Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 85 I really envy you for having landed

The male apprentice collected the fragments and handed Ron a note:
"'Magic Circuit Optimization' is in the seventh classroom on the east side of the third floor, at 1:00 PM. 'Spiritual Stabilization Techniques' is in the third classroom on the north side of the fifth floor, at 3:00 PM. Don't be late."

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you." The officer on duty added:

"As a new junior apprentice, you have the privilege of choosing any basic course for free. However, this opportunity only comes once, so I suggest you choose carefully."

Ron's eyes lit up. This was an unexpected bonus, and he immediately decided to save this free spot for a more expensive course in the future.

After taking the note, he thanked the other party and was about to leave.

"Wait a moment, Apprentice Ron." The officer on duty reminded him hesitantly:
"Since you're on the 'Watch List,' the school will pay more attention to you. I hope you can... behave well."

Ron nodded, thinking a little more.

This attention is both an opportunity and means more pressure and attention.

After leaving the teaching area, he decided to go to the cafeteria to eat something to reserve energy for the afternoon classes.

As soon as Ron sat down with his plate, he noticed that a few young men in gray robes of novice apprentices were talking in low voices not far away.

Judging from their tired expressions and the stains on their robes, they must have just returned from some kind of field mission.

One of the tall and thin men noticed Ron, his eyes lit up, and he waved quickly: "Hey, Ralph! Long time no see!"

Ron recognized that this was Carl, who had been in the same batch with him when he entered school, a candidate apprentice from a merchant family who had luckily passed the final elimination period.

"Karl, long time no see, did you just come back from a mission?"

"Yes, I spent three whole days collecting magic crystal flowers in the edge forest."

Carl rubbed his eyes tiredly, but a hint of pride remained on his face. "The reward is not bad, fifteen magic stone fragments."

The short and fat apprentice next to him interrupted:
"That's because Carl knows the 'Breeze Technique' and can drive away those poisonous insects. If it weren't for him, we might not even be able to come back alive."

Carl waved his hand and turned his gaze to Ron:

"Let's not talk about that anymore. I heard you're an apprentice to Mrs. Allen? You're really lucky to be able to work in a place like that!"

"I'm definitely lucky," Ron said modestly. "Mrs. Allen has a deep understanding of Potions, and I've learned a lot."

"I really envy you." Carl smiled bitterly:

"People like us don't have any special talents, so we can only continue to endure the hardships in the tower. You know, for beginners like us with mediocre qualifications, it will take at least eight to ten years to advance to the middle level."

Another short and fat apprentice also came over:

"By the way, I heard that old lady Mrs. Allen doesn't accept apprentices easily."

He said with a hint of jealousy, "She's very picky about her assistants. She's changed more than a dozen, and none of them satisfied her."

Carl elbowed his companion hard, then turned to Ron and said:

"Ignore him, he's just jealous. Seriously, Ron, you have such a stable job, you don't need to take on those dangerous commissions. We, junior apprentices with no foundation, can only rely on these tasks to make a living."

Ron saw the envy in Carl's eyes.

In the Black Mist Jungle, where the gap between the upper and lower classes is extremely wide, the life of a novice apprentice is indeed difficult.

Although they passed the elimination during the waiting period, they were still at the bottom of the school and had almost no hope of promotion.

"What are your plans for the near future?" Ron asked. Carl's face darkened. "I've taken on a gathering mission to collect a plant called 'Weeping Vine' from the 'Howling Swamp' in the fringe area. The reward is good, thirty magic stone fragments, but..."

"But that place is too dangerous." The short and fat apprentice continued, his voice full of fear:

"Last month, five junior apprentices went there to perform a similar mission, but only one returned, and he was missing an arm."

"But we have no choice." Carl sighed:
"You know what, Ron? Junior apprentices like us can't even be considered members of the school. Only when we're promoted to intermediate apprentices can we be officially recognized by the school. Only then will we be eligible to participate in patrols and receive a stable income in magic stones."

"Indeed." Ron nodded, remembering what Andre had mentioned:

"I heard that in the mortal kingdom, they can even be treated with courtesy by the king and be granted the title of real nobles."

Not only will the intermediate apprentices' mental and magical powers increase significantly, but the power of their spells will also increase several times.

"That's right." Karl's eyes flashed with desire, his voice was low and urgent, and his body leaned forward unconsciously:
"My father once witnessed a mid-level apprentice unleash a light and heat spell that instantly reduced a team of over a dozen people to ashes."

He gestured to an explosion, his face reflecting the imagined flames:

"Even a full-fledged knight, known for his ability to defeat a thousand men on the battlefield, would find it difficult to fight against an average apprentice."

The short and fat apprentice sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping, and his eyes staring blankly at the patterns on the table:

"The school doesn't value us junior apprentices at all. We are of almost no value to them."

He clenched his fist and unclenched it. "So we can only live in those low, crowded towers. Our life is worse than during the waiting period."

Carl smiled bitterly and shook his head:

“We’re actually very lucky.”

He waved his fist and made an exaggerated gesture:

"There are still countless wandering apprentices and alien transcendents out there, desperately trying to get in. The Black Mist School is the top gathering place for transcendents in this vast area."

His gaze turned to a middle-level apprentice in a dark blue robe in the distance. The man was chatting and laughing with several of his fellow apprentices. His temperament was completely different from the numbness and fatigue of the gray-robed apprentices.

"I don't plan to stay here for too long." Carl suddenly lowered his voice and said, "If there's no hope of promotion in two years, I'll leave the Black Mist Jungle and try my luck elsewhere."

Ron looked at him in surprise: "Leave? Where to?"

"I heard that the 'Emerald Tower' in the east has recently begun to expand and is recruiting apprentices."

A hint of determination flashed in Carl's eyes. "Although its reputation is far inferior to that of the Black Mist School, and there are only two or three official wizards, it is said that the promotion system there is not so harsh."

"But... it's dangerous to leave the Black Mist Jungle." Ron warned.

"It's just as dangerous to stay." Carl smiled bitterly. "At least there's still a glimmer of hope if I leave, instead of slowly rotting here."

Listening to their conversation, Ron sighed inwardly.

If it weren't for the golden finger, he might be like these apprentices now.

Struggling at the bottom of the academy, with no hope in sight... He couldn't even make it through the reserve period, and his situation was only getting worse.

"I have to go now. I have classes this afternoon." He said goodbye to the two apprentices in a hurry. "I wish you all the best with your commission."

Carl forced a smile:
"Thank you, and keep in touch. To be honest, Ron, we all envy you for having a stable job with Mrs. Allen. That's an opportunity most junior apprentices can never achieve in their lifetime."

(End of this chapter)