Chapter 7: The Highly Efficient First Lesson
Chapter 7: A Highly Efficient First Lesson
Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Although this neighbor, Keli, was so blunt it made people uncomfortable, Saul figured he could take the chance to gather information.
He was just about to speak when someone came walking down the corridor.
That person moved quickly while shouting loudly:
“All newly promoted Level-One Apprentices, report to the last classroom on the tenth floor of the East Tower by 9 o’clock sharp for your first public lesson!”
“All newly promoted Level-One Apprentices, report to the last classroom on the tenth floor of the East Tower by 9 o’clock sharp for your first public lesson!”
Someone opened their door at the sound and asked a question, but the person didn’t respond. They simply finished relaying the message and headed up the sloped hallway at the end.
New apprentices began gathering in the hallway, chatting excitedly. The atmosphere was lively, and everyone seemed full of hope.
“Keli!”
Two boys ran over. One of them, with bright, lively eyes, called out:
“Let’s go to class together!”
Keli only cast them a slight glance, didn’t even reply, and instead turned to Saul.
“Let’s head over now.”
The two rejected boys didn’t show anger. On the contrary, they even looked at Saul with a hint of caution.
Saul realized—these people probably assumed he had high talent too.
But he couldn’t explain it. So he just nodded and agreed to go with her.
There was still some time before 9 o’clock, and almost all the new apprentices hurried to the East Tower as soon as they heard the announcement.
The wizard tower itself seemed to be cylindrical, wider at the base and narrower at the top, and divided down the middle into East and West towers.
The East and West towers were both semi-circular, separated by a thick central wall, with passageways only on the 5th, 6th, 10th, and 14th floors.
At night, these passageways were shut, and people were not allowed to pass through.
When Saul had cleaned the hallways before, he had seen the passage doors—but he had never been allowed into the East Tower.
Now, following the crowd, he crossed the passage for the first time and entered the East Tower.
The sixth floor of the East Tower had no rows of rooms like the West. What met the eye were gray walls, covered in symbols and glyphs that Saul couldn’t make sense of.
Just one look made him dizzy.
He turned his head away quickly and noticed that Keli had kept her head down the whole time, not even glancing at the walls.
“This girl... really does seem to know a lot.”
“Thud, thud.”
Two people in front of them didn’t look away in time and collapsed to the ground in dizziness.
The others walked past them without offering a hand.
Saul also passed them by, watching them struggle to stand.
His previous excitement about life as a wizard apprentice suddenly dimmed.
…
“Everyone be quiet!”
Saul and the others had been sitting in the last classroom on the tenth floor of the East Tower for about ten minutes when a man in his fifties stormed in from the front door.
He strode up to the front of the room and placed one hand on the lectern.
“First class. Gorsa Wizard Tower’s rules. I’ll only say them once. If anyone asks me again—I’ll eat you! Urgh…”
Just as he finished, he bent over and retched right on cue.
A large pile of green slime splattered across the floor, mixed with several human fingers, which bounced once or twice before settling.
The students in the front row jerked backward, crashing into the desks behind them. Metal and wood clanged loudly.
Sitting in the back by habit, Saul lowered his head, avoiding the scene that made his stomach churn.
The man at the podium stood up again, still furious.
“Quiet!”
No one dared move—even those trying not to gag held still.
“First off, choose your mentor based on elemental affinity. I’m Gudo. Poison element mentor. I can also teach metal element. If your affinity matches, select me on the form!”
Saul looked down—his desk was empty.
This Mentor Gudo didn’t magically summon forms like in the movies, and no one had come to hand them out either.
He quickly pulled out his notebook and pen from his chest and started writing.
He heard a scratching sound nearby—Kori had pulled out her own paper and pen from her bag and was taking notes as well.
There were about twenty people in the classroom. More than half had brought their own writing materials.
Those who hadn’t prepared tried to borrow from neighbors—but no one dared speak up, especially after Gudo noticed them.
Onstage, Mentor Gudo was still talking—rapid-fire delivery.
“...Level-One apprentices, focus on public courses first. Learn arcane script, knowledge of all things, meditation, and runes. Only after that should you touch low-tier spells!”
Saul’s pen flew across the page, but when he couldn’t keep up, he just scribbled shorthand in his past life’s language.
“...Don’t waste your time. You don’t have any to waste! Level-One apprentices are tested once a month. The first test is in three months. If the examiner thinks you’ve lost all potential for growth—”
Gudo paused here, squinting as he scanned the room with a gloomy gaze:
“Then there’s no need to waste resources on you.”
Saul’s hand trembled, and one letter’s tail dragged way too long.
He quietly moved to the next line and continued writing.
“...Lastly, keep your eyes on your books. Don’t think about anything else. That’s for Level-Two apprentices to worry about.”
This part—Saul didn’t quite understand.
“Anything else”?
Magic spells?
“That’s it. I’m leaving.” Gudo finished speaking and left the classroom—even faster than he came in.
With the terrifying mentor gone, the room erupted in chatter.
Everyone began to talk at once.
Saul didn’t join in. He just stared straight at his freshly written notes, as if in a trance.
“Was your left hand like that from birth?” Keli’s voice rose again.
While taking notes, Saul had instinctively used his left hand to press the notebook, so naturally, Keli, sitting next to him, saw it.
Saul didn’t bother to hide it anymore. He responded casually:
“No. It became like this the day before yesterday.”
Keli furrowed her brows and pursed her lips, as if tackling some great philosophical dilemma.
Just then, a young man entered through the classroom door.
He wore a smile and carried a stack of papers in his hands as he walked up to the front.
“It’s now ten minutes to nine. You’ve all arrived early—very good! As apprentices, we must seize every moment. Early is on time, and on time is late.”
The young man tapped the stack of papers, his smile tightening a bit:
“I’ll hand out the mentor selection forms and the rulebook for the wizard tower. Mentor Gudo will return shortly to give his first lecture. Stay quiet. Gudo dislikes noise. If you have questions, don’t ask—read the manual. I’ll go over it again afterward.”
The classroom fell completely silent.
The young man was pleased. This year’s apprentices were very obedient. One command for silence, and the room went quiet.
He stepped off the platform to distribute the forms and handbooks—
Then suddenly stepped on something slimy.
Looking down, he lifted his foot—and saw a severed finger twitching slightly, stuck to his shoe.
He looked back up at the apprentices, his lips twitching.
“Mentor Gudo… he…”
“He’s already been here,” said a girl in the second row, quietly.
(End of Chapter)
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