Magus sighed softly and shook his head, pushing aside unnecessary thoughts.
Whatever happened, he possessed two great advantages—the Synthesis Cube and the Player Panel. With those, he would never end up like Anger MacLean.
After setting down one diary, Magus picked up another. To his surprise, this one contained detailed notes on Anger MacLean's Black Rock Leopard experiment. It described, in precise detail, the entire refining process of the creature.
"With these experimental records, as long as I learn the Puppet Refining skill from the books on the shelf, I can attempt to create a Black Rock Leopard myself!"
A smile of delight appeared on Magus's face.
The Black Rock Leopard was a Knight-level puppet—loyal, dependable, and fearless—an excellent companion in combat.
If he could refine a group of them, his safety during expeditions to gather materials would increase greatly.
After carefully storing away the two diaries, Magus turned his attention to a small ring resting nearby.
At first glance, it seemed dull and unimpressive—a cheap, gray trinket one might find at a street vendor's stall. Yet when Magus focused his perception, he sensed something remarkable.
The ring felt like a tiny black hole, constantly devouring free energy particles from the surrounding air.
"A magic item!" he whispered, eyes lighting up with excitement.
He hadn't expected Anger MacLean to leave behind something so valuable.
Glancing around and confirming that everyone else remained outside, Magus discreetly activated the Synthesis Cube and placed the ring within it.
A line of glowing text appeared before his eyes:
[Bloodvine Ring (Alchemy/Sub-Magic Item): Once activated, can summon blood vines to bind a designated target and continuously absorb a small portion of the target's vitality. Usages remaining: 3/3. Can be restored by injecting mental power or through passive absorption of free energy particles.]
"Excellent. Very practical." Magus nodded to himself.
Magic items were divided into several tiers.
The lowest tier was the Alchemy-level, often called sub-magic items.
These typically possessed only one enchantment or magical effect—such as dimensional bags, spatial rings, or enchanted weapons imbued with attributes like sharpness, bleeding, or black steel.
Even though they were the weakest type of magic item, their power could still be impressive.
Taking the Bloodvine Ring as an example, Magus estimated that even a Peak Knight might struggle to break free if ensnared by its blood vines.
For him—a mere Wizard Apprentice—owning a sub-magic item was a rare and precious opportunity.
However, there was a catch. To properly activate and control a magic item, one needed at least the ability to manipulate energy particles.
That meant he would have to wait until he advanced to a Second-level Wizard Apprentice before being able to use the Bloodvine Ring.
Above Alchemy-level items were the Glimmer-level, also known as low magic items.
Items of this tier usually contained multiple magical properties, and their value far exceeded that of ordinary sub-magic items.
Even a Third-level Wizard Apprentice would rejoice to obtain one.
Beyond that was the Magic-level, representing true wizard artifacts—items capable of unleashing formidable magical powers.
Generally, only Formal Wizards possessed such treasures.
As for artifacts above the Magic-level, Magus doubted any still existed on the Starlight Continent.
He recalled that in his previous life's game, such powerful artifacts didn't appear until version 2.0, The Wizard's Return.
In version 1.0, the world still contained a fair number of sub-magic and low magic items scattered throughout the continent.
"I should tell Rune to keep an eye out for these," Magus thought, musing quietly.
But then again, unactivated magic items appeared no different from ordinary ones, making them nearly impossible for non-wizards to identify.
Even if Rune helped him search, it probably wouldn't yield much. Still, it was worth mentioning—better than nothing.
Satisfied, Magus stored the Bloodvine Ring away and turned to the remaining two wooden boxes on the table.
Opening the larger one, he discovered three finger-length leaves.
They resembled four-leaf clovers, yet were translucent and smooth like gems, their purplish-green hue shimmering faintly in the light.
"This is… Spirit Accumulation Grass!" Magus exclaimed, eyes widening.
Recognizing it instantly, he hurriedly placed the leaves into the Cube for analysis.
[Spirit Accumulation Grass — Purity: 29.28%. Upon consumption, slightly increases mental power. Effect diminishes as mental power increases; ineffective for individuals with 12 or more points of mental power.]
Magus's eyes brightened.
"It really is Spirit Accumulation Grass that can boost mental power!"
"Anger MacLean was quite generous…" he began to say—then paused, realization dawning.
As a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, Anger MacLean's mental power must have exceeded twelve points, rendering the Spirit Accumulation Grass useless to him. No wonder he hadn't valued it much.
"That works out perfectly for me," Magus murmured with satisfaction, carefully closing the box.
Next, he opened the final wooden box.
Inside lay more than thirty sparkling gemstones, each catching the light with dazzling brilliance.
"Sapphires, rubies, fire opals, halo stones, moon-patterned stones…" he listed softly, clicking his tongue in admiration.
Together, these gems were easily worth over a thousand gold coins.
"Excellent." Magus thought for a moment, then decided to keep them for himself.
With the black stone iron stored in the warehouse and the Black Stone Mining Area soon to reopen, Blackstone City wouldn't face any financial difficulties for a long time. There was no need to sell these gems for gold.
More importantly, gems held far greater value for wizards than for merchants.
To a wizard, gems were versatile magical materials—not merely for decoration.
They served countless purposes.
For example, some spells required specific gems as casting media.
Magus recalled a school of magic known as Gem Spells, which used different types of gems as their primary catalysts.
It was an infamously expensive path.
Every spell cast consumed a gem, costing anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of gold coins each time.
Only wealthy wizards could afford such extravagance.
But in return, their spells were astonishingly powerful.
A simple first-ring spell like Burning Hand, when cast with a ruby as its medium, could reach the destructive force of a second-ring—almost third-ring—spell.
Thus, practitioners of Gem Spells were renowned as "rich and mighty duelists," often capable of defeating stronger opponents.
Beyond spellcasting, gems were also crucial materials in the crafting of magic items.
For instance, wizard staves commonly featured inlaid gems that granted additional enchantments.
Gems were also frequently used as energy cores in puppet creation.
Many Wizard Apprentices, unable to afford soul crystals, substituted gems instead.
In short, gems had countless uses, and Magus had no intention of parting with them unless absolutely necessary.
Once he finished inspecting all the drawers, he carefully searched the rest of the study, but found nothing else of significant value.
"Well, I've already gained plenty this time. No point in being greedy," Magus said with a quiet sigh of satisfaction.
After packing away his findings, he left the room.
During his time in the study, Rune had already organized a team to transport the black iron ingots. The hall was now bustling with activity, carts and soldiers moving in orderly fashion.
Seeing Magus emerge, Rune didn't ask about what he had discovered inside. Instead, he pointed toward the laboratory and asked,
"Do you want to keep the things in there? If you do, I'll have them moved to your courtyard."
Magus shook his head. "No need."
Decades had passed since Anger MacLean's death. Even the magic traps in the laboratory had long since decayed and lost power. The Puppet Refining equipment was damaged beyond repair, and restoring it would be a waste of effort.
Fortunately, the experimental records contained blueprints for all of the devices. If he needed them in the future, he could easily commission the blacksmiths in the territory to forge new ones.
With that, Magus and Rune left the underground chamber, the echoes of footsteps fading into the dim corridors.
Magus carried with him a ring of blood-red vines, a few precious leaves of Spirit Accumulation Grass, and a small chest of brilliant gems—spoils that would surely shape his journey toward becoming a true wizard.