He carefully examined the information before him, feeling both pleased and slightly disappointed.
The good news was that he had already completed two out of the three requirements to transition into the class of [Wizard Apprentice]. The bad news was, he still lacked one: raising the zero-circle spell Mucus Splash to the Adept level.
"Just one more step," Robb murmured softly.
In fact, he had been practicing this spell on and off before. However, since there wasn't a proper target for casting in the dorm, he hadn't been nearly as diligent with it as he had been with Solar Swordcraft.
Even so, the experience points for Mucus Splash were already close to breaking past the beginner threshold—it would only take a bit more effort to meet the class advancement requirement.
Had it not been for the recent troubles with Darude and Marcus, he might have already become a [Wizard Apprentice].
Robb began planning his next move:
After leaving the confinement room, his top priority was to quickly train Mucus Splash to the Adept level and complete his [Wizard Apprentice] transition.
The stats panel showed that becoming a [Wizard Apprentice] would grant bonuses to spell experience gain and mental energy recovery.
These attributes perfectly complemented the strengths of [Knight Squire] and [Alchemy Apprentice], potentially creating a powerful synergy.
"Three classes developing in parallel," Robb tapped his finger lightly on the desk.
"This way I can fully capitalize on the advantages of the panel and form a positive growth loop."
He envisioned the future:
The mental accumulation and magic affinity from [Alchemy Apprentice] would accelerate the growth of [Wizard Apprentice];
Meanwhile, the magic power and spellcasting prowess of [Wizard Apprentice] would complement the physical reinforcement of [Knight Squire], eventually forming a trinity of formidable combat power.
"As long as I complete the class change smoothly, when it comes time for apprentice recognition and initial resource allocation, the potential I show should be..."
Just as he was deep in thought about his future, a sudden series of footsteps in the corridor snapped him back to the present.
The sound of those footsteps was unique—light and rhythmic, carrying a kind of indescribable elegance and pressure, clearly not from an ordinary apprentice.
Robb immediately tensed up, withdrawing his thoughts and focusing his senses on the surroundings.
Suddenly, a revolting and deeply disturbing mental fluctuation entered his perception.
It was filled with rot and grotesqueness—like the sound of hundreds of maggots writhing in decayed flesh, but somehow translated into mental sensation.
What was worse, this unknown fluctuation was approaching his confinement cell directly.
Robb instinctively tensed, his mental energy pulling back into a defensive, spherical stance to lessen the discomfort.
He looked around quickly, noticing that the eye-like monitoring devices in the hallway were still functioning. That gave him a bit of reassurance.
In a monitored public area like this, nothing too extreme should happen.
With that in mind, he had a strong suspicion about who the visitor might be—someone associated with his unlucky "neighbor."
Marcus was locked up just a few cells down. When Robb was meditating, he would occasionally hear Marcus cursing about the terrible food in confinement.
Sure enough, after a short wait, a figure slowly appeared around the corner of the corridor.
Through the door vent, Robb saw an extraordinarily handsome young man approaching. He had black hair and black eyes—his features so striking they were almost eerie.
His skin was deathly pale, glowing faintly under the dim hallway lights.
Most eye-catching of all was the dark blue gemstone badge on his chest—symbol of a High Apprentice.
Trailing behind the man was Marcus, head hung low like a beaten dog, cowecircle as he followed closely behind. This was a far cry from his usual arrogant demeanor—he now looked pathetic and humiliated.
"Robb Reyne?" the black-haired man stood before the confinement room door, his voice soft and strange, yet oddly gentle.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Oliver, Marcus's older brother."
Robb's heart clenched. So it was him—the High Apprentice specializing in curse magic.
"A pleasure," he replied cautiously, nodding politely and keeping his tone as steady as possible.
A perfect smile spread across Oliver's face, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth. "I apologize for my brother's rude behavior."
As he spoke, he pulled out a set of keys from his robe and casually unlocked the door to the confinement room:
"As compensation, I've used magic stone fragments to buy you an early release."
Robb raised an eyebrow, thinking quietly.
Indeed, in the Black Mist Forest, there was a regulation allowing inmates to reduce their confinement time in exchange for magic stone fragments—ten pieces per day.
But he had never seriously considered it. First, he didn't want to waste precious resources. Second, while the cell was simple, it met his basic needs and allowed for peaceful cultivation.
"Thank you for your generosity," Robb replied, calm and composed, while keeping a close eye on Oliver's every move.
He didn't immediately step out of the room. The confinement chamber had several trigger-based formations—
These not only prevented escapes but also discouraged visitors from attempting anything shady.
Ironically, they were now his safety net.
Oliver's manners were impeccable—smiling, courteous, and exuding the aura of a gentleman.
But this perfection was exactly what made Robb wary. No one could thrive in the Black Mist Forest without being dangerous beneath the surface.
"No need to be so polite," Oliver waved his hand. "My brother always causes trouble. He's quite the headache."
He turned and lightly patted Marcus on the shoulder. It looked affectionate, but Robb noticed the sudden stiffness and fear that gripped Marcus's body.
"If you're still upset, feel free to beat him up a bit,"
Oliver continued with an unchanged smile, though a strange gleam flickered in his eyes. "I won't mind at all."
Robb grew more alert. He glanced at the ccircleing Marcus, then shook his head.
"No need. Since you've apologized on his behalf, let's just leave it at that."
"Your tolerance is admirable," Oliver praised smoothly, then transitioned to the topic he truly cared about:
"By the way, I heard you've been researching sonic spells? The project from Darude?"
Here it is. That sentence set off alarm bells in Robb's mind.
So even this High Apprentice had heard about his research in confinement. It was clearly not as private as he had hoped.
"Just a casual curiosity," Robb replied cautiously.
"A true wizard must always be curious and inquisitive. It seems you have that admirable trait,"
Oliver nodded with a smile, but his words were laced with hidden meaning:
"Sonic magic and curses have quite a bit in common. They both manipulate targets subtly and silently—perhaps one day we can compare notes."