"Hmm... No wonder!"
After observing it for a while, Ian immediately realized what had happened.
Perhaps this was how this meditation method truly worked. After all, it was an extension of the Veiled Knight Breathing Method.
"Does that mean I can meditate faster if I were in the Great Knight realm? Then... what about the Legendary Knight realm?"
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, making him increasingly excited.
When he first transmigrated into this world, he thought Knights and Wizards were two extremes. In fact, according to the novel Arcane Passage, that was indeed the case. There was no comparison between the two classes.
However, from obtaining the meditation method from his Knight Breathing Method and now being helped by the Life Seed in his dantian, Ian began to realize how wrong his initial thoughts were.
In fact, he now wondered whether this world was the same world as 'Arcane Passage,' or perhaps it was because he hadn't read past the first volume.
However, these things didn't matter, as he had found his own way to accelerate the meditation process.
You know, although he appeared calm on the surface, there was an undercurrent churning inside him.
The protagonist Carl in 'Arcane Passage' was a true genius and not a waste-flow character with excessive luck. Although he was arrogant, it was justified due to his excellent bearings.
Don't think a Sixth-ring Wizard would follow you and teach you personally just because you had luck.
Instead, Carl was destined to be a great Wizard from the beginning, while the opportunities in his path were mere icing on the cake to accelerate the process.
So, all Ian could do was depend on the quest system and try to rob the protagonist of opportunities. Basically, he himself was useless and might never even escape his destiny as a mere passerby villain.
However, after seeing the effectiveness of the Life Seed in his meditation and the suspense surrounding his family heirloom, he finally had something to rely on.
"It seems I need to hasten the plan to go to the northern border."
If it was related to increasing his realm in the Wizard path, then he really had too few options unless he went to the Calvora continent.
However, there were still many things he could do if he only wanted to increase the realm of a Knight.
"However, I must also find mana stones or other sources for meditation," Ian thought with a wry smile, looking at the disappearing runes on the floor and the thinning mana in his surroundings.
Just as his thoughts were wandering, a sudden prompt from the system pulled his attention back.
[Ding!]
[Your realm has reached First Class Wizard Apprentice.]
[Your mental power is sufficient.]
[A new function has been activated.]
[Analysis: You can analyze anything and anyone close to you using your mental power.
Note: Be careful, as someone strong may detect your mental power when using this feature.]
"Nice."
Ian was very happy, as he considered this the most needed function.
After all, he had only read the novel and didn't know many things about the Wizard World as clearly as the protagonist or Ruther.
It would be a nice touch for him if he had help in this aspect, although it remains to be tested.
So, to test the effectiveness of this feature, Ian took out the token he had received earlier at the gate of the Imperial Academy.
Just as he scanned the shimmering token in his hand with his mental power, a small panel suddenly appeared in front of his eyes with detailed text.
[Flameheart Sigil: A token of inheritance made of Ignisium. It is a unique pass to access a Wizard inheritance inside the Ignisia Tower.]
Simple yet solid information. Ian was quite satisfied with the analysis ability.
After putting the token back in his ring, Ian thought about his next plan.
A mere First Class Wizard Apprentice wasn't enough to overcome the difficulties he would face six months later.
He needed to reach at least Third Class Wizard Apprentice to even stand a chance in battle, and that was only because the Royal Wizard Ethos was too old and weak.
Otherwise, he would have no choice but to hide with his family and bide his time.
Moreover, although he was now a Wizard apprentice, he had no spells in his arsenal. His combat methods still relied on the Knight Codex.
"It seems I can only complete the quest," Ian thought bitterly.
"For now, let's stick to the next plan and return to the academy as soon as possible. It's almost time for Lyra to enter the academy and for the next plot to begin."
With that, he quickly composed himself, left the plateau, and retraced his steps.
Before returning, he still had one thing to do—steal honey from the lair of the Honeyfang Butterfly. Previously, he hadn't considered this.
However, now that his strength had increased and he urgently needed a large amount of mana, it was the best and only option. Risky, but worth it if successful.
Ian took out a small container of honey from his ring and began applying it all over his body.
This time, he even applied it on his head, face, and any other exposed part to better disguise himself.
After all, if he was discovered, he wouldn't even have the time to run.
Once everything was ready, he wandered around the multiple peaks until he found a relatively small swarm of Honeyfang Butterflies.
He made sure to follow only those flying around smaller peaks, as venturing elsewhere would bring uncertainty and danger.
After running around for a while, he finally arrived at the nest of a small swarm of Honeyfang Butterflies not far from his path.
However, even the small swarms contained thousands of butterflies, putting Ian on high alert.
He hadn't noticed it before, but now, as a First Class Wizard Apprentice, he could sense the surroundings of the Honeyfang Butterflies being monitored by a strange energy emanating from them, making him feel uneasy.