Ronald hurried to the Swill Grand Mage Tower and met with his brother-in-law in the reception room.

His brother-in-law looked to be in a bad mood. Ronald came in but he didn't greet him, just kept staring at him coldly.

"Brother-in-law?" Ronald said in a small voice.

"Why are your magic theory grades so poor? I already gave you the magic manuscripts, didn't I? Even if the problems were different, you could have copied some of the thinking and your score wouldn't have been so low..." Morison spoke very coldly.

Ronald had no way to answer this question, since he certainly couldn't say that after getting the manuscripts in hand, he hadn't looked at a single page.

The only response Ronald could give was silence.

Someone who could emerge from countless competitors to become the master of a tower was no fool. With just a single action, Morison understood that Ronald had not taken his life's work seriously.

Magic manuscripts that were priceless treasures outside were so lightly regarded by someone he trusted--Morison was indescribably disappointed.

Morison tried to understand his young nephew--after all, gaining fame at a young age along with a privileged background, it was inevitable he would be arrogant and spoiled...

Okay, Morison couldn't convince himself.

Because Ronald had experienced everything he had experienced.

Morison thought his nephew could make it through, so he didn't watch too closely, but the result was that his nephew had sunk deep into the cage of desire.

The more Morison thought about it, the angrier he got. The more he thought about it, the angrier...

Morison hated that he couldn't use the dark magic spell "Soul Whipping Lash" to fiercely whip Ronald, just like whipping his two sisters...

Grand mages were all masters at controlling their emotions. Morison quickly suppressed his anger. Instead, he asked:

"How are you handling the things I gave you to do?"

"Uh..." Ronald hesitated and didn't speak for a long time.

Failing to silence someone, then getting his balls smashed and nearly killed was not exactly glorious. Ronald was somewhat reluctant to bring it up.

Morison shook his head in disappointment. Then he took out a slip of paper from under the desk and placed it in front of his nephew.

Ronald picked it up and looked. His face instantly turned ghastly pale. The paper recorded all of Ronald's actions over the past two days, including his visit to the new sister-in-law's house and his near-death experience.

"What do you plan to do next?" Morison asked lightly.

"Brother-in-law...this...this was just an accident...I didn't expect this bitch to be hiding his strength, so I was inadvertently blindsided by him. But don't worry, now that he's revealed himself, next time I'll send more people and leave him no chance to turn the tables..."

Ronald explained desperately, his face pale.

Because he was focused on explaining, Ronald didn't notice that his improper bearing had already aroused Morison's disgust.

Maintaining calm at all times was a very important ability for a mage.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Morison could overlook his nephew's lack of talent, weak learning ability, etc., but the one thing he absolutely could not accept was the other's flustered reaction to events.

This was something no proper mage could tolerate.

After a moment of silence, Morison said indifferently: "I'll help you get an admission spot at the Aireach Magic Academy. If there's nothing else, you can go back now."

Ronald's worry changed to joy. He loudly thanked his brother-in-law, then left the mage tower under the escort of an attendant.

After Ronald left, Morison waved his hand to summon the butler.

"Don't let him in next time. Also notify the family to cancel their support for him."

The white-haired butler bowed slightly, then slowly closed the door and left.

* * *

Ronald's destination on this trip was Dragon Castle in the northern region.

Dragon Castle was a fortress city established by the Aireach Kingdom in the farthest north. Just beyond it were the dangerous Magical Beast Mountains.

The Magical Beast Mountains were listed by the Adventurer's Guild as one of the 10 Most Dangerous Places in the World. All races knew this place was extremely perilous, yet countless adventurers still charged in with their dreams.

Every day adventurers here played out tales of getting rich overnight. Of course, even more common were those who set off full of confidence only to return home for a lively funeral.

The reason Ronald chose this place was because there were more money-making opportunities here.

Ronald had calculated the costs for his education. At the Aireach Royal Academy of Magic, a program spans four years. Each year, the tuition combined with living expenses totals about 300 gold coins, amounting to 1,200 gold coins for the entire program. And that's just the basic expenses. If one also chooses to study alchemy, magical potions, or other courses along the way, the expenditure is like a bottomless pit.

Many families have gone bankrupt because their heirs became obsessed with magical potions and alchemy. There's even a saying in the Arnold world, "Magical potions impoverish three generations, while alchemy ruins a lifetime."

Hence, training a mage is challenging, and cultivating a powerful mage is even more so."

Do note the slight adaptations to fit a more westernized context while preserving the original meaning and spirit of your content. If there are any issues, please let me know!

Compared to wandering the mountains and valleys relying on luck, clearing dungeons was more suitable for Ronald.

Although the interiors of dungeons were full of traps, most were magical traps, so mages had a natural advantage here.

Additionally, the main reason Ronald chose this place was that clearing dungeons could maximize returns.

Aside from materials obtained by killing dungeon monsters, along the way he could also earn money by selling maps and walkthroughs he created. This point deeply attracted Ronald.

If he did normal adventuring missions, in order to earn the 1200 gold tuition he'd need to work at a high frequency continuously for two years.

But if he chose to go to the dungeons, with a little bit of luck he might complete earning the tuition in less than half a year.

From a personal standpoint, obviously the sooner he could get to the Royal Magic Academy the better, because the adventuring life was too debauched.

The daily life of most adventurers was doing missions during the day and going to brothels at night...

Living this way day after day on endless repeat, even the most amazing genius would end up lost in the crowd if they indulged in it. Ultimately they could only fade away unremarkably.

...

Ronald underestimated the difficulty of long distance travel in the medieval era.

On the first day, he could still hold his head while humming songs and practicing spells.

By the fifth day, Ronald realized the cruelty of reality.

First was the pain in his tailbone that made it impossible to sit.

Then there was the endless interrogation all along the way.

Interrogation by soldiers, villagers, merchants, innkeepers...

The most common thing Ronald heard in a day was "Where is your master?"

Of course, aside from those kindly advising Ronald to hurry home, there were also those with malicious intents.

Previously when staying at a small town inn, he encountered a human trafficker who, seeing Ronald's refined appearance, attempted to seduce and abduct him.

And the result--the man's head was squeezed into a pulp alive by Ronald's Mage Hand.

For other mages, Mage Hand was just a spell to aid in daily life or experiments. But for Ronald, it was an indiscriminate killer.

Ronald had reengineered the runes for "Mage Hand."

He removed the stealth aspect when casting, and increased the power and range.

The assistance spell that could only hold books or move chairs originally could now burst someone's head from several meters away.

Of course, Mage Hand had more than just this one use.

Ronald had also developed a "flying sword" playstyle.

The inspiration for this came from a movie in his past life with "smart arrows."

Their might deeply impressed Ronald--whether for frontal assault or backstabbing, they could accomplish it all and perfectly execute!

Ronald had thought more than once about having a "smart arrow" of his own, and it was finally realized in this world of swords and magic.