I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 5 Tiankeng
Although DuPont doesn't want to cause trouble at this time of year, that doesn't mean it's going to sit idly by.

In the college dormitory, these guys probably wouldn't dare to use magic to kill people, but since there are more of them, they should find an easy target to pick on.

Who should I contact?
"Hey, isn't this a big donkey?" Just as DuPont's face turned cold and he was about to make the first move, he heard the person who had been looking at him with disdain speak up sarcastically: "What brings you here all this time? Here to show off again?"

"Ha, what are you saying?" DuPont was full of questions and didn't know what the other party was talking about. However, since the other party had the advantage in numbers but didn't make a move, they probably didn't want to cause a conflict.

Perhaps due to his physical condition, DuPont stood out among these apprentices, being half a head taller than the others on average.

Although he doesn't have many muscles, he's not afraid of a fight at all, thanks to his height and long legs.

"If you're soft, I'll be hard," DuPont said impatiently, frowning. "Get some hot water to take back and wipe yourself down. Don't block the way unless you have to."

The man's expression darkened upon hearing this, but he didn't stop him. DuPont swaggered over to the boiler, his eyes constantly glancing at the guys behind him.

He didn't want to be forced inside after filling the tub with hot water; he'd be lucky to escape with his life.

However, the worst-case scenario did not occur. After the group realized that he had indeed come to fetch water, they stopped paying attention to him and stared at each other, probably communicating with each other using telepathy.

"Make way." DuPont poured the hot water and greeted the group while standing against the wall. The people in front of him snorted in dissatisfaction, but still made way for him.

It's too dangerous to be surrounded in the middle; it's much better to stay close to the wall.

DuPont walked at a leisurely pace, and when he was alongside several people, all the muscles in his body tensed up unconsciously, and he raised the wooden bucket in his hands slightly, ready to splash it at any moment.

However, the worst did not happen, and DuPont finally breathed a sigh of relief after walking three meters away.

Damn it, that scared the hell out of me.

But what were these bastards doing here? In his memory, the mage academy didn't care about trivial matters like smoking.

The academy's biggest requirement for apprentices is to hand in their items on time. There are almost no requirements for personal morality. The biggest restrictions are that fighting and casting malicious spells on others are not allowed. During holidays, they can go out and have a wild time without anyone interfering.

This is, after all, a world in the Middle Ages/Renaissance period. People his age are getting married, and the city is teeming with brothels and gangs. You could say that as long as you pay taxes, it's a legal business.

After muttering a few words to himself, DuPont's eyes welled up with tears as he returned to his room, took off his clothes, and washed himself.

He finally understood why those idiots called him Big Donkey.

My static talent is off the charts!

No wonder he wasn't popular, no wonder he had such a despicable nickname. While having someone like that wouldn't necessarily make him hostile, DuPont was a teenager who might have loved to show off, so it's perfectly normal for him to be looked down upon.

But compared to this substantial amount of money, what is that little bit of insult?
This is absolutely his most precious possession!
While enjoying a pleasant body cleaning, DuPont began to think about other things.

DuPont clearly doesn't have a girlfriend, so he has a powerful weapon but no use for it. At most, he can go to the bathhouse and show off by sniping at others. It's a complete waste of resources.

But who is he? A modern man of the 21st century, who has been exposed to the glitz and glamour of the world and has seen all sorts of strange and wonderful things on the internet. If he has such talent, wouldn't it be a waste to leave it idle?

What's more, he's quite good-looking, and girls often come to him to take classes together. In his experience, he's the kind of girl he can easily pick up with a few sweet words and a flick of his wrist.

That doesn't seem quite right. Annie told me at noon that she would lend him a scroll, but now it's almost dark and she still hasn't come. It seems that in her eyes, I might not be as valuable as a scroll.

They have absolutely no taste!

The physical advantage brought him a good mood, and DuPont, regaining his composure, went to the table, took out the parchment, and felt a surge of pride. There was no use rushing things about money now; improving his own strength was of utmost importance.

This is, after all, a dangerous world. It would be best to stay in the academy and honestly improve one's mage level. Even without going out on adventures, the ability to make money will increase by leaps and bounds with each level up. The return on investment is much higher than that of taking the postgraduate entrance exam.

Once I'm strong enough, I can try going on adventures, doing bounty missions to collect some treasure. Who knows, after a few times, I might be able to pay off my debts.

However, just as DuPont cleared his mind and before he even put pen to paper, he realized something was wrong.

The ink in his bottle smelled very different from the one used in the training field.

After staring at the ink bottle for a few seconds, a line of description appeared.

Dumb Goose Ink: The ink commonly used by Harua apprentices. It is inexpensive and has a gentle magic, easily preserving handwriting for over 20 years. One bottle can normally last an apprentice one to two months. It costs 1 gold coin per bottle.

'System, how different is the ink I used in the training field from this?'

The ink used in the training ground is Demon Blood Ink, made from blood imbued with magic and elemental essences. It is favored by the vast majority of mages and costs 30 gold coins per bottle.

Upon hearing this, DuPont immediately sensed something was wrong.

Although a 30-fold price difference doesn't mean the two inks are 30 times better, even if there is a 100% difference, the effort required would be on a completely different level.

'So, when I was copying scrolls in the training grounds, I used parchment with one ring of paper?'

DuPont breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a definite answer.

If the materials used in the simulation were also high-grade, then the previous experience would be completely unusable.

Forget it, instead of thinking about these things, let's just try it out. How much worse can it get?

First, he cast a spell to activate his mage armor and get into a good position. Then, he lit a candle with a match to avoid being disturbed by the sunset. After everything was done, DuPont picked up his quill pen and wrote a few times on the ruined parchment to adjust the ink to its perfect state before starting to write.

The deep blue ink left magical characters on the parchment, imbued with arcane energy. Thirty minutes later, he wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at the scroll before him, and let out a long sigh.

success!

Feeling a bit tired, DuPont rubbed his temples and closed his eyes: 'How much time did I spend copying this scroll during the training session?'

[12 minutes and 46 seconds]

A difference of nearly 2.5 times?

DuPont could accept this result, but he remembered something else.

Charles said it took him nearly an hour to copy a scroll, and judging from the seating arrangement, the other person was probably slightly more skilled than him. This statement is likely exaggerated.

It seems this chubby little boy isn't so honest after all.
Just as DuPont was about to strike while the iron was hot and copy another book, a system notification made him stop writing.

[You have successfully copied a first-level spell mage armor scroll, consuming 10 experience points.]

what!
(End of this chapter)