Can I keep these three water ghosts?

"Ah!"

Another scream.

The second apprentice, Bont, was also taken out by Leto.

Ailin saw it clearly this time.

Bont struck the Drowner twice, but neither blow could penetrate its defenses.

In his panic, he performed a simple spinning slash, but his feet tangled as if tied.

He stumbled, nearly tripping himself.

The Drowner seized the opportunity, swatting away the steel sword with one claw before lunging at his exposed side.

Bang!

Bont was instantly knocked down by the Drowner, his right arm hitting the ground and breaking.

Next, Ailin saw Vesemir rush forward and kick the Drowner away.

Leto then carried the apprentice to the side of the arena.

"Phew~"

As apprentice Bont fell, the Witchers around them let out a collective sigh of relief.

"That's more like it. I almost thought they'd changed the formula for Swallow decoction," a Witcher in a gray cloak remarked, leaning against the wooden railing.

"Didn't the Chapter Master say something about... the Witcher's Eye?" a blond Witcher, arms crossed, replied.

"It's the Witcher's Eye. Do you want to go to the library too?" the gray-cloaked Witcher asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing this, the blond Witcher quickly uncrossed his arms, glanced furtively at the Chapter Master watching from the wall nearby, and shook his head:

"Which Witcher goes to the library for no reason?"

"With that time, I'd rather just give my sword a good polish."

Then, seemingly interested in Ailin, the blond Witcher subtly glanced at Ailin's eyes and asked the cloaked Witcher:

"Is the Witcher's Eye really that powerful?"

"Have you heard of it before?"

"No matter how I look at it, this apprentice's eyes are completely ordinary. Just a pair of common blue cat eyes."

The gray-cloaked Witcher didn't turn his head. "So you think the Chapter Master is lying?"

"How could that be! I'm just curious, just curious..."

The blond Witcher shook his head repeatedly, quickly changing the subject to the next apprentice who was about to spar.

Listening to the discussions around him, Ailin breathed a sigh of relief.

Although being the center of attention like a rare beast was uncomfortable.

However, compared to the disguise he'd gained from the system, this discomfort was negligible.

Still, given the situation, Ailin realized he needed to find records of the Witcher's Eye in the library to prevent any future loopholes.

"Last one, Huus."

Vesemir's voice rang out.

Huus's head jerked violently. After seeing the dreadful state of the first two apprentices, he hesitantly stood up.

He took the steel sword from Leto and walked towards Vesemir.

In the training ground, Vesemir sidestepped the Drowner's attack with ease as Huus approached, then walked towards the edge of the arena without looking back.

Drowner monsters were mindless, only attacking the closest enemy in their line of sight.

As long as the timing was right, letting it see the approaching apprentice would naturally shift its aggro.

"Drowner is really the best choice for combat training!"

Vesemir mused inwardly.

Suddenly, Vesemir's keen senses picked up the sound of hurried footsteps behind him.

Just as he was about to turn, a figure that absolutely shouldn't have been there darted out from his left – the Witcher apprentice Huus.

Vesemir: ?

A thought flashed through his mind.

The apprentice ran off. Where was the Drowner fighting him?

Vesemir quickly turned around.

The Drowner was already close enough for Vesemir to smell the stench in its mouth.

In a moment of desperation, Vesemir instinctively raised his right hand and quickly made a gesture towards the Drowner.

Ald's Sign.

A fierce shockwave kicked up a large cloud of dust in the training grounds.

The Drowner's strange blue skin rippled like a lake surface buffeted by high winds.

In the next instant, it shattered the wooden railings of the training grounds and, along with dust and wood fragments, charged towards the School of the Wolf's chief, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, resting.

A moment later, the dust settled.

Ailin saw the Drowner hanging on the wall, its life or death unknown.

The School chief, however, was not only unharmed, but his red padded armor seemed not to have a speck of dust or debris on it.

"Huus!"

"What are you doing?"

Vesemir roared.

A pale yellow light formed a spherical shield around him.

Yes, after the Aard sign, Vesemir had instantly cast a Quen sign.

This sign could form a magical shield around a Witcher, absorbing physical damage.

Ailin saw clearly that the interval between Vesemir casting the two signs was less than a second.

A brilliant application of signs.

Vesemir, however, was not happy about this; instead, his expression was grim.

The Witchers outside the training grounds also fell silent.

They had all seen how the Witcher apprentice named Huus, after just one sword strike, had been so frightened by the Drowner, still two or three steps away, that he had fled in panic.

"I want to switch to a silver sword," Huus said timidly, hiding behind Ailin.

Vesemir, somewhat speechless, withdrew his Quen shield.

What is with this batch of apprentices? They're all so strange.

If you want to switch to a silver sword, just say so!

What does it mean to just run off without saying a word?

The Drowner hanging on the wall was still unconscious. Vesemir directly opened a new cage.

He dodged the attack to the side, reached out, and formed the Aard sign.

The Drowner was smoothly pushed to the center of the arena by a telekinetic wave.

Following Ailin's example, Huus seized the Drowner's unstable footing.

He charged forward, spun, and slashed.

It was as despicable as Ailin's move.

Swish

A silver light flashed.

Then, black and red blood, like thick mud, gushed from the Drowner's back.

Just as expected of Ailin, the preemptive strategy really works wonders, Huus marveled inwardly.

Although Ailin had been distracted during the lesson, his ability to multitask, honed from countless meetings in his previous life, ensured he hadn't missed a single point.

His familiarity with the Drowner's attack patterns and countermeasures was fully displayed in the battle.

This was also the main reason, besides his skilled swordsmanship, why Vesemir was willing to give him an out and let him switch swords midway.

Huus, however, had truly not listened at all, hiding behind Ailin and practically sleeping through the entire session.

Therefore.

Even after switching to the silver sword, he still cautiously imitated Ailin's successful demonstration.

With one effective move, Huus didn't retreat a step. He raised his silver sword like Ailin, about to decapitate the Drowner.

Unexpectedly, the heavily wounded Drowner, instead of weakening, suddenly accelerated.

"Careful!"

Ailin shouted.

Huus, hearing the warning, instinctively took a step back, dodging the Drowner's claws.

Then he brought his sword down.

The blade sliced through, and the Drowner's head flew off.

"That was a good sword strike," Leto commented sharply, "Too bad it's not worth 17325 Oren."

Vesemir shot Leto a fierce glare.

Huus, without even taking off his gear, rushed over and looked gratefully at Ailin.

"Ailin, I really owe it to you just now!"

If Ailin hadn't warned him, Huus would have at least gotten another scar on his face.

Ailin nodded, "You're welcome, we're friends."

Just for the encouragement he'd received when no one else trusted him, Ailin felt he had to look out for Huus.

After Huus dealt with the Drowner, today's practical combat lesson was over.

Vesemir directed the still-mobile apprentices to clean up the training grounds.

Leto patted the unused cages and asked, "Vesemir, what about the remaining three Drowners?"

"We won't need them for Signs class tomorrow, just get rid of them," Vesemir waved his hand dismissively.

There were plenty of Drowners; they could just catch more if needed.

"Alright, then I'll..."

Leto shrugged and was about to take the cages away.

"Wait!"

"Can you leave these three Drowners to me?"

New author, new book, please follow, recommend, and collect! Internal review passed, please invest with confidence!