Apprentice Aptitude

Over the next two months, the Northland was completely buried beneath ice and snow. On the already sparsely populated wilderness, it became impossible to spot even a single traveler.

Adam's hunting life had also come to a complete halt half a month earlier. Beasts had become far too scarce; often, he only made a catch once every few days. That was only because his Mental Power could seep everywhere, allowing him to dig small creatures out of underground burrows. The energy provided by those little things did not even make up for what he expended.

In the manor dining hall, Adam became a tyrant. Every day, all the food prepared by the fat chef and fat cook was monopolized by Adam alone. After complaining several times and finding it useless, the other Servants could only go elsewhere in grievance to scrape together a mouthful of food.

Earl Johnson never summoned him even once, nor did he send anyone to pass along a message, as though he had completely forgotten him. Instead, the Earl's two sons approached him in turn to recruit him. The foolish Marshall relied on his status as the Earl's first heir, ordering Adam in a charitable tone to swear loyalty to him. The price he was willing to offer was merely a complete Knight Breathing Technique. The cunning Dennis was much smarter than his brother. Not only did he offer Adam a complete Breathing Technique, he also promised to fully provide the resources Adam needed for cultivation, including one jar of ointment each month, the future position of Knight Commander, and a low-ranking noble title.

Adam rejected them both. Ever since learning of the existence of Mages, he had lost all interest in such things. After two months of sustained, high-efficiency training, Adam had already become a knight, and he had long since deduced the Follow-up Breathing Technique. This further convinced Adam that knight was an inferior profession, because in his deductions, the road ahead had already been severed.

Whether because of the Earl's silence or Ophelia's support behind the scenes, Adam encountered no trouble despite rejecting their overtures. Although Marshall and Dennis were enraged, they were not foolish enough to make a move against Adam. This indirectly saved both their lives.

One evening, amid the never-ending snow of the Northland winter, Adam saw Ophelia once again. Unlike her previous noble coldness, Ophelia seemed extremely happy today. She even told Adam in a jubilant voice, "The Mage Master from Mordo Mage Academy has arrived."

Adam let out a heavy breath. As his breath circulated, it turned the falling snow into a whirlwind. A scarlet fluctuation of blood energy flashed and vanished. In the freezing weather, Adam wore only a single thin garment, as though temperature no longer affected him.

A strange gleam flashed through Ophelia's eyes. It had only been two months, yet this former playmate of hers had already become so powerful. Such talent was truly terrifying.

"Pack your things. Tonight, you are coming with me to Cold Maple City. Tomorrow morning, the Mage Master will begin the aptitude test," Ophelia ordered.

An aptitude test? Was the assessment for this profession conducted through an open examination?

Sensing Adam's confusion, Ophelia explained, "For some reason, the Mage Master who was supposed to arrive two months ago delayed his journey and changed the original plan into a small-scale selection test. So, to avoid wasting time, you and I will be tested in advance by the Mage Master after dinner." In truth, Ophelia had originally been the only one allowed to test early, but there was no need to specifically mention such a small matter.

Adam nodded, then indicated that he had nothing to pack. Ophelia did not bring any attendants either. One rode a horse while the other ran on the ground, and the two sped toward Cold Maple City.

Cold Maple City brought Adam no new impressions. With the pitiful productivity of Ordinary People in This World, the cities they built did not amount to even one ten-thousandth of those on Earth.

After arriving at the Lord's Mansion, Adam was arranged to rest elsewhere. Servants prepared dinner for him, while Ophelia attended a banquet in the main hall after bathing.

Two hours later, Adam was notified to head to the main hall. A man whose age could not be discerned sat in the Highest Seat. He wore the fitted clothing unique to nobles and was conversing with the Earl about something. Ophelia stood below with tension on her face. When she saw Adam, she signaled for him to stand beside her.

Adam could sense the intense fluctuation of blood energy from Earl Johnson. It was strength on the verge of reaching the end of the knight profession. Yet he could not sense even the slightest Energy Fluctuation from that man. This Mage looked just like an Ordinary Person.

"Respected Black Mage, these are the two people I wish to recommend. That is my youngest daughter, Ophelia Johnsson."

Black Mage nodded to Earl Johnson, then looked at Adam and Ophelia. Without any visible movement from him, powerful and violent Mental Power flooded the entire main hall.

Detected massive energy intrusion. Extreme danger. Autonomous defense initiated.

Adam's Mental Power reacted in an instant, spreading over the surface of his body to resist the intrusion. However, Adam's Mental Power held on for only one-hundredth of a second before it was crushed.

Defense failed. Formulating response plan... No plan.

Logical Thinking blared madly in alarm, yet it could do nothing about the situation before him. Fortunately, Black Mage did not intend to kill them. His Mental Power was released and withdrawn in an instant. Smiling, he said, "Excellent Mental Power talent." Then he turned to Adam. "Especially you. It is difficult to imagine that an Ordinary Person possesses such enormous Mental Power. This will be of great help on your path as an apprentice."

Seeing that fear still lingered on Ophelia's face, Black Mage explained, "There is no need to be afraid. Oh, come to think of it, this was not an ordinary Mage aptitude test. I merely heard the Earl say that you possessed extraordinary talent, so I tested you a little."

Ophelia gradually recovered, gasping violently several times. In that brief moment, her body had already been soaked through with sweat, and her wet golden hair clung to her back. She had not expected Black, who had seemed so unremarkable during the banquet, to be so powerful.

Black Mage continued, "Becoming a Mage apprentice requires two important conditions. The first is extraordinary Mental Power. You have passed. The second..." Black Mage extended a finger and lightly traced several strokes through the air. A dazzling rune floated in the air. "The foundation of learning spells is knowledge, while the foundation of applying spells is runes. This is the simplest Mental Power solidification rune. Draw it with your Mental Power, then leave it within your souls."

The rune's structure was not complicated, but copying it was not easy either. For Adam, the main difficulty was the amount of Mental Power required to copy it. For Ophelia, the hardest part was leaving it within her soul.

Adam stared fixedly at the spiral Mental Power solidification rune in the air. His extraordinary memory and Computational Power allowed him to memorize the rune's structure at a glance. All of Adam's threads simultaneously copied it hundreds of times. His Mental Power spread across the surface of his body, rippling outward. Those ripples were formed when the excessive amount of Mental Power needed to condense the rune shattered apart.

Black Mage watched Adam. Even though he had already become a Formal Mage, almost severing his racial connection with ordinary humans, he still marveled at Adam's talent. This was clearly caused by a mismatch between the most basic solidification rune and Adam's Mental Power. But he would not kindly give Adam a more advanced rune. To a Mage, this was important knowledge, and knowledge represented value.

If I had possessed such talent back then, I probably would not have wasted a full eighty years in the apprentice stage.

An hour later, Ophelia successfully copied the rune and left it within her soul. The instant she succeeded, she felt a small gap in her Mental Power. Immediately afterward, new Mental Power was generated to fill that gap. Ophelia revealed a dazzling smile, looked up at Black Mage, and said, "Mage Master, I succeeded."

Black Mage was in a good mood. Every apprentice with outstanding talent would, to a certain extent, change the embarrassing state of Mordo Mage Academy. He said to Ophelia, "Your talent is very good. If you are clever enough and do not take the wrong path, you will have a great chance of becoming one of the Mages."

Earl Johnson also let out a sigh of relief. This was undoubtedly good news. A future Johnsson Mage—he would spread this news far and wide.

"Respected Black Mage, then... him..." Earl Johnson wanted even better news: that Adam had no Mage aptitude.

Black Mage understood the Earl's meaning and shook his head. "He possesses even greater talent. Be patient, he is about to succeed."

Adam was indeed close to succeeding. Because his Mental Power was so vast, copying a rune with such a simple structure required greater effort. This was easy to understand, just as one could not create a miniature carving with a sledgehammer. Therefore, he needed to continuously reduce his Mental Power output. Thanks to his powerful Computational Power, Adam found this Numerical Value within two hours and successfully copied the rune into his soul.

Unlike Ophelia, he did not feel any obvious gap in his Mental Power. Condensing a low-level rune was only an insignificant improvement to him.

Earl Johnson was slightly disappointed.

Black Earl rose to his feet and said, "Congratulations on passing the test. From this moment onward, you are Mage apprentices. After tomorrow, you may travel with me to Mordo Mage Academy and begin learning how to become Mages."

Black Mage continued, "Your aptitudes are both excellent, but do not become obsessed with them. They are only useful during the apprentice stage. Go learn knowledge, master knowledge, use knowledge to change your souls, and explore the truth. That is the true essence of the Mage's path. Remember: knowledge is the most precious wealth and the most powerful force."

Adam and Ophelia bowed slightly to him together. "Yes, Respected Black Mage Master."

Just as Black Mage was about to leave, Adam suddenly spoke. "May I ask, what are runes?"

Black Mage stopped and looked at Adam. "A good question. As your guide, I can answer one question for you free of charge. Is this what you wish to ask?"

"Yes, Respected Black Mage."