Entering the World

Although she had refused Guter's request, Lord Serie was still fairly satisfied with the young mage before her.

Given his mindset and talent, once taken in, she would only need to guide him slightly, and his achievements would surely not be low.

But just as Serie was about to have Guter begin the test, she noticed something off about the young mage's gaze.

Was he... staring at her crossed leg?

"Hm."

Serie wasn't angered by this, only finding it somewhat amusing. She shook her head and lowered her crossed leg.

The next moment!

Serie's sharp gaze pierced straight at Guter, and she asked in a voice devoid of any emotion, coldly.

"What were you looking at just now?"

"Emm."

Guter, caught red-handed admiring her foot, gave an embarrassed smile, scratched his head, and sincerely apologized to Serie.

"Sorry, but you're just too adorable."

"And I just noticed something else."

"Lord Serie, your mana... is it swaying slightly, isn't it?"

"Heh—" The corners of Serie's mouth rose uncontrollably, revealing a bewitching smile.

And her originally indifferent gaze instantly became incredibly vivid.

"You're called Guter, right? You pass. Become my disciple."

"I will lead you to—"

"Alright, Teacher."

Before Serie could finish detailing the benefits of becoming her disciple, Guter, standing before her, agreed directly.

For a moment, even Serie, who was eager to take on a disciple, fell silent.

She even unconsciously began to doubt whether her decision to take Guter as a disciple was truly correct.

But such thoughts only lasted an instant before Serie erased them.

Since she had extended the invitation and Guter had chosen to accept, he was now her disciple.

Besides, as a disciple, Guter's talent and mindset were undoubtedly qualified.

It was just that his personality was a bit too... unique?

Serie descended from the throne-like seat in the hall, circled around Guter once, and silently memorized the youthful appearance of this disciple.

Perhaps this disciple's "uniqueness" wasn't necessarily a bad thing for her.

After all, to an elf whose lifespan was so long it was incalculable, what humans called a "long life" was merely a fleeting flicker.

A hundred years later, no matter what brilliance one achieved in life, they would eventually return to dust.

And a disciple this "unique" would likely leave her with quite a few "unique" memories.

Serie's gaze rested on Guter before her, but what surfaced in her mind were the lingering afterimages of disciples long passed.

Among all the disciples Serie had taken in her life, not all could achieve the high magical attainments and leave their names in history like Frieren, who pioneered human magic.

On the contrary, many disciples, until their dying day, never even touched the surface of Serie's magical prowess.

Even in the histories compiled by human chroniclers, they failed to leave a single name.

But.

It might sound unbelievable, but to this day, Serie still clearly remembered the appearance and personality of every single disciple, and the magic each one cherished.

And they were all just disciples she had taken on a whim.

Ah, well.

Since I became your teacher, then your personalities, your appearances, your stories, and the proof that you once existed in this world—

I, as your teacher, will carry you all into the future.

While Serie was reminiscing about her departed disciples, Guter's attention was fixed on the series of notification sounds ringing from his system.

[Ding!]

[Detected that the host has established a master-disciple relationship with [Serie]. Trait [Aloof from the World] has been deactivated.]

[Detected that the host has established a master-disciple relationship with Serie. [Fate Entering the World] completed. Main Quest module unlocked.]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained the trait [Entering the World (Blue)].]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained the trait [Disciple of the Mythical Archmage (Blue)].]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained the trait [Great Fortune (Blue)].]

A barrage of multiple notifications flooded the screen, and for a moment, even Guter was a bit overwhelmed.

After skimming through them, Guter immediately opened his Personal Interface to check the three newly acquired traits.

[Personal Interface]

[Host: Guter]

[Activated Traits: Transmigrator (Gold), Otherworldly God of Cooking (Blue), Integration (Blue), Disciple of the Mythical Archmage (Blue), Great Fortune (Blue), Atheist (White)]

[Trait Effect Details:]

[.]

[Integration (Blue)]

[Trait Description: Your fate has gradually anchored itself to this world. Though this will require no small amount of time.]

[Effect: You still possess strong resistance to any fate-related means (this resistance will gradually weaken). At the same time, this trait of yours will also affect those around you.]

[Disciple of the Mythical Archmage (Blue)]

[Trait Description: As a disciple of an Archmage from the mythical era, you possess greater wisdom and insight under your teacher's guidance.]

[Effect: 1. When the host is within five meters of Teacher Serie, wisdom and insight receive a minor boost. 2. When Teacher Serie imparts knowledge to the host, the host's learning speed increases, with the degree of increase affected by the teacher-student relationship.]

[Great Fortune (Blue)]

[Trait Description: Your teacher is the absolute protagonist of fortune in this world. As her disciple, you too will enjoy the blessings of this world's luck.]

[Effect: The host's luck is enhanced.]

"What a bountiful harvest."

After closing the System Interface, Guter couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Looking at his teacher Serie standing before him, Guter really wanted to step forward and hug this "Magic Old Timer," planting a couple of kisses on her to express a disciple's sincere praise for his teacher.

But seeing the threatening look in the "Magic Old Timer's" eyes, Guter thought it over and withdrew the hand he had already extended.

"Haha, Teacher, I got a little too excited."

"Heh." Serie let out a cold snort, paying it no mind.

Turning back into the main hall, she sat cross-legged once more on the ornate seat and ordered her disciple Guter to bring in the next examinee.

Meanwhile, outside the main hall.

The mages waiting in line, seeing that Guter had been inside for a long time without coming out, began discussing among themselves, guessing at what was happening within.

"If you ask me, that young man taking this long means there's a good chance he made it."

"I hope so. Someone passing would give us some hope too. After all, those before us were all eliminated in no time at all."

"Creak—"

Suddenly, just as the few outside were deep in their discussion, the door leading into the hall was pushed open from within.

"Next examinee, please enter."

Seeing that it was Guter who opened the door, the crowd outside instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. A few stepped forward to ask whether Guter had passed Archmage Serie's assessment.

Guter didn't choose to hide it and nodded affirmatively to the mages.

But Guter had no intention of continuing to chat with them. Signaling with his eyes for the examinee behind him to follow, he stepped into the hall first.

What followed was fairly simple. The "Magic Old Timer" Serie eliminated this fellow in just five or six seconds and told him to call in the next examinee.

For a time, there was nothing left for Guter to do.

Seeing this, Guter simply stood behind his teacher Serie, enjoying the boost to intelligence and insight brought by the trait [Disciple of the Mythical Archmage (Blue)].

After all, that was just how Guter was.

Lady Serie only needed to pick out talent from the examinees, but Guter had many more things to consider.

No joke—this was true.

Relying on the intelligence boost from the trait, Guter was now fully focused on one matter.

That was, what impact would the disappearance of his [Detached from the World] trait have? And how strong would the resistance effect of his new trait [Integration] be, and how long would it last?

[New Era of Xin, circa 60 years ago]

All seven of the Demon King's Sages were gathered, and the All-Knowing Shulhahat was among them.

Just before the battle, Shulhahat activated his future-seeing ability once more.

Ah, it's been three days and I still haven't received the contract notification. My heart feels bleak.

To be honest, the Frieren theme is different from most fanfics. It's like a gently flowing stream. To preserve its charm, it's hard to write the golden three chapters using traditional web novel techniques that emphasize opening conflicts and stirring emotional opposition.

I don't want to force that approach. I'd rather this story be slow, last long, and be written the way I hope it to be.

If you all like this pace, I hope you can support it.