Apprentice Mage Two

This was the first time in this life that Donald had seen mages with his own eyes. Their robes were not at all like the sacks or crimson gowns described in the fantasy novels of his past life; such attire would be entirely impractical for combat, spellcasting, or laboratory research.

Formal mages wore close-fitting garments underneath that resembled noble formal wear, though devoid of any gaudy decorations. Over this, they wore open-fronted, well-tailored robes similar to those worn by high priests or bishops—majestic, elegant, and easy to move in. It was a style that perfectly aligned with his own aesthetic sensibilities.

After leading Donald to this location, William first bowed to the three mages before withdrawing from the area to return to his duties at the reception desk in the main hall.

Once the attendant William had departed, Donald faced the scrutiny of the three mages without a hint of timidity or unease, instead offering a polite smile and a bow to the three elders.

"Donald pays his respects to the three esteemed Masters!"

The mage positioned in the center of the trio spoke up.

"Apprentice Melina, although you have not undergone testing, I have already deduced from your externalized mental power that you have indeed earned the qualifications of a formal Apprentice Mage. Furthermore, you are even more outstanding than I had imagined. May I ask, are you a student of any particular Master?"

Donald knew that the one speaking must be the highest-ranking Master, Messer. Although it was said that Master Messer was older than the other two, in Donald's eyes, this Master appeared significantly younger than the two slightly hunched old mages beside him—looking more like a man in his forties or fifties rather than someone truly aged.

It seemed the legends were true: powerful Professionals, especially those in spellcasting vocations, enjoyed longer lifespans the higher their strength grew. At this thought, Donald's heart began to race. After all, who wouldn't want to live a little longer than others?

Despite these inner thoughts, Donald did not lose his composure before the mages and replied respectfully:

"No, esteemed Master. I have not had the good fortune to be taught by any Master. That I have been able to grasp meditation and become an Apprentice Mage is entirely due to the protection of my late grandfather and the help of an introductory book from a Goblin Shop!"

Upon hearing this answer, the three mages were astonished. The mage to the left of Master Messer, in particular, furrowed his brows slightly, though he quickly returned to his normal expression before anyone else could notice.

However, Donald, having caught this detail, immediately understood: this was likely Naron, the Black Iron Mage who supposedly disliked young apprentices.

"It is hard to imagine; for many years, North Shire has not produced an apprentice who became self-taught! It seems your talent, Apprentice Donald, must be truly astonishing. I wonder how the mages of our association could have overlooked a talent such as yourself!"

Master Messer sighed with regret. If someone with such talent had been exposed to meditation before the age of ten, perhaps the apprentice before him would already be on the verge of breaking through to the rank of Bronze Mage.

Seeing that the mages had misunderstood, Donald hurriedly explained:

"It was not the fault of the mages, sirs. My grandfather once brought me to the association for a professional assessment when I was young. I remember that the Master at the time concluded that while my ability to control the Elements was excellent, my mental power talent was too weak, effectively cutting off any possibility of becoming a mage. Perhaps it was because I was not yet five years old and still very young that the test results were inconclusive!"

Master Messer listened to this explanation and said with great interest, "Indeed, that is a possibility. It is likely that as you grew over the years, your mental power talent developed to its current level. It seems that testing at too young an age carries certain unstable factors. This situation should be reported to the Royal Mage Association so they can notify mages across the country. Young man, you have brought us an important piece of information today! For this alone, regardless of the results of the upcoming tests, I will grant you the status of a formal apprentice. Mages, including apprentices, should not focus solely on combat; discovering problems and exploring the truths of this world is the greatest goal of a mage!"

Upon hearing this, Donald bowed deeply and said solemnly, "Donald will surely keep your teachings in mind, Master, and strive to become a true mage!"

Seeing this attitude and the excellent talent he possessed, Master Messer and the other old mage nodded and smiled, clearly impressed. However, while the mage suspected to be Naron wore a smile on his face, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Having understood Donald's situation, the three mages asked no further questions and announced the start of the testing.

The first test was of Donald's mental control. He was required to make three feathers float in front of him, perform different movements with each, and then land them in parallel and with stability.

This was the simplest of mage Cantrips. For Donald, whose mental power had been strengthened by the Tome of Intelligence and who had undergone training under the guidance of a Spirit Walker, this was merely a trivial test.

Donald completed the process with ease and earned unanimous praise from the three mages. Though reluctant, even the mage Naron had to admit that he could not find a single flaw in the process.

The second test was to evaluate the apprentice's ability to master and apply spells.

Master Messer personally taught a simple zero-level spell incantation: the Light Spell. He then asked Donald to attempt to cast it.

The Light Spell, being the only zero-level spell with an incantation longer than three segments and the only one that did not require hand gestures, was the most common spell used to test apprentices.

Of course, this only applied to general cases. Some high-level or highly talented mages could often omit certain incantations or gestures; this was because their powerful and flexible mental power allowed them to replace the vibrations of the incantation or the physical gestures, forming the elemental arrangement directly in the air.

At Donald's current level, he naturally could not do this, so he focused intently on learning the incantation for the Light Spell.

As the simplest of incantations, the Light Spell did not have many tongue-twisting syllables. After a few minutes of memorization and a few minutes of familiarizing himself with the casting process, Donald successfully released his first formal spell.

A cluster of bright white light bloomed in his hand; although it was still somewhat unstable, it had been successfully cast.

Master Messer and the other mage both signaled a pass, but the mage Naron curled his lip and said, "The casting is unstable. It seems he has some talent, but it is limited!"

Master Messer, who knew the character of Naron—a man in his fifties who was still only a mid-level Black Iron Mage—frowned at him and said, "Mage Naron, you should not compare an apprentice to a formal mage, especially one who has never been exposed to incantations before. Such talent already surpasses what I had as an apprentice. If there are no other objections, Apprentice Donald has passed this round!"

"Yes, Master Messer!" Naron lowered his head slightly, not daring to voice any opposition before Master Messer. However, no one saw the flash of annoyance in his eyes. Because of this apprentice, he had been reprimanded by Master Messer. He dared not hold a grudge against Messer, who had already entered the Silver realm, but his hatred for Donald, the cause of all this, only deepened.

Next was the final test: evaluating the apprentice's mastery of spell theory.

Led by Master Messer, each mage took turns asking a question. These were, of course, merely basic spell knowledge that did not exceed the scope of what an apprentice should understand.

With the foundation of the exam-oriented education from his past life and having thoroughly digested the basic knowledge in Elements and Meditation, written by an Archmage five hundred years ago, Donald answered the basic spell questions posed by the three mages with ease. His answers were highly accurate, and although there were slight differences in understanding in some areas, Master Messer looked as if he had discovered a treasure, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

It seemed he had truly found a promising seedling. Although Donald was already an adult, seventeen was not too old; with careful instruction, he might even become a formal Black Iron Mage before the age of twenty!

Donald performed perfectly in all three tests, and the apprentice certification process was successfully completed.

As for the three black stone targets, they were purely for show; they were props used for formal mage testing, and the Cantrips of an apprentice level had no offensive power—they weren't even enough to scratch the stone targets.

"I hereby announce that the testing for Apprentice Mage Donald Melina is complete. His results are excellent, and his status is certified, effective immediately. Apprentice Donald, you may go to the attendant to receive your apprentice credentials issued by the association!"

Even though Donald had been trying hard to maintain the composure of a noble, he couldn't help but jump for joy upon hearing the result.

Watching the boy's display, Master Messer did not find it disrespectful; instead, he appreciated his youthful vitality. This was the spirit a young person should have!

"Very well, Apprentice Donald, you may go collect your apprentice badge. Afterward, please do not leave the association; you must come to my room. There are still some matters I need to discuss with you!"

Upon hearing this, Donald bowed quickly.

"Yes, Master, I shall follow your instructions!"

A few minutes later, Donald, now wearing his new apprentice attire, knocked on the door of the lounge arranged for the most esteemed mage, Master Messer.