Quen

After Vesemir and the Chief left, Ailin sat on the bed, thinking of a way to leave Kaer Morhen.

"Am I not suited to be a witcher?"

Ailin followed the voice and saw Huus lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Huus's talent was indeed poor.

By this time, Fred and Bont had already finished dinner, while Huus had only just recovered from the aftereffects of lunch.

By the time he finished digesting dinner, he would be slower than the others again.

With both delays combined, Huus could sleep for at most four hours every night.

Although Vesemir was a decent man, he would not accommodate apprentices with poor talent.

That was the rule for witchers teaching apprentices.

Of the trials left for the apprentices, it seemed only the Trial of the Mountains remained.

But the selection process had never stopped.

"Not counting natural-born witchers like you, I'm still far behind even Bont and the others..." Huus turned over.

Ailin did not know what expression Huus wore now. He could only pat his shoulder and comfort him.

"It'll get better."

Early morning.

The main road of Kaer Morhen.

"Do you guys feel it?" Huus rubbed his eyes and asked doubtfully. "Don't you feel much more awake today than yesterday?"

Fred wiped his face, somewhat uncertain. "Now that you mention it, I do seem a little more awake."

"No way?" Bont touched his forehead. "Why don't I feel anything at all? Could it just be your imagination?"

The three seemed to have differing opinions, but the atmosphere was harmonious.

After Ailin's feat of taking on three opponents yesterday, the relationship between the four apprentices had improved considerably.

Or rather, they had become much more familiar with one another.

Ailin's original self and Huus had been childhood friends. They had started witcher training together at the age of four.

Then came the Choice, the Grasses, and the Dream.

After several trials, calling them comrades through life and death would not have been an exaggeration.

Bont and Fred had not known each other before.

But children only needed an opportunity to become acquainted.

The Chief's custom leather armor had been just such an opportunity.

Although the items had yet to be delivered, the four had already vaguely formed a small group centered around Ailin.

Seeing that Bont and Fred felt differently, Huus tilted his head and asked curiously,

"Ailin, what do you think?"

"Don't you feel much more awake today than yesterday?"

Before Ailin could respond, Bont interrupted him.

"Huus, you call this awake?" Bont rubbed Huus's little head. "Did you forget Ailin isn't affected by potions? You were the one who said that just now."

"Oh, right. I forgot..." Huus smiled sheepishly.

Chirp chirp... chirp chirp...

Not even the biting cold wind could freeze their endlessly chattering mouths.

Ailin felt as though he was not walking beside Witcher Apprentices, but a flock of chatty little sparrows.

They had been chirping nonstop since waking up, making his head throb.

But then again, who told him to meddle?

If he had not acted on impulse last night, how could these little brats be so full of energy?

Yes, Ailin had drugged the waterskins last night.

After taking the waterskins from the Chief and before entering the dormitory, Ailin had inexplicably taken out a bottle of Heart Essence Fluid and poured a quarter of it inside.

At noon, he had resolved to look after himself alone. That very night, the resolve had been broken.

Looking back afterward, Ailin could not understand why he had suddenly acted on impulse.

Even if he had not added the Essence Fluid, these children would not have died.

At most, they would have suffered a little longer, dozed off more during lessons, and faced slightly greater risk of death during the Trial of the Mountains.

Could it have been the influence of the original owner?

Ailin let out a long sigh.

Amid the lively chatter, Ailin's group arrived at the apprentice training grounds.

Vesemir was already there.

Wearing a Black Wide-brimmed Hat, he sat alone atop the rock where he had lectured yesterday.

Seeing the apprentices so full of vigor, Vesemir was very satisfied. "Very good. You're all in excellent spirits!"

"Looks like no one will sleep through my lesson all morning today." Vesemir turned his head and stared at Huus. "What do you think, Huus?"

The intense pressure of his gaze made Huus stammer immediately. "Probably... not?"

Vesemir remained expressionless. "Are you asking me?"

"No... not probably. No one will sleep in your class." Huus jolted and hurriedly corrected himself.

"Very good. Then let us officially begin." Vesemir nodded and began today's lesson on Signs.

"Signs are simple spells that can be cast quickly with one hand in combat..."

"We use this technique to support fast-paced combat, but always remember that it is only a supplementary method. Your sword is your most reliable companion..."

"The School of the Wolf has inherited six Signs."

"Today, we will learn one of them—Quen."

"Quen is a passive Sign. Once cast, it forms a magical shield around the user that absorbs physical damage..."

"...For beginners, Quen is the most suitable Sign for you."

"It can harmlessly help you locate your magical organs, laying the foundation for learning other Signs..."

Before Vesemir had even gone far into his explanation, Ailin heard the familiar mechanical voice.

"Ding. Skill discovered: a clue to Quen."

"Spend 100 Lesser Experience Orbs to unlock the skill?"

Selling bundled Signs separately?

Witcher's Handbook, you really know how to make a profit!

Ailin had thought the six Signs would be learned as a whole.

The appearance of the skill-unlocking option made Ailin focus even more intently.

"The specific gesture is this: curl your thumb and little finger, press your middle finger and ring finger together, then extend them forward..."

Spend 64 Lesser Experience Orbs to unlock the skill?

"...Remember, the symbol of the Quen Sign is a triangle. This is the most stable structure discovered by sorcerers. When constructing it in your mind..."

Spend 32 Lesser Experience Orbs to unlock the skill?

"Now, I will demonstrate it once. Watch my hand gesture carefully, and use your Witcher Senses to perceive the flow of magic..."

About half an hour later, Vesemir stopped explaining. Next came practice.

After trying for a while, Ailin discovered that it would take him at least half a day to learn this Sign on his own.

But the witcher apprentice plan meant that he had to stand out if he wanted to increase his chances of leaving Kaer Morhen.

So—

Spend 8 Lesser Experience Orbs to unlock the skill?

Ailin no longer hesitated and selected it with a thought.

Ding! You have learned the skill: Quen LV1

The instant the notification sounded, countless unfamiliar memories of practicing Quen flooded into his mind.

It was as if Ailin had practiced this Sign for an entire year.

Once he had finished absorbing them, Ailin opened his panel.

Name: Ailin

Age: 13

Title: Child of Miracle

Monster Hunting Level: 3

Health: 100% Stamina: 71/71

Attributes: Strength 5.8 (+0.3), Agility 5.9 (+0.3), Constitution 7.1 (+0.9), Perception 8.4 (+0.5), Mystery 3.9 (+0.4)

Special Skills: Monster Hunting LV1, Appraisal LV1

Skills: School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword LV2 (0/500), Quen LV1 (0/100)

Formula: Killer Whale (Unavailable)

Items: Drowner Heart Essence Fluid *1, Rotten Flesh *3, Lesser Experience Orbs *23, "A Brief Discussion on Twenty-Three Ways to Cook Drowners"

Evaluation: Trash!!

The increase in attributes came from dinner and the remaining three-quarters of the Drowner Heart Essence Fluid.

His attributes had increased by a total of 2.9 points. Although that was 0.3 less than yesterday at noon, it was still quite considerable.

When he woke up that morning, Ailin could clearly feel that his stamina had improved significantly.

Walking from the apprentice dormitory to the training grounds, he had not even needed to catch his breath.

The rise in attributes was addictive. Ailin could now feel the surging power inside the body.

That pleasant mood lasted only until he reached the item section.

Ailin stared at the glaring 1 after Drowner Heart Essence Fluid. Even though he had already made a plan, he could not help feeling nervous.

"Only one bottle of Drowner Heart Essence Fluid remains. Whether I can leave Kaer Morhen depends on whether this newly acquired Quen is useful enough."

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