Plans from an Insider

The candlelight flickered inside the morgue.

With a flurry of beating wings, the black Crow landed on the back of a chair. His form twisted and stretched, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into Makley, clad in a black robe.

He straightened his slightly rumpled cuffs, fixed his gaze on Tylen, and asked bluntly,

"How have your Runic Studies been going these past few days?"

Tylen bowed respectfully. Rather than waste time explaining, he turned and walked over to the bed, then bent down and dragged out an object wrapped in black cloth.

Rustle.

The black cloth fell away, revealing the Skeleton Dog that had undergone multiple modifications.

In the dim candlelight, dense dark red lines, interwoven like blood vessels, covered its stark white bones, giving it an eerie, savage beauty.

Makley's pupils widened.

As a Level Seven Official Wizard, his eye was keen.

At a glance, he could tell this Bone Construct was no ordinary creation.

Those dark red lines weren't paint. They were... dried blood.

His gaze quickly shifted to the thick bandages wrapped around Tylen's left wrist.

"This is... something you made these past few days?"

A trace of astonished delight colored Makley's voice, which even rose slightly.

Tylen smiled and replied calmly,

"I owe it to the Purple Diamond Carving Knife you gave me, Mentor. Without a tool of that caliber, I couldn't have carved such fine circuits into hard bone."

Hearing his student's modest reply, Makley took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Make it move. Let me see."

"Yes."

Tylen gripped the Control Bone Shard and infused it with 1 point of Mental Power.

Buzz!

The blood-red runes on the Bone Dog lit up instantly, as if blood had begun flowing through its dormant veins once more.

Click, click.

Under Makley's watchful gaze, the low-level undead creature, which should have been stiff as a board, moved like a real hunting dog.

It ran nimbly through the narrow morgue, stopped abruptly, and even completed a difficult backflip.

Makley immediately released invisible tendrils of Mental Power, covering the Skeleton Dog as he carefully sensed the flow of Mana through every node.

A few seconds later.

Clap, clap, clap.

Makley couldn't help applauding, a long-missing, genuine smile spreading across his face.

"Excellent work."

"I can tell you've gained a thorough understanding of the Bone Domination rune system."

"What surprises me most is that you came up with the idea of using your own blood as a medium for spiritual energy in the absence of Undead Fire, solving the problem of the mechanical structure's stiffness."

Makley looked at Tylen, his eyes full of praise.

"Very good, very good, Tylen. I knew I was right about you."

The humiliation of being mocked by his colleagues outside the conference room that day, and the helplessness he'd felt when his great-grandfather had urged him to give up, seemed to fade away in that moment.

Looking at this talented student, who was so capable with his hands, Makley felt something stir within him—a feeling he could only call "redemption."

Perhaps he was destined to be a failure who would never advance in his life.

But if he could raise another genius student, who would dare call him a failure?

Makley pulled over a chair and sat down, then gestured for Tylen to sit as well.

He no longer seemed like a lofty mentor, but more like an elder worrying over a younger relative.

"Which subjects are you planning to take in this exam?" Makley asked.

Tylen answered respectfully,

"My knowledge is limited, and I'm at a loss when it comes to a selection covering the entire tower. I hope you can offer me some guidance, Mentor."

He wasn't just being polite.

Tylen really was an outsider when it came to the Wizard Tower's unspoken rules and the exam's trends.

Makley's lips curled slightly, clearly pleased with Tylen's attitude.

"That's a wise choice, my boy."

"For first-year apprentices like you, this competition is fundamentally unfair."

"The exam covers material geared more toward second- and third-year apprentices. They've had one or two more years to build up their knowledge, and their minds are more mature, too."

"But it's also an opportunity for first-years."

"You're all starting from the bottom. If you pick the right field and beat everyone else to claim first place, it'll actually be easier."

Makley then raised a finger and began breaking down the pros and cons of the eight subjects, one by one.

"First, Alchemy. It's both the sky and the Abyss."

"It has great prospects and can make you a lot of money, but you have no advantage in this exam."

"Alchemy takes a great deal of money to buy materials, and countless explosions to gain experience. The related terms are already set when you register."

"Geography and Monster Studies are much the same. They require experience and exposure. You've been stuck in the morgue and haven't seen the outside world. Taking either of those would be suicide."

"As for Mental Power and Meditation Depth..."

Makley gave a cold laugh.

"Those two subjects are too subjective."

"The examiners control the standards, leaving far too much room for bias. Students without connections often lose for no apparent reason."

Tylen nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Wasn't that just like interview scores? He knew all about those.

"So I recommend these three subjects."

Makley held up three fingers.

"Runic Studies, Ritual Studies, and Ancient Linguistics."

"These three subjects are based on hard knowledge."

"A rune is either drawn correctly or it isn't. A spell is either recited correctly or it isn't. There's no ambiguity, and no one can tamper with your results."

"Besides, you have an excellent memory and strong logical thinking skills. These three subjects suit you perfectly."

"As long as you memorize the material, you can improve your scores significantly in a short time, and even get full marks."

Listening to Makley's confident advice, Tylen felt dazed.

For a moment, it was as if he'd gone back to his previous life.

He remembered choosing a major in college and listening to various admissions experts discuss "dead-end majors" and "in-demand careers."

He also remembered his advisor solemnly mapping out his future when he'd applied for a recommendation to graduate school.

But unlike those experts in his previous life, who were only interested in money, Makley was more authoritative—and genuinely had his best interests at heart.

This was the real value of getting advice from an insider!

When he finished, Makley flipped his wrist and slapped three thick books onto the table.

"The exam is in three days."

"All the questions will be based on these three books."

"I've marked the important material in red."

"Do your best to master all of it and commit it to memory!"

Tylen respectfully took the three books in both hands. Their solid weight made him feel reassured.

"Thank you, Mentor! I won't let you down!"

After handing over the books, Makley didn't leave immediately. His expression turned serious.

"There's something else, more important than the exam."

"After passing, you'll rise from the bottom ranks and step into the spotlight as official apprentices. You'll attend classes alongside those noble scions."

"Then you'll face even more pressure from them—ostracism, even humiliation."

"The gulf between classes isn't easy to cross."

"So before then, you need to be prepared and raise your 'value' as much as possible."

Tylen nodded in understanding and asked,

"Mentor, I understand the principle, but how do I raise my value?"

"Should I buy an expensive robe?"

Makley grinned smugly and wagged a finger.

"Of course not. That kind of thing is superficial."

"Remember the White Cloud Eye Rune Shop?"

"They're holding a rune competition between apprentices tomorrow."

"The main focus will be on how precisely runes can control bone."

"There are no restrictions on who can enter. Any apprentice can take part."

A crafty glint flashed in Makley's eyes.

"There are sixty people registered so far. Twenty-five are from our Cain Wizard Tower, while the other thirty-five... are from the Blazing Sun Wizard Tower."

"Among them are plenty of noble and wealthy scions looking to polish their credentials through the competition."

"You're going to enter."

"Then take first place and put a serious dent in the Blazing Sun Wizard Tower's recent arrogance!"

At those words, Tylen immediately understood.

What kind of friendly competition was this?

It was obviously a cushy, made-to-order opportunity for Makley to boost his value, arranged with the shopkeeper, Steampunk!

A gilded stage made just for him!

If he beat the Blazing Sun Tower's contestants, he'd bring honor to Cain Tower.

With that achievement to his name when he started classes, the noble scions would surely think twice before giving him trouble.

"Understood, Mentor!"

Tylen promptly declared, his fighting spirit burning bright.

"I won't let you down, and I won't bring shame on Cain Wizard Tower."

Makley nodded with satisfaction, then glanced once more at the blood-rune Skeleton Dog on the ground.

"Making a Bone Construct of this caliber should be enough to handle the competition."

"But there's one more thing."

Makley paused, then lowered his voice.

"There's a girl you need to watch out for in this competition."

"Kathy Ralph Hoffman."

"She's the youngest daughter of Baron Hoffman here in the city. She studies hard and has real talent. Most importantly... she's mild-mannered and not especially hostile toward people from the lower ranks."

"Her father, Hoffman, is the captain of the cavalry in Lion City's City Defense Guard."

"The position may not be high-ranking, but it oversees patrols around the city defenses, anti-smuggling operations, hunting permits, and the suppression of bandits."

"It's a classic case of a low position with great power, and the 'gatekeeper' for us Wizards when we need to leave the city."

Tylen's mind raced as he listened.

Combining the recent internal developments with his own analysis, he immediately grasped the key point.

His mentor was planning ahead!

If they were all going to hunt magical beasts outside the city regularly in the future, then building a good relationship with the City Defense Guard was crucial.

Otherwise, they could stop him with some minor pretext—or deliberately leak his whereabouts to bandits—and get him killed without a trace.

Tylen immediately replied respectfully,

"Don't worry, Mentor."

"I'll make sure to build a good relationship with Miss Kathy."

"That way, you'll have an easier time hunting outside the city in the future."