The Little Celebrity of the Ancient Sea Fortress (Thanks to Book Friend "Cold, Cold Official" for the Monthly Ticket)

"I'm not sure if I can make it back before the Trial of the Mountains. If you want me to refine it, this might be your last chance."

Vesemir's tone was sincere.

But Ailin had no choice but to refuse again:

"I'm sorry, Lady Vesemir."

"I still want to refine it myself."

The sorceress's eyes dimmed for a moment, but then she earnestly instructed:

"Alright... my library will be open to you..."

"If you have any questions or are missing any materials, you can ask Mary directly. She'll help you out..."

The sorceress chattered on at length.

As Ailin listened, he suddenly felt like he was Vesemir's apprentice.

A certain "genuine" apprentice, jealous, had her cheeks flushed red, staring intently at Ailin's face.

The burning jealousy almost followed her gaze, threatening to set Ailin's hair ablaze.

About half an hour later, the sorceress finally began to wind down.

"...That's about it. You can go now."

Ailin nodded and thanked her sincerely, "Lady Vesemir, thank you."

"No need for thanks," Vesemir shook her head and said seriously, "You just need to tell me... you will definitely pass the Trial of the Mountains safely, won't you?"

The witcher apprentice nodded vigorously and said with conviction:

"Don't worry, Lady Vesemir. I will definitely pass the Trial of the Mountains and won't let your investment go to waste."

"Investment?"

The sorceress chuckled inexplicably:

"A School of the Wolf witcher's promise is heavier than life."

"Ailin, I've noted your promise."

Emerging from the alchemy room, Ailin descended two more flights of stairs before the witcher apprentice stopped.

He mentally opened his character panel.

[Name: Ailin]

[Age: 13]

[Title: Child of Miracle]

[Level: 8]

[Health: 100%, Stamina 150/150, Mana 87/87]

[Attributes: Strength 9.6 (+3.5), Agility 9.6 (+3.4), Constitution 15 (+6.1), Perception 14.9 (+6), Mysticism 8.7 (+4.4)]

[Special Skills: Monster Hunting LV1, Appraisal LV1, Tracking LV1]

[Special Skill Points: 1]

[Skills: School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword LV2, Tracking LV1, Quen LV1, Ald LV1, Yrden LV1, Igni LV2]

[Recipe: Killer Whale (Unavailable)]

[Items: Drowner Heart Essence Fluid *162, Rotting Flesh *87, Lesser Experience Orbs *1445, Drowner Whistle *7...]

[Evaluation: Noob!]

In these seven days, Ailin had gained nearly 24 attribute points, making him a completely different person from the witcher apprentice he was just a few days ago.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Ailin now could take on 10 of his past selves who had just arrived in this world.

However, it was regrettable that the effects of the Heart Essence Fluid continued to diminish as Ailin's attributes increased.

After his Strength attribute reached 9 points, it took 10 essence fluids to increase it by 0.2. His Constitution, after reaching thirteen points, barely increased from the essence fluid at all.

Of course, this was to be expected.

It was just a shame that Ailin's dream of becoming a god by slaughtering tens of millions of drowners was shattered.

So, Ailin left the remaining essence fluid untouched, which he could use as stamina recovery potions in the future.

In terms of skills, Ailin only had two Signs left to learn.

Since fire attacks had a special effectiveness against drowners, he had even specifically upgraded his Igni Fire Sign to level two.

The dual improvement in attributes and skills had significantly increased Ailin's efficiency in hunting drowners.

Unfortunately, his character level had also risen to eight along with his skill improvements, and he hadn't seen a "kill above level" bounty evaluation for a long time.

Furthermore, more than half of his hunting time was spent traveling and searching for tracks.

Therefore, although hunting efficiency had improved, the Lesser Experience Orbs gained daily did not see a significant surge.

Currently.

Ailin's average daily hunt count had remained at around 25 for two to three days.

Before today, it was fine; Vesemir's Alchemy lessons provided a buffer, so a few extra Drowners didn't matter.

But tomorrow, it would be Mary's turn...

To be honest, Ailin had little confidence in Mary, who had only been a Sorceress for two years, when it came to Alchemy.

He just wasn't sure how much of a gap there was between her lessons and Vesemir's.

"There's still a deficit of over five thousand Lesser Experience Orbs. If I don't change my hunting method, I'll never make it up," Ailin decided after pondering for a moment.

He had to change.

Since the problem lay in hunting efficiency, he just needed to increase it.

After another moment of thought, Ailin stood up and headed towards their agreed meeting place.

As soon as he exited the tower, Ailin saw a Witcher greeting Vesemir.

"Vesemir, aren't you going to the feast today either?"

"No, I have something else to do shortly. You guys go ahead, I'll come by later." The Witcher Master patted the man's shoulder.

The man shrugged, muttered something, and then left.

Ailin lingered in the tower's shadow for a few more seconds before walking towards Vesemir.

Seeing his apprentice approach, the Witcher Master nodded and turned to walk outside the castle.

"Master Vesemir, if you're busy, I can go hunting by myself," Ailin suggested, walking alongside Vesemir after a moment of thought.

Vesemir didn't look back and casually replied, "No need. It's just drinking. Going later is the same."

It wasn't the same, though.

Ailin knew this very well.

In a year, the Witchers only had these two winter months to gather.

By this time next year, the people who were so lively this year might not be around to see.

After all.

Witchers were warriors, and they were hunters.

It was an extremely dangerous profession, relying on combat and hunting for survival.

A Witcher could easily pay with their life due to inaccurate information, double-crosses, or even just human hatred for non-humans.

Precisely because those seen this year might not be seen next year.

That's why the castle hall of the Ancient Sea Fortress had bonfires burning all night, with endless wine and exquisite delicacies...

Compared to the expensive charcoal, wine, and food, time spent with companions was the most precious.

Every moment of such time should not be wasted.

Therefore, it wasn't the same.

Even though Ailin had his own selfish desire for Vesemir to let him hunt alone, he was now too moved to offer any words of persuasion.

"Vesemir, are you taking our little killer out hunting again?"

Ailin looked towards the voice and saw an unfamiliar Witcher.

"This is Dante, also a respected Witcher Master," Vesemir introduced.

Ailin nodded and, as usual, greeted the Witcher opposite him.

For reasons Ailin didn't know, he seemed to be quite famous among the returning Witchers.

On the road, he was often greeted by unfamiliar Witchers.

The addresses ranged from "Aren't you that Oren's apprentice," "Lucky apprentice," "Elsa's second,"...

To, after the recent news of his Drowner hunts spread, "Drowner Killer," "Kaer Morhen's little butcher," and so on.

Ailin had asked Vesemir about this a few days ago.

However, the Witcher Master's face darkened, then he sighed and shook his head as if remembering something, ultimately not giving a reply.

His expression changed in a very strange way.

Ailin didn't press the matter further, as it was of no importance to him.