Under Enclair's faintly mocking gaze, Karin pulled Oliver along, ignored Enclair, and walked into the Apprentice Horde.
As the two entered the Apprentice Horde, the noisy little room instantly fell silent... After a moment, many elves turned to look their way and began whispering!
"Is that Karin from the Sunfury family?"
"Didn't they say someone beat him to death?"
"He wants to court Lady Vereesa, looking like that? Then surely I could give it a try too!"
"Karin..." Oliver murmured reassuringly beside him, worried that his normally withdrawn friend might suddenly lose control of his emotions in this situation.
"I'm fine, Oliver!" Karin smiled faintly, ignored the murmurs, and took a seat in a corner.
Enclair soon came in as well. He sneered at Karin and Oliver in the corner, then walked straight to the first row and sat down.
Just as Enclair sat down, the entire Apprentice Horde suddenly went quiet. Many elves instinctively straightened their backs... Oliver whispered a warning: "Mr. Kirkland is here!"
An elf who looked rather elderly entered the small building.
He radiated a strange, oppressive presence that made everyone feel uncomfortable! He carried a staff almost as long as he was tall and wore a bright red mage's robe, with what appeared to be a trefoil emblem embroidered on the right breast.
Third Ring!
For mages, those of the First and Second Rings had shed the title of apprentice, but still fell within the ranks of novice mages... Only those of the Third Ring or higher were full mages in the true sense!
Any Third Ring mage could unleash enough magical power to kill five adult human men within twenty seconds... On the battlefield, they were terrifying meat grinders; in everyday life, they were also highly respected scholars!
For an ordinary mage, reaching this level was extremely difficult... Quel'Thalas had more than two hundred thousand adult elves in total, yet fewer than two thousand registered full mages of the Third Ring or higher!
Karin nevertheless stole a few glances at Mr. Kirkland. He was rather thin, seemed to be in poor health, and had no visible scars anywhere on his body... He appeared to be a scholarly mage rather than a battle mage.
When Mr. Kirkland stepped up to the lectern, all the mage apprentices immediately rose... Karin hurriedly stood with them.
"All right, children!" Mage Kirkland said with a smile. "Please sit down!"
With a gentle wave of Mage Kirkland's hand, the mage apprentices of the Apprentice Horde sat down in turn.
"I hope none of you have been slacking off in your studies over the past month!" Mage Kirkland's voice was not loud, but it carried throughout the small building. Then he turned his gaze toward the first row. "Mr. Enclair, for instance. Perhaps you could report on your progress!"
"I really hope that bastard Enclair spent the whole past month slacking off, so Mr. Kirkland gives him a good scolding!" Oliver whispered with a hint of gleeful anticipation.
It looked as though he was going to be disappointed, however.
"Instructor Kirkland!" Enclair stood and said very humbly, "I've been studying hard over the past month, and I can feel the mana crystal inside me beginning to condense..."
"Oh?" Mage Kirkland asked with interest. "Meaning?"
"Yes!" Enclair answered with a smile. "Perhaps by this time next month, I'll have crossed the threshold into the First Ring."
"Damn it, how is that bastard Enclair so lucky!" The smile on Oliver's face instantly froze... Since Enclair dared to say this before Mr. Kirkland, he must have been eighty or ninety percent certain of his breakthrough.
"Very well done, Mr. Enclair!" Mage Kirkland encouraged him with a smile. After Enclair, he questioned several other mage apprentices seated in the first two rows, all of whom appeared to be fairly senior apprentices.
None of them, however, was on the verge of advancing beyond apprenticeship and becoming a novice mage as Enclair was.
After these brief greetings, Mage Kirkland opened the book on the lectern.
His slightly aged voice immediately filled the small building.
"The arcane system is an extremely complex whole. It can be divided into eight distinct schools: abjuration, conjuration, enchantment, transmutation, divination, necromancy, evocation, and illusion!"
"Abjuration is the school that studies protective magic. The most commonly used abjuration spell is Magic Shield, which turns magical energy into a barrier that protects the caster. Though simple, this spell can withstand even the most terrifying attacks if used properly!"
"Conjuration studies summoning, including the summoning of creatures and objects. Have you ever been out in the wilderness and wished for a cool cup of spring water? Then conjuration spells are your answer. For a mage, nothing is more pleasant than conjuring a fresh piece of bread or a cup of clean water."
"Enchanting, meanwhile, is the process of imbuing an object or a person with magical power. Some enchantments are temporary, while others can benefit us for the rest of our lives. Enchanting may be difficult to learn, but it is also the most useful form of magic in our daily lives."
It was just like studying physics and chemistry for the first time in middle or high school. He had expected a whole new world to await him in the laboratory, only to be met with a heap of dull, tedious theory... Karington soon grew drowsy as he listened.
The others were little better. Oliver had already fallen asleep on the desk beside him. Apart from the senior apprentices in the first two rows, who were still struggling to hold on, the other mage apprentices all seemed rather distracted... Yet Mr. Kirkland remained immersed in the ocean of magical theory, seemingly unaware of anything happening in the classroom.
A little over an hour later, Mage Kirkland set down the book in his hands.
"Very good. That will be all for today's lecture!"
Before he had even finished speaking, the entire building seemed to perk up... The distracted apprentices immediately straightened their backs! Oliver, who had apparently still been asleep a moment earlier, now sat upright and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
They seem to be expecting something? Karin wondered.
Mr. Kirkland answered his curiosity. "Now, let us begin the Mana Feeding Ritual you've all been waiting for!"
Mana Feeding Ritual? Karin furrowed his brow. The term was unfamiliar to him.
Mr. Kirkland waved his staff, and small wine cups filled with liquid appeared before him. Then, one after another, they floated from the front of the room to the back, settling on every mage apprentice's desk.
Karin watched Enclair in the first row draw the liquid from his cup with excitement, care, and, above all, extreme greed.
He looked exactly like the addicts Karin had seen on television in his previous life!