SOUL FORGE CHRONICLES
Chapter 15 — The Beautiful Apprentice Sorcerer's Robe
The academy appeared far more lively at night than during the day. On his walk to the dormitory tower, Aldric spotted seven or eight apprentice students flying through the air above the pathways.
"Does the academy hold classes at night too?" he wondered.
Reaching the tower, he found a pair of thick doors fitted with two brass knockers, and above them a metal lion's head mounted in the stone.
Aldric knocked lightly.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Recruiting new students again?"
The metal lion's head above the door suddenly spoke.
"It talked!" Elara exclaimed, jumping back slightly.
The lion's head paid her no attention.
"Little ones, produce your crystal balls."
Aldric and Elara reached into their bags and pulled out fist-sized crystal balls — items the owl guide had distributed earlier. These were far superior in quality to the ones used during the entrance exam, perfectly smooth and utterly transparent.
The moment they held the balls up, a beam of red light shot from the lion's eyes into both crystals, confirming their identities. Then the large doors beneath swung open with a deep, resonant thud.
"Student Aldric. Student Elara. Welcome to Life Tower 012."
Stepping inside, the ground floor was empty — a large bare hall covered in a thick layer of dust, clearly untouched for a long time. They climbed the stairs to the second floor and found a long corridor dividing it into two wings of rooms.
Aldric chose a bright room at the end of the corridor. Elara, as they had informally agreed, took the room directly beside his.
"Good night."
"Good night, Aldric."
The room was a reasonable size — about thirty square meters, with a separate bathroom and all the basic furnishings needed. Aldric cleaned the room thoroughly, checked the furniture for unwanted insects, then unpacked his belongings.
He hung the greatsword on the wall and arranged the Synthetic Creature Core and various magic items neatly on the desk. Finally, he emptied the bag the owl had given him. Inside, alongside the crystal ball, he found a black robe, a school regulations handbook, a beginner's meditation guide, and ten magic stones.
Aldric picked up the robe — and the Soul Forge, silent for some time now, suddenly trembled.
"Hmm? This robe can be used as raw material?"
Aldric examined it with curiosity. The fabric felt like silk, with faint magical fluctuations running through it.
He probed it with his mental energy, and a message immediately entered his mind.
[Lucky student, you have obtained a fine apprentice sorcerer's robe personally crafted by master alchemist Jorad. This robe is inscribed with three spells: Force Field Protection, Aura Concealment, and Filth Purification. It also has a self-recharging circuit, making it a perfect choice for low-level students engaging in assassination and ambush.]
Aldric's eye twitched twice. This alchemist named Jorad seemed somewhat unreliable in personality.
But the information left behind gave him a useful clue. This robe appeared to be of "high quality" — which suggested that the Soul Forge's standard for usable raw materials might be items of "high quality" or above.
Though he only had this one example and couldn't draw a definitive conclusion yet, being able to refine it at all was undoubtedly a good sign.
[Material: Apprentice Sorcerer's Robe]
[Extractable Technique: Spell Inscription (Incomplete)]
[Extraction Cost: 15 Mental Energy]
[Extractable Information: Force Field Protection Spell Model, Aura Concealment Spell Model, Filth Purification Spell Model]
[Extraction Cost: 5 Mental Energy]
The information the Soul Forge transmitted genuinely surprised Aldric. He hadn't expected that a single item could yield both a technique and information simultaneously.
"The spell inscription technique costs fifteen mental energy points, while the three spell models only cost five. These three spells must be zero-ring level."
Aldric examined the robe thoughtfully, weighing whether to refine the technique. The three zero-ring spells wouldn't help him significantly right now, and refining the technique would almost certainly knock him unconscious.
"The next major exam is still a long way off. There isn't much else pressing to do right now."
After a moment of deliberation, Aldric chose to refine the technique.
The familiar darkness struck him immediately, and he collapsed where he stood.
When he woke, it was already midday the following day.
"I was out that long?"
Aldric stared at the bright sunlight streaming through the window beside his bed and slowly sat up.
A white ball of light was dancing above the Soul Forge within him. Aldric absorbed it, and in an instant, a torrent of knowledge flooded his senses. He could suddenly perceive magic flowing like threads through his fingers, mixing with trace materials, weaving itself into the fabric of a robe in a precise and deliberate pattern.
"Oh!"
Aldric snapped back to himself and stared at his own hand.
A faint blue magical light flickered at the tips of his fingers — and then, to his astonishment, the magic extended outward from his fingertips like threads, forming a line of text in the air before him:
[Is this the ability of a sorcerer?]
Aldric drew the magic back in slowly. This ability felt like it had opened a door to an entirely new world. He had never imagined that magic could be used as an extension of the body itself — as naturally as moving a limb.
"This is extraordinary. And this is only an incomplete technique. What would the complete version be capable of?"
In that single moment, Aldric felt a glimpse of the true, terrifying depth of a sorcerer's power. And this was only a fragment of what a full sorcerer could do. If even this incomplete technique was this impressive, what kind of genius must the person be who developed the complete version?
Could he ever reach that level himself?
Aldric didn't dare think too far ahead. He cleaned himself up and then opened the school regulations handbook.
His experience with the entrance exam had taught him that every book the academy provided was worth reading carefully.
After reading through the regulations from beginning to end, Aldric's expression shifted from relieved to serious.
The school rules themselves weren't harsh — in fact, they could even be called lenient. Many of the regulations were specifically designed to prevent conflicts between students.
This was very different from the entrance exam.
But every reward came with a hidden price.
While the academy prevented student conflicts in daily life, a deadly trial — similar in nature to the entrance exam — was held every ten years. A student had to survive at least two of these blood trials to be eligible for graduation.
If an apprentice student managed to reach graduation, they faced two choices: participate in an equally brutal graduation exam competing for the qualification to become a true sorcerer, or graduate directly and leave — after paying thirty years' worth of tuition fees.
Yes. The academy charged tuition.
And the fees were staggering. Without becoming a sorcerer, even a high-level apprentice would need to work for the academy for at least a hundred years to pay it off.
Aldric set the book down slowly, his expression flat.
The comfortable sense of relief he had felt earlier was completely gone.
He descended to the ground floor and knocked on the lion's head door fixture, deciding to ask it about the academy directly. As a permanent fixture of the tower, the lion knew the academy's rules and rhythms better than any student guide.
The lion proved surprisingly forthcoming and gave Aldric a great deal of practical advice.
The academy library was open to all apprentice students and many books could be borrowed free of charge. The academy inspectors were fond of nuts and gemstones — building a good relationship with them could earn leniency for minor rule violations. Even magic stones with only partial energy remaining could be exchanged for Academy Coins, though it required some negotiation.
None of this seemed significant on its own, but it would have taken Aldric a very long time to discover any of it on his own.
"Thank you for the guidance. I'll head to the commercial district shortly and pick up some alchemical salve for you."
Aldric gave a slight bow to the lion's head, then turned and made his way out.
The lion's body was made of metal. Though the academy's sorcerers had treated it against rust when it was first crafted, years of wind and rain had taken their toll. A good rust-removing alchemical salve would go a long way toward easing the discomfort.
The salve wasn't expensive. Aldric exchanged twenty-five Academy Coins for a large bottle of rust remover. On the way back, he also picked up several sets of new clothes and a few pairs of leather shoes.
After applying the salve to the lion's head, Aldric returned to his room, bathed, drank a health recovery potion, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to head to the library.
Sorcerers valued and respected knowledge above almost everything else. The academy library was considered the most sacred place in the entire institution. The librarian could dismiss any apprentice student for showing disrespect toward knowledge — and presentable clothing, at minimum, would help avoid unnecessary problems before he even walked through the door.
Aldric had far too many questions that needed answers.
— End of Chapter 15 —