"Didn't you see the warning? Unless you're at least a Third-rank Apprentice, going out there is suicide!"
A voice rang out, and Kreweir appeared behind Ni Lan.
"You're back?" Leilin Farell asked.
"Mhm! Here's the mission reward—fifteen Magic Stones!" Kreweir opened his palm, where five black crystals sat quietly in the center.
"Per our earlier agreement, three Magic Stones each!" Kreweir divided the stones first, then opened a large black bundle. Inside were red-eyed Crow claws, feathers, eyes, and other materials.
"And these! The only valuable parts of a Red-eyed Crow are its two claws—one pair can sell for a Magic Stone. Combined with the other materials, it comes to about fifteen Magic Stones total! So? Anyone have any objections? If not, we'll split it this way."
The Red-eyed Crow's claws were just proof of mission completion and had to be returned to the Academy afterward, but they still counted as income.
"No objections!" Leilin Farell said with a faint smile. He had only taken this mission to gain experience, so he wasn't particularly desperate for Magic Stones.
Thirty Magic Stones in total was a pretty hefty haul, but it had to be weighed against expenses. During the mission, Ni Lan and Lilisite had used Acceleration Potions, Kreweir had used Swift Grass Seeds, and Leilin Farell had burned through Explosive Potion, Healing Potion, and Stamina Potion—the total cost far exceeded thirty Magic Stones.
If you really did the math, they had completely lost money on this mission. Leilin Farell would have earned more just brewing potions.
Seeing Leilin Farell agree, Ni Lan, Lilisite, and Lannuo had no choice but to nod.
"Leilin, you contributed the most on this mission. If you hadn't stepped in at the end, we'd all be dead. You should take a bigger share!" Kreweir's expression was sincere—he had clearly made up his mind already.
"Really, it's fine!" Leilin Farell smiled and picked out two right claws from the Red-eyed Crows along with some other materials. After estimating the value at six Magic Stones, he stopped.
"This is enough for me."
"Alright, then we'll continue dividing the rest..." Kreweir sounded a bit helpless, but Lilisite and Lannuo visibly brightened.
Since all of them were injured to some degree, and something had apparently gone wrong near the Academy making the area suddenly dangerous, taking on another mission was out of the question. The group quickly exchanged contact information and left the mission area.
Kreweir left the fastest—by now black fur had spread across his thighs, making his legs look like those of an ape. He clearly couldn't wait to seek help.
"Goodbye!" Lilisite and Lannuo also bid farewell and departed.
"Can you tell me your dormitory number?" Ni Lan seemed to press right up against Leilin Farell, whispering in his ear.
A faint warm breeze brushed past his ear, carrying a tingling sensation.
"I'm not in the mood for that right now! Maybe later!" Leilin Farell refused. His body still ached dully—where would he find the energy for that?
"Alright then! I'll be waiting!" Ni Lan giggled, gave a light kiss near his cheekbone, then darted away.
Leilin Farell shook his head and turned back toward his dormitory.
He opened the door. The room was just as he had left it. Being back here gave him a sense of security.
"The mission was less than a month, so why does it feel like so much time has passed?"
Leilin Farell closed the door, set his Cross Sword and bundle aside, and collapsed onto the bed.
The soft mattress cradled his body—so plush, so comfortable.
"Chip! Pull up my current data!"
"Leilin Farell. Second-rank Apprentice. Formal Knight. Strength: 2.5. Agility: 2.7. Constitution: 3.0. Spirit: 4.2. Mana: 4.0. Status: Healthy."
Every stat had increased. Strength, Agility, and Constitution each went up by 0.3, while Spirit rose by 0.1.
"Since advancing to Formal Knight, all my stats received a boost. As for Spiritual Power, that's the result of a month of continuous meditation!"
Leilin Farell studied his three-dimensional model. "Chip, calculate how much more Life Energy I have in reserve and how much it could improve my physical stats."
After a Knight activated their Life Energy, there would be another burst period for Constitution. But for Leilin Farell, who had already enhanced himself considerably through Meditation Radiation, the effect would likely be minimal.
"Task accepted. Calculating..."
"Ding! Simulation complete. Estimated improvements: Strength +0.6, Agility +0.3, Constitution +0.1!" The Chip's feedback came back.
"If my stats had still averaged 1.9 like before, this Life Energy could have boosted everything by more than 1. But with such a high baseline already, further improvement is much harder."