"Power of Law?"

  Pierce paused.

  In his field of vision, hovering beside the line of golden text, was a silver energy bar about 15 centimeters long, shimmering faintly like stardust.

  As he focused his attention on the silver bar, the Omniscient Eye rapidly fed back a stream of information.

  "It can be used to accelerate tasks?"

  Pierce was somewhat surprised. Could this be the extra reward he gained from the Realm of Truth?

  He tentatively issued a mental command to accelerate the task of analyzing Will Rune No. 18 by 1 day.

  Instantly, the silver bar flashed, and its length shortened by an imperceptible fraction. Simultaneously, the remaining time displayed on the task panel decreased by exactly 24 hours.

  Pierce’s eyes lit up. After a moment's thought, he issued a new directive in his mind.

  "Omniscience, quantify the Power of Law numerically, using 1 day as 1 standard unit."

  In a flash, the abstract silver bar vanished, replaced by a precise line of digits.

  Power of Law: 438

  Pierce was overjoyed.

  He hadn't expected this so-called "Power of Law" to be so potent.

  A full 438 days of acceleration! This was enough for him to construct 6 to 7 high-level Will Runes in one go!

  "Others only gain a specific fragment of knowledge or a sudden epiphany in the Realm of Truth, whereas I have obtained the raw essence of the rule itself. I can choose to learn whatever I want, freely allocating points."

  A surge of ecstasy rose in Pierce’s heart.

  Clearly, this discrepancy existed solely because of the Omniscient Eye. It had converted that profound, metaphysical enlightenment directly into a manipulatable data resource.

  "This is better. Rather than receiving a random spell or some obscure theory, I’d much prefer this authority over time that I can control at will."

  "What a treasure!"

  Pierce looked up once more at the tightly shut stone door of the Realm of Truth, a burning desire flashing in his eyes.

  If he could enter the Realm of Truth one or two more times, the Power of Law he absorbed would likely be enough to complete the construction of all remaining Will Runes.

  In that case, the time required to ascend to an Official Wizard would be compressed to a terrifyingly short period.

  "Entry to the Realm of Truth can only be exchanged with Merit Points..."

  "It seems that 'Heretic Suppression' mission is mandatory."

  Pierce quickly made up his mind.

  Neither the Well of Darkness nor the Shadow World were currently within his consideration. Pierce gave the two stone doors a final glance, then lingered no longer, leaving the underground hall with Fan-he.

  Back on the surface, he thanked Fan-he and immediately left the General Affairs Department, heading straight for the Mission Plaza without pause.

  The plaza was as lively and crowded as ever, a sea of bobbing heads.

  Most apprentices were gathered around a massive bulletin board deep in the plaza, pointing and whispering, their expressions a mix of excitement and anxiety.

  Pierce squeezed through the crowd to the board. Sure enough, the task marked in red still hung in the most prominent spot.

  Merit Mission 01

  Mission Content: Assist in suppressing heretics lurking in the Lower City. Duration: 30 days.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Requirements: Rank 3 Wizard Apprentice. Must master at least two Rank 1 spells, or possess a Glimmer-Grade magical item.

  Reward: Merit Points. The exact amount depends on contribution.

  Pierce confirmed the details, then withdrew his gaze and turned toward the administration building nearby.

  The first-floor hall was much livelier than usual. Upperclassmen, rarely seen on normal days, had appeared by the hundreds, scattered across more than a dozen counters. Unsurprisingly, they were all drawn by the lucrative merit rewards.

  Having survived to the third year in the brutal environment of The Spire Academy, these individuals were basically all Rank 3 apprentices, the true backbone of the academy.

  Pierce chose a counter with a shorter line and waited quietly.

  The queue moved quickly, and ten minutes later, it was his turn.

  "Merit Mission, Number 01."

  Pierce handed over his apprentice badge.

  The staff member behind the counter took it and paused. "A first-year student?"

  Missions of this level were typically only accepted by senior apprentices.

  However, after scanning the information engraved in the badge, the confusion on his face vanished, replaced by a look of realization and respect.

  "So it is this year's Freshman Prime."

  Rumor had it that this newcomer was a monster who had already advanced to Rank 3.

  The staff member's expression softened considerably, and he smiled. "You should have read the hard requirements for the mission. Which qualification do you intend to verify?"

  "If verifying spells, please go to the spell laboratory next door. If verifying a magical item, simply present it here."

  "Magical item." Pierce pointed to the seemingly ordinary grey robe he wore.

  The staff member understood. He picked up a special badge from the counter and aimed the side carved with the All-Seeing Eye at Pierce’s robe.

  The next second, the carved eye seemed to come alive, its pupil swiveling nimbly to stare fixedly at the grey robe.

  Hum!

  A faint red light flashed across the surface of the badge.

  Seconds later, the staff member put away the badge and nodded with satisfaction.

  Since the Mage Armor on Pierce was permanent and had undergone multiple improvements, its magical fluctuation had long since met the standard for a Glimmer-Grade item.

  "That will do. Verification passed. I will register you now."

  In moments, the paperwork was done. The staff member handed him a slip of parchment. "You have 3 days to prepare. Afterward, report to the address listed here. Unexcused absence will result in immediate disqualification and blacklisting, barring you from accepting any missions for 1 year."

  "Thank you."

  Pierce took the slip and glanced at it. The address looked familiar.

  Old Garrison, East District.

  After a moment's recollection, he realized it was one of the City Guard outposts in the outer city.

  Pierce understood immediately.

  It seemed that for this suppression operation, the role of the apprentices was to assist the City Guard with targeted elimination or fire support.

  Back at his apartment.

  Flora was sound asleep on the sofa, a trail of crystal-clear drool at the corner of her mouth. On the coffee table beside her sat a cup of richly fragrant Flora-Nectar, placed neatly.

  Pierce nodded with satisfaction. It seemed the little one hadn't slacked off while he was out.

  Storing the nectar, Pierce took a Mana Coin from his pocket and flicked it lightly with his finger.

  Ding!

  The coin tumbled into the air.

  At the same time, a wisp of black mist flew from his wrist like a living thing, shooting into the air like an arrow. Mid-flight, the mist solidified into a pitch-black crow, which caught the coin in its beak and swallowed it whole.

  Caw!

  Mist Raven landed on Pierce’s shoulder, affectionately pecking his cheek.

  Pierce smiled faintly, stroking the raven's cold, smooth feathers.

  Recently, as his Spirit attribute skyrocketed, Mist Raven, as his Familiar, had received massive feedback, strengthening significantly.

  Now, ordinary Knight-level combatants were unworthy of mention before the little creature.

  Because of this, Pierce felt safe letting Mist Raven go out to convert its kin and expand his surveillance network.

  Currently, the number of ordinary crows it controlled had increased to over 2,700.

  When Pierce went out now, he rarely saw wild crows flying about. More than half of the crow population in the outer city had been assimilated by Mist Raven.

  It could be said that the little guy had single-handedly made a huge contribution to the sanitation and appearance of the outer city.

  "Once the remaining crows in the outer city are converted, the flock should reach a limit of about 5,000."

  "But to expand the network further after that, I'll have to look toward the inner city or other regions."

  Just as Pierce was pondering, Flora on the sofa woke up groggily.

  She rubbed her sleepy eyes, quickly noticed Pierce in the living room, and immediately flapped her wings to fly over happily.

  "Eee-eee!"

  However, halfway there, she suddenly noticed the ominous black bird on Pierce’s shoulder. She slammed on the brakes in mid-air.

  The next second, she turned without hesitation and flew back to the sofa, curling up in the corner of a cushion and shivering, trying her best to turn invisible.

  Ever since she witnessed Mist Raven "swallowing" several of its own kind alive, that black bird had become an existence more terrifying than the Great Demon King in her eyes.

  No, much more terrifying!

  Though the Demon King was fierce, he gave her delicious nectar as long as she worked obediently. But this demon that "ate" its own kind was different. If she got too close, she might be eaten as a snack one day.

  Boo hoo, I'm just a skinny little fairy, I don't taste good at all.

  Mist Raven glanced indifferently at the trembling little thing, ignored her, and went back to preening its feathers.

  Watching the interaction between the two small creatures, Pierce shook his head and chuckled.

  Waving Mist Raven off to fly out the window for its patrol, he turned and returned to his bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

  The key now was how to allocate these 438 points of Power of Law.