Levi fell silent for a moment, then said, "For certain special reasons, I possess some… special abilities. They allow me to know things that others wouldn't easily discover… Do you believe me, Rudolf?"
He looked at Rudolf, as well as at his father, the old shepherd.
Hearing this, Rudolf and his father exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile.
Rudolf said to Levi, "I believe you, my friend."
"Because my family also possesses some special abilities."
"I can understand your caution," Rudolf nodded as he spoke to Levi.
After a pause, he added on his own initiative, "My family can communicate with goats."
"Communicate with goats?" Levi showed a surprised expression.
"It's true," Rudolf smiled and continued, "but it's just a simple ability. Levi, let's talk about the donkey instead."
"How did you get it back?" Rudolf asked curiously.
Levi replied, "Of course, no problem."
"Thanks to my ability, I took advantage of the moment when the innkeeper left, found where he had hidden the donkey, and led it away."
"You truly amaze me, my friend!"
"Not only did you save my life, you also retrieved this treasure."
"Levi, how can I ever repay you?" Rudolf was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
"You've already given me plenty in return, Rudolf," Levi said with a faint smile.
After all, he had already obtained the most valuable thing.
The golden donkey was precious, but in the end, it was only an external possession.
What truly mattered was the magic within it—and that had already been taken by Levi.
Though its power was still limited, it could continuously be upgraded.
That was the real priceless treasure.
As for a mere golden donkey, he didn't care much. Returning it to its rightful owner was also a good thing.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Rudolf kept expressing his gratitude to Levi.
"You're too polite, my friend," Levi said.
At that moment, Rudolf seemed to recall something and said with a hint of regret, "What a pity."
"I have an older brother who was also staying at that inn. A treasure given to him by his teacher was also stolen by that innkeeper."
"It was a table."
"If you had known about it, you could've brought it back as well," Rudolf said.
After returning, Rudolf had spoken with his brother, who also worked in town, and learned about the matter.
"A table?" Levi responded. He then took out an old, simple table from the cart. "Do you mean this one?"
"I saw it where the donkey was kept and took it along the way," Levi said to Rudolf.
Rudolf froze, then gently ran his hand over the table. Hesitating, he said, "I can feel something special about it… but whether it's my brother's table, I think we'll need to bring him here to confirm."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Levi said with a smile.
"Wait here for me." Rudolf hurried back toward town. He had come on horseback—and now rode back the same way.
Less than two hours later,
Rudolf returned with a young man who looked very similar to him.
"Let me introduce you—this is my brother, Phil!"
"Phil, this is my best friend, Levi! He saved my life and helped us recover our lost treasures!"
"Hello, Levi," Phil greeted politely with a nod.
"Hello, Phil," Levi nodded slightly in return. "I'm not sure… well, take a look… is this yours?"
"No need to look—I know it is," Phil said as he walked up to the table. He began chanting words Levi couldn't understand, and finally concluded with, "Little table, set yourself."
At once, the old table was instantly covered with all kinds of delicious dishes.
Large chunks of lamb stewed with raisins and onions, honey-roasted quail, chicken braised with almonds, roasted marinated pork seasoned with cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and almond milk, wild boar ribs, swan meat cooked with saffron and peaches, venison stuffed with blue cheese, and trout coated in crushed almonds.
In addition, there were almond milk carrots, buttered peas, and raisin salad.
As for drinks, there was ale and wine.
Of course, soft white bread was also indispensable.
"Please, enjoy," Phil gestured invitingly to Levi, his brother Rudolf, and the shepherd.
The shepherd's face showed astonishment.
When his eldest son had returned earlier, he had claimed to have brought back a table that could produce endless food.
But at the time, the table had been empty.
The shepherd had thought his son was lying—but it turned out to be true.
His son had never deceived him.
A faint smile appeared at the shepherd's lips. He picked up a piece of white bread and took a gentle bite. It was soft and fluffy, its sweetness filling his mouth, and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes in satisfaction.
Seeing this, Levi didn't hold back either. He picked up a piece of tender, fragrant roasted wild boar ribs and began eating in big mouthfuls.
Ever since advancing to the knight level, his physical abilities had improved drastically, and his digestion had also begun to shift toward something beyond human—he needed to eat far more than an ordinary person.
Not to mention, Levi also had "Conversion", which he had obtained from the golden donkey. It allowed him to convert food into energy that enhanced his physical attributes. Of course, the efficiency of converting ordinary food was very low—so low that for Levi in his current state, the effect was negligible—but small gains added up over time.
This "Conversion" made Levi's appetite yet another level greater than that of an ordinary person.
So Levi didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat heartily.
This was also the best meal he had had since transmigrating.
What was even more remarkable was that after each dish was finished, it would immediately be replenished.
However, somewhere in the world—perhaps in the kitchen of some royal palace, or at a banquet hosted by a great noble—the corresponding dishes would quietly disappear without a trace.
Only places like those would have such high-end food.
That was the secret of the "Magic Table."
At first, the shepherd's eldest son Phil and second son Rudolf watched with smiles on their faces.
But as Levi kept eating more and more, while his belly showed no noticeable change, their smiles gradually stiffened.
Phil pulled his younger brother Rudolf aside and said, "Rudolf, your friend has done us a great favor."
"How should we repay him?"
"That's exactly what's troubling me," Rudolf said with some difficulty.
Phil thought for a moment, then said, "He's like us—someone who possesses magical power. But unlike us before we met our teachers… he can only rely on instinct."
"You mean…?" Rudolf's eyes flickered as he asked.
"I mean, we should teach him a meditation method—help him improve his spiritual power and give him a chance to become a wizard. We can give him a future possibility," Phil said.
"Without our teacher's permission, I can't pass on the knowledge he taught us," Rudolf frowned. "You know that a wizard's knowledge is priceless."
Back then, the three brothers had been driven out of their home by their furious father because of that lying goat.
Fortunately, because of their bloodline, they encountered the Three Sages of the Forest.
On the surface, the Three Sages were a carpenter, a tailor, and a turner.
In reality, they were alchemists, each with their own specialty.
The three brothers were taken in by the sages and apprenticed under them.
Over the years, they learned their respective crafts while also practicing meditation methods to develop their spiritual power.
However, their training time had not been long, and their bloodline was thin, offering them limited assistance. As a result, they were still only wizard apprentices—not even true wizards—and could only perform a few simple tricks.
After hearing Rudolf's words, Phil said, "Don't worry."
"I'm not planning to pass on the meditation method taught by our teacher to your friend. But I once obtained a basic meditation method. It wasn't taught by our teacher, so I can dispose of it as I wish," Phil said.
"You mean…?" Rudolf's eyes lit up.
"Yes. I intend to use this basic meditation method as part of a trade," Phil nodded.
"That's a good idea. We can help him develop his own power. I think he'll accept this gift," Rudolf said. After a pause, he added, "But I feel that just a basic meditation method isn't enough to show our sincerity."
"What are you planning? Give him inexhaustible wealth?" Phil asked.
"Although Levi didn't say it, I feel he's not very interested in such things."
"He seems to enjoy wandering—seeing all kinds of scenery."
"This world isn't that safe," Phil said.
Within the main areas where humans lived, things were relatively clean and secure. But once you strayed even a little from civilization, all kinds of magical creatures would reproduce like weeds, inhabiting every place they could survive.
For example, goblins, whose reproductive ability rivaled that of rats.
These were all very dangerous.
That was why Phil said this.
Rudolf's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said to Phil, "Perhaps I know what kind of gift we should give him."
"What gift?" Phil asked curiously.
"Let's work together and build Levi an alchemical carriage," Rudolf said, his eyes shining.
"With our abilities, that's beyond us. After all, we're only wizard apprentices," Phil said with clear self-awareness.
"That's true—we can't make a true alchemical carriage. But making one with basic magic rune effects like [Sturdiness], [Smoothness], and [Silence] should be no problem," Rudolf said excitedly.
Phil didn't speak immediately. His gaze flickered slightly as he considered the feasibility of the plan.
In the end, he nodded to Rudolf. "Then let's give it a try."
The two brothers reached an agreement and walked back toward Levi, who was still devouring food.
This guy was even the type to chew chicken bones and pork ribs into powder and swallow them.
Meanwhile, their father, the old shepherd, was already dumbfounded.
...
"Levi, close your eyes. Follow the method I taught you and begin meditating. Use your spiritual power to visualize will-runes within your soul."
"For an ordinary person, the maximum number of will-runes that can be visualized in one attempt is seven."
"But to walk the path of a wizard, the minimum requirement is eight."
"Eight is only the starting point. In fact, the more will-runes one can visualize on the first attempt, the better. Being able to visualize twelve will-runes is already considered excellent talent among wizards!"
"For every additional will-rune you visualize, your spiritual power will increase accordingly."
"The standard for a first-class wizard apprentice is being able to clearly visualize twelve will-rune characters. Once you reach first-class apprentice level, you can begin to sense energy—the various forms of energy that exist everywhere in space. You then choose your primary path of advancement based on the type you can sense most clearly."
Phil's teachings surfaced in Levi's mind. He steadied his thoughts and began to meditate according to the "Basic Meditation Method" Phil had taught him.
That complex rune began to appear one after another within Levi's sea of soul.
Levi felt completely at ease.
Five!
Eight!
Nine!
Ten!
Twelve!
He effortlessly visualized all twelve will-runes.
Levi felt no pressure at all.
When these twelve will-runes were fully formed, it was as if an electric current passed through his soul, and his soul power was significantly strengthened.
Previously, his spiritual power value had only been 2.7. That was stronger than an average person, but not particularly outstanding.
But after Levi condensed these twelve will-runes, his spiritual power surged from [2.7] to [3.6].
A first-class wizard apprentice!
Levi had become a first-class wizard apprentice.
Although it was the lowest rank among wizard apprentices, his entire being felt different, and he began to sense the energy particles of the outside world.
According to the "Basic Meditation Method," once one becomes a first-class wizard apprentice, one can begin using spiritual power to attract and fuse external energy particles, combining them into one's own magic power.
With magic power, Levi could cast spells.
Although Levi had previously been able to cast spells, he had been doing so by overdrawing his body's life force. Using it that way for extended periods could lead to premature aging—or even death.
This was the conclusion Levi obtained after using "Detection" to examine himself after condensing magic power.
Previously, Levi hadn't known this at all.
The realization left him deeply shaken!
He no longer dared to act recklessly.
With magic power, things were different.
Using magic power to cast spells would no longer consume Levi's life force.
So Levi hurried to condense his magic power.
In the end, Levi condensed a total of thirty-six drops of magic power.
This took him quite a long time.
After some testing, he found that these thirty-six drops of magic power allowed him to cast twelve Level 3 "Detection" spells in succession, or eighteen Level 2 "Gathering Technique" spells—his "Gathering Technique" had also advanced to Level 2 during this period of use, expanding its range, increasing the amount gathered, and allowing more types of materials to be collected at once.
"Conversion" was the lowest level, only Level 1. With Level 1 "Conversion," thirty-six drops of magic power allowed him to cast it twenty times.
Different spell levels and different spells consumed different amounts of magic power.
In addition, while in a meditative state, Levi could recover twelve drops of magic power per hour, meaning he could fully recover his magic power in three hours.
Outside of meditation, according to "Detection," he would only recover two drops per hour, requiring eighteen hours to fully replenish his magic power.