Wompus gestured for Kade to follow as he spoke

"You survived without so much as a scratch, yet he coughed up two pills that will be invaluable for your cultivation. Just how much do you think you're owed?"

"As much as I can take." Kade replied

"This time, settle for what you've already obtained." Wompus advised.

They entered the library and sat across from each other while Obruo trotted in a moment later.

Wompus smiled "Originally, I expected you to achieve level 10 tomorrow and leave. Now, we will have to extend your stay by an extra day."

He gestured to the bookcases "When you leave, you can take any three books you want with you to study in your free time. When you finish them, you can return and swap them for three others."

Kade nodded. Such access to these books was a huge benefit for him. He would have a lot of free time between hunts and he knew no other way to find such knowledge.

The conversation reached a lull, causing the atmosphere to grow awkward.

They had spent three months around each other. They were master and disciple, but also friends. Wompus had grown to like how casual Kade was around him, as it was a breath of fresh air compared to what he was accustomed to.

Kade had also come to appreciate the old coot's presence and guidance. Wompus had allowed him to stay in his house, paid for all of his meals, and guided him in cultivation. The old man had considered him a disciple from the beginning and showed as much with his actions.

"Why did you refuse?" Wompus asked suddenly

"If I accepted, Tetron would try to use it to his advantage." Kade replied, having expected the question "And I'd have it a little too easy if people knew you were my teacher. How would I build my collection then?"

He scratched his chin "Besides, it's not like much would change. Your only benefit would be calling me your disciple officially, but it won't be too late for that when I'm stronger."

Wompus raised his brow "If that's how it is, then we can make can consider it official right now. It doesn't need to be made public."

"Is it that important?" Kade asked curiously.

"Yes." Wompus nodded solemnly "Master and disciple are more than just labels. The act of a master accepting a disciple is to accept that person as kin, almost like a son. Respectively, for a disciple, it's like accepting another as a father figure."

"You're right, Not much would change. But, that doesn't mean that it isn't important to me."

Kade nodded "Alright then."

Wompus took a deep breath "Kade, do you accept me as your master."

"Yes." Kade replied.

"Good, then it's settled." Wompus said with a relieved smile.

Kade grinned as well "I've never bowed to anyone, much less kowtowed. I have no plans of ever kowtowing, even to you. However, bowing once isn't unacceptable."

As he finished speaking, he stood and bowed. Though he didn't like the thought of lowering his head, he could accept it just this once considering the person receiving it.

Wompus nodded happily "I know how much that means coming from you. I appreciate it more than you know."

"Now, tell me which spells you have learned."

"Aegis, Armament, Spirit chains, and Yisik's arrow." Kade said. He had learned a total of eight spells, but Wompus knew the other four as he had taught them personally.

Autonomy, Telekinesis, Push and Pull. None of them were combat spells but had endless uses and the knowledge of the laws contained in them would add more options when modifying and creating spells later.

"Yisik's arrow?" Wompus asked with a mix of surprise and sadness.

Kade nodded. He hadn't realized the significance of the name when choosing the spell, rather, he just liked the effects.

"He was your ninth Disciple, right? What happened?"

Wompush sighed "He died fighting another cultivator. I won't go into detail, but he was a stubborn, passionate young man with rock-solid morals. Upright and just."

After a moment of pause, he continued "He was my godson, and I was very fond of him. His death resulted in my current situation."

Kade knit his brows while listening quietly. The things left unsaid tugged as his heart. Knowing Wompus, he wouldn't sit back and allow his disciple to die. Yet, such a thing happened in the past. Now, he was a recluse that never left his house and seemed to have some troubles with the leader of the Yonkel faction.

Nothing was for sure, but it was hard to keep himself from making assumptions.

"Well, then as your tenth Disciple and with admiration for Yisik, I'll pick up where he left off." Kade said softly as a spell trace formed followed by a sky blue arrow the size of an arm.

"I picked the spell for its penetration power, but I already have some ideas for its future."

Wompus slowly nodded, his eyes tearing up. "I believe that Yisik would appreciate that."

He patted his chest while clearing his throat "Other than the spells you've already learned, is there anything else you'd like to learn?"

Kade nodded quickly, Of course, he wanted to learn everything! However, there were two things he wanted to focus on right now. "Teleportation and formations, mainly."

Wompus tapped his knee a few times before waving his hand, causing two huge books to fly between them.

"Space magic and formations are both extremely difficult paths to take. Space magic, because the laws of time and space are inherently beyond living beings as fundamental laws."

"Formations are just a way to combine Magic and create a new effect. They are similar to spell traces in that way but on a much larger and more complex scale."

Wompus pushed his hand out, causing the books to float to Kade "These two books would suit you best. They are yours now."

Kade's brows shot up in surprise and excitement. Until now, he was only borrowing the books, but Wompus was giving him these!

"Thanks, old coot!" He exclaimed as he caught them and stacked them off to the side.

"Consider this as your master helping you start your collection." Wompus replied with a smile.

The old man stood up "Today has been a good day. Let's end it here. We need our rest since we will be pushing you to the 10th level tomorrow."

Kade stood as well "It's almost like you're trying to rush me out."

"I am." Wompus replied with a nod "You don't belong cooped up in this building. You have a wild nature, and you need to let it run free as I did in my youth. In here, your name won't spread."

Kade waved his hand dismissively "I prefer to be low-key." He said as he walked out of the room.

"Hmph" Wompus snorted before mumbling "As if anything you've done is low-key."

...

"Haaa, Haaa, hooo" Wompus panted with sweat covering his brow

"Haha, we did it. Level 10 achieved!" Kade exclaimed as he blasted himself to his feet.

He began rapid-firing spells toward one of the training dummies. Sometimes, the spell took slightly less than a second to cast, other times it took nearly three seconds.

It didn't take long to deplete his Altaris, causing a feeling of weakness to spread throughout his body and shortness of breath. That was the price of his excitement and experimentation.

Level 10 didn't bring a power spike. It just increased his Altaris pool by a significant amount, allowing him to cast more spells at the same power. Mages attained strength through knowledge, and quantity through levels it seemed.

...

Kade sat cross-legged with Wompus behind him. This process had already been explained to him.

These two pills were a channel cleansing pill and an Eclaryan booster pill. They were useful for all cultivators and would provide a huge benefit to him.

The channel cleansing pill was self-explanatory. It would clear his altaris channels of impurities, even those that were embedded deep inside.

The Eclaryan booster pill was far more expensive due to its rarity and the difficulty to obtain it. However, it was simple as well.

Altaris was an energy created and stored inside the body, specifically in a spherical space called the 'altar'. A mage cultivated by infusing their Altaris into their Altar, causing it to grow in size and strength. As the Altar increased in size it would be able to hold more Altaris, and as its strength increased it would generate more Altaris quicker.

This was how a cultivator grew stronger and how a mage increased the Altaris they would wield.

This was where the Eclaryan booster pill came in. Created by the Eclaryan royal family, it provided a temporary but substantial boost to the consumer's Altar, causing it to produce Altaris at a much higher rate than normal. Not only that, the Altaris that was generated would be condensed slightly, containing more energy in a smaller volume.

As one would expect, such amazing effects didn't come without a few drawbacks. The most dangerous was the stress put on the consumer's Altar which brought tremendous pain and had a chance to cripple the Altar entirely. Thankfully, Wompus claimed to be capable of preventing any permanent damage.

"Begin when ready." Wompus said as he pressed his hand between Kade's shoulderblades.

Kade could absorb these pills alone, doing so with the channel cleansing pill wouldn't be an issue, but the Eclaryan booster pill was an entirely different story. Besides, Wompus could help him attain the greatest results by managing the energy the pills released.

With a nod, Kade tossed the channel cleansing pill into his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it.

Cool energy entered his body before seeping into his Altaris channels. A second, foreign energy quickly swirled around it and began guiding it in circulation.

'It's comfortable.' Kade thought. It was the same cool feeling as chewing mint gum.

Wompus was handling the circulation for him, so he was able to devote his entire consciousness to feeling the energy and process. It circulated at a speed far greater than he could achieve and decreased with each full cycle. The cool energy was being sapped by his channels that seemed to expand as the plaque-like impurities were melted away.

The process didn't take long, maybe thirty minutes total.

"Give me ten minutes, then we can continue." Wompus said as he pulled his hand away and began meditating to restore his Altaris.

Kade nodded and prepared himself for the next part by infusing as much of his Altaris into his Altar as he could until Wompus was ready. When he felt a tap on his shoulder, he steeled himself and slowly placed the Eclaryan booster pill into his mouth and swallowed.

The feeling was entirely different. This time, it was a burning sensation, akin to drinking liquor. A powerful thump resonated from his navel, followed by a dull ache that quickly grew sharp. The pain melded with the burning sensation and continued to grow, sending a shockwave of pain with each thump.

Gritting his teeth he tried to endure the pain. Sweat formed on his brow and trickled down his face as his muscles trembled. The thumping in his navel had grown in speed, reaching at least 200 beats per minute, each of which sent the same intense pain radiating through his body. It was excruciating and caused him to want to curl up into a ball and sob. But he wouldn't do that. Not only would his pride not allow that, neither would his determination to make the most of this opportunity.

The process took much longer and caused Kade no shortage of torment, but after what seemed like eons the process finished without incident.

"Whew, it's done." Wompus said weakly as he wiped his forehead.

Kade's body fell sideways, causing him to extend a shaky arm to catch himself. His hair and clothes were drenched in sweat and his complexion had noticeably paled.

Taking a bit of time to collect himself, he mustered the courage to assess the results. First, checking his level, he was elated to find that he had leveled once more to level 11. Then, he looked within to see the condition of his Altar, expecting the worst. Surprisingly, contrary to how he felt, his Altar seemed to be fine.

'Ah, I guess it's just fatigued?' He thought before sighing in relief. Everything had turned out fine and he had benefitted more than expected.

Thank's to the cleansing pill his Altaris would now flow through the channels much easier, aiding the speed and control significantly. His altaris pool would also increase much faster for a short time since it was quicker to accumulate altaris than expand the altar.

Being realistic, the effects could be considered temporary. Eventually, his body would accumulate more impurities and his altar would fill back up with altaris. Cleansing the impurities and condensing his altaris was something that had to be done on a regular basis.

The value of these pills came in with their superior quality. It was honestly a waste to use on his low cultivation base. But, did Kade care about Tetron's expense? Absolutely not.

...

Kade opened his eyes and sat up before hanging his legs off the bed. He didn't feel any grogginess from his sleep because today was the day he would leave after three months. He was excited to get back to his friends and the adventure ahead of him.

That wasn't to say he was happy. He had mixed emotions about leaving. Wompus wasn't just his teacher, but also a good friend. Kade had come unannounced and Wompus had taken him in at the cost of a disturbance to his otherwise quiet life.

Kade didn't feel guilty about disturbing him. Honestly, he hadn't thought about it before now, but Wompus didn't seem to be living an exciting life. He stayed cooped up in his house, and a faint aura of melancholy surrounded him at nearly all times.

It seemed rare for his disciples to visit, and Kade had never heard him mention any family. He couldn't help but feel that Wompus was leading a very lonely life.

Even the manor, while large and imposing, was practically bare within. There was little decoration and very few pieces of furniture. On Earth, people would consider these signs of depression.

'I'll have to get the old coot out of this funk.' Kade thought as he climbed to his feet and checked his watch. It was already 10'oclock. Sleeping in had been a treat to himself for his growth, as well as preparation for returning.

He waved his hand, causing a bag to float up before grabbing the strap and slinging it over his shoulder. He came with almost nothing, but he had to carry the books out somehow.

He left the room and made his way downstairs with plans to check the library for Wompus, but the clamor coming from the lounge told him what he wanted to know and more.

Upon rounding the corner, he saw nothing but familiar faces. Graakas, Calle, Fleo, and all of their disciples had come. Kellanoir, and even Yuukah came.

"Ah, there you are." Wompus said while patting Obruo. "Everyone has come to send you off."

Kade smiled brightly as he looked around the room. "This makes me feel like a bigshot. Thank you all, I appreciate it." He said with a chuckle.

Graakas scoffed "Don't get ahead of yourself, disciple. You're still but a little chick just now spreading your wings."

Kade narrowed his eyes with a smirk "Ah, if only my official teacher, Graak, wasn't so useless when it came to his duties, I would have already grown into a powerhouse."

His head swiveled "Did you guys know that this oaf didn't come to teach me a single thing in three months?!"

Graakas seemed to blush in embarrassment as his green face gained a shade of purple "You damned brat! I'll show you useless!" Maybe there was some anger too.

"Now you want to show me something?" Kade scoffed "And here I thought the only benefit of being your student was the status."

Graakas's frustration climbed. He wouldn't actually attack Kade. Even if he wanted to, what kind of senior disciple would stoop so low?

"That's it, I want my medal back so you cant return to annoy me!" He shouted as he extended his arm.

Kade reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver medal, coincidentally causing the gold medal given by Tetron to fall out of his pocket and float in midair.

"Ops." Kade said as he placed the silver medal in Graakas's hand.

Until now, only three people knew that Kade had this medal. Wompus, Tetron, and Kallanoir. So, it came as a shock to Graakas and the others.

"Damnit..." Graakas mumbled in defeat as he kept his silver medal.

Calle covered her mouth as she giggled while approaching Kade "You are certainly interesting. It's been a long time since I've seen master so happy and energetic."

"I like you, so let's be friends." She said, withdrawing her hand to reveal a smile as she gestured behind her "This is my disciple, Amanda, she is also human. Perhaps you know each other?"

Kade peeked around Calle and spotted a human woman behind her. "Nope. Weird right? There are only seven billion humans on Earth, surely we should all know each other right?" He replied in a joking tone.

Surprisingly, Calle didn't get angry and instead giggled "Sarcasm, it's funny. Well, you know each other now. I'd like to ask you to take care of her if you meet back on Earth."

Kade nodded "Sure." He looked at Amanda "I'm based out of the United States. My group is FwD. You can look for us if you need anything."

"FwD? What does that stand for?" Amanda asked as she approached, extending a hand.

Kade shook her hand "Flirting with Disaster."

Amanda recoiled slightly with an awkward look on her face "That seems... Ominous."

Kade shrugged "you were here the other day. If anything I'd describe it as accurate."

"I can agree with that statement." Fleo said as he approached "I'm not sure if you're brave, or just crazy. Either way, I know that being your friend won't be boring."

"I'm actually quite low-key, so it might be more boring than you expect." Kade replied with a smile.

Fleo shook his head with a wry smile "Let's agree to disagree. Anyway, I wanted to wish you luck in your ventures, and invite you to visit me should you have interest in potions or poisons."

"You're an alchemist?" Kade asked in surprise.

Fleo nodded "That's right, and I'm quite interested in the materials that Detrius withholds from me. I'm willing to trade the results of my craft should you bring me usable materials."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kade replied honestly. He would prefer to work with a fellow disciple rather than a random alchemist if given the option.

Kade chatted with Fleo for a few minutes before making his way around the room and becoming acquainted with the Fleos disciples.

Finally, he had greeted and thanked everyone and made his way to Wompus.

"I guess I'll get going then."

Wompus nodded as he stood "It will be quiet without you here."

"Yeah, I'll bring back a rabbit or something when I return to fix that issue." Kade replied as he held out a hand.

Having already been taught about a handshake, Wompus grasped his hand.

Kade sighed "You gotta get out of this house more, you old coot. Go on a vacation or something. Maybe visit Earth."

Wompus waved his hand dismissively "Don't meddle. Besides, from what Graak has told me, most humans on Earth are arrogant and rude."

Graakas felt his eye twitch. He couldn't believe that his master had been corrupted.

"Yeah, some can be. But the good ones make up for it. I'll introduce you to a few sometime." Kade replied as he thought of his family, and the community they had left behind.

"I might take your advice. Anyway, don't dawdle." Wompus said as he slapped Kade's shoulder.

Kade nodded curtly before turning and heading for the door.