Entering the Apprentice Academy

He really did not know about that. All he had learned back then was that he needed to master five formulas to become a true Alchemist. If things really were as George said, he could give it a try, but his success rate for high-quality products was still too low. He had little confidence he could succeed, so he did not plan to try just yet.

The most important thing now was to obtain his certification as a Second-Rank Mage. He wondered whether the spell he had invented would let him pass. In truth, Whirlwind, the spell he had created himself, was already no weaker than any second-rank spell. His main concern was that the examiner would rigidly insist that his spell was nonstandard and refuse to pass him.

Afterward, he chatted with George for a while and asked about the situation outside before seeing him off. According to George, Antonidas had already become chairman. This made him feel that Dalaran was beginning to enter the era of Antonidas's rule. Many mages seemed to have begun secretly joining Antonidas's faction, while the other four members of the Council of Six were being suppressed and could only band together. Fortunately, Antonidas was a man who stuck to the rules. He had neither used his formidable strength to oppress the others nor established a dictatorship within the Council of Six.

But the mages who followed Antonidas's faction were not so easy to deal with, especially Kel'Thuzad. He was now frantically amassing power, even moving against other factions in Antonidas's name. This had already come to Antonidas's attention, but the outcome was unexpected. Not only had Antonidas refused to help his apprentice, he had reprimanded him and sternly warned Kel'Thuzad not to disrupt Dalaran's peace.

Antonidas's actions had already done some damage to his followers, but he seemed entirely unconcerned. This showed just how stubborn Antonidas was. Fortunately, that was not a bad thing for Allen, since being too radical was never appealing.

Of course, he could only learn about the political situation; he had no chance to take part in it. So after hearing about it, he stopped paying attention to these matters. That afternoon, he went to the Association. After he paid twenty gold coins, the receptionist took him to the place where he had previously taken his test to become a Full Mage. As before, a mage served as his examiner.

Fortunately, this elderly mage was not a rigid man. Upon learning that this was a spell Allen had created himself, he readily let him pass. After obtaining his second-rank certification, Allen applied directly at the Association for a position at the Apprentice Academy. However, it seemed that many people had applied for this teaching assistant position, and he would have to compete with a group of mages for it.

The interview was scheduled for three days later at the Apprentice Academy. To prepare for the interview in three days, he went home and thoroughly reviewed his earlier notes and manuscripts.

Three days later, he arrived at the Apprentice Academy and found that there really were a great many people there. More than twenty had come to apply for the position. He waited well over half an hour before his turn came. When he entered the room, he saw five or six mages seated before him. The mage at the very front said as he came in, "Start by introducing yourself."

He had attended quite a few job interviews in his previous life, so this scene was entirely familiar to him. The most important thing in an interview like this was to demonstrate his strengths and advantages; there was no need to waste words on anything else. He therefore focused on his ability to create spells and his grasp of various other theories.

Afterward, the interviewers asked him some theoretical questions, including the nature of mana, the key points of Antonidas's magical theory, and so on. All of this could be found in the Library, so he answered fluently. In the end, his good performance in the interview earned him an immediate offer on the spot. They also told him to report to the academy the next day to receive his assignments.

Early the next morning, he arrived at the academy. "I'm the teaching assistant who was hired yesterday. Where should I report?" he asked a member of the academy staff. The staff member took him straight to the deputy dean's office. "Dean, this is the new teaching assistant." With that, the staff member left, leaving him standing alone in the doorway. A white-bearded old man sat inside the room. He looked like a very ordinary elderly man, yet Allen could not sense any aura from him at all, as though the man before him really were just an ordinary old man.

"Have a seat, mage. Tell me which subject you would like to assist with." With that, he tossed Allen a list bearing a great many subjects and their instructors. Allen noticed that Spell Runes had the most instructors. There were substantial differences among the others as well, with the least-staffed subject requiring only a single instructor.

He skimmed through it and found that the subjects he knew best were Alchemy and Fundamentals of Magic Theory. He was not particularly proficient in other subjects, such as magical history. After considering it for a long time, he decided on Fundamentals of Magic Theory, because this subject was one of his reasons for coming here. Becoming its teaching assistant would surely expose him to a great many magical theories.

He told the deputy dean his choice, and only then did the old man raise his head to look at him. Allen immediately felt a powerful surge of mental power rushing toward him, but he managed to resist it with difficulty. A second later, everything returned to normal, as though nothing had happened. "Oh? Boy, I actually can't tell what rank you are. Do you have some magical item concealing it?"

Allen did not know how to answer. Was he supposed to tell him that he actually had no mana? This was the first time he had encountered a mage so heedless of propriety that he probed someone with mental power right from the outset. Seeing that he said nothing, the old man took it as confirmation. "Don't mind me. Hearing you choose this subject made me a little curious. After all, very few people serve as instructors for it anymore. These apprentices nowadays care nothing for basic theory. All they think about is how to pile up enough mana to become mages." The old man sighed after he finished speaking.

"Dean, then may I serve as the teaching assistant for this subject?" He did not dare voice even the slightest complaint against this old man. "Of course. I've read your file. You're quite good. But think it through. Very few apprentices choose this subject, so your salary as its teaching assistant will be lower than everyone else's."

"Even so, I'm willing, Dean." No matter what, he still chose this subject without hesitation. He did not care about the money at all. "Very well. Pisimai is the instructor for this subject. You'll be working with him. Good luck, mage." In the end, the old man stamped it with his seal.

Afterward, Allen took the letter the old man had given him to the front and handed it to the staff member there. He was then led to an office containing a middle-aged mage, who was presumably Instructor Pisimai. Allen knocked on the door to signal that he wanted to enter.

The middle-aged mage noticed someone coming in and nodded to him. "Hello, I'm the new teaching assistant, Allen." "Hello, I'm Pisimai." After they introduced themselves, Allen handed him the letter. Pisimai read it for a while, then said, "I really didn't expect anyone to volunteer to come here. Have a seat. I'll have someone tidy things up in a little while, and then you can work here." Allen sat opposite him, feeling somewhat at a loss.

A while later, he heard Pisimai say, "Allen, I'm going to teach those apprentices. Interested in coming along?" Naturally, he agreed at once. He followed Pisimai through several turns, and three minutes later they arrived in a small room. When he and Pisimai entered, there were only a dozen or so people in the classroom. Most of them were very young, and all had paper and pens. They had been talking quietly in the classroom, but stopped their discussion as soon as they saw the two enter.

"Apprentices, allow me to introduce Mage Allen. He's a Second-Rank Mage. Don't let his youth fool you-he has created a spell all his own. From now on, he'll be my teaching assistant." When Pisimai finished, the apprentices immediately applauded in welcome.

Then Pisimai began the lesson. "All right, let's not waste time. Today we'll discuss differences in the properties of mana..." Pisimai then began his lecture, while Allen acted as his assistant and listened to the lesson. Pisimai's teaching was rather ordinary, essentially following the book. Only at the end of the lesson did he allow the apprentices to ask questions. That was when they could learn things the book did not mention.

Throughout the lesson, Allen barely spoke, simply listening quietly to Pisimai's lecture. Even so, he benefited greatly. He spent the following days at the academy, apart from the time he needed for training and research. He spent most of his time reading there. The academy had its own independent library, open only to its members.

There, he found many books he had never read before. The collection contained all kinds of magical theories, from the most orthodox to the utterly absurd. Of course, most of its contents were the research of various instructors. This research was not available to outsiders, and the dean's authorization was required to view the important research and successful case studies in particular.

A month passed like this. Over that month, apart from showing some wit in class, his performance was no different from anyone else's. He did not want to stand out too much. He had come here to accomplish his own goals, so even when he noticed errors in the textbooks, he never corrected them. He taught the apprentices entirely according to the most orthodox theories.

That day, he came to substitute for Pisimai as usual. "Apprentices, today I'll be discussing the nature of magic. As mages, we cannot afford not to understand what magic is by its very nature. To borrow the words of His Excellency Chief Archmage Antonidas: magic is energy." This was Antonidas's most famous statement, found on the very first page of the basic magical theory book he had written.

He then began explaining Antonidas's theory to the apprentices, and the lesson soon came to an end. Just before class was over, he asked them, "All right, does anyone have any questions? We still have a little time."