In a classroom, many apprentices were seated below, waiting for the arrival of the Teacher. Differing from usual, their faces were filled with excitement and anticipation, perhaps mixed with a hint of unease.
Ossian looked around nervously, his hand repeatedly rubbing the table. He was waiting for someone, who was also his friend.
Finally, a familiar figure darted through the doorway. The person's sudden appearance drew the attention of all the apprentices, and the clamor in the classroom fell silent.
Kahn had just reached the classroom door. The noisy sounds from outside suddenly quieted down the moment he appeared, leaving him feeling a bit at a loss.
Fortunately, within a few seconds, the apprentices realized the newcomer wasn't the Teacher they had imagined but another person wearing an apprentice robe like them. They immediately looked away, and the classroom's noise resumed, even louder than before.
At that moment, Ossian raised his right hand in the back row and waved it, letting Kahn know his friend was there.
He walked over quickly and said:
"Hi, Ossian. Why are you all here so early? I'm already half an hour early, but I'm still not as fast as you... the classroom is almost full."
Ossian looked at Kahn with an incredulous gaze, seemingly not quite understanding why he thought that way.
"What are you talking about? Isn't today our first class here? Besides, don't you want to learn more Spells? Do you want to be dragged off to Antire like those apprentices who didn't learn any Spells last year?"
Kahn scratched his head and said:
"Even so, there's no need to get up this early. How much longer do we have to wait here?"
"I didn't sleep well last night. I woke up at six in the morning, so I came early. I assume everyone else is the same."
Kahn finally understood why these apprentices had arrived so early.
Just a few days ago, when this batch of apprentices had first entered Apprentice City, Lodris, they saw Spellcasters everywhere and frequently witnessed people casting Spells. This filled the apprentices with yearning, wishing they were the ones casting the Spells.
After receiving one Spell each yesterday, the apprentices became even more excited. Moreover, today was their first class, so naturally, they were all very moved.
But Kahn was different. Although Kahn's family wasn't a family of Professionals—his father was just a commoner in the city—they lived frugally, but food and clothing were not an issue.
When he was a child, he met a Spellcaster who left a deep impression on him, one he could not forget to this day.
He wore a tattered robe, covered in patches yet still full of holes, huddled by the roadside like a beggar.
However, he couldn't even be a beggar, because the begging business there was managed by gangs. Once, Kahn passed by and saw him being pinned against a wall by many people... until one time he asked Kahn for a piece of dry bread. Kahn had been gnawing on that piece of dry bread for three days and would rather go hungry than take another bite, so he handed it over.
The beggar immediately wolfed it down, very happy, and performed a Spell for him.
Even now, he couldn't forget the shock of seeing a white ray hit the wall, leaving his mouth hanging open for a long time.
When he came to his senses, he hurriedly asked why, if he knew such miraculous Spells, he was still here begging.
The beggar said with a chuckle:
"My Talent for Spells wasn't enough. In Apprentice City, I only learned this one Spell. But now, even the city guards can cast a few Spells; they're all back from Apprentice City."
"So I could only end up like this. What's the use of knowing just one Spell? I can't even defeat a single monster outside the city. I'm less useful than a trained soldier."
He remembered those words firmly. After learning he had tested positive for Spiritual Power Talent, he recalled those words, knowing that coming to Apprentice City didn't mean becoming one of those 'Mage Lords' the soldiers talked about.
Therefore, he wasn't very interested in the Spells those Spellcasters were casting. He always remembered that if he truly wanted to become a respectable Spellcaster, he had to work twice as hard.
Even though he couldn't sleep yesterday either, he forced himself to think of nothing in bed, allowing himself to arrive at this classroom full of energy.
'I must study Spells well and become a true Mage,' he thought, looking at the empty seat on the podium.
Just then, the classroom suddenly went quiet. A man wearing a green robe entered, bringing a cart full of books.
"Welcome, apprentices. This should be your first class since arriving in Apprentice City... Two apprentices, come and distribute these books. These are the textbooks for this course."
While waiting for the textbooks to be distributed, Elan continued to speak.
"This course is also a mandatory one for you. If you cannot pass this course, even if you have learned Spells, you still won't be able to graduate."
Upon hearing these words, none of the apprentices below showed fear; they only felt a heartfelt confidence. They all believed they could pass this course.
The moment Kahn got his textbook, he began flipping through it on the table. After just a few brief glances, he knew the content was difficult for him to understand.
"By the way, the development of this course received help from the Furnace Casting School. If you perform excellently in this course, you will have the opportunity to enter the Furnace Casting School..."
Hearing this news, the well-informed apprentices below already knew what a School meant. They let out cheers that drowned out all other noise in the classroom.
Ossian turned and asked:
"What is a School? Why are they so surprised?"
Kahn patiently explained:
"A School is..."
"Oh, so that's how it is. It's not that hard then. We must join this School."
Seeing Ossian's face full of excitement, Kahn knew in his heart that if joining a School were that simple, that Spellcaster wouldn't have fallen to such a state.
Elan opened the textbook in his hand and began his lecture.
"Objects..."
The atmosphere in the entire classroom instantly became oppressive, because the apprentices realized they couldn't understand a thing.
Elan's teaching method was very unique. He believed that only the final steam engine principles were what most needed explaining. Although the preceding content made up 90%, it was only to aid understanding.
Thus, before the class was even half over, he had finished three chapters, leaving the apprentices below struggling to keep up with the page-turning.
Kahn was the same; his brain was a jumble, completely unable to understand, and he could only mechanically turn to the next page.
Just then, he noticed that Ossian not only didn't look dazed but was instead reading the textbook with great interest.
"You understand it?"
Ossian slowly turned his head and said:
"It's okay, I only understand some of it. This is somewhat similar to the woodworking I do to help my father."
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