The awkward atmosphere dissipated as the three began to converse about their first return to Earth. Evans talked about how he had brought a small library of books about architecture from Earth to aid his study, and how he was looking forward to comparing the architectural philosophy differences between Earth and the tower. Amidst their conversation, the door opened, and Ahmed and Devonte walked in. However, their appearance was unappealing, to say the least: their clothes were dirty and tattered, and they smelled of sweat, dirt, and blood. Despite their appearances, they both had smiles on their faces — especially Devonte.
"Hunting?" Zane asked, covering his nose.
"Sorry about that," Ahmed said as he removed the round shield strapped to his back. "We'll take a quick shower first."
The two rushed to their room and, less than ten minutes later, walked out looking fresh and smelling good; it was evident they had used the [Quick Shower Mode], but no one said anything about it. After all, who hasn't been in a hurry and used that convenient quick shower mode?
"So, how was it?" Zane asked.
"Exhilarating and dangerous," Ahmed explained.
"The money good tho'," Devonte added.
"How much did you make?"
"After buying weapons, armor, potions, and repairs, we made 46 magic crystals each," Ahmed explained.
"That much?" Tom Nguyen asked. 46 crystals equaled $46,000; for the two of them, that was a total of $92,000.
"It looks like a lot, but everything is expensive," Ahmed shook his head. During the 36-hour break, they hunted for more than 16 hours, but in that short period, they had already destroyed the weapons and armor they had bought, forcing them to leave them at a repair shop. And armor repair is the least cost-demanding aspect; what truly cost them a lot was those damn potions. Each hunting session needs at least 5 healing potions alone, let alone the others.
"What did you guys hunt?" Zane asked.
"Mostly magic beasts," Ahmed explained. "We killed 4 fire wolves and 3 lightning mice, three of which condensed a beast core."
"The beast core shouldn't be enough for so much money, right?"
"We also sold their meat, blood, skins, and skeletons."
"Was it difficult?"
"The first one was," Ahmed nodded. "Our initial weapon couldn't cut through the wolf's thick hide, and we were terrible working together, so that took a lot of time, and we suffered minor burns. However, after killing it, we had the money to buy one enchanted spear, and it helped a lot."
"Magic shouldn't have an issue killing them, right?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"Probably, but you should be careful: these things are faster and extremely vicious. You should probably have someone blocking the first wave of attack while you cast," Ahmed replied, and Devonte nodded.
"Do you guys have a plan on what you'll do with the money?" Zane asked.
"I want to save to buy custom-made armor and weapons," Ahmed immediately replied.
"Ooh," Zane couldn't help but feel pity. He had seen the price of custom-made armor, and it was even more expensive than custom-made magic robes. "What about you?"
"I already used most of my money," Devonte replied.
"On what?"
"A new apartment. My girl is pregnant, and I wanna move out of the old crib."
"You found an apartment so fast?" Zane asked.
"Yea, I had to pay extra, but anythin' to get out of that area."
Zane nodded as he understood. If he had the money, he would also move out. However, now he was also considering keeping that studio apartment because of how far it was from crowded areas. Sometimes, discretion is a valuable commodity.
The conversation continued for more than an hour, focusing on the details of Ahmed and Devonte's hunt. At around 9 PM, the mages prepared to end the conversation because of the Elite Class. But it was only then that they realized they had received an email saying the class was canceled for today. Regardless, Zane still left for his second meditation session; he deliberately did not do it on Earth to make full use of the school facilities. And while he was in the training hall, he might as well do a bit of spell training.
The other mages also left early; they've learned from the incident from the first day of class. However, they didn't go to the training hall; instead, they headed for the library. Both of them have already finished their meditation quota back on Earth.
Training Hall B-87:
Zane held his staff, firing magic bullets at moving targets; no matter where or how fast they moved, his aim was perfect. In a 22-meter radius, he was as dangerous as an elite sharpshooter. After hitting all hundred targets, Zane exhaled deeply. "Now, I can stop focusing on shooting accuracy," he thought. After weeks of intense training, he had mastered this basic skill, and now, it was time to move on.
Now, it was time for him to figure out what his next training focus should be. After analyzing his current situation, he decided to devote more time to mastering [Mana Projection]. He could feel he was on the verge of achieving his goal, and with the extra training time, he might succeed in the next few days.
As a man of action, Zane did not waste any time, immediately shifting gears to another training session. He set his staff on the floor before channeling his mana to expel it from his body. A blue orb, invisible to the naked eye, flew out of his palm, and Zane immediately began recording how long it remained in the air: 8.47 seconds. According to the instructor, only after the mana can remain in the air for 10 seconds will he reach the minimum threshold to try to cast spells. And right now, without using mental channeling, Zane's time fluctuated between 8 and 9 seconds.
Today, Zane increased his training by an additional hour and a half since there was no Elite Class, and honestly, he was quite satisfied with the result. "I've worked up an appetite," Zane thought as he walked out of the training hall. "What should I order today?" The cafeteria's vast selection can sometimes be an issue. Over the past few weeks, Zane has tried countless new cuisines, greatly expanding his palate. And today, he was craving some Korean food, especially kimchi.
"Hmm?" He suddenly paused as he sensed a life energy that shone as bright as the night sky. "Devonte? Are you waiting for me?"
"Ya."
"Do you need something?"
"You hungry?"
Zane suddenly remembered something. "Are you sure you want to treat me now? You could still wait a while."
"It's alrigh'. Since now I have money, I ain't gotta be cheap with it."
"Your choice," Zane nodded. "How about we race to the cafeteria?"
Devonte looked at him with a playful smile. "Unc, you wanna lose again?"
"Things won't be the same as last time. Now, come on."
The two got into position, and after Zane counted down, they rushed toward the cafeteria. Devonte immediately took the lead and maintained it. However, unlike last time, Zane remained a good one to two meters behind, always on his heel. In the end, their arrival time was only 1 to 2 seconds different.
"Damn, unc, you improve mad fast."
"That's to be expected," Zane replied as he tried to catch his breath. Devonte's body was terrifying. According to Zane's calculation, this boy should have no problem wrestling a bear without using any mana. However, his mana quantity is too low compared to his, and his control is subpar, which is why the gap has narrowed drastically, even though Zane's body is still within the realm of human possibility.
"It seems I must step up my game," Devonte uttered with a serious expression.
"I never thought of you as the competitive or ambitious type."
"After seeing the benefit, I have to take this shit seriously," Devonte explained.
"True that," Zane nodded. He knew his situation was only slightly better than Devonte's, and the tower was an opportunity to change their lives. Zane had always been ambitious, so he swiftly adapted to this environment. However, it appeared a similar change was occurring to the young knight.
Zane and Devonte walked into the cafeteria and ordered a magic meal. Although it was the cheapest one, Zane wouldn't complain. After all, even the cheapest option costs thousands of US dollars. After the meal, he checked his profile, and his Life Energy had changed: 0.065.
The two then slowly walked back to the dorm to digest the food while talking about their experience in school. During the process, Zane suggested checking the student board in case something important had happened. And he was right to do so. The most popular post was about a trainee from North Korea who revealed that after news of her being a transcendent was revealed, she was taken to a hidden facility to do tests on her. Luckily, she activated her plaza teleportation to escape, but she's worried about her return after departure day.
"The recruit's safety should be one of the tower's priorities. Will they do something about this?" Zane thought. It was only a matter of time before one of Earth's governments endangered a recruit. Zane was not surprised that North Korea was the first; he wouldn't be surprised if any nation were first. However, he was surprised by how quickly it happened. He had thought they would wait a while and maybe even test the tower a few times before acting.