"You shouldn't be disappointed just yet."

"You're telling us not to be disappointed after bringing out some ordinary, powerless wooden sword? Does that even make sense?"

A disgruntled voice erupted from the crowd of magicians. Even those who tried using appraisal magic couldn't determine any special abilities from the sword.

"Do you really think the Zeto Trading Company would put an unverified item as the final piece of the auction? On the contrary, the fact that its abilities can't be revealed by appraisal magic means it's not just a powerless object! This means it possesses the ability to resist magical energy! Do you understand?"

The auctioneer's voice grew quicker and more intense.

"This sword not only boasts unbreakable durability, but it also disrupts the flow of magic the moment it comes into contact with it. This is no ordinary sword! In fact, we've prepared a live demonstration for those who remain skeptical."

The auctioneer clapped his hands, and a thin man stepped forward to stand beside him. He was a 3rd-grade apprentice magician. Without a word, the man raised his hand, casting a powerful defensive spell that formed a barrier around him.

The auctioneer lightly tapped the wooden sword against the barrier.

Immediately, the magician's expression twisted as the barrier collapsed.

"Are you kidding?"

"If you think it's a trick, would you like to try it yourself?"

The auctioneer gestured toward the magician who had voiced his complaints. All eyes turned toward him.

"Fine."

The magician, a mystic magician, snorted and stood up. He walked over to where the thin man had been standing and cast the same defensive spell. Without any incantation, powerful mana surrounded him, forming an even stronger barrier.

The auctioneer once again tapped the wooden sword against the barrier. This time, the mystic magician's face briefly contorted in discomfort. He had definitely sensed something.

However, his barrier did not collapse easily. The auctioneer continued to tap the barrier with the wooden sword. As the tapping continued, the magician's face grew increasingly strained.

"Ugh."

He struggled to maintain the barrier, but eventually, it crumbled. With a deep sigh, the mystic magician quietly admitted, "...It certainly disrupts magical calculations."

Leon’s eyes gleamed as he observed the scene.

‘This... It's exactly like the wooden sword I have.’

Not only was it durable, but it also had the same ability to absorb mana and unlock one of its hidden powers.

‘I need to get it.’

Even if it only shared the same abilities, Leon had to have it. There was undoubtedly a hidden potential in the sword he didn’t yet understand, and this auctioned wooden sword could be the key to unlocking that mystery.

"Now, do you understand? This wooden sword isn't just a simple weapon. In fact, it can disrupt even the magic of mystic magicians! And that's not all."

The auctioneer directed the mystic magician to unleash any attack magic he desired on the wooden sword. Then, he pulled out a crystal from his pocket, infusing it with mana.

A protective barrier formed around the auctioneer and the mystic magician at the table.

The mystic magician surveyed the barrier, then raised his palm. In response to his mana, roots sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the wooden sword and squeezing tightly, as if to crush it.

Yet, the wooden sword remained unfazed, withstanding the intense pressure of the magic.

"Do you see? This artifact is easily worth a B-grade evaluation. Even if it can’t be appraised, its value is undeniable. Now, let’s begin the bidding. The starting price is 80,000 mana stones."

Having seen the wooden sword withstand the mystic magician's spell and break his barrier, no one doubted its abilities. However, contrary to the auctioneer’s hopes, the subdued atmosphere of the room didn’t reignite.

Despite its impressive abilities, magicians generally had a low opinion of wooden swords, making them hesitant to spend 80,000 mana stones on one.

"81,000."

Yet, someone raised the bid. Leon turned his gaze to the bidder.

Like Leon, the person wore a deep hood, making it impossible to see their face. However, it was easy to tell that this person was much taller than the others.

The magicians in the room gave the bidder a brief glance before losing interest. He was only an early-stage magic practitioner, after all. It wasn’t unusual for someone of his level to covet an artifact.

Seeing the lack of attention, Leon cautiously raised the bid.

"82,000."

For a moment, attention shifted to Leon, but it soon dispersed again.

"83,000."

As the competition between the early-stage and intermediate-level magicians continued, the other magicians quickly lost interest.

"...Probably some noble's spoiled kid."

Leon ignored the cynical whispers around him and calmly raised the bid again.

"84,000."

The tall man wasn’t willing to give up just yet.

‘Does he know something?’

Leon carefully studied his opponent as he gradually increased the price. As the bidding war continued, the price quickly climbed much faster than expected, drawing a satisfied smile from the auctioneer.

By the time the price reached 100,000 mana stones, neither party had shown any sign of backing down.

"100,000! Does anyone wish to bid higher? If not, this wooden sword will go to the magician there!"

The auctioneer referred to Leon as "the magician there." The tall magician hesitated for a moment before suddenly standing up.

"I’ll add a protective magic talisman worth 10,000 mana stones."

"Well... we only accept mana stones. If you can’t raise the bid with more stones, then—"

Before the auctioneer could finish, the tall man pointed at Leon and shouted.

"In that case, shouldn’t we check if that kid really has 100,000 mana stones? I know for a fact he already bought the high-capacity dimensional pouch!"

Leon’s expression hardened. The moment the price exceeded 100,000 mana stones, he had already started attracting unwanted attention. Now, they were questioning his means, making things even more complicated.

If he didn’t have enough mana stones, he might as well withdraw, but why was this person trying so hard to cling to the situation?

However, now that he had been called out, there was no choice but to verify his mana stones.

Before the crowd could gather further attention, Leon pulled out his mana stone pouch and tossed it to the auctioneer.

The auctioneer caught the pouch and quickly checked the contents.

"There are 160,000 mana stones here. You are more than qualified."

"...."

The auctioneer threw the pouch back to Leon, who caught it and quietly spoke.

"Unless you plan to bid over 150,000, the sword is mine."

"..."

"Will the other bidder raise the price?"

"...No."

The tall magician's gaze lingered on Leon, but recalling that Leon was merely an intermediate-stage magician, Leon didn’t pay it much mind. Instead, he grew more concerned that some other magician might eye him greedily, now that they knew he carried 160,000 mana stones.

The moment the auction ended, Leon quickly exchanged the mana stones for his purchased items and left the auction house without delay.

He hurried through the alleyways and returned to the inn.

Once back in his room, Leon laid the two wooden swords side by side, ready to test their abilities. However, before he could begin, his silver adventurer badge lit up with a signal, prompting him to leave the inn again.

The message from the Adventurer's Guild informed him that Torin had been found.

Leon made his way to the guild branch, where he was greeted by the wizard that had been introduced to him—Torin.

Torin was a middle-aged man with neatly combed wavy brown hair and a thick beard lining his chin, giving him a composed and dignified air.

"I hear you're looking for a map."

He slowly handed Leon a scroll.

"It was completed five years ago, so it’s probably the most up-to-date map you’ll find."

Leon unrolled the scroll and, after confirming that it included all the magical cities, nodded.

"How much do I owe you?"

"500 mana stones will suffice."

Leon handed over a separate pouch containing 500 mana stones. Torin accepted the pouch and calmly verified its contents.

Meanwhile, Leon studied the map, searching for the Astellia School of Magic.

However, despite the numerous magical cities listed, he couldn’t find anything named "Astellia."

Leon stopped the wizard before he could leave.

"Have you heard of the Astellia School of Magic?"

"Astellia? Hmm..."

Torin fell silent in thought before suddenly clapping his hands.

"Ah, yes, I’ve heard of it. Wasn't it a school that used to be part of Arcane about twenty years ago?"

"Arcane?"

Torin scrutinized Leon for a moment before speaking again.

"You must be a foreign magician."

"That’s correct."

Torin nodded and continued his explanation.

"Arcane refers to the twenty most powerful magical schools in the Empire."

"I see..."

So, the Astellia School had once been one of the Empire's most prominent magical schools, just like Erika had mentioned about the Sigrinel School.

"Do you know why it declined?"

"I believe it was expelled from Arcane after its tower master died. If the successor can’t reach the level of a transcendent mage, it’s only natural for a school to be cast out of Arcane. Even schools that have been powerful for centuries aren’t exempt from that rule."

It seemed that, unlike the Sigrinel School, Astellia’s decline wasn’t caused by making enemies.

Leon let out a sigh of relief. In truth, he didn’t care much about whether the school was still influential or not.

‘As long as I can train safely, that’s all that matters.’

With that thought in mind, Leon returned his attention to the map.

"Why isn’t Astellia marked on the map?"

"In the Empire, only Arcane schools have the right to name cities after their school. Naturally, it would go by a different name now."

"Do you know where it used to be?"

"If I remember correctly..."

The wizard pointed to a spot on the map