First-Class Apprentice Certification

When the laboratory was mostly tidied up, Lynn saw that his mentor had assigned him no tasks. After saying goodbye, he left the lab.

He headed to the Apprentice Progression Hall for his official First-Class Apprentice certification and a replacement Nameplate.

The Apprentice Progression Hall stood on the ground floor of the Central Spire, a vast hall forever echoing with heavy footsteps and hushed whispers.

Several detection arrays, each flickering with different lights, stood side by side along the inner side of the hall.

A few stewards with numb eyes and mechanical movements handled registration and distributed Nameplates.

Most of them were old apprentices who had failed to advance and were nearing the end of their lives. The light had long vanished from their eyes.

Lynn joined the back of a not-too-long line. The apprentices ahead of him waited nervously for testing.

"Spiritual power: 9. Below standard. Certification failed! Next."

Amid the cold announcement, a pale-faced boy left the array. He had less than a month left.

The usual Apprentice Recruitment Ceremony only accepted apprentices with an initial spiritual power of 10 or above. Once they successfully condensed a Mental Core, they would directly become First-Class Apprentices.

But this year, quite a few "defective products" had been admitted one after another.

As a result, even if some apprentices luckily condensed a Mental Core and learned Wizardry, their spiritual power still failed to meet the standard for a First-Class Apprentice.

"Spiritual power: 11. Qualified! Cast a level-zero cantrip to prove the stability of your Mental Core."

Another girl nervously chanted an incantation. A tiny cluster of swaying negative-energy flame, nearly extinguished, emerged from her fingertips.

"Passed. Promoted to First-Class Apprentice. Go over there to update your information."

When it was Lynn's turn, he calmly stepped into the designated detection array.

With my strength, there's no way I could fail...

The array lit up. An invisible force swept through his body before finally gathering at his Mental Core.

The steward in charge of testing looked at the figures displayed on the crystal before him. At last, a ripple appeared in his numb eyes.

"Spiritual power... 18? First-Class Apprentice, peak state."

The number stirred up a commotion throughout the hall.

This kid had obviously only enrolled recently, yet he had reached the peak of First-Class Apprentice on his first certification. That was an astonishing pace.

His initial spiritual power had to be extremely high!

"Cast a level-zero cantrip."

The steward spoke according to procedure.

With a thought, Lynn neither chanted nor made a gesture. A form-fitting layer of armor composed of negative energy and skeletal phantoms instantly covered his body—[Bone Armor]!

"Instant casting without an incantation?!"

This time, even several apprentices waiting nearby, who considered themselves somewhat talented, couldn't help crying out.

This kid... had some real skill!

Instantly casting a cantrip represented an extremely high level of understanding of the Witchcraft Model and control over spiritual power.

For a new student to fully understand a Witchcraft Model and cast it proficiently was simply unbelievable.

Naturally, Lynn had not truly reached the standard for instant casting. He had merely compressed the casting time to its absolute limit through repeated practice.

With the help of one-hundred-percent Analysis, this was not difficult to achieve.

The steward gave Lynn a deep look and nodded. "Passed. Excellent rating! Go to Window Three to upgrade your Nameplate."

Lynn dismissed the armor and walked over to Window Three.

The old steward behind the window accepted the crude bone Nameplate Lynn handed over. He glanced at it, then at the testing record that had just arrived.

"Lynn, Superior Soul Talent... so the rumors were true."

The old steward muttered before taking out a new Nameplate from beneath the counter.

This Nameplate was no longer made of crude bone. It was made from polished Black Ironwood, cool to the touch and bearing faint wood grain.

The Nameplate was overall dark gray. The Bone Spire emblem etched onto its front was clearer and sharper, surrounded by a ring of thorn patterns symbolizing restraint and protection.

His name and number seemed to be inlaid with silver thread, glimmering faintly.

"Inject a thread of your spiritual power into it to complete the binding."

The old steward instructed.

Lynn did as he was told.

The moment his spiritual power touched the Nameplate, he immediately sensed an enormous difference from before.

His old bone Nameplate had been like a cold, lifeless object, while this Black Ironwood Nameplate felt like a living tool with a faint connection to him.

This Nameplate could indeed serve as a communication tool. If the Academy had any news, it could directly notify students through their Nameplates.

The Wizardry contained in it was still an illumination spell, but [Glimmer Illumination] was more effective. Its range extended three feet around the wearer, and its brightness could be controlled.

Several unlockable "marks" had also been added to the Nameplate, representing permission to freely enter public laboratories and low-level training grounds, as well as borrow certain books from the first floor of the Bone Vault.

Moreover, the Nameplate itself had a weak Calming Rune permanently inscribed into it, helping its wearer resist the unconscious erosion of negative energy to a certain extent.

"That's all."

The old steward handed the newly bound Nameplate back to Lynn.

"Remember, your Nameplate represents your identity and authority. Replacing it if it is lost or damaged will cost Contribution Points."

"Work hard, kid. Once you reach Second-Class, you can trade it in for a Dark-Silver Plaque. Now that's the real good stuff."

Lynn took the cool Black Ironwood Nameplate and casually hung it from his waist.

This thing was only temporary. With his talent, he would probably need to replace it again before long.

The crude bone Nameplate that had been phased out was casually taken away by the steward. It would presumably be melted down and remade for the next batch of "newcomers."

When he went to eat at the "new student" public cafeteria, he happened to run into Carl, Lillian, and Eileen, his old acquaintances from Black Marsh City.

Several unfamiliar new students had gathered around them as well.

They seemed to have been having a rough time lately. Negative energy had left mottled traces across their bodies.

Even the usually aloof Eileen wore a worried expression, her brow shadowed by inescapable melancholy.

Sharp-eyed Lillian spotted Lynn entering and cried out excitedly.

"Big Brother Lynn! Over here, over here!"

The others who had been burying their heads in their food were drawn by the shout and glared at Lillian.

In an environment saturated with negative energy, everyone's emotions were extremely unstable.

The burning sensation spreading through their bodies and the anxiety in their hearts had turned them into powder kegs ready to explode at the slightest touch.

A fat man whose body was covered in extensive "ulceration" bared his teeth as he gulped down a mouthful of rum.

The liquor continuously burned his ulcerated mouth and intestines, making him let out a string of suppressed cries of pain.

He had been enrolled for over two months, yet he still had not condensed a Mental Core. His body was rotting away day by day, and he probably would not last much longer.

His irresponsible mentor had completely given up on him as well.

At this point, the fat man only wanted to be comfortable for as long as he could and spend his final days that way.

After finally swallowing down that painful mouthful, the fat man stretched out his completely ulcerated chubby hand. Enduring the pain, he tremblingly raised the bottle.

Just then, a girl's delighted shout came from behind him.

"Big Brother Lynn! Over here, over here!"

Startled by the sudden cry, the fat man dropped the bottle he had already struggled to hold. It hit the floor with a smack, shattering into pieces.

That completely ignited the rage in his heart.

My hard-earned Contribution Points! It just got smashed like that?!