The Wizard: Starting as a Corpse Collector Apprentice and Paying for a Monthly Subscription

The air in the basement was still damp and cold, but Tyron's heart was burning with passion.

He looked at the rows of items in the void backpack that shone with an alluring luster, as if he were looking at the constantly fluctuating numbers in a bank account from his past life.

"Learn from experience first."

With a thought, four books of apprentice experience and one book of wizard experience instantly transformed into streams of light and entered his brow.

boom!

A vast and pure flow of information exploded in his mind.

[Gained spell experience: 3000 points]

This experience didn't directly increase his level, but rather, like a pool of pent-up water, it was quietly stored in his attribute panel, waiting to be guided.

He resisted the urge to start the deduction right now.

In-depth analysis requires an absolutely quiet environment and abundant mental energy. Practicing the "Magic Thorn Technique" just now has already depleted some of my mental energy, so now is not the best time.

Then, he looked at the five [Basic Alchemy Material Selection Packs].

Clicking on the details reveals a lengthy list of materials for Linda:

Mandrake roots (after treatment)

Ghoul nail powder

The shriveled eyeballs of a juvenile pterosaur

Mercury essential oil

……

Each item is a highly sought-after commodity in the market, priced between 100 and 200 purple gold coins.

"No rush to choose."

Tyron calmly closed the interface.

As a seasoned hoarder, he deeply understands the principle that "resources are only resources when needed, otherwise they are just inventory."

It's better to save space now than to choose it now. It's better to wait until you urgently need a certain material but can't buy it in the future.

"Now, let's get down to business."

Tyron took a deep breath, turned around and walked to the worn-out workbench.

He pulled out the stack of rune papers he had received from the wine guild from his pocket, and then took out his own set of cheap calligraphy brushes and ink from the drawer.

But he didn't rush to put pen to paper.

Sharpening knives does not miss woodcutters.

He bent down and pulled out a book as thick as a brick from his bag—"Introduction to Runes: Basic Rune Principles and Explanations".

This is one of the eight essential textbooks for the Wizarding Tower, and it is also one of the thickest, most obscure, and most headache-inducing, second only to alchemy.

The book has 300 pages, is in 16mo format, and contains a total of 350,000 words of densely packed small print.

There are no interesting magic stories inside, only boring geometric figures, complicated energy formulas, and nauseating logical deductions.

The original owner had been enrolled for half a year, and the course had only barely progressed to page 60.

Moreover, it was all rote memorization, without any understanding of the underlying principles.

"Runeology and alchemy are the two legs of a wizard."

Tyron gently stroked the rough book cover, his eyes sharpening.

"In this world, those who only know how to fireballs are like lighters; those who understand runes and alchemy are the true mages."

"Many high-level spells require a certain level of expertise in a particular area as a prerequisite."

"Moreover, if you want to make money and obtain more resources in this cannibalistic wizard tower, drawing talismans and brewing potions are the only two ways."

But this thing is too difficult.

It not only requires extremely high intelligence, but also a huge amount of time to memorize and to try and fail.

For an ordinary apprentice to get started in rune literature, it would take at least two years of hard work.

"Two years? I can't wait that long."

Tyronn's lips curled into a confident smile.

"But I can slack off!"

Thinking speeds up 30 times!

Tyron turned to the first page.

Splash, splash, splash.

In this quiet basement, only the extremely rapid turning of pages could be heard.

If someone were nearby, they would definitely think Tyron was flipping through pages haphazardly, because he spent no more than two seconds on each page.

But in Tyron's eyes, this wasn't reading at all; it was scanning.

The retina acts like a high-precision scanner, accurately replicating every character, punctuation mark, and illustration on the pages of a book into the brain's database.

ten minutes.

In just ten minutes, he "scanned" the 35-word book "Introduction to Runes" from beginning to end.

"First step: Create an index."

Without pausing, Tyron immediately turned back to the first page and began reading a second time.

This time, he was a little slower, and his brain began to categorize and archive the information.

"Second time, logical review."

"Third time, highlight the key points."

……

Time passed by, second by second.

For the next three hours, Tyron was like a tireless repeater, flipping through the thick, brick-like book a full eighteen times!

As he read more, the fragmented pieces of knowledge in his mind began to connect and recombine automatically, building a magnificent palace of knowledge.

When he closed the book for the eighteenth time, the feeling of fullness that made his brain swell made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"I see."

Although it contained a large number of nouns and the sentences were obscure and difficult to understand, he was only able to comprehend 30% of the content.

But he had already figured out the basic principles and logic.

Tyron closed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"The essence of runes is not drawing, but programming."

"It is the embodiment of an ancient magical language."

In his mind, the entire rune system was broken down into its most detailed components:

Framework: Like the base of a circuit board, it constrains the manifestation of magic, determining whether it is fire or ice, defense or attack.

Path: Like a wire, it constrains the flow of magic. It must be perfectly aligned. Any deviation will cause a short circuit in the magic, resulting in nothing but waste paper or even an explosion.

Core: Just like a CPU, it's the key point that produces actual effects after magic is gathered.

"The book says that runes are divided into four categories: Karl runes, Ian runes, astral runes, and abyssal runes."

"And what the Red Wine Gang asked me to draw belongs to the most basic general framework of 'Karl runes'."

Tyron opened his eyes and picked up a rune paper provided by the Wine Gang.

Previously, he only thought the paper felt nice to the touch, but now that he had theoretical support, he immediately realized something was wrong.

He brought the paper to his nose and took a gentle sniff.

Besides the stench of ink, there was also a very faint, sea-breezy fragrance.

"Amber scent..."

Tyronn's pupils dilated slightly.

"This level of fragrance is usually only used to make the preservative coating for high-grade rune paper."

"The cost of one sheet of this paper is at least one gold coin."

"Those idiots from the Red Wine Gang, who only know how to collect protection money, would never use this kind of paper for practice."

Clues flew through my mind.

Black Glass's rude behavior and complete ignorance of runes, yet he managed to produce such expensive consumables...

"It seems to be the leader of Black Glass and the head of the Red Wine Gang, with a wizard by his side."

"Or it could be his lover, or his offspring."

"The other party is in a critical period of rune learning and needs a lot of framework practice, so this kind of tedious physical work is outsourced."

Having figured this out, a glint of light flashed in Tyron's eyes.

Originally, he only planned to draw casually and make some extra money.

But now, this could be an opportunity.

An opportunity to connect with higher-level circles.

"If the framework I draw is not only standard, but even more perfect than the textbook..."

"Could the wizard behind this be interested in me?"

In this world, connections are resources.

Tyronn never misses a step up the ladder.

"Since that's the case, then I'll show you what I've got."

Tyron spread out the paper and prepared the ink.

With 30 times the speed and efficiency of his thinking, the calligraphy brush in his hand seemed to transform into a precision lathe tool.

I put pen to paper.

The moment the pen tip touched the paper, Tyron's wrist trembled very slightly, and the ink seeped evenly into the texture of the paper without any smudging.

Horizontal, fold, bend, hook.

The thickness of each line is controlled to the millimeter level.

The curvature of every corner is perfect and precise.

Brush brush!

In the basement, only the scratching sound of pen nibs rubbing against paper could be heard.

Normally, it would take an ordinary apprentice at least 5 minutes to draw a qualified rune frame, and they would have to be careful to prevent their hands from shaking.

But in Tyronn's hands, it's like an assembly line operation.

One, two, three...

Ten minutes later.

Tyron put down his pen.

On the table, one hundred sheets of rune paper were neatly stacked.

Each image on the sheet looks as if it were carved from the same mold, precise, elegant, and full of mathematical beauty.

"call……"

Tyron rubbed his slightly sore wrists and breathed a sigh of relief.

The fatigue that comes with overclocking his brain came over him, but he also felt an unprecedented sense of clarity.

Just now, while drawing the talisman, he felt as if he had touched some kind of boundary.

Those theoretical knowledge that I had memorized by rote were perfectly integrated with practice as they flowed from my pen.

Splat!

A crisp sound rang in my mind.

It was as if he had broken through some hidden barrier.

Tyron immediately looked at the attribute panel.

At the very bottom, in the previously empty "Knowledge" section, a new line of text is now shining brightly:

[Runeology: Level 0.1]

"It's done!"

Tyron clenched his fist tightly, his eyes filled with surprise.

Level 0.1 seems insignificant.

But this represents a qualitative change from nothing to something!

At the Wizarding Tower of Cain, most apprentices need to spend six months or even a year, enduring the beatings of their mentors and countless failed attempts at rote memorization and practice, before they can barely cross this threshold.

And he did it in just one afternoon!

This is the terrifying aspect of the "Slacking Off Body" combined with the mindset of a top student from a previous life.

"With this level 0.1, I'm no longer just a laborer."

"I am now qualified to work in a skilled trade."

Glug glug...

An untimely noise shattered Tyron's excitement.

He rubbed his emaciated belly and glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was already 7 p.m.

The intense mental work consumed a lot of calories, and he now felt like he could eat a whole cow.

"Let's go eat first, and while we're at it, we'll give these rune papers to Black Glass."

Tyron was just about to tidy up the table.

Gah!

A piercing caw suddenly echoed in the basement.

Tyron immediately felt the lightness fade away.

A crow with jet-black feathers and eyes burning with eerie green flames landed by the window.

That was the messenger of his mentor, Markley—the Ghostfire Raven.

"tutor."

Tyron immediately lowered his head and bowed respectfully.

The raven opened its beak and emitted Macley's steady and majestic voice:

"Tyron, prepare two corpses."

Mackley's voice came through the crows.

But the next second, the crow's fiery eyes shifted, its gaze falling on the stack of rune papers on the table that hadn't yet been put away.

"Hmm? That's... a rune frame?"

There was a hint of doubt in Markley's voice.

"Where did you get all this stuff? This paper... is not something you can afford."

Tyronn's heart skipped a beat.

The opportunity is here.

He didn't panic, but maintained his respectful posture and said sincerely:

"To answer the professor's question, this is a side job that the student took on."

"Side jobs?"

"Yes. A leader of the West City Wine Gang asked me to help him draw up these frameworks."

Tyrone paused, then calmly described what had happened that afternoon, including old Jack's helplessness and his deep affection for his wife.

Tyronn emphasized that he did this to express his gratitude to old Jack for his past help.

Having spent many years navigating the workplace in his previous life, Tyron is well-versed in the principles of power.

Power is given to the capable, and they will not tire of it; power is given to the loyal, and their reputation will not be ruined.

For those in positions of power, while the abilities of their subordinates are important, loyalty and a strong sense of kinship are the rarest and most valuable qualities.

A person who repays even the smallest kindness with great generosity is unlikely to betray the mentor who promoted him.

really.

Upon hearing these words, the flame in the crow's eyes flickered, and its scrutinizing gaze softened slightly.

"Hmph, at least he knows how to repay kindness."

Markley's voice was less cold and more appreciative.

"While wizards pursue truth, they are not heartless or ruthless. It's good that you haven't forgotten your roots."

After saying that, the crow flapped its wings and flew from the head of the bed to the work table.

It lowered its head and carefully examined the stack of rune papers.

At first, Markley just glanced at it casually.

But soon, the crow stopped moving.

It gently parted the top sheet with its beak, revealing the second, third, and so on...

Each one is so precise it's outrageous.

Although the brushstrokes are still somewhat immature, they are already quite excellent for an apprentice.

"this……"

A hint of surprise was evident in Markley's voice.

"Did you draw all of these?"

"Yes, mentor." Tyron lowered his head, looking honest and unassuming.

"How long did it take you to draw?"

"About... an afternoon, I don't remember exactly. When I came to my senses after finishing the drawing, I was hungry." Tyron's tone was vague, but he was telling the truth.

"An afternoon?"

Markley's voice rose a few decibels.

Even if it's just one afternoon, being able to draw a hundred frames of this quality is an extremely impressive level of efficiency and consistency!

More importantly, the sense of rhythm revealed in these brushstrokes cannot be achieved through rote memorization.

"Have you studied runecraft?" Markley asked.

"Reporting to the tutor, the student is rather slow-witted."

Tyron scratched his head, a simple, honest smile spreading across his face.

"I couldn't afford any other study guides, so I had to stick with 'Introduction to Runes'. I memorized that book more than a dozen times and got the gist of it."

"This afternoon, while I was drawing these frameworks, it suddenly clicked in my mind."

"It feels like...the hand knows where to go on its own."

"Then I glanced at my status and noticed a new line of text, something like... Rune Arts Level 0.1?"

Every wizard in this world can see their own professional status, but to see the status of others requires very advanced insight magic or bloodline talent.

In an instant, the morgue fell silent.

Only the candlelight crackled.

After a long while, the crow slowly raised its head, its burning eyes fixed on Tyron.

"Have you memorized it perfectly?"

"Rune Basics... Level 0.1?"