Wizard: Unlimited Profession Slots Chapter 1: Profession, Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

"You possess one year to advance to an Elementary Apprentice. Naturally, this serves as the final deadline. The earlier you achieve apprentice status within this timeframe, the greater your spiritual talent will be assessed, enhancing your privileges once you join the academy."

...

Ron experienced his mind's recollections as if they were trapped in a chaotic spin cycle of a washing machine, relentlessly churned and flipped, while disjointed fragments of memory steadily knit themselves together.

Such disarray had dragged on for days, and it was only at this moment that the merging of souls could be deemed fully accomplished.

One aspect featured a typical college student from Earth who perished abruptly due to late-night gaming sessions;

The contrasting side embodied—the fifth offspring of Count Ralph.

Devoid of any claim to inheritance, he surrendered to hedonism inside the fortress, his thoughts fixated solely on romping with the alluring servants throughout the day.

Naturally, those blissful days of excess endured merely until his fifteenth birthday.

Ron massaged his temples, allowing the recollections to unfurl in his thoughts akin to a scroll smeared with ink:

Within the chamber, the candlelight danced erratically amid the hush.

Ebony candles formed a ring, their wavering glows projecting warped silhouettes across the concealed features of a mage clad in white robes.

The white-robed Wizard uttered, her tone resembling the grind of metal, bereft of any compassion: "Spiritual power talent, just scraping the bare minimum threshold."

Her lithe fingers glided across a crystal orb, inside which the churning crimson fog slowly coalesced into a emblem, its hue exceedingly faint.

Upon receiving the judgment, his father's face stiffened, his previously rigid posture now subtly bent, as if he had aged a decade in an instant.

Possessing spiritual talent was undoubtedly a cause for celebration, yet solely if it proved exceptional; otherwise, it amounted to mere fodder supplied to Wizards for their trials.

"Per the agreement, your realm still owes several seedling quotas to the ’Black Mist Jungle’, hence I shall claim this one as well."

The white-robed Wizard employed no tone of discussion, simply declaring the fact to those assembled, before pivoting toward Ron and brandishing her magic wand.

...

Here, the scene in the recollection started to repeat itself, showing the white-robed Wizard escorting him, alongside other "seeds" from the realm, into this Black Mist Jungle, furnishing them solely with that solitary "Basic Meditation Technique" as complimentary arcane wisdom.

Nevertheless, his persistent daily meditations produced negligible outcomes.

Ron gazed upon the tattered "Basic Meditation Technique" before him, accompanied by the threadbare "Abyssal Travelogue", "Star Gate Chronicles" beside it...

Apart from a "Basic Magic Potion Theory", the rest were deemed valueless ancient tomes.

The regulations in the Black Mist Jungle remained straightforward: the institution supplied gratis lodging, meals, and essential communal amenities, plus an array of fee-based classes, all under a one-year evaluation window.

Failure to attain Elementary Apprentice rank within that year meant either serving as test subjects for experiments or outright banishment to the perilous wilds to survive alone.

Merely three months remained before the cutoff.

"Meditate, form the will rune..." Ron shut his eyes, striving to direct his spiritual power as outlined in the tome.

Following the full integration of his soul with that from another realm, he noticed his mind growing keener.

Abruptly, an unusual feeling emerged inside him, prompting a translucent status interface to materialize in his vision:

[Ron Ralph]

[Age: 15]

[Current Profession: None]

[Attributes: Constitution 0.4 Spirit 1.1 Magic Power 0.1]

[Skills: Basic Meditation (Beginner), Slime Splash (Beginner), Basic Magic Potion Making (Beginner)]

[Special Talent: Dual Soul (Increased Comprehension; when spiritual power reaches a certain level, double casting is possible)]

[Power Level: Ordinary People]

"Could this be... my Golden Finger?"

Ron brimmed with delight yet remained composed.

Given the oddity of transmigrating to a different world, acquiring a game-style Golden Finger interface hardly struck him as astonishing, right?

"Similar to the status screen in the game I indulged in prior to my journey here, though I'm uncertain if its functions align with my expectations."

Surveying the array of personal details on display, he swiftly recognized a sense of familiarity.

He experimented with mental commands to navigate it, selecting the abilities subsection within the status panel:

[Mastered Skills:

Basic Meditation (Beginner 22/100), Slime Splash (Beginner 19/50), Basic Magic Potion Making (Beginner 5/50)]

Given the presence of experience point indicators, this panel's capabilities matched his anticipations, so he resolved to attempt a single meditation session for verification.

Drawing from the countless meditations recalled from memory, Ron regulated his respiration, slipping into the meditative trance.

In the shadowy expanse of awareness, honing spiritual power entailed tracing the simplest rune—a basic glyph of three sinuous lines, akin to three interlaced crescent moons.

As the manual explained, this rune represented the coalescence of dispersed spiritual power into form.

"Inhale deeply, empty the thoughts, visualize the rune's form..."

Ron's awareness morphed into an ethereal brush, meticulously outlining within the void.

Barely had the initial curve formed when it warped and faded, compelling him to begin anew.

After numerous attempts spanning dozens of tries, the trio of curves at last held steady in his mind, though they quivered like flames flickering in a draft.

At that instant, Ron detected a subtle spiritual power stirring in response to the rune's summons, gradually assembling in the depths of his consciousness.

The feeling resembled discovering a fragile glow amid a frigid darkness, instinctively drawing one nearer.

"This must be the sensation of expanding spiritual power..."

As moments elapsed, perspiration slowly gathered on his brow. Sustaining the rune's integrity demanded utmost concentration, with the slightest lapse spelling collapse.

Ultimately, when endurance waned and focus crumbled, the interface flashed a notification:

[Basic Meditation Experience Points +1]

[Current Progress: Basic Meditation (Beginner 23/100)]

[Today’s cultivation time has reached the limit, rest is advised]

Ron exhaled deeply, dabbing the moisture from his forehead.

Though the gain amounted to just 1 experience point, he distinctly perceived his command over spiritual power had progressed beyond prior limits.

"Such is the panel's advantage, offering a visible track of my advancement and allowing me to solidify it."

Yet, given his plight, this feature fell short of the miraculous savior he had envisioned.

Ron scrutinized the figures on the panel, his brow furrowing: "Progressing like this, it's doubtful I'll achieve the subsequent level before time runs out. With meditation limited to once daily, this proves daunting..."

Time pressed urgently, with the deadline looming in three months, and the experience in Basic Meditation barely surpassing one-fifth.

Should he fail to ascend prior to the term's end, two grim fates awaited:

Either reduced to a mere lab specimen under another's knife, or cast into the untamed expanse teeming with warped beasts.

Ron drew in a steadying breath, redirecting his gaze to the "Basic Magic Potion Theory" at hand.

This volume stood as his second-most prized possession after the "Basic Meditation Technique", acquired at the expense of numerous Magic Stone Fragments.

[Basic Magic Potion Making (Beginner 5/50)]

[Life Profession - Magic Potion Apprentice (One Star)

After changing profession:

1. Attribute growth

2. Unlock basic professional skills—Magic Potion Refining, Herb Recognition

3. Special Additions:

Magic Potion-related experience points gain speed up

Spiritual power accumulation speed up

Magic Affinity increase]

[Profession Change Conditions:

1. Basic Magic Potion Making Skill Experience Points - (Proficient)

2. Open basic meditation experience points accumulative methodology

3. Collect specific Magic Stone Fragment amount.]

This occupational interface represented perhaps the era's most innovative mechanic from the game he once played.

He recalled innumerable extraordinary vocations, numbering in the hundreds or thousands from novice to pinnacle, their progression paths as intricate as a Digimon's lineage tree.

And barring any errors in memory, he had employed a cheat tool on his in-game panel to unlock a hidden advantage...

"Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, activate!"

In the instant that followed—

[Current Profession Slots: 0/∞]

"Woohoo! I feared that kind of tweak wouldn't transfer with my professional interface..."

"This time, I've truly struck gold!!!"

Ron realized his grin likely stretched broader than an AK's magazine clip right then.