John POV

Indeed, my mother's wisdom rings true: one cannot accurately assess individuals based solely on their appearance. Initially, he believed Zack, a fellow library member, to be a person of decent character. Zack's features, with prominent brows, a tall nose, bright eyes, and flowing silver hair, exuded an androgynous charm. One might expect such an individual to possess an elegant demeanor. Yet, over the ensuing days, Zack's behavior shattered his initial impression of elegance.

Upon their first day together at the library, Zack appeared rather sullen. Understandable, really—who in their right mind would rejoice at being assigned to the library? However, in the cafeteria, Zack revealed his true colors. While most apprentices opted for a quick wrap during lunch, a necessity for those struggling to keep pace, Zack leisurely indulged in steak and chocolate cake. His mannerisms betrayed a lack of refinement, devouring his meal with gusto and delicately nibbling the cake with just two fingers, oblivious to the discomfort he caused others. Did he not realize his disruptive behavior? As a fellow apprentice shot him a disdainful, and perhaps pitying, glance, it became evident that Zack's social acumen was sorely lacking.

Observing Zack's futile attempts to integrate with other apprentices only reinforced his skepticism. Even if offered a seat beside him, no apprentice would willingly endure Zack's company during lunch. One might argue that deeming him "crazy" for a single day's behavior was harsh, yet Zack persisted in his uncouth habits every single lunch. It was exasperating to even think about. So, I just went back to reading his spell book.

Yet, attempting to divert my attention back to my spell book proved futile, as a sinister chuckle emanated from my right direction. Turning to face that direction, I found Zack holding a book, his expression twisted in amusement. Curiosity piqued, I stole a glance at the title: [Body Enhancement - Mana]. I raised my eyebrows, did Zack not realize this technique was reserved for prodigies, its contents capable of causing catastrophic bodily harm to the unprepared?

But, I need not caution Zack, for the book itself bore a stern warning, a modification added by the tower to dissuade reckless apprentices. Such insights were gleaned from my older brother, a former apprentice. Both my brother and I belong to a wizardry family. According to our not so desirable talent, our family handed us the job of copying as many spell books as humanly possible before we were kicked out of the tower.

So, I need not care about unrelated people and focus on my given job.

Another two weeks passed in a blur.

Witnessing Zack master the [Clean] spell in just one day left me dumbfounded. Was his comprehension simply unparalleled, bordering on the miraculous? If it is, Zack's talent was undeniable. The potential rewards for bringing such a talented individual on board were enticing.

But then I hear that sinister laugh again and start second-guessing myself. Is this guy really wizard family material? Maybe I'll hold off on making any moves for now. Who knows, maybe Zack just got lucky with that spell.

Zack POV

Hey everyone, guess what? Lately, he’s been dealing with this crazy itch on his back that just won't quit. But it's not just any itch – it's the itch for battle! RAAHHH!

And you know what's making it worse? He’s been picking up some new spells over the past couple of weeks. They make him overconfident. Like, he’ll be invincible in a fight.

So, Zack's got this new spell called Lightning Web, all about snagging foes and controlling their movements. Picture this: a web of electricity zaps onto the ground, trapping anything that steps inside. Not only does it freeze 'em in place, but it also keeps zapping 'em. Don't worry, though, it's more of a stun than a full-on roast.

Then there's Lightning Clad Glove, for when Zack needs to get up close and personal in a fight. It coats his fists in lightning, adding an extra punch to his punches. The cool part? This lightning's tough as nails, like wearing steel gloves but even stronger. Plus, it boosts the durability of his fists, so he can throw down without worrying about hurting himself. Makes sense, right? No use wearing steel gloves if your hands still get banged up inside. This spell takes care of that.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Man, he’s starting to feel a bit too confident. He’s even been thinking about heading over to the rank tower to see how he would stack up. It's this tower where apprentices and wizards can test their skills. The higher you climb, the higher your rank goes.

But here's the catch: you can't just sneak in there anonymously. Nope, if you want to enter, you gotta use your real identity. That means he can’t go wild.

And let's be real, if he can't use all of his tricks, it's not even worth it. he'd just end up getting wrecked by the monsters lurking in the tower.

But if he does decide to go all out, it'd be like shouting to the world, "Check out my insane skills!"

But hey, it's not all bad. There's still the mission hall. He could pick up a mission that suits his level and take down some tough foes on the side without all the attention.

You know, in every novel, whenever the main character is at some event, there's always some unexpected high-level trouble that pops up. It's like clockwork – either the boss who's supposed to be away shows up early, the enemies suddenly level up or start doping in the middle of a fight, or some monster way stronger than it's supposed to be appears out of nowhere.

But you know what? Most of the time, the main characters manage to survive anyway. And as long as he bail the moment things start looking sketchy, he should be fine. Cross fingers Please don't let this turn into some cliché scenario!

Before heading off for the mission, he gotta stock up on some items first.

Lucky for him, on the same floor as the mission hall, there's a market. It's got shops and stalls run by apprentice wizards, full-fledged wizards, and even stuff from the tower itself.

You can find all sorts of stuff at this market – magic beast materials, enchanted items, potions, artifacts, and all kinds of weird things you wouldn't even imagine.

While checking out the items on the stalls, he can't help but notice how good-looking everyone here is. It's like being in another world, duh, – even some random girl running a stall looks like a model you'd see on Earth.

Oh, and he forgot to mention, the people here all have Western facial features like on Earth, but with way more colorful hair. You've got everything from blue to pink – it's like a rainbow of hair colors everywhere you look.

Alright, let's dive back into the shopping spree. So, our guy here is on the hunt for a mask that can throw off those pesky mana detection abilities. See, every wizard worth their salt can use basic mana sense to scope out their surroundings. It's like sending out mana vibes and reading the feedback to suss out what's around. Pretty handy, right? But it also means someone could easily suss out his mug, even with a regular old mask on.

But fear not, he tracks down the perfect magical mask. Pricey, sure, but he's been squirreling away those points for a rainy day. Only splurging on learning spells with his privilege, not the points. This bad boy sets him back 40 points, but hey, a wizard's gotta do what a wizard's gotta do.

Next up, a magic robe. Think of it like armor, protecting him from low-level spells. Problem is, his current robe screams "I'm from the lightning magic tower!" Not exactly subtle for those incognito gigs.

Here's the kicker: the quality he needs? Costs a hefty 100 points. And he's only got around 40 left after snagging the mask. Tough break, but he bites the bullet and settles for the inferior version. Supposedly, it'll still slash the damage from level 0 spells in half. Bit sketchy, but he can feel the enchantment flowing through it, so he figures it'll do the trick.

With whatever points are left, he grabs a tent and supplies from the general store.

Turns out, magic items don't come cheap. Might need to pick up some enchantment, alchemy, or blacksmith skills down the line to save some coin.

And don't even get him started on storage artifacts. Wallet buster, for real. Good thing his bod's buffed up as a side effect from all those enchantments, so he can lug around his gear no problem.

Fast forward to the mission hall. He touches one of the floating stones, and bam, mission info overload. Hundreds of 'em, all from the Fulminar Empire, where his lightning magic tower calls home.

We're talking escort missions, beast bounties, territory skirmishes, you name it. Us wizards are basically high-level mercenaries, and he's okay with that. Can’t take the guarding gigs though, it’ll last anywhere from six months to years.

Failed to make the official wizard level before the deadline? You’ll be forced to sign up for one of these guard gigs as a last hurrah. Step foot inside the tower again? Yeah, right.

But our guy's eyeing a mission that should fit the bill. He commits the mission number to memory and heads to the receptionist, handing over his badge. With a flick of her wrist, she hands it back, flashing him a killer smile. "Good luck," she chirps. Damn, that's a smile worth fighting for. And hey, he'll take all the luck he can get.

**********************

Escort the wife and daughter of Baron Ikokha from the Ikokha Barony to the Seton barony.

Reward: 40 points

Minimum level: level 2 apprentice wizard

Estimated Time for Completion: 3 - 7 days

Mission number: F170

**********************