The Demonfall Valley.

A faint cluster of lights swept across the sky.

An enormous house, ablaze with a riot of colorful lights, stood prominently on the mountain ridge.

As that faint cluster of lights merged into the balcony of the house, the figures of Daof and his wife, Meko, materialized on the balcony.

Voices emanated from within the house.

"The teacher is back!"

"Hurry and go greet the teacher!"

"Stop with those trivial matters! The teacher has returned!"

In no time, several men and women, aged between ten and thirty years old, converged on the balcony.

Reverence and excitement etched on their faces, they bowed and greeted Daof.

Daof smiled amicably and waved his hand, motioning for the apprentices to quiet down. "This time, I went to attend the birthday of a crucial friend. It was an event I couldn't miss. Has anyone from the main city come to look for me?"

Instantly, an older apprentice stepped forward and said, "Teacher, not even half a day after your departure, a third-level mage came seeking you. He said that the matters on their end couldn't be postponed and that they needed you to go there as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Daof's smile remained undiminished. "They're truly dedicated. However, I have more pressing matters to attend to now."

He gave his wife a subtle signal, and she nodded, then pointed at the crowd.

A sapling sprouted from the wooden floor and grew at an astonishing pace.

Those around quickly made way. The tree branched out and spread its leaves, and soon, an array of desserts and cakes emerged from its branches.

"These are the delicacies from the birthday party. Do give them a try, my children," Daof said, stroking his beard.

The apprentices immediately cheered and rushed to pluck the treats from the tree.

Daof and his wife, meanwhile, made their way towards the spiral wooden staircase nearby.

Just as he set foot on the stairs, Daof turned to a female apprentice who had already taken some food and was savoring it. "Leaves, later, inform the other children that if anyone else from the main city comes to look for me, tell them I'm withdrawing from their research. The reason is that I've lost interest. They're not to disturb Meko and me anymore. We'll be spending a considerable amount of time in the research room."

Leaves, with her large eyes blinking, repeated Daof's words and then nodded to indicate that she had understood.

Just as Daof was about to continue, his wife, Meko, let out a resigned sigh and said to Leaves, "Your teacher has accepted a new apprentice named Glen. If he arrives, remember to let us know."

Leaves's eyes lit up. "Another new classmate?!"

Daof slapped his forehead. "How could I have forgotten about this!"

Then he replied on behalf of his wife, "Yes, he will be my twenty-eighth apprentice."

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Leaves let out a cheer and then skipped away to share the news with the other apprentices.

Daof smiled and said, "I've been rather forgetful lately. Thank you for reminding me, dear Meko."

"All right, let's get down to business. I'm still a bit disoriented. I never imagined that even the rules enshrined in the Magic Canon could be incorrect. What kind of impact this will have on the magic world remains to be seen."

Engaged in conversation, the two ascended the stairs step by step.

...

"What?!"

In the old man's house, upon hearing Glen mention that his affinities for both light and dark elements were approximately ninety percent, the old man let out an incredulous cry.

"This is no laughing matter!" he gasped.

Glen had anticipated such a reaction from the old man. He merely said calmly, "I've already told you. If you don't believe me, don't hold it against me later for not giving you a warning."

Telling the old man about this was a decision Glen had made after careful consideration. After all, he needed some guidance from the old man, and it was advisable to inform him without knowing whether his talent would have any implications.

The old man regarded Glen with a wary gaze. He wasn't sure why Glen had said those words.

Could he have some ulterior motives? ... he wondered.

"Let's resume the previous explanation. You won't believe this anyway, so there's no point in dwelling on it," Glen said, patting the old man on the shoulder.

The old man nodded. He glanced at the book Glen had handed him. The content of this book was superior to that of most of the best basic magic enlightenment books available on the market.

As a Doctor of Magic Studies, he had the discernment to recognize this.

He flipped through a few more pages and became even more certain that Glen's teacher was no ordinary figure.

He asked Glen to wait and then went upstairs, returning with a square wooden board.

"Regarding the questions you raised earlier, I will now explain them to you one by one. I'll only go through it once," the old man said.

Upon hearing this, Glen naturally nodded.

Once would suffice. With his memory, he was confident he could remember everything clearly.

Before starting the lecture, the old man handed Glen a tusk of an unknown beast, about the length of a finger. "This is the tooth of a magical beast. I won't go into details about what kind it is since you wouldn't know anyway. In any case, the tooth of this magical beast contains extremely pure elemental power. After I finish explaining the part about magic energy perception, you can attempt to sense the elements within it. It would be ideal if you can distinguish the mixed elements, which would indicate that you've grasped the essence."

After listening, Glen gave it a try in advance. He had also read that part of the content and knew the general procedure.

After several attempts, he could only barely sense the presence of the elements within it, let alone distinguish any mixed elements.

The old man snorted softly at Glen's efforts. Then he took out a black object resembling a pen.

He began writing on the square wooden board. Glen surmised that it was a tool made of special materials, similar in function to chalk.

The difference was that this object didn't diminish in size with use.

The old man's voice, exuding an air of authority, rang out. "The questions you asked are all quite challenging for those who have just started learning magic to understand on their own. There might be a few more questions, but it seems you've managed to figure them out by yourself. So, I won't cover those parts. Now, let's begin with the first topic: how to construct a magic energy pathway..."

The lecture lasted for just over an hour. After all, Glen didn't have an excessive number of questions.

There was also time for practical exercises after each explanation. Many things seemed clear when heard, but when it came to putting them into practice, success remained elusive.

Neither Glen nor the old man was surprised by this. Nothing could be achieved overnight; it required continuous accumulation and practice.

Upon leaving the old man's house, Glen returned the book home and told Tia that if she was feeling bored at home, she could go and visit the elf lady, as he was sure the elf lady would also be in need of company.

As for Glen himself, he left the town and set off for a distant farm.

At the end of the lecture, he had specifically asked the old man where he could purchase livestock.

The old man replied, "There's a farm in Dudd Town, but it's rather small. If you're looking to buy a large number of livestock, after leaving Baiyek, follow the road signs. There's a larger farm in a place called Firna, where you can find all the common domestic animals."

Satisfied with this answer, Glen couldn't wait to make his way there.

Although the deer-drawn carriage was unavailable, it didn't pose much of a problem for him. He simply had to run for a while.

On the way, he kept the magical beast's tusk given to him by the old man for practice firmly in his hand, practicing without a moment's rest.

Glen said he was borrowing it, but the old man wasn't convinced he would ever get it back.