"I couldn't possibly get myself dragged into the mess just by trying to watch the fun, could I? Oh, right—I can't go back right now anyway. That's fine, then. Even if I wanted to join the excitement, I couldn't reach it," Luge joked to himself.
*If only there were a spell to clean up the dust,* he thought.
After clearing a small patch of ground, he sat down again, brought out the Black Codex, and turned to a new chapter of the Demonic Mark Meditation Method.
This was his first time opening this old friend that had accompanied him longest since advancing to second-rank apprentice wizard. He was no longer in the stage where he had just started catching grubs. Back then, having solved his food troubles while knowing nothing of spells or meditation methods, he had spent pure kobold days doing nothing but eating and sleeping. Ironically, he had been even more inseparable from the Black Codex then—carrying or strapping it to his back whenever he went out, using it as a dining table, a pillow, or a sleep aid.
Looking at the newly opened section, his old friend had indeed not let him down.
A new page of the Black Codex mentioned the temporary spell slots granted by the Demonic Mark Meditation Method. This mechanism—prestoring a spell and casting it instantaneously with zero cost upon use—was shared by all third-generation meditation methods. However, this page detailed a unique feature of the Demonic Mark Meditation Method: upon advancing to formal wizard, by relinquishing these temporary spell slots designed to boost an apprentice wizard's survivability, one had a tremendous probability of obtaining a unique first-ring compound spell.
Compound spells were already a relatively rare type of spell.
Upon advancing to formal wizard, one gained a first-ring spell slot, requiring them to find a coveted first-ring spell to solidify.
And once this rare compound spell successfully formed, it would be solidified directly into that first-ring spell slot. This was because the creation of the compound spell occurred during the process of advancing to formal wizard: a fifth-rank apprentice wizard possessed five demonic marks, and upon advancing to formal wizard, the demonic marks merged into one. During this fusion, the five zero-ring spells temporarily stored within them would combine into a single first-ring compound spell.
The Black Codex noted that the chance of success depended not only on the apprentice wizard's degree of mastery over the spells, but also on the compatibility among the five spells.
At the bottom of the page was a small tip: it was best not to swap out the spells kept in the temporary spell slots. Instead, one should use and replenish them frequently, just like feeding the demonic marks with the same spells, which would increase the odds of obtaining a compound spell upon becoming a formal wizard.
Luge carefully reread the page from top to bottom before setting the Black Codex down.
He realized he might be spared the trouble of searching for a first-ring spell. Furthermore, ever since gaining temporary spell slots, he had never swapped out the stored spells. His first demonic mark had always held Bull's Strength, and his second demonic mark held Demonskin; every time he expended one, he would find an opportunity to store it again as soon as possible.
Perhaps some apprentice wizards might think a compound spell acquired this way carried too much uncertainty; even if one obtained a unique spell, it came with the risk of receiving something outside one's deliberate choice. But for Luge, it was truly an exceptional option.
Because it was a first-ring spell. One could not underestimate this: for other apprentices, tracking down a favored first-ring spell might only take some effort, but for a little kobold with no fixed dwelling and no channel to acquire knowledge, this was the finest gift possible—the greatest present his old friend the Black Codex had bestowed upon him.
He pondered the spells he had already mastered or was about to master as he read on.
For instance, choosing the five zero-ring spells seemed premature for him, given that he had only become a second-rank apprentice wizard a few days ago. Yet considering that spells had to be stored in the temporary slots, used frequently, and not changed often, he had to plan ahead rather than waiting until he was a fifth-rank apprentice wizard to deal with it.
After all, he valued this first-ring spell far more than an ordinary apprentice wizard would. It was very likely the only first-ring spell he would possess when the time came.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he began attempting to master new runes and carry out meditation practice.
Of course, in this place he only dared expend half his effort, not daring to go all out. After meditating for a short while, he would recover and rest.
He did his best to uphold his rule of never missing a day of meditation.
He had discovered that keeping meditation practice to a set duration each day—allowing mental power to rest after being stimulated to grow—was actually better and steadier. Meditating day and night without pause, as he had done previously, was a form of self-destructive haste, and doing so over the long term was hardly a good thing.
After a few rounds of less-than-thorough meditation, Luge packed his things away and took out a plump grub.
Having seen that teacher pull clothes out of thin air from her ring, he had earlier taken out his storage pouch and hung it on himself as well.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
"Young Master, dinner is ready."
The old butler's polite voice sounded outside the door.
Luge was sitting on the ground, neck tilted back and mouth wide open, about to stuff the plump, juicy grub into his mouth.
*They even prepared food?* He blinked.
Recalling his earlier experience going to class, there didn't seem to be any danger.
He casually stuffed the grub meat back into his storage pouch.
*The life of a young master? This kobold will have a taste of it today.*
Pushing the door open, he found the old butler already waiting there. Seeing him emerge, the butler bowed slightly just as before.
Walking along in silence, Luge felt quite relaxed.
Ever since learning that the three of them were likely the only living beings here, he no longer felt as on edge as before, glancing around warily wherever he walked.
A spacious dining hall unlike anything Luge had ever seen appeared before him. It was not that he had never seen such a large dining area, but that he had never seen one with only a single table set in the very center. Beside the table sat a figure—none other than his dedicated, unwavering, esteemed teacher.
Guided by the old butler, he walked past from the side and noticed her sullen expression.
Luge immediately sensed that things were amiss, realizing he might be facing a situation worse than gnawing on grubs in his room.
Just as Luge was letting his thoughts wander while looking for his seat,
the old butler suddenly turned to look at the teacher. She started in surprise and hurriedly stood up to give Luge a brief nod. Then, under Luge's astonished gaze, she remained standing until he took the seat of honor, only then sitting back down without drawing any further attention from the butler.
Luge rubbed his rumbling stomach, glanced at his esteemed teacher's expression, and still felt a flicker of anticipation.
Soon, a plate of dust and muck was placed before him.
Only a moment earlier he had worried he wouldn't know how to use the cutlery; now, he silently set it down.
"Young Master, is it not to your liking?" the old butler asked solicitously from the side.
Luge could only nod.
"I'm feeling a bit unwell. I'd like to return to my room to rest."
Plucking up his courage, he spoke those words—this was his very first formal communication with the old butler.
He stood ready to bring out the Demon's Dice at any second to gamble his chances.
"I shall escort you back to your room right away. Please take this, and have a sip whenever you feel unwell."
Bowing to his right, the old butler solicitously produced a bottle of shimmering silver potion and placed it before Luge; by its appearance alone, it was clearly top-tier goods. Beside him, his silent teacher instantly cast a burning gaze toward it.
*It seems this old castle holds more than just dust and tattered junk,* he thought.
Chapter 54