Chapter 42: Quest Reward
“Well then, Miss Janna, here’s to a pleasant collaboration.”
With the successful contract now tucked away, Klan Roland’s expression relaxed noticeably as he stood up and solemnly extended his hand to Janna.
Seeing this, Janna also stood up, and just as earnestly, shook Klan Roland’s hand.
“Pleasure working with you!”
Ding—
The stone weighing on her heart finally dropped.
Just as Janna was about to sit back down, the chime of the System signaling the completion of a daily quest suddenly rang in her mind.
“This is a dedicated withdrawal card issued by the Nightingale Opera Troupe at the Wizard Bank. It contains a prepayment of three hundred Gold Surrels. Your monthly salary will be deposited into this card before the 20th of each month, and the revenue share will be distributed on the last working day of the year.”
Her eyes lit up as she looked at the silver card with a bright surface, embossed with a bauhinia emblem, which Klan Roland handed over.
In that moment, her attention shifted entirely from the quest system to the three hundred Gold Surrels.
“As expected, the Nightingale Opera Troupe’s efficiency never disappoints.”
The contract had no clause mentioning a prepayment.
Janna had originally thought she would only receive her first paycheck next month.
As she accepted the wizard withdrawal card, she felt not only surprise but also a growing fondness for the Nightingale Opera Troupe.
“Haha, it’s not common for a regular partnership to receive prepayment... That was David’s idea.”
Upon hearing this, Janna glanced gratefully at David Berg standing beside them.
“After all, we all started as apprentices. Expenses at this stage can be pretty high, so getting the money early saves time from having to constantly take on tasks.”
With no enchanted pattern on her standard academy-issued wizard robe, no wand, and “Roland” being a surname that screamed commoner apprentice, even though Janna had outstanding looks and a composed demeanor, she still couldn’t conceal the aura of poverty clinging to her.
“Thank you so much this time, Senior David.”
“We’re in the same club, helping each other is only natural... Besides, just call me David from now on.”
“Sure thing. In that case...”
Putting away her usual social smile and sincerely thanking David Berg for connecting the dots, Janna extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, David. You can just call me Janna.”
Seeing Janna’s genuine expression, David also openly took her hand.
“Nice to meet you too. I hope we have a smooth collaboration ahead.”
Once everything was settled, Klan Roland chatted a bit more with Janna before he and David Berg left early due to theater matters.
“Quest Panel.”
[Today's Quest: Attend the Nightingale Opera Troupe’s audition and secure a contract for a core role (Completed);
Quest Reward: 500 Talent EXP, 1500 Skill EXP, Constitution +0.6, new personal talent ‘Delayed Aging’.]
“This time’s attribute bonus is quite nice.”
As someone with little physical training, and unlike bloodline witches who were enthusiastic about modifying their bodies, Janna’s physical constitution wasn’t particularly outstanding among wizard apprentices her age.
This increase in Constitution helped somewhat to make up for that shortfall.
It would also allow her to face the intense and tedious experiments ahead with a healthier body.
“Open Character Panel and allocate all Talent EXP to the [Soul Projection] talent.”
[Name: Janna Roland
Class: First Tier Wizard Apprentice
Class Level: 9
Wizard Talents: Soul Projection (B-level – Upgrade Progress 85%), Plant Affinity (B-level – Upgrade Progress 5%)
Wizard Skills: ...
Wizard Tricks: ...
Constitution: 6.1 (+0.6)
Spirit Power: 17.7
Strength: 5.3
Agility: 5.8
Perception: 6.7
Charisma: 9.9
Comprehension: 10.7
Luck: 7.5]
Looking at the [Soul Projection] talent already at 85% progress, Janna estimated it would take just over a month to gather enough experience to reach 100%.
“Besides the notable increase in Constitution this time, my Spirit Power also rose by 0.3 points due to recent meditation.”
Ever since she had awakened from the dream triggered by the “Seed,” Janna’s meditation speed had suddenly improved. Not only that, her spirit sea had been in a state of turmoil for several days after witnessing the “Divine War” in her dream.
After her spirit sea calmed, she discovered her Spirit Power had increased by 0.2 points.
She then gained another 0.1 points through further meditation.
This rate of improvement was much more significant than her usual long meditation sessions.
It was nearly on par with the boost from system rewards.
Thinking of this, Janna’s gaze drifted to the second reward listed in the quest description.
“Delayed Aging... This is quite a good reward too. Slowing down the aging of bodily functions means I can stay energetic for a longer time within my limited lifespan...”
First Tier Wizard Apprentices, compared to ordinary mortals, had already stepped into the extraordinary and gained powerful magical abilities. However, in terms of life level, they had yet to break the shackle and truly evolve.
It wasn’t until advancing to a Second Tier Apprentice that their body and soul would begin to ascend.
With robust vitality, Second Tier Apprentices could live to the very edge of human lifespan.
Only from Third Tier Apprentices onward did one truly have the qualifications to shed their mortal shell and enter the category of extraordinary beings, with lifespans extending from the mortal limit of one hundred years to around one hundred fifty.
But throughout this process, even as lifespan extended, the decline of bodily functions never stopped.
The aging of body and soul would severely reduce an apprentice’s focus and creativity.
Their path to becoming a wizard would gradually be cut off by aging, and they would fall into stillness.
For this very reason, the [Delayed Aging] talent that Janna received from completing the blue quest was especially precious.
It gave her more room for error than others on the path to becoming a wizard...
...
“Tick-tock—tick-tock—”
After reviewing the quest rewards, Janna closed the System interface and looked up at the ticking mechanical clock on the wall.
“It’s getting late. Time to head back.”
At this moment, the spacious private room was empty, with only Janna remaining. Without lingering, she gently pushed open the door, descended the wooden stairs alone, passed through the slightly noisy first-floor lobby, and stepped into the bustling alley through the glass revolving door.
“Hmm? So this is the Bauhinia Bank?”
She had barely turned the corner from the alley where the Feathered String Tavern was located when she spotted a wizard bank at the intersection, marked with a bauhinia emblem.
“Perfect timing to withdraw the money...”