Time marched steadily into late October. Walking through the academy grounds, Pierce could clearly sense a palpable tension thickening the air, emanating mostly from the first-year students.

  There were less than 35 days remaining until the Freshman Trials. Faced with this looming guillotine of an evaluation, every student was pushing themselves to their absolute limit, like a spring wound dangerously tight. No one wanted to be weeded out in the first merciless cull. In this heightened atmosphere of anxiety, the members of the Astral Spirit Society were working harder than ever before.

  After the lecture ended, Gwen slumped onto her desk, her forehead hitting the wood with a dull thud. She sighed in despair. "Negative Energy Principles are just too difficult!"

  The others shook their heads in solemn agreement. Negative Energy Principles was a cornerstone of foundational Arcane knowledge; many spells, such as Daze, Acid Splash, and even the more advanced Level 1 spells like Cause Fear, relied heavily on this discipline. However, due to its critical importance, its depth and breadth were far beyond other basic subjects, making it notoriously difficult to master. Aside from a 'cheat' like Pierce, no one in the society had been able to fully grasp it yet.

  "I wish I had even half of Pierce’s academic talent," Gwen moaned, looking at him with naked envy.

  "Half is too greedy. I’d settle for a third."

  "I honestly want to cut Pierce’s head open just to see how it’s different from ours. Why does he master everything so fast? It's unnatural."

  "Hey, that’s a dangerous thought. Careful, or Pierce might hit you with an Acid Splash."

  "Provoking one of the Top Ten Elites? I admire your guts."

  The group broke into laughter, the tension momentarily easing. Pierce merely watched with a polite, enigmatic smile, offering no comment. His presence in the classroom today was simply a strategic move to avoid standing out too much; occasionally attending lectures like a normal student helped maintain his low profile amidst the rumors.

  As they chatted, students passing by would frequently offer enthusiastic, respectful greetings to Pierce. Since the day he scared off Kane at the Logistics Building, news of his advancement to a Rank 2 Apprentice had swept through the entire year like wildfire. Since there were only nine known Rank 2 students at the time, he had naturally been classified as one of the elite 'Top Ten' of the year.

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  "Have you all heard the news?" Marcus suddenly spoke up, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I’m talking about the Trials."

  Gwen urged him on immediately. "Out with it! Don't leave us hanging."

  Marcus chuckled, savoring the attention. "Rumor has it that the academy has prepared incredibly lavish rewards for this trial—far more than in previous years. Normally, only the top ten finishers get anything. But this year, as long as you make the Top Fifty, you’ll receive at least one bottle of Spirit Spring Potion!"

  Everyone’s eyes lit up instantly. A single bottle was worth 200 Magic Stones; this was a massive, unprecedented gesture from the academy.

  "Is that for real? Where did you hear that?"

  Marcus patted his chest confidently. "A direct disciple of an official Formal Wizard said it. The official announcement will be out in a few days; then you’ll know I’m telling the truth!"

  Convinced by Marcus’s conviction, the group grew excited. Even Pierce felt a stir of genuine interest. If the top fifty got a potion worth 200 stones, the rewards for the top ten—or even the top three—must be worth thousands.

  However, after the initial excitement, the group quickly sobered up. Breaking into the top fifty among over six thousand apprentices was no small feat.

  Currently, besides the thirteen known Rank 2 students, over fifty others were on the verge of breakthrough. To secure a reward, one would likely need to be at the absolute peak of Rank 1 or even at Rank 2. For the rest of the society, this seemed an impossible mountain to climb, but for Pierce, they believed the top ten was well within his reach.

  After finishing his shift at Garden No. 8, Pierce returned to his apartment.

  "Eye of Omniscience, detect my current status."

  [Spirit: 21.58] [Physique: 9.62] [Task 1: Analyzing Will-Rune #8. Estimated time: 17 days, 4 hours, 37 minutes remaining.] [Task 2: Optimizing Acid Splash model. Estimated time: 26 days, 3 hours, 23 minutes remaining.] [Task 3: Optimizing Touch of Fatigue model. Estimated time: 22 days, 1 hour, 9 minutes remaining.]

  Because a large portion of his Spiritual Power was being consumed daily to scan the endless stream of crows, his progress on rune analysis and spell optimization had lagged slightly. Nevertheless, Pierce’s Spirit had finally broken past the 20-unit mark. He estimated that once Rune #8 was complete, his Physique would hit roughly 11 units, officially placing him at the level of an Intermediate Knight.

  "Once the Familiar situation is settled, I will focus entirely on increasing my Spirit," Pierce thought, his eyes shimmering with determination. He had already mastered every book on the reading list Yuna had given him; all he needed now was the practical application.

  Just as he was lost in thought, a knock sounded at the door.

  "Mr. Pierce, are you in?"

  Through the thick wood, Pierce could clearly hear a chorus of harsh, chaotic cawing.

  The crow catchers had delivered the next batch.