The insights from studying his Azure Source Tower apprentice badge had sparked new ideas. Once he'd paused that research, Kai turned his attention to old magical items he'd used in the past. A pale white mask appeared on his workbench—thePale Mask, a low-tier magical item he'd looted and used back when he was a Junior Apprentice. Its "clear vision" ability was now beneath him.
His plan? Not just repair the mask, but enhance it by inscribing three new spells:Flame Ray,Detection Aura, andMental Refresh.
Detection Aurawas a common scouting spell he'd learned at Azure Source Tower, and it had proven invaluable during the underground mine mission.Mental Refresh—a special runic array that helped casters recover mental energy faster—wasn't from the tower; he'd deciphered its alchemical pattern by disassembling the acid staff his mentor Moses had left him.Flame Ray, meanwhile, was a potent offensive spell. Adding these three would elevate the mask from a low-tier to a high-tier magical item.
Kai started withDetection AuraandMental Refresh—support spells that demanded less from the mask's material but tested his alchemical precision and micro-engraving skills. After half a month of painstaking work, he succeeded in inscribing both. His inexperience with high-tier item crafting slowed him down; with more practice, he knew he'd work faster.
Next cameFlame Ray. The Pale Mask's original material couldn't withstand the searing fire-element particles the spell would unleash. After careful calculation, Kai melted a blend of specific alchemical ingredients in fixed proportions, creating a translucent, pale-red gel. He coated the mask evenly with it, waited for it to cool and harden, then finally inscribedFlame Ray.
Ten days later, the "enhanced Pale Mask" was complete. Calling it "pale" no longer made sense—it now glowed with a faint crimson hue. "Crimson Mask" suited it far better. WithDetection Aura,Mental Refresh, andFlame Ray, it was undeniably a high-tier magical item. This marked Kai's first independent creation of a high-tier item—a milestone that proved his alchemical skills had advanced, thanks to Moses' teachings and his own relentless study at the tower.
He embedded a deep-red high-tier fire-element energy crystal into the mask's forehead, serving as an extra power source. Now, besides passively absorbing elemental energy from the air to recharge, the mask could draw from the crystal for a quick boost. ForFlame Rayalone, this let the mask cast the spell up to ten times—with more uses possible if he swapped out the crystal (a luxury he wasn't eager to waste).
Staring at his handiwork, Kai felt a rare surge of satisfaction. The crimson mask wasn't just a tool—it felt like a work of art, a testament to his alchemical progress as an apprentice. Even if he outgrew it later, it would remain a memento of this phase in his journey.
His cousin Serena was in the lab too. She had no talent for alchemy, but her curiosity and eagerness to help had won Kai over, so he'd let her assist with simple tasks. Gazing at the mask, she gushed, half-impressed, half-admiring: "Cousin, your alchemy is amazing! You even made a high-tier magical item! And it looks so nice—the crystal in the middle is like an eye."
Kai smiled faintly at her praise, but one casual word in her sentence jolted him—eye. He'd never stopped thinking about upgrading hisSun Eyespell, even as he focused on alchemy. Deriving a 36-eyeSun Eyematrix from a 6-eye base was far beyond his current ability, but… what if he didn't limit himself to inscribing it in his mental realm? What if he used alchemy?
Magic and alchemy had always complemented each other—both were tools to boost his strength and knowledge. If they belonged to the same caster's system, why not merge them?
"Sun Eyedemands far more from materials thanFlame Ray, though," Kai murmured, staring at the Crimson Mask. "This mask can't handle it."
Two months later, in the lab, the Crimson Mask was clamped to the workbench—already inscribed with twoSun Eyeelemental nodes. Kai was working on the third when a violent surge of energy erupted before him. He reacted instantly—years of intense focus had sharpened his reflexes. A blinding golden light and a deafening explosion followed. He darted sideways, narrowly avoiding the blast and the straySun Eyebeam, but the lab was reduced to chaos: smoke billowed from the workbench, and debris littered the floor.
"Cousin! What happened?!" Serena's panicked voice came from outside. She'd heard the explosion from the first floor and raced up.
"Cough… cough…" Kai's voice emerged from the smoke. When he opened the door, a cloud of soot poured out, revealing his blackened, disheveled form. But the real blow was the Crimson Mask in his hand—split clean in two. His first independently crafted high-tier item was destroyed.
Regret stung—months of work and ingenuity had gone up in smoke—but beneath it, Kai felt excitement, even defiance. The experiment had proven his idea was viable:Sun Eyecould be inscribed into a magical item. The mask—reinforced with his special gel—had only managed twoSun Eyenodes before failing, a testament to how demanding the spell was on materials.
"Thirty-sixSun Eyenodes are impossible right now," Kai thought, his eyes alight. "But six? I could inscribe six into a new mask. Add my ownSun Eyemagic, and that's twelve beams total. Fired together… they might even threaten an official Mage!"
He sounded like a (obsessed) alchemist, ignoring Serena's worried questions as he muttered to himself. His mind raced—this was a bold attempt to merge his magic and alchemy, two pillars of his power. SixSun Eyebeams already matched an official Mage's strength; twelve? It was unheard of for an apprentice.
Without a word to Serena, Kai cast aCleansespell to wipe the soot from his robes and skin, then rushed out of the dorm. He needed to hit the tower's outer trading district—he'd need a stockpile of light and fire-element materials, plus plenty of magical metals for his next experiment.
The academy's commercial street sold similar supplies, but Kai found their prices exorbitant. He had money, but waste grated on him—especially now that he understood the staggering cost (in gold, materials, and time) of magical research. The outer district was a trade-off: cheaper, but a maze of vendors. Without a keen eye, you could easily buy fakes or shoddy goods. The academy's shops, by contrast, were tower-run or certified—if you bought a dud, the tower would rectify it.
But Kai trusted his alchemical judgment. If he couldn't spot a fake here, he might as well abandon hisSun Eyeproject and redo his alchemy basics.
After days of scouring the outer district, he gathered most of the materials he needed. A few rare items eluded him, forcing him to bite the bullet and buy them from the academy. He then spent over half a year in the tower library, diving into tomes on magical runic arrays to refine his plans. Only when every preparation was complete did Kai return to his lab.
Taking a deep breath, he began crafting the "Sun Eye Mask"—the second attempt. The Crimson Mask's destruction had taught him invaluable lessons; this time, he felt confident, even if success was only a 60-70% chance. It was a risk worth taking.
Time blurred when immersed in magic, alchemy, and the pursuit of truth. As Kai threw himself into perfecting the Sun Eye Mask, over three years slipped by.
Three years later, Azure Source Tower Academy buzzed with unusual tension. More apprentices filled the halls than usual—odd, since 招生 season was still months away. The cause? The Regional Tower Academy War, held once every fifty years, would begin in six months.
Most of Azure Source's apprentices were young, but a handful of veterans had fought in the last war. These were now Senior Apprentices or higher—and their fear of the war was palpable. Their unease rippled down to the newer apprentices, many of whom spread rumors that the war was a "meat grinder" where apprentices died in droves.
It was true that every tower suffered apprentices losses in the war, but the horror was overblown. Azure Source didn't train apprentices to be cannon fodder; the war's purpose was to temper and select the best talent—future official Mages, and reserves for the planar war Mage legions. The tower even provided participants with one-time protective items to let them flee the battlefield if they faced overwhelming danger.
Even so, casualty rates for each tower hovered around 20-30%. Azure Source fared worse—its shallow foundations and smaller pool of elite apprentices meant its last war casualty rate had neared 40%. No wonder the veterans feared it: a 40% chance of death was like dancing with the reaper.
The rewards, however, were irresistible. After every war, the number of official Mages in each tower surged—Azure Source included. Apprentices who survived to the end earned rich prizes: academy points, energy crystals, even magic coins. Top-ranked participants won rewards so valuable that even Level 1+ official Mages would covet them.