Destruction can be accomplished in an instant, whereas repair requires meticulous and slow work.
On the Ant Being barrier, after nearly two months of repairs by Ivan and others, there were finally incremental results, as the Ant Being barrier suddenly shook, startling everyone and causing their expressions to change slightly.
“Sorcerer Ivan, what is this?”
“Thanks to everyone, the Ant King Barrier Array has been restored to its original state.”
“23 runes bundles?”
“Correct, we have repaired up to 23 runes bundles, which is not far off from before the barrier was damaged by thieves.”
Guided by Ivan, Madeline and others carefully sensed the changes in the Ant Being barrier, and indeed, as he said, the previously missing 23rd runes bundle of the Ant King Barrier Array had reappeared.
After the appearance of the 23rd runes bundle, the chain reaction caused by the thieves’ damage had completely vanished, bringing smiles to the faces of Madeline and the others.
“But hold on, aren’t we still a quarter short of having the barrier fully repaired? Plus, we haven’t even touched the most difficult areas to fix yet,” Mauline asked, puzzled.
“What’s wrong with that? The Ant Being barrier originally had 28 runes bundles. It’s not that much of a leap,” Ivan said with a smile, not getting along with Mauline and not bothered to explain further.
“I bet you don’t even know yourself.”
“Say whatever you like, since the Ant Being barrier has regained its original power, I should go and report the good news to the Deputy Dean and the chief steward soon.”
“You’re just eager to become the steward of the Enchantment Group, aren’t you?”
“Why not? This is something we all committed to. I’ve done what I promised, so naturally, I should reap what I’m entitled to.”
After dealing with the aftermath in this area, Ivan swiftly dismantled the Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array, choosing not to construct a new array, and headed straight for Deputy Dean Teresa’s office.
During the short time it had taken him to make his way there, the upper echelons of the academy had surely received the news.
Indeed, by the time Ivan reached the Deputy Dean’s office, it wasn’t just Teresa inside; Ove and Christian, the chief steward, were also present.
Seeing that there was no way out, and in the presence of the two chief stewards, Teresa immediately announced Ivan as the steward of the Enchantment Group and notified all sorcerers within the group.
“Steward Ivan, regarding your entitlements as a steward, they will be implemented one by one soon. Your current task is still to lead the repair of the Ant Being barrier until it can no longer be repaired. How does that sound?”
“No problem, as the steward of the Enchantment Group, it is my duty.”
With that, Ivan truly snatched the prize from the jaws of the Lidia family, becoming one of only two stewards in the Enchantment Group, equal in status to Madeline.
Ivan did not refuse Teresa’s arrangements. He wasn’t in a hurry to consolidate power and was willing to study the Ant Being barrier further—there might be more discoveries yet to come.
After becoming a steward, Ivan’s daily life remained largely unchanged, except for some minor adjustments.
Though strength was paramount among sorcerers, when the gap in strength seemed not as significant, the effect of one’s position became apparent, allowing the exercise of authority with greater confidence.
Mauline often couldn’t help but retort against Ivan’s words, but after he became a steward, such instances became rare, which secretly amused him.
The group continued to repair the Ant Being barrier selectively, but with a fifth of the area remaining, many challenging spots were difficult to tackle, and their pace of repair inevitably slowed.
One day, as Ivan sat within the Small Ant King Four Obelisks Array, he suddenly sensed an unusual disturbance that immediately drew his attention.
“This is—Gina’s residence. What is Gina doing?”
What drew his attention was the detection of anomalies within the three small spaces, where three streams of inexplicable energy had appeared out of nowhere, arriving instantly at the Ant Being barrier and falling into the protection chamber of a sorcerer’s dwelling.
Through the Ant Being barrier, he discerned that it was his junior Gina’s home.
If he had not left surveillance measures in all three small spaces, he might have missed this subtle change.
Within a moment, the three small spaces once again fell into silence as if nothing had happened at all.
“The energy that just appeared was rather peculiar, there’s no sign of the Ant Beings Sacred Altar being activated, could it come from somewhere even more secretive than the small spaces, perhaps an ‘Array on Array’ formation?”
Ivan contemplated for a moment, harboring a strong premonition that he might have stumbled upon something extraordinary, getting ever closer to uncovering that utmost secret.
“Instructor, what has Gina been busy with lately?”
“She has yet to emerge from her period of spiritual lethargy, recently she’s been quite at ease. A few days ago, she mentioned that her house felt empty and she didn’t even have someone to clean it, so she wanted to summon a Shadow Ant servant first.”
“That does sound quite leisurely.”
Hearing Randall’s response, Ivan realized that, for a newly-initiated sorcerer, the protection chamber was indeed not much use other than for summoning Shadow Ant servants.
But he had never imagined that the seemingly simple act of summoning a Shadow Ant servant could be tied to something so profound.
It made sense when he thought about it; the Shadow Ant servants once summoned became intellectually active intelligent creatures, which certainly warranted serious consideration.
“Ah, habitual thinking can be such a trap.”
Ivan muttered to himself, ever since he arrived at the Mongna Ant Land Cottage, he had seen Shadow Ant servants shuttling through the campus, called upon and dismissed by sorcerers, so familiar that it was second nature.
It was this very familiarity that had kept him from ever pondering deeply about the issue of Shadow Ant servants.
One should realize that the Silkworm Queen had undergone numerous transformations, consuming a vast amount of resources, before gradually evolving into an intelligent creature. Yet Shadow Ant servants achieved this status in one step effortlessly, and there must be a remarkable secret therein.
He was a patient man, and upon discovering something new, he was not in a hurry to act. He needed to take a long-term view, especially since the process he had observed before was too brief to allow for easy research into something new.
The next day, before Ivan could devise a proper plan, the Academic Prodigy panel gave him a surprise.
[Runes Skill Experience Point +50]
[Runes Skill: lv8 (3/4000)]
Runes Skill and Enchantment Skill complemented each other and could even enhance one another. Following the advancement to Level 8 in Enchantment Skill, Runes Skill experience had been accumulating rather quickly. Not much time had passed since, and Runes Skill was hot on the heels of Enchantment Skill, becoming a Level 8 discipline.
The presence of the Small Light of Wisdom immersed him in the sea of runes, from which he could not extricate himself, gaining further control over the runes he had studied.
Another Level 8 Light of Wisdom had been added to the Academic Prodigy panel.
A flicker of light glinted from the depth of his eyes, and the attribute panel appeared next.
Strength: 13.6, Agility: 13.8, Body Constitution: 14.3, Spirit: 77.7
The day before yesterday, he had taken the second dose of Alva Night Spring Potion, which had significantly boosted his spiritual power, bringing him just one step away from the limit of a Level 1 Sorcerer.
Once his strength reached 80 graduated degrees, completing the elementalization of his newfound spiritual power, he could start considering the matter of advancing to a Level 2 Sorcerer, undoubtedly a task both challenging and exhilarating.