I am a mage, with an infinite mana bar!

"Is that even possible?" Lynn tried hard to suppress the upward curve of her lips.

The benefits of sharing the magic network were greater than he had imagined. Originally, he only wanted to establish relationships and make profits by renting out the magic network, but he did not expect that it could also provide magical affinity.

In other words, he can gain more affinity by binding with different types of spellcasters.

This way, he can learn magic more efficiently in the future!

"Lynn, what an amazing ability! My magic pool has instantly doubled in size, no, even more! And there's magic automatically flowing into my body; this is even better than the effect of the staff!"

Eli danced with excitement; she had received a good basic magical education and understood what these things meant.

He... he actually managed to break the rules of the world! This is something even those great mages couldn't do!

Eli took a deep breath to calm herself, then lifted the hem of her nightgown with both hands and bowed deeply to Lynn.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Lynn, you've shown me a whole new path! It's simply a miracle!"

Lynn hadn't expected the effect of the magic network sharing to be so exaggerated. Although it couldn't compare to his own, it was enough to make Eli's talent leap several levels.

It's important to know that the magic pool represents the spellcaster's magical affinity, which can only be increased by continuously learning magical knowledge.

The larger the base magic pool, the greater the potential for a spellcaster's development.

If Eli was originally only at the level of an elite mage, then she has now reached the threshold of an archmage.

"Excuse me, what kind of reward should I pay?" Eli blinked, somewhat apprehensive. She didn't think she had any good way to pay for this miraculous gift without using the Frey family's resources.

Lynn pondered for a moment. He had originally intended to accept gold coins as payment, but that would be too wasteful for a nobleman of such high status.

"I need you to help me with three things, but I haven't thought of the specifics yet. Let's talk about it later. Don't worry, I'll try my best to keep it within your capabilities."

Eli breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but then she smiled bitterly to herself. Considering Lynn's two acts of saving her life, she already owed him too much.

Lynn then reminded him, "The magic net's effect is limited; in my current state, it can only be maintained within a 50-meter range."

Of course, he believed that as the [Psionic] pathway continued to upgrade, his magic network would be able to reach even farther places.

"I understand." Eli couldn't hide her excitement; she felt more and more that taking the initiative to reach out to Lynn was the right choice.

This seemingly impoverished novice adventurer actually harbors such an astonishing secret.

"Well... goodnight?" Lynn yawned, though he was genuinely tired.

Eli nodded quickly, smiled and said goodnight, then grabbed his staff and jogged out of the room.

Looks like someone's going to be too excited to sleep tonight?

Lynn smiled and shook his head, closed the doors and windows, lay back down on the bed, and soon fell asleep as drowsiness overcame him.

……

"Hehehe..."

What the hell is that noise?!

Lynn was so frightened that his hair stood on end, and he immediately began to draw the spell of the [Stealth Step] in his mind, ready to retreat at any moment.

In the extremely faint light of the darkness, he was startled to see a figure standing at the head of his bed!

Lynn tensed up and instinctively rolled over to hide, while reaching for the light switch on the bedside table.

The magic mineral lamp instantly lit up, its slightly bluish light illuminating the entire room.

With his bluish-black skin and ugly face covered in fangs, he was none other than the orc warrior Gray!

But now he has become very strange, his body is twisted, his back is hunched, his hands and feet are bent, he makes strange noises that are not human, and his eyes are bulging out as he stares at him.

Holy crap!

Lynn was so frightened that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

How did he get in? Lynn looked at the door and found that the brass handle on the door had been forcibly twisted off.

Brother, you have such incredible strength...

"Kill those...mages..."

Before Lynn could complete the [Stealth Step] spell, he suddenly pounced, his fingers twisted like ghostly hands, carrying immense brute force as he tried to tear Lynn to shreds.

How could a mere novice mage possibly withstand an attack from such a seasoned warrior?!

A loud "bang" rang out!

Lynn was suddenly blinded by a white light. After a moment, he adjusted and saw that Gray was right in front of him, but was blocked by a transparent barrier. His claws attacked wildly, but were all deflected as if hitting steel.

Is this a first-level spell, [Shield]? No, no, this effect is definitely not first-level!

"So it really is dark magic..."

Hearing the sound, Lynn looked over and saw a familiar face standing at the foot of the bed, a face that instantly made him feel safe.

"Mr. Barton, what are you doing here?" Lynn was both surprised and delighted, and quickly got up and ran to the old man's side.

Old Man Barton nodded slightly, then extended his right hand, revealing the magical bronze ring on his thumb.

After a short, powerful chant, a blue-purple light shone on Gray's body, like a transparent barrier, instantly immobilizing him.

Second Ring [Human Immobilization]? But to be able to immobilize a veteran warrior so easily must be beyond the second ring level.

Barton circled Gray halfway around, his aged yet remarkably bright eyes filled with deep thought.

He waved, signaling Lynn to come over.

Lynn hadn't fully recovered from the fright of seeing a ghost in the middle of the night, so she cautiously approached.

The old man frowned, puffed out his beard, and glared, saying, "You brat, what's wrong? Don't you trust my magic?"

"No, no, no," Lynn said somewhat awkwardly, approaching to examine the mutated Gray. "Mr. Barton, what happened to him?"

"Oh dear, what a disaster..." The old man shook his head, his wrinkled fingers pinching the back of Gray's neck. With a forceful tug, he pulled a hideous parasite out of Gray's neck, bringing with it a foul-smelling black blood.

Its entire body was pitch black with an ominous green glow. It was not dead yet, writhing desperately. A ring of small, sharp teeth around its head made Lynn's scalp tingle.

With his other hand, Barton pulled out a glass bottle from somewhere, stuffed the insects inside, and shook it a few times after putting the lid on.

"This is a spirit-eating insect, an evil magical creature that can only be summoned by dark magic."

"It can warp the mind of its host, um, this thing reminds me of a bunch of bad guys."

"What kind of guy?" Lynn asked curiously.

"The Corruption Cult, they are traitors to the Green Tower, a bunch of complete lunatics."

The Green Tower? The Corruption Cult… Lynn silently memorized the name.

"You two carry some kind of evil mark. Those cultists probably want to use it to attract monsters and cause accidents."

Seeing the change in Lynn's expression, he raised his hand and patted Lynn's shoulder. "Don't worry, that mark will only last for a day. You're safe for now."

"As for this guy," he glanced at Gray, scoffing, his round face twitching slightly, "a corrupted idiot! I'll take him back to the Magic Association for a proper interrogation!"

As he spoke, he took out a bottle of light pink medicine from his pocket. Through the glass bottle, Lynn could see that it was still bubbling inside.

Barton poured the potion into Gray's mouth in one gulp, and after a few breaths, the orc closed his eyes.

"Sleeping potion, a must-have for home and travel," Barton said humorously, shaking the empty bottle.

Then, he walked to the table, sat down in a chair, and leisurely poured himself a glass of water.

"The people from the Magic Association will be here soon," he said, smiling at Lynn. "Before that, I'd like to have a word with you."

Upon hearing this, Lynn felt a chill run down her spine and immediately tensed up.

"When that orc attacked you, you were preparing a spell, weren't you? A spellcasting incantation? The spell's structure is also quite unique..."

Sure enough, Lynn's heart, which had just calmed down, tensed up again. His magical skills were completely exposed in front of such an experienced mage.

"The complexity of that spell doesn't seem like that of a first-level spell, but the magical power does match. Interesting, very interesting."

The old man's eyes shone brightly, as if he had discovered a completely new subject, but he did not pursue the details further. Instead, he said:

"Lynn, you are a very promising young man. Don't worry, I won't pry too much into your secrets. Every mage has some mysterious knowledge to some extent, which is not unusual."

"I just want to entrust a task to such an outstanding young person as you."

The old man winked playfully with his right eye. "The reward depends on how well the task is completed. For example, I'll personally make you a second-circle spellbook."