Yeah!
Why did he have to avoid Vesemir?
After hastily answering the three apprentices' questions and finishing dinner, Ailin kept turning that problem over in his mind.
The other roommates in the dorm had already "fallen asleep."
With a thought, a Drowner Whistle appeared in Ailin's hand.
Its whistle body was a flat cylinder made of ghastly white bone. Its surface seemed coated in oil, smooth and slick to the touch.
Though classified as a lure whistle, it had no mouthpiece. To use it, all one needed to do was give it a gentle shake.
The Drowner Whistle looked primitive, as if it had been carved from bone, and its use was equally simple.
Ailin could have taken it out openly and used it, claiming he had been inspired by alchemy class and figured out how to make it himself.
Could Vesemir possibly not believe him?
Who would have thought that Ailin possessed something like the Witcher's Handbook?
I should have realized this long ago. I could have used the Drowner Whistle the day after I got it. How many more drowners could I have killed over all these days?
The regret flashed through his mind, and Ailin soon began reflecting on himself.
Lady Vesemir's alchemy lessons over the past few days had lowered the requirements too much. This comfortable, regular environment had worn away my sense of danger!
He needed to stay vigilant!
His alchemy skill had only just shown a glimmer of hope, and the Killer Whale Potion was still nowhere in sight. Yet only twenty-one days remained until the Trial of the Mountains.
Who knew whether another sudden event, like the Sorceress leaving, might happen during those twenty-one days?
Could the Killer Whale Potion really be brewed successfully in a single attempt?
Could the Trial of the Mountains suddenly undergo some unexpected change?
Was there really enough time?
Stay vigilant!
Stay vigilant!
Stay vigilant!
Not a single day could be wasted!
After that intense bout of thought, Ailin planned out what he would say about tomorrow's hunt and then drifted off to sleep.
The following noon.
Ailin walked out of the Alchemy Room.
The moment he shut the door, his face darkened.
Mary was no match for Lady Vesemir.
There was no question about that.
But before today, Ailin had not known Mary's true level, so he had still held out a sliver of hope.
After all, a college student teaching middle schoolers might not necessarily teach better than a high school student.
But reality still slapped him across the face.
Spend 7101 Lesser Experience Orbs to unlock the skill?
A class lasted around four hours, yet it had only reduced the requirement by nineteen Lesser Experience Orbs.
When Lady Vesemir taught him, even the smallest reduction had been fifty. Yesterday's lesson had even slashed it by a whopping four hundred and seventy.
Halfway through class, Ailin saw the system prompt decrease by only a little every few minutes, and his heart sank.
Still, Mary had indeed been earnestly passing on her knowledge to him. So after adjusting his mindset, Ailin put on an approving expression and a fake smile, listening until the end.
At this rate, by the time the Trial of the Mountains arrived, alchemy lessons would only reduce the skill requirement by four or five hundred. That would not even cover the remainder.
Time was getting tight!
Within twenty days, he had to obtain at least...
Five thousand Lesser Experience Orbs...
Damn it!
Ailin's face darkened even further. It had taken him ten days to earn fifteen hundred.
If the Drowner Whistle failed to meet expectations, then alchemy was basically hopeless.
As for whether his current strength was enough to clear the Trial of the Mountains on his own?
Ailin had indeed considered that.
After all, as one's strength improved, one's confidence was bound to swell.
So he had found the time to ask Vesemir about it.
The Witcher Master's answer had been no.
"The Trial of the Mountains has little to do with swordsmanship or Signs. The river crossing and Old Spearhead's section both depend heavily on luck..."
Perhaps feeling that he had made it sound too serious, Vesemir paused before comforting him.
"Ailin, you are a natural-born witcher. Don't worry. You will definitely pass the trial..."
The Witcher Master sounded utterly certain.
He believed that the more talented a witcher apprentice was, the greater their chance of surviving the trial.
In his eyes, a genius like Ailin would pass the Trial of the Mountains without question.
It was not because he was strong enough, but because he was destined to be suited for this profession.
Destiny.
That was nearly every witcher's belief. They devoutly believed in fate.
After all.
A large number of witchers were products of the Law of Surprise.
They were chosen by chance and fate, then set upon this path.
They might also die because of chance and fate.
So among the three stages of the Trial of the Mountains, aside from the troll's section, where communication skills could make up for things, the other two depended greatly on luck.
Would he be spotted by drowners halfway to the center of the lake?
Would he enter the cave and immediately lock eyes with Old Spearhead?
Rather than testing what the apprentices had learned in the past, the Trial of the Mountains tested whether fate had abandoned them.
But Ailin did not believe in fate.
Even if he was most likely the prophesied Child of Miracle, Ailin was unwilling to leave his life to the judgment of so-called destiny.
Man could conquer heaven.
The instinct to defy fate, forged through countless generations, was etched into his soul.
His path was already clear.
If alchemy lessons were no good, then he could only carve out a bloody path for himself.
Taking a deep breath, Ailin descended the stairs.
After greeting the witchers guarding Kaer Morhen's gates with practiced ease,
Ailin and Vesemir set out as usual to hunt drowners.
"Master Vesemir, this time, we don't need to deliberately search for tracks."
The Witcher Master froze, thinking Ailin no longer wanted to hunt drowners, and said,
"True, it has been so many days. Your understanding of drowners is no less than mine now. Shall we head back?"
Vesemir thought, fortunately, they had only just left Kaer Morhen. If they went back now, he could still make the first round of heavy drinking.
The Witcher Apprentice was also stunned. Only after several seconds did he say,
"No... I'm not giving up." Ailin pulled the Drowner Whistle from his pouch and handed it to the Witcher Master. "I found a better way."
Vesemir stopped walking and took the Drowner Whistle in confusion.
He examined it closely but found nothing unusual, nor did he sense any magical fluctuations.
Its shape was a little strange, but there were plenty of bone-carved crafts.
Could this thing find drowners?
Vesemir's doubts multiplied.
However.
Considering that Ailin was studying alchemy with Lady Vesemir in Toussaint, the Witcher Master glanced at Ailin before pulling the School Emblem from his collar.
The roaring wolf-head emblem remained completely still.
"Are you sure? You'll use this to find drowners?" Since he did not know who had made it, the Witcher Master cautiously asked again, "Did you make this?"
"Of course..." Ailin instinctively wanted to agree, but then inspiration struck, and he immediately changed his answer. "Lady Vesemir made it. My skills aren't good enough yet..."
Vesemir nodded slightly, his expression changing from suspicion to amazement in an instant.
"As expected of Lady Vesemir. The magic item she made does not reveal even the slightest magical fluctuation."
Ailin:?
Was there perhaps another possibility?
This was not a magic item at all.
Before you continue