Reality's Brutal Beating

In the end, after a round of picking and choosing.

Under Char's envious gaze, Saya—whose talent was better than his and whose every other condition far surpassed his—was chosen by a mentor.

He would presumably receive considerable attention.

Though when Saya was stared at by his mentor's magical pet with an "I'm hungry" look, his expression did not look too good.

He had clearly seen that giant bat drooling at him.

With his mindset already changing somewhat, Saya still forced a smile for the sake of appearances and waved at Char, looking as pleased with himself as a spring breeze.

Yet inwardly, he secretly prayed, I hope I'm really going there as a student, not as feed...

Char, who had no mentor paying him much attention, could only envy him deeply. He's smiling so happily. He must have been chosen by a good mentor.

Though the house was made of wood, it had been built atop a gigantic unknown plant.

Its structure was so seamless and natural that it seemed as though the house had grown from the plant itself, with scarcely any trace of human handiwork.

Holding the token in his hand and looking at the enormous wooden house before him, Char swallowed.

He knew that, barring accidents, the person living inside would be his mentor, so he could not help feeling nervous.

He had no idea whether his mentor would like him, nor did he have much confidence.

After all, he was truly rather unremarkable. Even he himself did not think there was anything about him worth valuing.

Mustering his courage, he lightly pressed the doorbell.

He did not have to wait long before a vine stretched down from the roof, twisting around Char like a snake.

It made his scalp tingle, giving him the illusion that it might bite him.

After observing him, a somewhat elderly, hoarse voice came from within it. "A new apprentice?"

Seeing that the thing could even speak, Char hurriedly replied, "Yes, my name is Char. I only arrived at the academy today."

Watching the vine bob up and down a few times after hearing him, Char thought uncertainly, That should mean it's nodding?

Faintly, he seemed to hear an indistinct mutter coming from the vine. "Wasn't it supposed to be one a year? What month and day is it today again... Has time passed that quickly? Looks like getting my head rattled by that explosion really did leave aftereffects. I was wondering why time always seemed to pass so fast. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, a whole year had gone by..."

A sense of foreboding began to rise in Char's heart. Why does this mentor seem a little abnormal...

After muttering to himself for a while, the other party finally turned his attention back to Char. "Why do you look so skinny and unhealthy? Your family meals must have been poor. It reminds me of my youthful days, when I first went to a brothel to visit prostitutes..."

???

Listening to his mentor's utterly disconnected ramblings, Char immediately confirmed his earlier suspicion. This mentor was indeed abnormal.

At once, he began to deeply doubt whether his apprenticeship would go smoothly.

Is the academy sure the guy inside can teach students?

In a daze, Char seemed to see his future self, white-haired in old age and still wearing an apprentice's robes. Maybe I'll be an apprentice for the rest of my life...

He was not the only one facing such troubles.

At that moment, Saya was also worried about his future as he looked at the middle-aged male mentor before him, whose left half wore women's clothing and right half wore men's clothing. The man ignored Saya while applying lipstick to himself. This guy isn't quite right either. Can I really complete my apprenticeship?

Inside a laboratory, a five- or six-year-old boy watched an old man in the distance—with only a few strands of withered yellow hair on his head and a somewhat crazed expression—walk toward him with a syringe in hand. He swallowed involuntarily and tried to resolve the crisis before him with the charm of words. "Mentor, I don't think we need to be in such a hurry. Experiments can wait until later..."

The old man's gaunt face twisted into a ghostly smile as he rasped with a laugh, "Hehehe... Don't be afraid. Devoting oneself to experiments is a process every great wizard must go through. I'm merely helping you get there early..."

Sniffling lightly and sucking the snot back into his nose, the little boy forced a smile. "That won't be necessary. I think I'm still young, so there's no need to rush."

"Hmph!"

With a casual gesture, the old man lifted him into his hand and declared decisively, "You have no right to refuse!"

Then, before the other's despairing eyes, he injected that tube of murky gray-black liquid directly into his body.

On the very first day, after reality dealt them a brutal beating, most Wizard apprentices began to doubt their futures...

Three years later, in the twentieth year since Orsaga arrived in this world.

At Silent Heart Academy, Orsaga wore a red outfit resembling a suit and sat leisurely in a soft chair with one leg crossed over the other. To the young male wizard in front of him, who appeared to be around thirty, he said, "I like the Activation Spell you invented very much, so I wish to purchase the knowledge of it from you."

Seeing Orsaga's casual attitude, the young wizard frowned slightly. He felt that he, a renowned genius wizard, had not been shown proper respect. Considering that he was only at the peak of the first level, he decided not to pursue the matter for now.

That said, in his view, anyone wanting to purchase his spell could not be so lacking in sincerity. Thus, full of pride, he said, "That spell was only developed recently, so I do not intend to sell it for the time being. If you truly need it, please wait a while longer until I have thoroughly researched it."

Orsaga did not care about his evasion and said calmly, "It doesn't matter. It makes no difference whether you've researched it thoroughly or not. I only need its general concept."

Looking at Orsaga, who seemed determined not to rest until he achieved his goal, the other party thought for a moment before frowning. "...I'll be frank. I simply don't wish to sell that spell right now, so please leave."

Only then did Orsaga properly look at him after his direct refusal. Seeing the undisguised pride on his face, Orsaga could not help but chuckle. "It seems you have not understood your own position."

Before the other party could comprehend his words, Orsaga casually raised one hand and lightly swung it in a slap.

"Slap!"

With an incomparably crisp crack, the other's body was immediately sent flying into the air by an irresistible force, spinning ten times midair.

When he fell to the ground, his feet were still standing exactly where they had been, perfectly aligned with the same footprints without the slightest deviation.

Watching the other party kneel involuntarily on the ground, dizzy and disoriented, Orsaga remained seated in his chair and looked down into his eyes. In a calm tone, he said, "I will give you one more chance to organize your words. Answer my previous proposition again."

Swallowing the bloody froth in his mouth, the young wizard sensed a life-and-death crisis through Orsaga's gaze.

Sweat automatically beaded on his forehead, while a fawning smile appeared on his swollen face. "What I meant just now was not clear enough. I truly do not intend to sell this spell. After all, how could I dare accept your money? I was planning to give it directly to you, as a small token of my regard."

Orsaga nodded in satisfaction. "Very good."