Chapter Eighty-One: The Outcome

Hughes lay limp on the ground for some time before he finally recovered.
"Are you alright?" Amy looked at Hughes, who was still on the floor.
Hughes glanced at Amy's relaxed expression, then at the necklace around Ellie’s neck. Seeing that she was completely unharmed, he surmised it must be thanks to the necklace.
Once Hughes felt well enough, he rose to his feet.
"If you’re alright, let’s go," Ellie said, noting that aside from his pale complexion, Hughes seemed otherwise unscathed, and she led him away.
The two soon reached the outside of the castle, where Amy stopped.
"Alright! Go back on your own. And don’t mention what happened today to anyone!" Amy instructed Hughes, then turned and headed back to the castle.
Hughes had no complaints; though he had suffered a bit, he had obtained what he wanted.
Suppressing his inner excitement, Hughes hurried back to his dormitory.
Bang! As soon as he returned, Hughes slammed the door shut.
"Chip! Using the level-one defensive sorcery template just scanned, continue analyzing and perfecting it!" Hughes quickly ordered the chip to begin a new round of analysis and simulation.
"Beep! Level-one defensive sorcery template: Life Blessing data importing!"
"Beep! Analyzing and simulating the template most suitable for the host’s defensive sorcery. Estimated time: 58."
The chip’s task of simulating and analyzing defensive sorcery was nearly complete. However, Hughes had not simply based the sorcery on Life Blessing; instead, he had instructed the chip to use Life Blessing as a reference, refining the template that best matched his own attributes.
Though the completion time was again delayed, it proved that the chip’s previous analysis of sorcery still had room for improvement. He owed it to Amy’s suggestion, which had enabled him to obtain a level-one defensive sorcery template for reference.
"At this rate, there’s a good chance the final analyzed template will meet the standard for a level-one defensive sorcery!" Hughes had great faith in the chip’s analytical capabilities.
With the matter of the defensive sorcery template resolved, Hughes began absorbing vast amounts of knowledge from the Ring of Shadows. At the same time, he quickened his efforts to collect materials for the low-grade enchanted item, Guide of Protection. He planned to leave the Ring of Shadows once he successfully crafted the item.
Since the Ring of Shadows had been unsealed, the entire trading district became its liveliest hub, with all manner of stalls and materials appearing in abundance. Roaming the marketplace always yielded something desirable.
Hughes had nearly gathered all the necessary materials; only the branch of the Calamity Tree remained.
The Calamity Tree generally grew where undead congregated, attracting them with a powerful allure. Around each Calamity Tree gathered countless undead, which made finding its branches extremely difficult.
"Still nothing," Hughes muttered, having scoured the entire trading district without finding any clue about the Calamity Tree’s branches.

Hughes also checked the task hall, but found no missions related to undead gathering sites, dashing his hopes of finding one on his own.
It was worth mentioning that although the Ring of Shadows had been unsealed for some time, the public classroom area remained closed, and even paid courses were scarce.
Hughes glanced over the available subjects; most were obscure, including the one he disliked most: biological modification. He cast a distant look at the instructor teaching that course.
She was an older female professor. Hughes’s curiosity about her vanished when he noticed one of her hands was a beast’s claw, grayish-blue and savage. That settled his aversion to biological modification.
Absorbing knowledge, Hughes felt increasingly out of place in the Ring of Shadows. He yearned to see the world outside.
He had always regarded the Ring of Shadows as a temporary stop on his wizard’s path, never intending to stay.
A series of chain-breaking sounds echoed—at last, the public classroom area was unsealed.
"There must be new apprentices arriving!" a nearby student guessed.
"Most likely! This time the Ring of Shadows should be recruiting many. Usually, they take apprentices every five years, but only two years have passed since the last intake."
Hughes listened quietly, ripples stirring in his heart. "Yes, it’s been two years since I arrived," he mused.
Having failed to find what he wanted in the trading district, Hughes was about to return to his dormitory when a streak of light shot toward him.
As it approached, Hughes tried to dodge, but it exploded before him.
"Hughes Bruch! Please report to the registration office in the teaching district!"
The words appeared before his eyes, fading slowly, and Hughes turned toward the teaching district.
Arriving at the registration office, Hughes saw the registrar watching him approach.
"Long time no see. I’m here to discuss something with you—or rather, the academy wants to discuss something with you," Lima, seated at the desk, went straight to the point, unwilling to waste time.
"This time, it’s about the academy’s new apprentice intake. As you’ve seen, the public classroom area has opened."
Hughes nodded, signaling Lima to continue.
"Many teachers have been sent out to recruit apprentices and haven’t returned, so the academy wants you to teach the public classes!"
"But don’t worry, you only need to teach some introductory potion knowledge," Lima hurried to reassure Hughes, who looked ready to refuse.
"You know the academy is short-staffed, especially in potion studies. Your mentor is absent, and honestly, you’re the best we have for potion studies in the Ring of Shadows. Please accept!" Lima’s plea was tinged with bitterness.

He knew the academy had been eager to recruit Hughes, especially after his promotion to third-level apprentice and his actions in the secret realm. These only strengthened the academy’s resolve to keep Hughes within the Ring of Shadows, within the school.
"Why must I be the one to persuade Hughes? Couldn’t a full wizard do it?" Lima wondered, seeing Hughes’s hesitation. As a third-level apprentice himself, he couldn’t afford to offend Hughes. People—what a hassle...
"By the way, the academy has prepared your reward." Lima produced a rectangular box, about twenty centimeters long.
Hughes, who was about to refuse, paused to see what was inside before deciding.
He took the box from Lima and slowly opened it.
"This is..." Hughes was momentarily at a loss for words.
Inside the box was the very branch of the Calamity Tree he had been searching for.
It was only as thick as a thumb, about a dozen centimeters long, jet-black, looking like a charred remnant.
Yet Hughes sensed a strange energy within it. It was said that wearing a Calamity Tree branch brought misfortune and attracted the undead.
He stared at the piece of Calamity Tree branch, and though it was only one segment, it was enough to craft the Guide of Protection.
After contemplating it for a while, Hughes closed the lid.
"Is the academy trying to curry favor with me?" Hughes smirked, realizing he had underestimated how much the Ring of Shadows valued him.
Otherwise, how could it be that the very item he needed appeared just when he sought it?
"Alright! I’ll follow the academy’s instructions. But about this item..." Hughes waved the box at Lima.
"You can keep it now," Lima replied, delighted that Hughes had agreed. With this, Lima had fulfilled the academy’s request.
"When will I teach?" Hughes was eager to begin crafting his enchanted item.
"In a few days, but don’t worry—someone will notify you when the time comes," Lima assured him.
"Alright, then. I’m off." Hughes took the box and left the registration office.
"Why don’t I have such luck?" Lima watched Hughes depart, unable to suppress a feeling of envy.