Thomas

At this moment, the young man named Thomas, whom Drew had singled out, was pacing back and forth in a tavern guest room in Lincoln Town, feeling deeply conflicted.

In his hand, he clutched a letter of introduction left to him by his master, Abel.

His master had once told Thomas that he had been a member of the Corgi Family, a noble house in Stormwind City. Having displayed a talent for magic at a young age, he became a formal mage by eighteen and was hailed as a genius.

Unfortunately, blinded by his own success and arrogance, he embarked on an expedition beyond his capabilities, suffering a grievous injury that damaged his mental sea.

Since he had only just advanced, his magic runes were not yet stable; the trauma caused them to collapse beyond repair.

His own cultivation level plummeted from a primary mage back to a mage apprentice, and he was rendered unable to ever advance again.

From a genius, he had become a failure. Devastated and subjected to endless mockery and suppression, Abel left home in a fit of rage to wander the world.

During his years of wandering, he met Thomas, guided him into the world of magic, and eventually nurtured him into a primary mage.

Seeing his apprentice reach the heights he once held—and knowing he would surely surpass him—Abel felt immense gratification. But soon after, a severe illness struck him down, and he could no longer watch Thomas grow.

For all these years, they had been wandering, never coming into contact with other professionals.

Abel's own peak had only been that of a newly minted primary mage; he could not lead Thomas further, and he was now on the verge of death.

To avoid stifling Thomas's talent, he had written this letter to introduce him to his family, hoping they would provide for him.

However, Thomas knew that Abel must have suffered deeply unfair treatment, insults, and suppression back then.

Otherwise, he would not have drifted for twenty years without returning home or maintaining any contact with his family.

Furthermore, the family had made no effort to contact or find him all these years, clearly no longer considering him one of their own. Could the Corgi Family really accept him now based solely on this letter?

Even if they were willing to accept him for his talent, they would surely only treat him as a pawn.

Thomas was unwilling to accept such a life; he decided to take control of his own path.

By chance, he learned of this academy, which accepted students without any conditions.

Clinging to the hope of giving it a try, Thomas had come here.

Thomas was born in a very remote, impoverished village.

When he was ten, his family sent him to the town's blacksmith shop as an apprentice.

Because he was too young to do real work, he spent his time until he was twelve as a servant, never even getting enough to eat.

Only after turning twelve, when he had gained some strength, did he become a formal apprentice.

He spent his days doing chores at the smithy; at least he could eat his fill, though there was no pay during the apprenticeship.

Only after completing his training and becoming a journeyman would he earn wages for his labor.

According to the plan, Thomas needed to serve five years as an apprentice before he had a chance to graduate.

By the trajectory of his life, Thomas would have become a blacksmith. That was until the day Abel arrived in the town where Thomas lived.

At the time, Abel was merely a mage apprentice, unable to cast offensive spells and limited to zero-level cantrips.

Life for a mage apprentice before becoming a formal mage was miserable; unable to cast offensive magic, no one wanted to hire them, and they could only follow formal mages to learn.

Or, like those in Dalaran, they had to take on small tasks to support themselves.

Unlike other physical classes, warrior apprentices could use their strength as thugs or guards, or do manual labor. Rogue and ranger apprentices, with their agility, could serve as scouts or lookouts.

Some rogue apprentices even started by learning to steal just to survive.

But magic-class professionals saw no physical changes—they might even be weaker—and without offensive spells, no one wanted them.

Abel had wandered alone for over a decade; how did he survive?

He survived by using cantrips to perform magic tricks, putting on shows for commoners in remote areas who had never seen a mage before.

He traveled to many places over those ten-plus years, and on this day, he arrived at the town where Thomas lived.

Abel drove his carriage to the center of town, set up his stall, and prepared a small stage in the middle.

In front of the stage sat a hat turned upside down, meant to collect rewards from the audience.

Abel first used Ignite to spark several flames in the air, drawing a crowd. Ignite could be considered the precursor to Fireball, as both gathered fire elements. Fireball could gather and release them with significant offensive power.

But because a mage apprentice lacked the reinforcement of magic runes, Ignite could only gather a tiny amount of fire elements, enough to help light firewood or, as Abel did, be released like fireworks.

Seeing that a crowd had gathered, Abel bowed to the audience and then cast the cantrip Mage Hand.

Mage Hand was a frequently used cantrip, even by formal mages.

It was a hand formed by the mage using mana, which could be controlled to grasp objects.

This was the spell Abel had cast the most; he had been using it for over a decade.

So, what was Abel doing with Mage Hand?

Abel cast Mage Hand multiple times, and several transparent hands appeared in the air.

He controlled the hands to manipulate several puppets as they walked onto the stage.

Thanks to his years of experience, his control was superb; the Mage Hand was nearly invisible, making it look as if the puppets were walking onto the stage on their own.

Throughout the stage play, Abel made full use of various cantrip techniques.

He used Voice Control to make sounds come from the puppets, Wind Breath to manipulate airflow to create gusts or effects like flying, Water Control to simulate rain, and Illumination to create the sun.

The puppet show was performed so brilliantly that it felt as if the people were witnessing a story unfolding in reality.

The townspeople felt wonderful, and although they did not have much money, everyone gave Abel a tip.

The hat beneath the stage was filled to the brim in no time.

While the performance brought nothing but joy to the townspeople, it brought shock to Thomas.

He felt that magic had revealed a new world to him; a door to a new world stood right before his eyes.

He did not want to live his current life anymore, and he did not want to be a blacksmith in the future.

He wanted to learn magic; he wanted to enter that other world.

After the stage play ended, Abel bowed deeply to the audience, thanking them for their generosity and praise.

The townspeople gradually dispersed. When Abel finished packing his luggage and loaded everything onto the carriage, he discovered that one audience member had not left.

He was still a child, small in stature, so he had not been noticed at first; it was only after everyone else had left that he was revealed.

"Oh, child, is there something you need?" Abel asked with concern.

"Can I learn magic from you?" Thomas looked at him with an earnest expression.

Many people had wanted to apprentice under Abel before.

But Abel had felt nothing and had not agreed to any of them.

For some reason, looking at Thomas's small face, Abel felt his sincerity and his intense passion for magic. As if guided by a ghost, Abel nodded.

And so, the town lost a blacksmith's apprentice, and Abel gained a little follower by his side.