NOVPUB
Chapter 57: 024: Bottleneck
[Meditation lv3: 11980/12000]
After three years of relentless effort, Lynch’s meditation level finally reached Level 3. The Basic Will Runes in his Sea of Consciousness had grown to three, and he was now just a step away from Level 4.
It’s worth noting that the period between Level 3 and Level 4 is also known as the bottleneck period—advancement is incredibly difficult. Just look at the skill level requirements: Level 1 to Level 2 only needs 3000 skill points, Level 2 to Level 3 requires 6000, but Level 3 to Level 4 demands a whopping 12,000 skill points.
This is, after all, the first real threshold on the Wizard’s Road. Crossing it means a dramatic leap in rank, advancing from Low-level Apprentice to Mid-level Apprentice, heralding a brand new Chapter for the entire journey as a wizard.
Fail to cross it, and that Wizard’s Road essentially comes to an end.
This is no overstatement.
The average time for apprentices to advance to wizards is 50 years. And that statistic only accounts for those who manage to succeed; in reality, most apprentices won’t even make it into that calculation.
An overwhelming majority of apprentices remain stuck at the Low-level Apprentice stage—endlessly cultivating magic their entire lives, only to die with regret as mere Low-level Apprentices equipped with sparse magic knowledge.
The reason behind this phenomenon is, frankly, a little absurd. According to data collected by wizards, the primary reason most apprentices fail to advance isn’t a lack of talent or resources. It’s simply a lack of effort.
This phase of the Wizard’s Road is actually the one with the least reliance on resources and talent. To put it lightly, as long as you’re not cursed with the legendary "Inferior Talent," regular apprentices cultivating on a regular schedule can usually make the transition—it just takes a bit more time.
But the fact of the matter is, most apprentices don’t put in the effort they should. After an hour or two of meditation, they’re already complaining about fatigue. Even when their spiritual power is far from depleted, they’re itching for a nap. After one or two days of meditation, they’ve already scheduled themselves a week-long break. Their efforts are sporadic at best.
Forget about cultivating tirelessly like Lynch. For many apprentices, even maintaining a basic daily meditation routine feels like an insurmountable challenge.
Still, you can’t entirely blame them. Cultivation is undeniably monotonous—sitting still every single day, absorbing elemental particles one by one. It might be bearable for a day or two, but over time, the repetitiveness can make a person feel completely numb.
Spiritual power that’s stagnant like water might not budge for days, weeks, or even months—enough to make anyone question the essence of wizardry.
So, what happens if they don’t meditate?
Unrestrained, carefree youth. Falling in love, rolling in bed sheets. Joining gatherings on a whim. Bonfires, fine food, exquisite wine. Mastering one or two supernatural spells and sneaking off to the Mortal World to revel in the mortals’ reverent adoration...
The vibrant and dazzling landscapes of the Wizard World are far too tempting, coaxing apprentices to stay put. The monthly allowance of one hundred Magic Stones is more than enough for them to live a modest but thrilling life.
The sun is shining. Youth is glorious. Can’t I just play around for a few years—12345678 years perhaps—and then slowly start cultivating? After all, there’s plenty of time!
Cultivation? Who cares about cultivation.
Aside from sloth and distraction, there’s another key reason—
Luck-based thinking.
Just look at the Netta Apprentices and those Purebloods from Wizard Families. They hardly put in any effort to cultivate, yet they easily achieve Mid-level or even High-level Apprentice status. Advancing to wizard status isn’t even a major challenge for them.
Given these examples, why would I buckle down and cultivate diligently?
With the same amount of spiritual energy, wouldn’t it be much wiser to attend more banquets, network with a few powerhouses, and cozy up to those high-ranking individuals? Wouldn’t securing a golden opportunity be better?
Sitting in a meditation room for years—what takes others just one dose of Magic Potion to achieve.
Grabbing elemental particles one by one—who knows how long that will take? Isn’t it smarter to cozy up to someone and snag a piece of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures instead?
Instead of stupidly sitting there and cultivating like a fool, why not work on finding a sponsor—or at least venture out somewhere and hopefully stumble upon some ruins or strike it rich?
Doesn’t that beat sitting there like an idiot?
Cultivation? Forget. About. It.
Apprentices holding such thoughts in the Wizard World are far from rare. In fact, you could say they’re everywhere. Most apprentices indulge in this mindset.
They all believe the world is full of miracles, yet refuse to acknowledge that miracles are rare exceptions.
All in all, these three factors together mean that the majority of apprentices fail to settle down and seriously meditate. Advancing from Elementary to Mid-level becomes the most ruthless filter of apprentices on the Wizard’s Road.
"I should be able to advance to Mid-level Apprentice this month, right?"
Lynch was genuinely excited about this advancement. After all, his spiritual power had already entered the "5" range, and reportedly, advancing from Low-level to Mid-level Apprentice would bring a significant boost to spiritual power. For Lynch...
The higher his spiritual power, the more effort he could crank out for experience grinding...
...
Later in the day, Lynch visited the item shop. Preparing for an expedition, naturally, requires thorough preparation.
For starters, safety was still the top priority. Lynch bought over a dozen scrolls in one go, covering spells for attack, defense, control, healing, and more.
In truth, Lynch already possessed an extensive repertoire of spells, and the power of his mastered-level spells was far superior to that of scrolls.
At this stage, only High-level Apprentice scrolls held any real value for him. Middle- and Low-level ones were barely useful anymore. Unfortunately, the Tower didn’t have many High-level Apprentice scrolls for sale—most of them were still Middle or Low-level.
Regardless, Lynch bought a few of everything. Better safe than sorry. If his spiritual power got depleted in an emergency, these scrolls could at least come in handy.
In addition to the scrolls, Lynch purchased over twenty bottles of Magic Potion, including ones for healing, detoxification, restoring spiritual power, and even physical stamina. He supplemented his previous expedition’s preparations, factoring in overlooked issues—like how ignoring mosquito problems had made cultivation and sleep unbearable during his last trip.
He also selected some handy Alchemy Creations—such as the Alchemy Firefly he’d used before, which was excellent for illumination during the night.
A lion uses full force even when hunting a rabbit!
Even though the upcoming journey was mainly about Biological Transformation, Lynch considered every worst-case scenario in his preparations. His last journey had genuinely frightened him, giving him an unforgettable taste of reality—
This world is truly unsafe!
Spending nearly two or three thousand Magic Stones, Lynch stocked up on an overwhelming array of supplies, filling his Space Ring almost to its brim. This wasn’t just thorough preparation—it was preparation in excess.
With all the gear combined with his own abilities, Lynch felt confident that even in sudden situations—such as encounters with High-level Apprentices—he’d be able to handle himself properly.
"There shouldn’t be any problems now."
With everything in place, Lynch officially embarked on his second adventure in the Wizard World...
