Indeed, the jade pendant is a spatial artifact. Thanks to Alina’s spatial pouch, Dick had some basic understanding of spatial equipment.

Damn it! Enduring the sharp pain in his head, he confirmed that opening the jade pendant's spatial realm caused his mental strength to throb painfully. The space within was pitch black, and there was nothing to be seen.

Damn it! Dick desperately tried to exit the pendant's space, but he couldn’t escape. Was he doomed to perish here?

The throbbing pain in his head persisted, as if death refused to come easily.

The pain shifted from sharp to dull, then to... Dick lost consciousness.

When Dick finally woke, he had no idea how long he had been unconscious. The throbbing in his head had subsided. He had escaped death!

But something was off. His mind seemed sharper—what did this mean?

Could the jade pendant enhance mental strength? After more than a year of magical training, Dick had a grasp of basic magical knowledge. It seemed his accumulation of fire and water magic power had increased slightly.

Did this slight increase in magical power make a significant difference? For Dick, who lacked magical crystals and gold, any increase was substantial.

If so, this pendant was indeed a treasure for magical training.

“Dick, Dick, what are you doing? You’ve been in there all day—open the door!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Hearing Alina’s voice, Dick knew she was kind to him, frequently treating him to high-grade meals infused with magical elements.

Dick quickly hid the jade pendant, tidied his clothes, and opened the door.

“Dick, your dedication to training is impressive,” said Harvey, a chubby boy from the dorm next door. Over the past year, Harvey and Dick had become quite friendly. Harvey was not a noble but came from a wealthy merchant family, making it somewhat remarkable for him to associate with a pauper like Dick.

“Can’t help it; hard work makes up for lack of talent. So, chubby, what’s on the menu today?” Now that they were familiar, Dick didn’t hold back.

“Always thinking about food. Hurry up, your Uncle Taita is here and waiting for you at the academy entrance,” Alina said impatiently.

“Dick, your uncle’s here? Perfect, I’ll treat you and your uncle to a magical feast.” Harvey was genuinely affluent and generous to Dick. Magical meals were quite expensive, and Dick couldn’t afford them.

“Great! It’s settled then.” Dick and Harvey walked shoulder to shoulder. “Alina, where are you going? Aren’t you joining us?”

“Unlike you, I have my own business. I’m heading to find Angel,” Alina said, arriving and departing swiftly.

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“Dick, looks like the belle of the academy has her eye on you. She seems quite concerned about you.”

“Chubby, don’t be absurd! She’s from a count’s family, while we’re commoners. Disparaging Alina’s reputation could bring trouble.” Dick reminded Harvey once more.

“Nobles? Ha! Didn’t you say it’s all about strength? Once our magical prowess reaches mid-level…”

“Exactly, chubby. Until then, we need to keep a low profile.”

“Got it. I’m just joking around with you, haha!”

The two arrived at the academy entrance. Relatives were allowed to visit the academy. Taita joined Dick and Harvey inside, and they enjoyed a magical feast together.

“Uncle Taita, what’s this about?”

“Dick, take this. As a level-four warrior, obtaining a level-one magical crystal is no trouble for me. Your magical training is what truly matters.” Taita genuinely cared about Dick’s training. Without magical crystals and gold, training for a mage was severely impacted. Fortunately, Dick was only a first-level mage and only needed a level-one magical crystal.

Level-one magical beasts in the Beast Mountain Range were relatively easy to handle. Many hunters ventured into the range, and as a mid-level warrior, Taita could easily find a hunting team to explore deeper into the Beast Mountain Range.

In reality, while level-one magical beasts were not formidable, finding low-level beasts in the Beast Mountain Range was the real challenge. The mountain was the beasts’ domain, and they had a heightened sense of danger, making them difficult to hunt.

Since it was given, Dick accepted it gratefully.

During the meal, Dick also sought Taita’s advice on qi training techniques.

Warriors like Taita were not meant to stay at the academy for long. After the magical feast, Taita departed quickly. Even a mid-level warrior like him faced difficulties surviving in the capital.

Participating in hunting teams was one of the more flexible professions. However, hunting in the Beast Mountain Range was highly dangerous. Many students from the capital’s warrior schools had perished there, as had many from the magical academy.

For commoner mages who had almost reached second level, hunting magical beasts was the primary way to obtain training resources. There was no other option, as the royal family did not lend resources for training.

Even noble students reaching the second level of magic found it challenging, as few noble families could provide the required second-level magical crystals or gold. Consequently, many noble students had also perished in the Beast Mountain Range.

Certainly, the quest for resources was one reason. Whether warriors or mages, hunting magical beasts was also a crucial practical training experience.

Even Alina, from a count’s family, understood the significance of combat. What more could be said about others?

As a first-level mage and warrior, Dick’s strength was still insufficient.

So, he would continue to strive. Dick did not want to remain a parasite forever. Taita’s kindness did not mean he should passively enjoy the fruits of another’s labor.

“Let’s go, chubby. Let’s have a fight!”

“Sure, am I afraid of you?”

Training for a first-level mage could only be done in the academy’s trial grounds. Of course, the trial grounds were not free to use. Without a mentor, a first-level mage could be in danger of death.

Fortunately, Harvey was wealthy and covered the costs for each trial ground battle.

The sounds of battle echoed as the two fought in the trial grounds. After a dozen or so matches, Dick felt a sense of satisfaction. Such battles were the best practice and honing for learning magical spells. The true purpose of magic was not performance but combat!

“I need to work harder. Dick, you’re progressing too quickly. Next time, I might not be able to beat you,” Harvey said. With his wealth, Harvey’s magical aptitude was similar to Dick’s. Having advanced to first-level mage about four or five months earlier, his magical power accumulation and spell proficiency surpassed Dick’s.

“Chubby, you need to work hard. I now have magical crystals from Uncle Taita, so I might advance to second-level mage before you, haha!” After a bout, despite always losing, Dick felt immensely refreshed, both physically and mentally. “Don’t forget, I’m still a warrior. When I hunt magical beasts in the Beast Forest, I’ll treat you to a magical feast.”

“Is that so? Qi training is also quite challenging, you know?”