Distant relatives are not as helpful as nearby neighbors. Though this neighbor, Keli, was so blunt it felt a little uncomfortable, Saul figured he could take the opportunity to gather some information.
He had just opened his mouth when someone came striding down the corridor.
That person walked briskly while loudly proclaiming:
“All newly promoted First Rank Apprentices, be at the last classroom on the 10th floor of the East Tower at exactly 9 o'clock for your first public class!”
“All newly promoted First Rank Apprentices, be at the last classroom on the 10th floor of the East Tower at exactly 9 o'clock for your first public class!”
Someone heard the announcement, opened their door to ask something, but the man didn’t answer. He just kept repeating the message, then went up the sloped corridor at the end.
New apprentices started gathering in the hallway, whispering and chatting. The atmosphere was lively, and everyone was full of hope.
“Keli!”
Two boys came running over. One of them, with bright and lively eyes, said, “Let’s go to class together.”
But Keli merely glanced at them, didn’t even answer, and turned to Saul, “We should head there now.”The two boys, despite being brushed off, didn’t show anger. Instead, they looked at Saul with a hint of wariness.
Saul realized they probably also believed he had high talent. But that wasn’t something he could explain, so he just nodded and agreed to walk together.
There was still a bit of time before 9 o’clock, but almost all the new apprentices headed toward the East Tower as soon as they heard the message.
The Wizard Tower itself was cylindrical in shape, wider at the base and narrower at the top. The middle was divided into two halves, forming the East and West Towers.
Both the East and West Towers were semicircular and separated by a thick wall. Only the 5th, 6th, 10th, and 14th floors had connecting corridors.
These corridors were locked at night, and passage was strictly prohibited.
Saul had seen the corridor gates while cleaning the hallways, but he had never been allowed to enter the East Tower.
Following the crowd, he walked through the corridor for the first time and arrived at the East Tower.
The 6th floor of the East Tower didn’t have rows of rooms like the West Tower. What greeted his eyes were bare gray walls covered in strange symbols and patterns Saul couldn’t begin to understand.
Just one glance made his head spin.
He turned his head away quickly and saw that Keli beside him had kept her head lowered the entire time, clearly avoiding looking at the walls.
This girl… she really knows a lot.
Thud. Thud.
The two people ahead of them didn’t avert their gaze in time and collapsed, dizzy, onto the ground.
The crowd walked past them without a second look—no one even offered a hand.
As Saul walked by the struggling apprentices, his hopeful visions of apprentice life suddenly dimmed a little.
---
“Everyone be quiet!”
After waiting for about ten minutes in the last classroom on the 10th floor of the East Tower, Saul and the others saw a man in his fifties stride in from the front door of the classroom with a burst of energy.
He quickly walked to the front platform and placed one hand heavily on the lectern.
“First class! The rules of Gorsa Wizard Tower! I’ll only say this once! Anyone who asks me again—I’ll eat you! Urghhh—”
Right on cue, the man bent over and started to retch.
A big splash of greenish slime landed on the ground, splattering everywhere. Mixed in were several human fingers—thud, bounce, thud.
The front row of apprentices recoiled in horror, knocking into the desks behind them and causing a clatter of noise.
Sitting habitually toward the back, Saul lowered his head and avoided looking at the disgusting scene that was making his stomach churn.
The man standing at the front, clearly angry, straightened up after vomiting and shouted again, “Silence!”
No one dared to move now, even those struggling with nausea.
“First off, you choose your mentor based on your elemental affinity. I am Gudo. I teach the Poison Element, and I can also teach the Metal Element. If you have talent in either, choose me on the registration form!”
Saul looked down, and his desk was empty.
Mentor Gudo hadn’t magically produced any registration forms, nor had anyone come in to distribute them.
He quickly opened his book and began taking notes with his pen.
At the same time, he heard a rustling sound beside him. Keli, seated next to him, had also pulled out paper and pen from her bag and started writing in sync.
There were about twenty people in the classroom, and more than half had come prepared with paper and pens.
Those who hadn’t prepared glanced at their neighbors but didn’t dare to speak. Mentor Gudo didn’t seem like someone who tolerated interruptions.
On the platform, Mentor Gudo kept talking, his pace fast.
“...First Rank Apprentices must start with public classes. Subjects include: Magic Script, Universal Knowledge, Meditation, and Runes. Only after that can you touch beginner-level spells!”
Saul’s pen moved like lightning, but when he couldn’t keep up, he started jotting notes in shorthand using characters from his past life.
“...Don’t waste your time, because you don’t have time to waste! There’s a monthly assessment for First Rank Apprentices. The first assessment is in three months! If the evaluators think you show no potential for growth—”
Mentor Gudo paused, squinting as he scanned the classroom, then said with a dark expression, “Then there’s no reason to keep training you.”
Saul’s hand shook, dragging out one of the letters into a long tail. He silently started a new line and kept writing.
“...And lastly, stop dreaming. Just focus on the books in front of you. Only Second Rank Apprentices are qualified to think about those other things.”
Saul wasn’t sure what those “other things” referred to. Spells, maybe?
“That’s all. I’m leaving.”
Mentor Gudo turned around and walked out even faster than when he entered.
With the terrifying mentor gone, the classroom exploded with chatter. The apprentices began discussing everything excitedly.
But Saul didn’t join in. He just stared at his notes in a daze.
“Was your left hand always like that?” Keli’s voice broke his thoughts again.
Saul had instinctively pressed down his book with his left hand while taking notes—and Keli, sitting beside him, had naturally seen it.
He didn’t hide his hand this time and casually replied, “No. It became like this the day before yesterday.”
Keli frowned and pressed her lips together as if she were trying to solve a world-ending riddle.
At that moment, the classroom door opened again, and a young man walked in. He had a polite smile and carried a stack of papers in his hands as he walked to the front platform.
“It’s ten minutes to nine. You’re all early. Very good! As apprentices, we must make use of every second. Early is always better than late. Sometimes, being ‘on time’ is still late.”
He tapped the stack of papers in his hand and reined in his smile slightly.
“I’ll be handing out the mentor registration forms and the rulebook for the Wizard Tower. Mentor Gudo will return shortly to give his first full explanation. Please stay quiet. Mentor Gudo dislikes noise. If you have questions, don’t ask. Look at the rulebook. I’ll provide further explanation afterward.”
The classroom fell silent.
The young man was very satisfied. This group of apprentices was very obedient—ask for quiet, and quiet immediately followed.
He stepped down from the platform to begin handing out the forms and booklets. But the moment his foot landed, it squelched into something slimy.
He looked down. When he lifted his foot, a severed finger was stuck to the sole of his shoe, twitching slightly.
He looked back up at the class, his lips twitching.
“Mentor Gudo… he—?”
“He’s already here,” a girl in the second row said softly.
(End of Chapter)