’Looks like... inscribing Trick Runes isn’t as hard as I imagined...’

Looking at the golden text floating before his eyes, Roland let out a long sigh of relief. He decided to strike while the iron was hot, activating his Concentration Trait and beginning to recall the other Trick Runes Bronson had taught him.

Although knowledge of Tricks wasn’t affected by the High Tower’s restrictions, which had allowed Bronson to pass this information on to Roland.

But because the Magic Elements had not yet reawakened in his youth, the scholar wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about Tricks. Instead, he was more obsessed with studying ancient texts.

However, perhaps because he had once fantasized about the grand revival of Magic Elements, he had still recorded a few Trick Runes that interested him.

It was just that his choices completely exposed the scholar’s true bookworm nature.

Mage’s Hand was for when he imagined feeling lazy in the future, a way to retrieve and read books without using his own hands.

Light Technique was for continuing to read books in dim environments.

And Repair Skill was to conveniently mend damaged tomes.

As for the last one, Flaming Arrow?

That was just for easily lighting a campfire while camping in the wild...

Of these four Tricks, apart from Flaming Arrow, none were obviously helpful for increasing his strength.

Roland sighed softly but quickly pulled himself together.

In any case, he had at least gathered the three Tricks required to take up the Juggler Profession, and the conditions didn’t specify the type of Tricks.

From this perspective, mundane Tricks like Mage’s Hand, Light Technique, and Repair Skill were actually more advantageous.

They were subtle and safe to cast, which would help him smoothly complete the requirement of casting a Trick one hundred times.

At this thought, Roland closed his eyes and sank back into the Consciousness Shallows.

Time passed quietly. When he opened his eyes again, dusk had already settled outside the window.

[You have learned the Skill: Mage’s Hand. Current Level: Level 1]

[You have learned the Skill: Light Technique. Current Level: Level 1]

[You have learned the Skill: Repair Skill. Current Level: Level 1]

Seeing the three new Tricks in his skill list, Roland nodded in satisfaction.

He didn’t rush to try casting them, though.

After all, King Morne was in Distant Harbor right now. Who knew if a powerhouse at the level of a peak Extraordinary Professional would notice anything unusual.

So, to be safe, he decided to leave the harbor early the next morning, find a secluded spot to properly test his new Tricks, and then quietly return.

Having made up his mind, Roland went downstairs for a hearty dinner. Afterward, he left the inn and followed the familiar path toward the fish market.

After passing through a few dim alleys, he saw Jenny’s fish stall in the distance.

But just as he was about to approach, another group of people beat him to it, stopping in front of the stall from the side.

The people were wrapped in rough linen cloaks. Their faces were varied, but all held a sinister air, and they radiated an unapproachable chill.

They didn’t look like good people at first glance.

Roland frowned at the sight. He discreetly took a few steps forward and stopped a short distance from the fish stall.

Although he and Jenny only had a simple business relationship, the generous fishmonger had continuously lowered the price of Devil Fish for him lately. This allowed him to buy a large quantity of ingredients with minimal money, ultimately succeeding in Refining the Spirit Summoning Potion.

He had always kept this kindness in his heart.

So, if she ran into trouble, as long as it didn’t endanger his own life, he would definitely step in to help.

But unexpectedly, before Roland could get a good look, the group left quickly, carrying sacks full of Devil Fish.

’Are these... the people Auntie Jenny mentioned before? The ones in white robes buying up large quantities of Devil Fish?’

Roland wondered to himself as he slowly approached.

Before he even got close, Jenny waved her arm enthusiastically and called out.

"Hey! Roland! Here to buy more Devil Fish?"

"Yeah, Auntie Jenny."

Roland nodded with a smile and took the opportunity to ask.

"Those people just now... they didn’t cause you any trouble, did they?"

"What? You looking down on your Auntie Jenny?"

Sensing the concern in Roland’s voice, Jenny’s tone immediately softened. She lowered her voice and spoke mysteriously.

"They were here to buy Devil Fish, just like you. But don’t you worry..."

As she spoke, she bent down and pulled out a bulging leather sack from under the stall. After untying the knot, a dozen lively Devil Fish were revealed inside.

"I figured you’d be back, so I saved some of the best ones for you!"

Seeing the sincere smile on Auntie Jenny’s face, Roland finally relaxed.

After thanking her, he deftly took out his coin purse. After setting aside some money for emergencies, he gave the rest to Jenny.

"By the way, Roland..."

Jenny asked casually while skillfully counting the Devil Fish.

"I keep forgetting to ask, what do you need so many Devil Fish for?"

"Well..."

Roland was suddenly at a loss for words.

It wasn’t that the question was hard to answer.

In the Golden Valley Kingdom, and even across the Feyn Continent, Refining potions was a perfectly ordinary activity.

It was just that the Spirit Summoning Potion he was Refining was a bit special. If he rashly told the kind-hearted woman in front of him, it would likely cause her unnecessary trouble.

"It’s alright, if you don’t want to say, don’t say. Everyone has their little secrets, right?"

Seeing Roland’s troubled expression, Jenny laughed heartily, waved her hand dismissively, and handed over the packed bag of fish.

"But... do you... know that group from before?"

Roland’s brow twitched at her words.

Auntie Jenny seemed unusually talkative today.

Usually at this time, she would just watch him with a cheerful grin and wouldn’t ask so many questions.

’Am I overthinking this?’

After carefully studying the familiar fishmonger and confirming that nothing was out of the ordinary, Roland took the bag of fish and shook his head with a smile.

"Of course not. If I knew them, I would have come to buy fish with them just now."

"That’s true..."

Jenny slapped her forehead and laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Look at my memory. I must be too tired lately, asking all these senseless questions."

"Then you should get some good rest."

After a few more pleasantries, Roland returned to the inn, carrying the heavy bag of fish.

Processing the ingredients, lighting the crucible...

Thanks to his rich experience, his speed at creating the Spirit Summoning Potion was getting faster and faster. In just one night, he finished making over a dozen bottles.

"Whew..."

Looking at the six empty bottles on the wooden table, Roland let out a long breath and rubbed his faintly throbbing temples.

’Looks like I can’t drink too much Spirit Summoning Potion in a short period. I should wait a few days before drinking the rest...’

With that thought, Roland opened his Professional Panel.

He nodded in satisfaction upon seeing his Spiritual Attribute had increased from 3.4 to 4.8.

’The Attribute requirements for the Juggler Profession are definitely met now. All that’s left is to cast a hundred Tricks...’

After briefly tidying up the tools on his table and carefully storing the remaining Spirit Summoning Potions, Roland lay down on the soft bed and quickly fell asleep. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

「The next morning.」

The sun had not yet fully risen when Roland opened his eyes.

After washing up, he grabbed his belongings, led Black Wind by the reins, and walked briskly out of Distant Harbor.

To his surprise, even though King Morne was currently in Distant Harbor, the security at the city gate was even more lax than usual.

The City Guards had not only failed to strengthen their inspections, but they had even skipped the routine procedure of checking passes.

Although it felt a bit strange, Roland didn’t dwell on it.

After leaving Distant Harbor and mounting his horse, he followed the directions he had gotten from a few servers that morning and rode off at a rapid pace.

In just half a day, he arrived at a secluded stretch of coastline.

Waves gently lapped against the reefs, and the salty sea breeze brushed across his face.

The view was wide and open, yet deserted—a perfect place to test his Tricks.

After looking around and confirming there was no one else nearby, Roland finally dismounted and walked slowly toward the shore.

He took the piece of white bone from his pack, held it in his left hand, took a deep breath, and extended his right hand forward.

As the Magic Elements flowed through his body, he focused his mind and slowly guided them into the depths of his brain.

The next moment, the already inscribed Rune seemed to be ignited by the Magic Elements, transforming into a searing stream of Energy that surged down his arm.

In an instant, a point of crimson light suddenly appeared at Roland’s fingertip.

But the crimson light at his fingertip didn’t erupt as expected. Instead, it began to gather, like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

At the same time, it felt as if he had activated his Concentration Trait; his Spiritual Power began to drain wildly.

Amidst the throbbing pain in his temples, Roland was surprised to notice that the dancing Fire Elements were coiling around his finger like docile young beasts, completely different from the violent display Bronson had demonstrated.

As the flames continued to gather, a perfectly round, palm-sized fireball gradually formed above his fingertip.

’This feeling...’

Seeing this, Roland instinctively opened his palm.

The ball of fire shot out abruptly, tracing a brilliant tail of flame through the air and dyeing the entire sea surface red.

"BOOM!"

Amidst the deafening explosion, a mushroom-shaped cloud of white spray shot into the sky.

The violent blast wave kicked up waves several meters high, and salty seawater rained down like a torrential downpour.

Cold seawater dripped from the ends of his hair, but Roland was completely oblivious.

He just stared blankly at the gradually calming surface of the sea.

’This thing... is a Flaming Arrow?’