Chapter 123: Stay or Leave

“Strength 8.0 (2.8) (2.3) (2.1), Agility 7.1 (1.7) (1.2) (2), Constitution 8.8 (3.4) (3.5), Mental Power 18.6.”

“In summary, Strength 15.2, Agility 12, Constitution 15.7, Mental Power 18.6.”

Helag calculated that if he applied all his enhancement spells, his physical stats would reach these numbers.

With such stats, he could easily overpower any third-level apprentice unless they had some special means.

After constructing these spell models, Helag returned to his routine of meditation, study, and work.

Half a month later.

Helag’s rune stone lit up with a message from Larry: “Come over, I have something to discuss.”

Helag quickly headed to Larry’s place.

Seeing Helag, Larry began, “Today, I want to talk about your plans after becoming a formal wizard. Have you thought about what you’ll do next?”

“Formal wizard? What do you mean by plans?” Helag asked.

Larry explained, “Will you stay in Moonlight Forest or leave?”

Helag understood. Once he became a formal wizard, his current contract would automatically expire, and he would need to sign a new one.

If he didn’t sign a new contract with Moonlight Forest, he likely couldn’t stay there.

Not staying in Moonlight Forest would mean losing many conveniences, like access to potion materials, casting materials, and other resources.

However, staying would require signing a new contract.

The contract for formal wizards would be more binding and demanding than that for apprentices.

As a third-level apprentice, he already had to accept tasks assigned by Moonlight Forest.

As a formal wizard, signing a contract would bind him even more to Moonlight Forest, leading to many unavoidable obligations.

Helag valued his freedom and didn’t want to be overly constrained or have his fate controlled by others.

He wasn’t a renowned potion master like Larry, who could negotiate an equal employment contract with Moonlight Forest.

“What are the terms if I stay in Moonlight Forest?” Helag wanted to know the specifics.

Larry sipped his coffee and said, “A hundred years. You’d need to stay in Moonlight Forest for at least a hundred years.”

“A hundred years?” Helag immediately lost interest in staying.

Larry nodded. “Many wizard organizations are like this. Formal wizards must serve the organization for a hundred to a hundred and fifty years before they can leave freely. The resources required for formal wizards are significant, and the organization invests a lot, so it’s a fair exchange.”

A hundred years was about a third of the lifespan of most first-level wizards, which wasn’t very long.

For newly advanced formal wizards without any background, staying in Moonlight Forest was a reasonable choice, as they wouldn’t have to worry about resources.

Typically, it took a long time for a first-level wizard to advance to the second level, and most never did.

Even powerful first-level wizards like Dino and Malcolm had only approached the threshold of the second level after many years of cultivation.

But for Helag, the situation was different. With Deep Blue, his advancement speed would be faster than ordinary wizards.

For normal wizards, learning and constructing spell models took a lot of time, but Deep Blue saved Helag that time.

Staying in Moonlight Forest for a hundred years could slow his cultivation.

More importantly, signing a contract meant his life and death would be in someone else’s hands.

When he first entered Moonlight Forest, he didn’t know this, but now that he did, he didn’t want to sign such a contract again.

Fate should be in his own hands.

“Larry, I don’t think I’ll stay in Moonlight Forest,” Helag replied.

Larry nodded and said, “I figured. Moonlight Forest asked me to talk to you. If you choose to stay, they’ll provide you with an Ancient Potion and an Amanda Potion for free.”

“Free?”

“Yes, for ordinary apprentices, saving enough magic stones for an Ancient Potion takes a long time. Advancing to a formal wizard should be done as soon as possible, so Moonlight Forest’s offer is very tempting for them.”

“But for you, it’s different. You have enough magic stones to buy them directly.”

Larry smiled. He hadn’t told Moonlight Forest much about Helag.

He was just working there and didn’t have a close relationship with them.

Moonlight Forest’s offer was almost irresistible for ordinary apprentices, especially those without a background.

An Ancient Potion and an Amanda Potion cost over a thousand magic stones, and it was hard for ordinary apprentices to save that much.

Helag asked, “Larry, can you get Ancient Potions and Amanda Potions?”

He felt the need to prepare in advance in case something went wrong with Moonlight Forest.

Ancient Potions and Amanda Potions, unlike Dawn Dusk Potions, had a long shelf life, lasting decades and were very stable.

Larry understood and nodded. “Yes, I recommend you prepare three Amanda Potions. You won’t need more than that. You’re young, and three should be your limit. I don’t have them in stock, but come back in a few days, and I’ll get them for you at market price, with a small discount, totaling 1,200 magic stones.”

“Thank you, Larry!” Helag expressed his gratitude.

“I’ll tell them you’re still considering it and will decide closer to your advancement.”

Larry wanted to avoid causing Helag trouble by saying he wouldn’t stay.

As a third-level apprentice, Helag couldn’t refuse any assigned tasks.

…

After leaving Larry’s place, Helag continued to think about his future plans.

Since he decided not to stay in Moonlight Forest, he needed to learn more about the Karag Continent.

Shortly after returning home, his rune stone lit up again with a message from Bessie: “Got time to chat? I’m still recovering and can’t move much. Can you come to my place?”

Helag replied, “Sure, when and where?”

He didn’t know where Bessie lived, and she was one of the few acquaintances still alive.

“Today works. I live in the northern forest area, K Zone, House 16, not far from you.”