Future Corpse

The anchor was raised and the sails unfurled. The sailors shouted at the top of their lungs, and ripples gradually spread across the water.

Amid white waves, the figures waving from the Port shrank into tiny specks. The enormous merchant ship sailed toward the line where sea met sky, while reluctant tears dripped onto the deck.

Arro's gaze was deep as he watched the land gradually become a thin line and listened to the faint, childish sobs. Yet in his heart, he coldly calculated.

Of these naive young men and maidens, how many would ultimately survive?

It was such a simple arithmetic problem that Arro quickly arrived at the answer.

Thinking of that number, he calmly lifted his head.

What a simple number!

Cold and merciless.

Before his eyes, a field of blood-red seemed to suddenly appear. Young, mutilated bodies were piled together in disorder, and above that heap of red-and-white corpses floated two simple numbers.

33!

No, perhaps more than that!

The Death Test was not a fixed affair!

Some tests lured in deep-sea Demonic Beasts; some involved sea folk attacking the ship; some meant encountering pirates; some brought strange incidents; some involved Formal Wizards making indirect moves.

Some were even driven off the ship and subjected to Death Tests by other means in other countries.

Even Arro's mother did not know what form the Death Test would ultimately take.

After all, no one could guarantee what they might encounter along the way.

But aside from Formal Wizards acting indirectly, what other method could ensure that a fixed number of people remained?

It could only be an approximate range. Deviations in either direction were perfectly normal.

Some might even be too severely injured during the Death Test and die afterward. That would not be anything strange.

Take this time, for example. Mother had also revealed that the actual number needed was only twenty!

As long as no fewer than twenty people survived in the end, and the death rate exceeded fifty percent, Mother would have completed this recruitment task with its fifty-percent mortality rate.

Drawing his Knight's Longsword, Arro took out maintenance grease and gently applied it. His heartbeat was speeding up; he had to calm himself down.

It was fine. They had only set sail today. The Death Test would not begin for several more days.

Although Arro did not know what they would ultimately encounter, he still knew the approximate timing. He could not let his body become excited too early. Excessive excitement would only waste his energy for nothing.

Thinking of the training he had undergone since childhood, and the coming Death Test, Arro inexplicably felt the same unease as if he were about to face the College Entrance Exam.

If the Death Test were treated as the College Entrance Exam, then for everyone else, it was an ordinary closed-book examination. For Arro, however, it was an open-book assessment.

Still, the Death Test could only count as one subject.

There was another subject: displaying one's personal character.

At that thought, Arro sheathed his sword, turned and left his room, then headed for the deck. Putting on an act, he began comforting the young men lingering on deck, reluctant to part with home for the first time.

In the eyes of those young men, Arro had already possessed noble status. Receiving his comfort at their most vulnerable moment, they were naturally flattered and overwhelmed.

Quite a few maidens developed favorable feelings toward Arro. The bolder ones directly or indirectly suggested that they wanted to see Arro's room, or invited Arro to see theirs.

Faced with such unreasonable requests, Arro remained composed and politely turned them all down.

They only knew how to stare at my face, yet did not know how to appreciate my outstanding inner qualities. What a shallow bunch of girls!

Because of the test, Arro was willing to show some friendliness. But when he thought of how these people would soon become cold corpses one after another, he had no desire to say much more.

After persuading all the students to go rest with this amiable yet distant attitude, Arro also entered the cabin.

The moving cabin swayed slightly, and its stuffy air made Arro feel somewhat unwell. Fortunately, it was not serious, and he still had enough time to adapt.

Supporting himself against the lightly swaying wall of the Narrow Path, Arro passed one door after another. When he passed Isha's door, his Footsteps could not help but pause.

He listened to the faint sounds of violent vomiting accompanied by bitter sobbing from within.

Arro Frowned slightly.

Seasickness Physique?

Isha was lucky. At eleven, she had been able to board the ship with Double Excellent Aptitude and head to a wizard academy to study.

But she was also unfortunate. Setting aside her seasickness for the moment—

At such a young age, as a frail commoner Girl, how could she possibly pass that incomprehensible Death Test?

If another wizard had been recruiting aboard the ship, perhaps she could have directly become that wizard's apprentice.

Unfortunately, the Formal Wizard traveling on this ship was Nicole, who had only come to protect Arro.

Calling Isha a "future corpse" was not much of an exaggeration.

But what did that have to do with him?

Arro stepped forward and continued on.

He himself was only a chess piece under someone else's rules. What could he possibly do?

Still, even if he truly possessed the strength to change the rules, given his trouble-averse nature, the most he would likely do was give them the right to choose whether to undergo the test.

No, that was not right.

Ignorance is Bliss!

Keeping more people who truly knew of wizards away from the greater population had always been the strategy set by the Starlight Wizards.

What was more, a maiden with such excellent aptitude as Isha would very likely encounter strange events like Monli had. When that time came, she might not escape death, and could even harm innocent people.

So once he possessed enough strength, perhaps he would no longer concern himself with such trivial matters?

As Arro pondered his own heart and imagined what choices his future self might make, he slowly reached a corner. His ears twitched, and he suddenly looked up.

"Big Brother Desi? Why are you here?"

Desi shook the teapot in his hand and grinned proudly. "I was waiting for you here earlier, planning to have a good chat with you. I didn't expect to Encounter Wizard Annelise. She rewarded me with a pot of Uli Tea. There's quite a lot of it, so we can drink it together."

"I heard this tea tastes rather strange, but drinking it can prevent seasickness. You got lucky—you happened to run into this."

Arro's expression turned strange.

You're sure I'm the lucky one?

"Then I really must thank you, Big Brother Desi. I was just feeling a little unwell."

Arro opened the door and made a welcoming gesture.

Desi nodded slightly. "Excuse the intrusion."

After entering the room, Desi was slightly taken aback. Although everything in the room was neatly arranged, the overall space was not large. There was only one table and one chair.

Noticing Desi's gaze, Arro said without concern, "Big Brother Desi, you sit in the chair. I'll sit on the bed."

As he spoke, Arro pulled the table and chair over beside the bed, then sat on the bed himself.

"That works."

Desi was rather easygoing himself. He sat down without a care and casually placed the teapot on the table.

Fortunately, there were quite a few cups in the room. At the very least, the two did not need to share one.

Arro poured Uli Tea for both of them, then tried a sip himself.

It was a heavy, bitter sourness wrapped in an astringent flavor. It truly tasted awful, but thinking that it could prevent seasickness, Arro forced himself to swallow it.

The indescribable taste made Arro's Eyebrows knit tightly. It took him a long while to recover. He let out a long breath and looked up at Desi, only to find his expression equally strange.

Desi's eyes were tightly shut, the muscles on his face twitching continuously. He even shuddered several times before finally recovering.

"Want more?"

"No, no!"

Desi hurriedly covered his cup. Watching Arro casually raise his cup again, he asked with a face full of confusion, "Don't you think it tastes terrible?"

"It tastes terrible... but I can accept it."

How could something concerning his life possibly taste terrible?

Refilling his own cup, Arro looked up and asked, "Big Brother Desi, you waited specifically for me. Is there something you wanted?"

Desi ignored the teapot no longer and sighed in admiration. "Arro, you really are impressive."

"I know everything you just did."

"But why didn't you gather them together? You should know this stretch of sea isn't safe. Every time students are taken in, they encounter several dangers. If you brought them together and formed a group, perhaps you could be safer later on?"

Desi might have learned something. He was indirectly reminding him.

But Arro had his own thoughts.

Because he could never deliberately push innocent people toward death!

"Big Brother Desi, I have no interest in taking care of a bunch of kids. You saw their attitudes earlier too. There are some things I'd rather not see, so they won't bother me."

Arro deliberately said this. He could not show that he already knew the truth, because many things could be done, but could not be spoken aloud.

Without waiting for Desi to answer, Arro directly changed the subject and began talking about Monli in Desi's hometown language, Yulio Language.

"Big Brother Desi, how is Monli now? Although I only Encountered him halfway through the journey, he has a good personality and gets along well with me. It's a pity about what happened to him."

Arro deliberately described his own kindness toward others while building rapport with Desi.

All he wanted now was to pass the assessment smoothly, preferably with a good result.

After all, his energy aptitude was truly too poor. Even with powerful Mental Strength to compensate, it was not very secure. He could only hope to make up for it in other areas.

And in these so-called other areas, the person who mattered most was Desi, who still did not realize it.

Arro deliberately flattered him, occasionally bringing up Monli, then tossing in a few harmless jokes from time to time. The atmosphere of their conversation grew increasingly lively.

Later on, Desi actually suggested that Arro attend Owl Wizard Academy.

"Little Arro, if you go to Owl Wizard Academy in the future, I'll be able to look after you if anything happens."

"That would be wonderful. If I'm fortunate enough, I'll definitely choose it. When the time comes, Big Brother Desi, please take good care of me."

Arro agreed without hesitation.

As for whether he would actually go in the future?

That was hard to say.

Rolling around on the ground begging for recommendations (*≧▽≦)))