Specialization

After mastering the secret meditation technique and officially becoming a novice wizard apprentice, Lizer felt his soul quality skyrocket, and his soul talent naturally rose along with it:

Advanced to Wizard Apprentice. Pay-to-win Talent Analysis Ability Upgraded!

Now, by consuming energy points, he could directly boost the proficiency of any apprentice-level skill below the adept level!

Energy points to proficiency ratio: 4 to 1.

Whoa!

This was going to cost him dearly!

Calculating it out, just 8 gold coins could max out an entry-level apprentice skill to 100/100 proficiency, then analyze and upgrade it to the adept level. The effect was absolutely stellar!

It certainly saved a massive amount of time, but the energy points would be draining away like water...

Lizer felt a drum beating in his chest. Could his little money-making engine really keep up with this cash-burning speed?

Lizer shook his head, tossing these random thoughts to the back of his mind.

The duration of his Wizard's Hand still had twenty minutes left.

The proper thing to do was to hurry up and practice more. Every gold coin saved was a gold coin earned.

After all, a person couldn't just rely on paying-to-win to get by, right?

When Felina finished her morning teaching and returned to the apartment, she bumped into Lizer using Wizard's Hand to control a knight's sword, grunting as he practiced basic swordplay.

Felina was a senior apprentice, so she understood at a glance:

Her sweetheart had successfully advanced and become a wizard apprentice!

After all, wizard apprentices were different from ordinary people.

Even though the two were already together, as long as Lizer hadn't become an apprentice, it felt like a heavy boulder was pressing on Felina's heart, always making her feel that their relationship lacked a solid foundation.

Now, that boulder had finally been lifted!

Felina's heart swelled with joy. She stepped forward briskly, gently wiped the sweat from Lizer's forehead, and spoke in a voice as soft as cotton candy:

"Darling, congratulations on becoming a novice apprentice!

Now it's time to think about your specialization."

Although apprentices could theoretically learn any kind of witchcraft knowledge, human energy was limited.

Therefore, people usually picked one field to delve into deeply, mastering enough knowledge to leverage the world and push toward higher realms.

Furthermore, an apprentice's specialization was also related to the future selection of solidifying their innate witchcraft.

Of course, it wasn't to say that one had to blindly follow a single path to the very end.

But for example, if the advancement requirement was scoring 90 points, an apprentice specializing in one subject only needed to get 90 points in that specific subject.

As for those who wanted to branch out, even though they ultimately only needed one subject to reach 90 points.

Scattering their focus here and there meant they still had to put some effort into other subjects, invisibly wasting an ocean of time and energy.

Theoretically speaking, relying on his pay-to-win divine analysis skill, Lizer could learn things effortlessly. Time and energy were not an issue for him, and he could totally master multiple fields.

But Lizer was well aware of the principle that biting off more than you can chew was a bad idea.

He had just stepped through the doors of witchcraft; how could he possibly have that many energy points to squander?

He still had to make choices and sacrifices.

Felina's suggestion was to specialize in the Necromancy school. This way, she could not only guide him personally, but in the future, on the broader path of wizards, the two could also learn from each other.

Gloria had also mentioned previously that close-combat wizards possessed incredibly fierce combat power. Legend had it that there was a big shot in the Wizard Council who became world-renowned relying on close-combat witchcraft.

Close-combat school?

Lizer passed on it without a second thought.

Although bulldozing through everything was quite satisfying, he still preferred the feeling of strategizing behind the scenes.

The Necromancy faction was undeniably strong, and if Felina hadn't already specialized in it, he might have chosen it himself.

If both of them went down the Necromancy path now, how would they divide high-level resources in the future?

Having overlapping abilities would also be a hassle.

Actually, Lizer felt quite nostalgic for his days at the research institute in his past life.

His Pay-to-Win ability still stored a lot of knowledge from that research institute!

Although the rules and foundations of the two worlds were different and couldn't be directly applied, the concepts and philosophies were interconnected.

Many things reached the same destination through different paths, such as the simple bicycle:

Based on the blueprints from his past life, he couldn't even make a rubber pneumatic tire, yet this world also had bicycles.

Even though the tires didn't need to be inflated and the structure was different, wasn't it essentially just a tool to facilitate short-distance travel?

"Well, for now, I want to specialize in Mechanical Alchemy,"

he said,

"I already have a plan in mind."

Sorcery was strong, but at the apprentice stage, one's spiritual power was only so much, severely limiting the number of spells that could be cast.

Gloria said that close-combat sorcerers were strong, partly because they were less restricted by the number of spellcasts.

Lizer felt that specializing in Mechanical Alchemy could similarly avoid the dangers of close combat while reducing reliance on spellcasting limits.

This world had revolvers and muskets, but their power was a bit lacking.

But Mechanical Alchemy could solve this exact problem!

As far as Lizer knew, there were sorcerers who specialized in this path and made a name for themselves.

Felina pondered for a moment, her eyes lighting up:

"That direction is incredibly awesome!

Darling, the fact that you could conceptualize the little magic scooter and the three-wheeler proves you have a talent for Mechanical Alchemy. You will definitely become a genius in this field!

Hah, if I had known you would advance to a junior apprentice so quickly and choose Mechanical Alchemy, I would have waited for you to personally design the energy storage and power core modules for the little magic scooter and three-wheeler!

Such original designs would also be a great help in building your reputation in this field later on."

Lizer smiled and pinched her cheek:

"Who would have thought I could advance so fast back then?

Besides, I still don't know how to design independently; I haven't learned the relevant knowledge yet.

Furthermore, what's mine is yours, so why make such a clear distinction?"

Felina's heart warmed, and she leaned in for a passionate kiss.

After quite a while, with a flushed face and slightly panting, she said:

"Mhm... Mechanical Alchemy requires mastering materials science, basic alchemy theory, and mechanical engineering.

Don't worry, leave these basic materials to me. I'll get them for you!"

Although these were basic theories, low-level academies didn't teach them at all.

Fortunately, Felina had studied at a higher academy and knew how to obtain these materials.

If Lizer had to do it himself, not being in a higher academy, just collecting these materials would be enough to give him a massive headache.

Speaking of the little magic scooter and three-wheeler, these were Lizer's core products for making money next, so he immediately asked about their progress:

"By the way, how is the intellectual property application for those two inventions going?

The machine tools I ordered are almost here. Once the intellectual property rights are confirmed, we can roll up our sleeves and start making money!"

Felina smiled sweetly:

"The last time the senior sent a message, they said it should be within a day or two!

Everything is going smoothly. I heard they even helped us secure a thirty-year protection period!"

A heavy stone finally dropped from Lizer's heart:

"Mhm! It is good that everything went smoothly. We will definitely have to properly thank this senior later."

At that moment, the effect of Lizer's Wizard Hand ended perfectly, and the knight's sword flew steadily back to its place on the wooden rack.

Felina stepped closer, sweetly wrapping her arms around him.

"Darling, it is only noon... We still have plenty of time."

Lizer raised an eyebrow. His constitution had now securely surpassed 3.0; he was no longer the little rookie of the past who could only passively endure.

Without another word, he flexed his arms and lifted Felina up. He sat her on his lap, gently pressing her back against the side wall of the living room, and leaned in for a kiss.

Felina, however, playfully turned her head to dodge him, giggling.

"Today is the big day of your advancement to a Junior Wizard Apprentice. I must properly reward student Lizer! Hold on... I can cast an illusion to look like someone else, you know~"