time,” Korin said as his grip on his golden cane tightened with his breath becoming heavier.

  “A deal? You want to make another deal with me? And even giving such grand promises…” Illyan frowned as he tapped the table with his finger.

  “It is far from just grand, Kaoran. This is the opportunity of several lifetimes! If we really gained the inheritance, the truth is that magisters would be nothing in front of us. I didn’t tell you this, but the math of magic doesn’t end with magisters. Even magisters have their ranks. And this… could allow us to rise to the top.”

  The yearning in Korin’s eyes intensified.

  “Haah… Mr. Korin… Why do you even think that I would desire this? Before? Maybe. After all, the temptation of power and knowledge is pretty strong. But nowadays, I am just glad that I survived,” Illyan said with a shake of his head.

  He couldn’t reveal that he was actually really eager to get these things.

  Or at least he didn’t want to, but he realized it was an unnecessary thought when he heard Korin’s sneer.

  “Don’t make a fool out of me, Kaoran. I know what kind of person you are. Did you really think that we wouldn’t notice after two years of knowing each other?”

  Illyan’s heart fell upon hearing this.

  ‘Wait… What?’

  He completely stiffened as he felt panic for the first time since their conversation started. He fully believed that he led the conversation and had it under his control, but now…

  ‘Was I discovered?’ His muscles contracted as he felt adrenaline pumping throughout his body.

  ‘No, I must keep a cool head.’ He forcibly stopped his body and relaxed as he inhaled air through his gritted teeth.

  However, the next words that left Korin’s mouth made him speechless.

  “The greedy nature of yours is spilling without you even knowing. Normal physicians either desire the money and fame or, like Mr. Vael, want to help people regardless of what profit it could bring them. But you are different.”

  He said this with confidence while Illyan wondered what the hell he was talking about.

  “The reason why I scouted you out before was because of your curious nature, as you learned new topics with zeal. However, you surpassed all my expectations. You probably already read more books in the library than the academics who spent a decade here. Your avarice for knowledge is something that fascinates not just me but even Miss Vanda.”

  Korin’s smile widened when he saw a small reaction on the otherwise expressionless face. Little did he know that it wasn’t because Illyan was surprised at how well he perceived his thoughts, but because he had scared him for a second.

  ‘Damn it, you bastard.’

  Of course, Korin didn’t know about his thoughts as he continued.

  “I bet that knowledge about mathematics and medicine is interesting and all, but… Don’t you want more from life? Something special to happen? I saw your disappointment when I checked your talent back then.”

  “Hmm… You are certainly right. If I had the opportunity to become a magister, I would take it in tandem, but I can’t. You were the one who told me this, Mr. Korin,” Illyan said slowly as he kept his expressions under control.

  “Hoho, that’s where you are wrong.” Korin slapped the table with his palm as he laughed.

  Then he lifted his finger as he explained, “I said it would be very difficult but not impossible. For someone to achieve something in the world of magic, you would need someone who paves the path for you.

  Just like you learned medicine from your seniors, the acolytes need to learn under someone’s tutelage. However, who would teach someone without much talent? There are numerous people with similar talent like you among the acolytes.

  The difference between them and the more talented ones is as clear as between the sky and earth. The acolytes that live like kings here are just labor slaves outside that get little to no benefits and have to learn on their own.”

  ‘Oh? So there are stronger acolytes? That’s promising.’ Illyan thought that despite the acolytes being able to use magic, they were pretty much underwhelming since he could beat most of them with just his strong body alone.