The creaking of the door hinges tugged at the nerves in this little house, which felt eerie precisely because it was so ordinary.
Ruger stepped inside, and the black wooden door slowly closed behind him. He twitched his nose, still able to smell the old wood. As he took in his surroundings, he suddenly felt that the room he had entered last time had not been real enough. He had not noticed it while he was there, but standing here now, experiencing everything before him, he suddenly found those earlier surroundings rather artificial.
He first surveyed the nearby furnishings. They looked exactly the same as those in the room he had entered before.
And the two apprentices, a man and a woman who had entered ahead of him, were nowhere to be seen.
Ruger blinked. He could move around here; there was no need to be overly reserved.
Besides, he did not think he would be chosen.
At that thought, he could not help chuckling inwardly. According to his plan, he was here purely to hitch a ride on everyone else's achievements and put on a brave face for the Wizards high overhead. Or, put another way, he was here to pick up merit stones. Once this was over, his status as someone who had completed the assessment ahead of time would earn him twice as many.
He was simply here to broaden his horizons. Everything was part of his wise kobold plan.
At that thought, Ruger smiled and licked his lips.
He only hoped that Demon would not get annoyed.
All his confidence came from his own flaws.
Besides what the bald old Wizard in the Black Prison had said about opportunity and danger, the little kobold had stumbled his way through life and kept a few unforgettable scenes