Warlock Apprentice

The resource distribution hall was bigger than all previous halls they saw. When they walked in, every corner of the hall was full of apprentices who only glanced at the newcomers briefly. Some of them let out several cold sneers when they saw who had come.

“Hey, Abelle. A loser like you is going to take these quests all the time? You don’t even dare to leave Brute Cavern. I guess you’ll be an Elementary Apprentice forever huh?” Someone in a black robe taunted.

“Hey, new guys, be careful. This woman Abelle is the biggest disappointment left behind by the apprentices during the last term. Better keep your distance. Maybe she’s contagious, ha!”

Many apprentices gave Abelle negative remarks along the way. Certain talents believed them too, such as Hookdick and his men, who then moved away from Abelle as if they were avoiding a “disease”.

Abelle only led their way toward the second floor without saying anything. She was now acting completely different from the talkative girl Angor saw on their way here. She walked in the front of the group, alone.

On the second floor, Abelle asked them to sit on the sofas while she walked to a desk to talk to another female apprentice there. A moment later, Abelle returned while carrying a silver disk.

She put the disk on the small table in the center and asked the talents to come.

“What is a golden poster? Why are you all so… surprised?”

Hookdick also wanted to know it, so he paid attention to the question instead of taunting Angor.

Without waiting for Abelle’s explanation, one of the apprentices around them spoke first, “The other professor posters you took cannot guarantee a place under the tutor. You’re only their apprentices. The wizard might teach you something when he or she feels happy, but most time you’re only lackeys who do their chores. See your bone cards? The tutor name is blank.

“But a golden poster is only given by someone who decides to take a pupil for real. In other words, you’re the wizard’s real student. He will train you as best as he can. That’s why we call this thing ‘an invitation to a formal wizard’ because a wizard will make sure you become one! Also, this is when the tutor name on your bone card will show his name.”

They all took out their bone cards to check.

Just as he said, there was nothing written under “tutor name” even though they had already received their professor posters.

As those people discussed and compared their cards, Angor sat away silently and looked at his card.

[Tutor: Sunders]

Seeing how everyone looked so disappointed, Angor quickly put away his card.

“Mine is blank too,” said Sailum as he approached him. He then asked in frustration, “Hey what about yours, Angor?”

“Oh… It’s in my pocket. We’re all the same anyway. Hehehe…”

Sailum looked unconvinced. Angor quickly pointed at Hookdick, “I wonder which wizard wanted a personal student. Look, he’s showing us the name.”

Hookdick checked his card, kept everyone hanging for a bit, and slowly said, “Nissa Bella.”

“Nissa Bella?”

“Who is that? Never heard of it.”

People discussed among each other.

“A new wizard maybe?”

“I don’t think so. There are only a few who are about to break through their bottleneck and I don’t see this name among them.”

Abelle walked to Hookdick and looked at his card.

Then she covered her mouth and chuckled, “Ahaha—ouch, my stomach… It’s not Nissa Bella. This is Mister Ness!”

“Mister Ness?”

“‘Deadman’s Redemption’ Ness Byron?!”

Abelle nodded, “Yup, that Occult Soul Manipulator!”

“So, Mister Ness took him in. Who the hell was Nissa Bella anyway? Hey you, lucky guy. Don’t tell me you can’t read?” The jealous apprentices began to show some contempt at Hookdick.

Hookdick looked like someone nearing his thirties and he still did not know how to read? He would not achieve much even if a wizard was his mentor.

Hookdick’s face switched colors. He was the chieftain of a small tribe on Ferran Land. The tribe was not as primitive as it sounded. At least people in high classes all knew how to use the universal language. However, Hookdick was an exception. This man loved sexual enjoyments and maiming people, and he spent most of life among women and blood instead of studying the universal tongue. This was why he tended to read only half of the letters he saw.

He messed up Ness’ name because of this.

“He couldn’t even recognize his own teacher’s name. My my…” Someone shook his head and regarded Hookdick as a joke.

Hookdick spoke in a cold tone, “I can take my time to learn the language, but there’s only one golden poster and I have it! I don’t care if you’re famous scholars or what, but you won’t have one of these. Laugh at me if you will!”

With that, Hookdick sat on a corner and revealed a hateful expression to anyone who laughed at him. The first being Abelle.

Abelle sensed the terrible hatred as well. As someone who received a golden poster, Hookdick would soon surpass herself. She definitely did not wish to become the enemy of someone who had a bright future.

However, she was unsure of how to amend her mistake. She only smiled embarrassingly and returned to one side of the room.

“Anyone left?” Abelle asked.

Two people stood up at the same time. Angor and Balba.

Balba looked at Angor and sat back down, “You can go first.”

“Balba looks violent but he’s quite gentle,” Sailum whispered into Angor’s ear.

Angor nodded toward Balba and approached the silver disk.

“Hmph!”

Before Angor placed his bone card, a disdainful sneer came from the side. Angor looked at the direction. He saw Hookdick scorning at him while moving his golden poster up and down with obvious hostility and the intention to show off.

Angor simply returned a mild smile and inserted his bone card into the disk.

Light pulsed.

… And nothing. The disk remained empty.

The onlooking apprentices were not surprised by it, but the other talents were quite shocked. Angor had been always close to a wizard. He even joined Brute Cavern without going through the deathmatches, so they all believed Angor had a really powerful talent. But… no professor accepted him?

“Baaahhahahaha! No one wanted you! Ah—hahaha!” Hookdick laughed out maniacally and taunted in a malevolent tone. He added, “Just you wait. Suppose there are no wizards to kill you, I will!”

Hookdick never tried to do anything to Angor openly because he was afraid of Angor’s “supporter from behind”. Now that he realized Angor did not even have a tutor, Hookdick finally released his rage which he had been suppressing in these days. He would have dealt with Angor right here, right now, if not for the people around them.

Nausica and Sailum looked at each other. Nausica looked really puzzled while Sailum seemed worried about Angor.

Unlike the other talents, Nausica clearly knew that the Phantom Servants on the cloud whale behaved very politely toward Angor, and the witch talked and joked with the boy a lot. Someone who was treated by others like that did not have a tutor? Really?

Hookdick was still laughing to his heart’s content when the disk suddenly shined again.

When everyone looked, a middle-aged man with a handsome look appeared in the light.

“Angor, once you get to your residence, I’ll order my alchemy familiar to find you. Remember to bring my coin on you. The coin is my professor poster,” said the man in a low, hoarse voice.

Angor was startled by the sudden appearance of his professor but he got over it soon and nodded in acknowledgment.

Sunders nodded back and disappeared in the light.

When the disk returned to its calm state, everyone was still speechless.

The talents did not know who that was, but all the apprentices did.

“That was…!” An apprentice swallowed and pointed to the disk with a trembling finger.

“You—you’re his—his—student?” Abelle stared at Angor in fear.

Angor knew he could not hide it anymore. He nodded and showed them his bone card.

[Tutor: Sunders]