To better explain things to Zelir, Manlin simply got up and pulled open the top drawer of a bookcase.

She rummaged inside for a moment before taking out a Magic Scroll tied with a pale gold silk thread.

"Give it a try. This is the Level Two Empowerment Magic Stabilization Skill. It can temporarily soothe a target’s pain. I inscribed it myself, so the quality is excellent."

Manlin handed the Scroll to Zelir. "See if you can learn it."

"Okay." Zelir nodded and took the Scroll.

After unrolling it, Zelir slowly infused his Spiritual Power into the Scroll, just as he had when learning the Heavy Pressure Technique.

But just as Manlin had said, the moment Zelir’s Spiritual Power touched the inside of the Scroll, a sense of instinctive repulsion welled up from the depths of his mind.

It felt like forcing himself to eat something nauseating; even if he managed to swallow it, he would immediately spit it back out.

No matter how hard Zelir tried to focus, he couldn’t get a clear look at the Spell Structure inscribed within the Scroll.

After several attempts, Zelir finally gave up.

"How did it go?" Manlin asked.

"It’s no use..." Zelir shook his head.

"It’s normal for it to not work."

Manlin comforted him. "Like I said before, the vast majority of Mages can’t do this."

Although he had failed to learn the Magic, Zelir didn’t feel discouraged. Instead, he had gained a deeper understanding of this world’s Magic System.

’Besides, if my guess is correct, I should be able to use Technique Celestial Calculation to ignore this restriction and learn the Magic.’

’Just imagine how terrifying a Mage who has mastered the Elemental, Arcane, and Empowerment Magic Systems would be.’

’You could stack a bunch of buffs on yourself before a fight, help out your teammates... The utility would be absolutely insane.’

’But this is still just a theory that needs to be tested. I’ll know if I can use it once the analysis of the Healing Skill is complete.’

Thinking of this, Zelir glanced at the list below his Technique Celestial Calculation.

[Healing Skill, Analysis Progress—1%]

’Based on this analysis speed, the Healing Skill is probably a Level Four Magic at minimum. I’ll still have to become a Junior Mage before I can use it.’

’I need to level up, and fast.’

Zelir returned the Scroll to Manlin with both hands. "Thank you for your instruction, Instructor Manlin."

"You’re welcome."

Manlin took back the Scroll with a smile. "Now, could you do something for me? We’ll just count it as your obligatory commission for the month."

Zelir straightened his posture and replied without hesitation.

"Instructor Manlin, just say the word. I’ll get it done."

The smile on Manlin’s face grew even sweeter.

She took a map from the drawer and handed it to Zelir. A location on it was marked with a red ink ’X’.

"It’s nothing too difficult. I just need you to go gather some herbs for me. It’s a plant called Moonlight Grass. It emits a pale blue fluorescence in the dark, and you can find it at the spot I marked."

As Manlin spoke, she began to sketch quickly on a piece of paper, the tip of her pen making a SHUSH SHUSH sound as it scraped against the surface.

Soon, she had produced a lifelike drawing of the Moonlight Grass.

Then, Manlin pulled out a sheet of letter paper and quickly scribbled a couple of lines.

"Show this letter to that old Mage at the General Affairs Office. He won’t assign you any other obligatory commissions then."

"Okay, I’ll bring it back for you as soon as I can." Zelir gathered the items, thanked Manlin again, and left the room.

Standing in the hallway, Zelir took a deep breath, then gave a couple of forceful hops.

’It feels so good to be healthy.’

After leaving the small building, Zelir returned to the General Affairs Office.

The queue in the hall had shrunk considerably. Only a few Mages were gathered in small groups off to the side, discussing something or other.

Zelir went to the counter and handed over the letter Manlin had written.

The Elder Mage, who was always dozing off, squinted at it for a long while before muttering.

"Why is everyone assigning tasks personally now...? Fine. Your obligatory commission for the month will be what’s written on here."

Then he fished out a Gold Coin and handed it to Zelir. "This is your subsidy."

"Thank you." Zelir took the Gold Coin.

Zelir’s assets had now reached twenty-one gold and twenty-four silver coins.

He no longer had to worry about his personal living expenses, but he still needed to save up more money.

He hoped to buy a Magic Wand and a Magic Robe—the two-piece set—as soon as possible. They provided a huge boost to a Mage’s immediate combat power.

"Zelir!"

A clear, pleasant voice rang out. Bev was walking quickly toward Zelir.

Seeing Zelir, the joy on her face was unconcealed. "You’re here! I was worried you’d forgotten my reminder about the obligatory commission."

"How could I forget? I’ve already received mine." Zelir waved the letter in his hand.

Bev was dressed differently today. The last two times, she had worn a light purple Magic Robe, but today she had changed into a pure white one.

The fabric of the Magic Robe had a soft sheen in the light, and the sky-blue sash was still tied around her waist, making her look both graceful and poised.

’Is her family so rich that she can afford to have multiple Magic Robes to switch between?’ Zelir couldn’t help but wonder.

"Let me see, let me see! What is it?"

Bev leaned in curiously and skimmed the letter.

"Gathering herbs...? It was assigned by Instructor Manlin herself? How do you know her?"

"I injured my leg during a mission. Instructor Marvin took me to Instructor Manlin to get it healed, and I just happened to pick up an obligatory commission from her."

Zelir said, "What about yours? What did you get?"

"Organizing the library." Bev pouted, her reluctance written all over her face.

"That’s not so bad, is it?"

"Not so bad?!"

Bev’s eyes widened, like a hissing kitten.

"Organizing the library is super tiring! You have no idea how annoying those thick, heavy old books are. And I have to climb up and down a ladder. What if I fall!"

"Go find Instructor Manlin to heal you," Zelir suggested bluntly.

"No way!"

Seeing Bev’s pouting expression, Zelir couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Then you could just not do it, right? It’s not like you’re hurting for that one Gold Coin subsidy."

"That’s not an option."

Bev shook her head.

"It’s true that a lot of Mages aren’t short on money, so they don’t care about the subsidy. But the obligatory commission must be done. If you miss it too often, you could be warned, or even expelled from the guild."

"The penalty is that severe?" Zelir was a little surprised.

"Yep. According to the guild, it’s to strengthen the bond between the Mages and the guild itself."

Bev explained, "Having everyone come to the guild to help out once a month is a good way to make friends and meet new people. Otherwise, if everyone just holes up at home, the guild would be a guild in name only."

As she spoke, Bev’s eyes darted, as if she had just thought of a brilliant idea.

A sly curve formed on her lips. She then deliberately drew out her words, her voice becoming soft and sweet.

"Zelir—"