The First Trial

"Let's go! We'll eat at Mai's food stall tonight," Gilgamel said, despite knowing it was always night in this city.

"Woof!" Dodo responded as it excitedly followed its owner's steps.

Before long, a young man and a dog arrived at a street decorated with twinkling lights from magical lamps. Many stall foods lined both sides of the street, and many pedestrians with different kinds of styles walked between them.

Looking left and right, Gilgamel spotted several chefs preparing food using magical methods, with fire and various ingredients hovering in the air and blending together, creating a spectacle that captured the attention of passersby.

Dodo watched these scenes with its tongue and saliva hanging out.

Soon enough, Gilgamel stopped at a food stall where the queue was quite long.

Although he was acquainted with the owner of this food stall, he had no intention of cutting the queue. Besides, as a wizard, he had no problem standing for hours without feeling exhausted.

It took half an hour before he got his turn.

The owner of this food stall is a young woman with wavy, mid-back-length pink hair. She wears a slim, sleeveless red-violet top, miniskirt, and matching evening gloves.

She is young, beautiful, and knows how to cook. It's no surprise that many bachelors frequent this place. Some come to enjoy her food, while others come just to catch a glimpse of her.

"Gil," Exclaimed the owner when she saw Gilgamel.

"Mai, your food stall is still as crowded as ever." Gilgamel greeted her with a smile.

"You shouldn't be waiting in line, Gil." Mai sighed.

"How can I do that? I don't want people to think I have no manners," Gilgamel helplessly shook his head.

"Who would dare? I'll blacklist anyone who thinks that!" Mai said firmly, her voice loud enough for her customers to hear.

"Oh, you sound like a domineering female CEO, Mai," Gilgameel clapped and praised. He also saw many unhappy people but dared not to voice it out.

"Hmph," Mai snorted and said, "My stall, my rules! Besides, this food stall wouldn't exist without your help. According to your strange dictionary, you are like my investor. That's why I can't treat you the same as other customers."

Gilgamel chuckled softly when he heard this.

Mai, also known as Madeleine, was among those who joined Owl at the same time as Gilgamel.

Her talent was superior to Gilgamel's; she had a medium talent with three elemental affinities: fire, wind, and earth.

This kind of talent falls into the lowest category when you set chaos talent aside. If Mai weren't smart enough to earn extra money to buy resources for herself, she wouldn't get anywhere in a top organization like Owl.

Although Gilgamel's talent was not as good as Mai's, he possessed a unique skill that set him apart. Soon after joining Owl, he established his own business and never lacked the funds to purchase resources. 

In contrast, other members like Mai could only earn money by completing missions assigned by the organization.

The missions of low-level members were usually not dangerous or life-threatening, but they required them to work under the supervision of seniors. What was concerning was that some of the seniors were not nice; their requirements were too strict, they were stingy with advice, and the slightest mistake would result in their commissions being cut.

Although Gilgamel never experienced it directly, he heard these things from Mai, who had become his close friend by then.

Mai complained a lot to Gilgamel, giving him a headache. In desperation, he decided to help this pain-in-ass friend.

To be honest, everything about Mai was ordinary. Even her looks, which were considered beautiful, were just ordinary beauty in his eyes. After all, he had seen more attractive women in his previous life. However, there was one thing about her that stood out from the rest, and that was her extraordinary cooking skills.

Gilgamel had experienced two lives and tasted a lot of food, but Mai's cooking made him feel like he had never tasted decent food before.

Her food was not just tasty but also incredibly addictive. This inspired Gilgamel to support Mai in opening a food stall.

Fortunately, Mai exceeded all of his expectations. Her food stall had become the best on the street in just over a year. The food she prepared was a huge hit, leading to long queues almost daily, nearly bringing the roads to a standstill.

And Gilgamel, who owned a 20% share in Mai's food stall, received a large mana crystal each month. The amount even exceeded his monthly income from doing appraisals.

Gilgamel always seemed to arrive right when Mai was about to close her food stall, which had become a regular occurrence. The customers still waiting in line had grown accustomed to this, even though some were still unhappy. They had no choice but to accept it and regret not arriving earlier.

Soon, everyone dispersed, leaving only Gilgamel and Mai at the table. Dodo ate on the floor, with a much larger portion of food than Gilgamel and Mai.

Mai, who saw this, couldn't help but comment: "Don't you think that Dodo's appetite is getting bigger and bigger?"

Holding up a piece of chicken drumstick, Gilgamel nonchalantly replied, "How could I not notice? It's growing, so it's only natural that its appetite is growing too."

Mai chuckled softly as she bent down to pat Dodo's soft fur, saying: "Dodo, you're so lucky to have a considerate daddy like Gil."

Gilgamel smirked and nudged Dodo with his knee. "You heard that, Dodo. So stop barking at me in the morning!"

Mai rolled her eyes and said, "I think you just want to be lazy."

"Woof, woof!" Dodo barked as if it agreed with Mai's words.

"Hey, which side are you on?" Gilgamel glared at Mai.

"I'm on the side that eats the most of my food." Mai winked one eye sweetly.

"Sorry for having a limited stomach capacity," Gilgamel said annoyedly as he continued eating.

"Woof!"

Dodo thought that its owner was lame.

Gilgamel just looked at Dodo with dead eyes without saying anything.

His dog is not cute at all!

Soon, all three of them cleared the table of food. Gilgamel and Dodo's stomachs were bloated like balloons, making them too lazy to move.

"I'm glad you all still enjoy my cooking," Mai said, looking at both of them with satisfaction. 

"Your food is still the best in the world!" Gilgamel exclaimed, giving a thumbs up. 

"Woof!" Dodo barked in agreement.

Mai laughed, not taking these words seriously.

She wasn't the only wizard in Owl who was good at cooking; there were many others in the same situation as her. What made her different was that she had a friend willing to help and sponsor her until now.

In other words, she was just a lucky girl!

"Gil, how are your preparations for the first trial?" Mai asked.

The First Trial is held every five years by Owl and is aimed at members still in the First Circle Wizard stage. Specifically, it is for those who joined five years ago.

As members of a top organization like Owl, they enjoy many privileges that other wizards cannot. However, they must prove their worthiness to maintain these privileges.

For this reason, Owl has set up several trials, and the First Trial is one of them. Those who pass will stay and receive rewards, while those who fail will be expelled from the organization.

Gilgamel rubbed his belly and replied lazily, "I have prepared everything except a team." 

"A team?" Mai raised her eyebrows in bewilderment.

"Ah?" Gilgamel just realized that he'd slip up.

"Hey, spill it out!" Mai banged her hands on the table and asked impatiently, "I knew you knew something about the First Trial this time!"

The First Trial's content varied each time it took place, so it was fruitless for participants to seek hints from older members. Only the organization's higher-ups, who were involved with the trial, were privy to the details. Regular members couldn't access them or extract any information.

"Calm down, girl!"

Gilgamel straightened his back and explained, "Honestly, I don't know much about the contents of the First Trial. Not too long ago, I visited Senior Raiden and had a drink together. He got drunk and accidentally let slip some information about the First Trial."

"You got Senior Raiden, a Seventh Circle Wizard, drunk? Is that even possible?" Mai exclaimed in disbelief.

Wizards have extraordinary immunity. Let alone drunkenness; even the most incurable mortal diseases cannot penetrate their skin.

She couldn't imagine a powerful expert like Senior Raiden would get drunk on ordinary wine.

Gilgamel rolled his eyes as he responded, "Am I that naive? Of course, I knew that Senior Raiden was only pretending to be drunk and deliberately leaked me information about the First Trial."

Mai asked in confusion, "Why would he do that?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Gilgamel said matter-of-factly. "He didn't want Owl accidentally to lose a treasure like me because of this trial."

"Ooh~" Mai groaned in realization and blurted out, "In other words, he just has no confidence in you."

"..." Gilgamel was speechless.

"Good for you, Gil. Senior Raiden truly values you. I envy you," Mai said, not bothering to cover up her envious expression.

"Heh, you should!" Gilgamel said with a sneer.

Mai, "..."

She just remembered that even though her friend was loyal and generous, he was still petty as ever.