151: The embarrassing situation of the college

That evening, after finishing his conversation with Ally, Grelin immediately returned to his meditation room, ready to overcome his Mind Bottleneck.

Fueled by the grief of Ally's rejection, Grelin took a deep breath, making another major life choice.

Following an ethereal feeling, Grelin called out, "I choose the second life option: to wear the Seeker's Curse—to be forever alone!"

...There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no dramatic movements.

Everything was silent, as if nothing had happened.

But Grelin knew that a wondrous reaction was occurring.

The distracting thoughts in Grelin’s mind rapidly receded.

Grelin also felt that the heavy Mind Bottleneck weighing on his heart had been opened. This chasm, separating countless Wizard Apprentices and Formal Wizards, was dramatically bridged by Grelin.

Grelin’s eyes also became deeper, more rational, as if one could see sparks of wisdom flickering within them...

“Ah...” After silently savoring the great freedom and joy that came with breaking through the Mind Bottleneck, Grelin refocused his scattered thoughts, and his entire being settled.

“Misfortune, alas, is what good fortune relies upon; good fortune, alas, is what misfortune conceals. This can be considered a gain and a loss.”

“I have broken through the Mind Bottleneck. Of the three prerequisite elements for a Formal Wizard, I have completed the wizardry. All that remains are resources and secret arts.”

“Next, I should consider putting the breakthrough to Formal Wizard on the agenda.”

“I’ll go find Mentor Brucekrin...”

...The next day, Grelin excitedly arrived at Mentor Brucekrin’s office, ready to claim the resources and secret arts promised by the academy.

“What?!”

“The Tier 1 Life Potion is gone?!”

“Even the Tier 1 potion that burns life force only has two bottles left?!”

Grelin’s agitated voice was exceptionally sharp, rising an octave, causing a significant echo throughout the Vice President’s office.

“Grelin...”

“Don’t get agitated, sit down, and let me explain slowly.”

Mentor Brucekrin, at this point, felt a tingling scalp and cold sweat, hastily explaining, “Grelin, this is all my fault. I never expected you to break through the Mind Bottleneck so quickly.”

“When I made you that promise, these resources were still very abundant.”

“It’s just that, for some reason, in the past two years, the number of people breaking through the Mind Bottleneck suddenly increased. Before you, there were five senior mentors who, after years of tempering and accumulating experience, finally broke through.”

“When they applied, I could only give it to them. Now these mentors have all gone into seclusion to break through, and I can’t do anything about it.”

...“Then...” Grelin hesitated for a moment but still asked, “Are there any mentors who succeeded, or any mentors whose success rate is publicly recognized to be over 60%?”

“None succeeded. Of those five mentors, three have already failed in seclusion, two died on the spot, and one was severely injured and greatly weakened.”

Mentor Brucekrin shook his head mournfully, saying, “The remaining two, you know them. Their success rate is less than 20%, and they are also risking their lives.”

“They are also risking their lives for the future of the academy, gambling on the occurrence of a vague miracle. How ridiculous, how ridiculous! We’ve lost thirty or forty core members of the academy, one after another, hahaha...”

Mentor Brucekrin was somewhat hysterically deranged, laughing and crying...

“Grelin, you are still young. You shouldn’t have done this. You shouldn’t have made such a choice.”

“If anyone should go, it should be us old guys first...”

“Grelin, I’m sorry. The academy is sorry for you...”

...Mentor Brucekrin cried and laughed hysterically, completely losing his usual dignity and calm composure. At this moment, his eyes were filled with regret, sorrow, and pain, and he kept confessing and recounting to Grelin...

“It’s too late, it’s already too late...”

Grelin suppressed his grief and helped Mentor Brucekrin, who was kneeling on the ground, to his feet. They both sat on the sofa.

“Mentor Brucekrin, you don’t have to be like this. This is my choice, and even if I had to do it again, I would still choose this way.”

“The academy educated me, nurtured me, gave me enough room to grow, and allowed me to enjoy a wonderful time.”

“Now is a turbulent time for the academy. The academy’s towering pillars may fall at any moment. The glory of this Wizard Tower cannot end in our hands...”

“If I didn’t have the ability, then so be it. But now I have the ability, and I still have a glimmer of hope to become a new towering pillar for the academy, to continue its glory. Then I must step forward. For the future of the academy, what are some mere sacrifices?”

...“Grelin...” Mentor Brucekrin looked at the young, vibrant boy before him with eyes filled with both relief and painful self-reproach.

“Jordan said you were a good child, and even more, a warrior willing to dedicate his life to the academy. I was a bit dismissive before, but now I believe it. It is truly the academy’s good fortune to cultivate a student like you, who is grateful and faces death unflinchingly.”

“I just want to ask, was the price you paid to break through the Mind Bottleneck quickly significant?”

“Can it be remedied? Will it... will it affect your chances of breaking through to Formal Wizard?”

“Don’t worry,” Grelin patted his chest and assured him, “It absolutely will not affect my body, nor will it affect my chances of breaking through to Formal Wizard. A 30% success rate is the minimum; I feel my chances of success might even increase.”

“As for whether it can be remedied, some things, once a choice is made, there is no turning back.”

Grelin’s expression darkened slightly.

“You also know that when it comes to mind and will, no one can break this rule. So, in this regard, it is already a set fact, and even regret is too late.”

“Besides, I don’t regret it. I once told Mentor Jordan: If the academy’s life and death are at stake, how can I avoid it due to fortune or misfortune? I’ve trained for a thousand days, now it’s time to use my skills. I—am the academy’s Warrior No. 8, always ready to answer the academy’s call.”

“Now the academy needs me, and I should step up.”

“Mentor, please tell me if there are any other ways to obtain the resources needed to break through to Formal Wizard.”

“Strike while the iron is hot, then the momentum wanes, and finally it's exhausted...”

“I want to take advantage of this momentum and charge bravely towards becoming a Formal Wizard!”

“To succeed in one fell swoop!”