CH34

In the dark forest, Helag and the others followed Dino in silence.

A cold wind blew, chilling them to the bone.

The stone path beneath Helag's feet was clean and tidy, without a single fallen leaf. Each stone slab looked identical.

After walking for ten minutes, they arrived at a garden-like place.

The garden was circular, with many paths extending from it, leading to unknown destinations. The stone path they had taken was just one of many.

At the garden's center was a fountain, bubbling with water.

Helag noticed eight people in the garden, standing in small groups.

As Dino arrived, they all looked over.

An elderly woman wearing a gray pointed hat and robe approached. She looked to be in her sixties or seventies. She looked at Helag and the others and said, "Dino, I heard there's a beautiful and talented lady joining Augustus. Which one is she?"

Dino smiled, "Professor Nina, don't be impatient. You'll take her back after the test."

He turned to Lilian and waved her over. "Lilian, come here. This is Professor Nina from Augustus Academy."

"Professor Nina!" Lilian greeted timidly, exuding the grace of a noble lady, with a touch of shyness.

Helag almost laughed at the sight. This woman was putting on an act.

Nina looked increasingly pleased and pulled Lilian over. "Hmm, not bad!"

The other seven wizards, both men and women, also approached, exuding an impressive aura.

Dino looked at the wizard apprentices behind him and said, "Those with tokens, stand to my left. Those without, stand to my right."

The eleven wizard apprentices quickly formed two groups. Helag, Lilian, and five others with tokens stood on the left, while four without tokens stood on the right.

Helag was surprised to see that Fegar didn't have a token.

Dino took out a crystal ball, holding it in his left hand, and said to the two lines of apprentices, "Next, we'll conduct a wizard aptitude test. The maximum score is 100. The higher the score, the better the aptitude."

"Remember, aptitude isn't everything. In the wizarding world, knowledge and effort are always more important. Good aptitude means you can progress faster, but it doesn't mean you can slack off."

"Helag, you go first."

Helag, standing in the front row, stepped forward.

"Place your hand on it and input your magic. Relax," Dino instructed.

Helag did as told, placing his hand on the crystal ball and inputting a bit of magic.

The crystal ball filled with white mist, which then condensed into the number 75.

"Helag, 75! Very good!" Dino said, patting Helag's shoulder encouragingly.

The number surprised Helag. He had expected a much lower score.

A middle-aged man with a stern face approached, staring at the fireball ring on Helag's hand. "If I'm not mistaken, that's a token from Moonlight Woodland."

"Yes, sir," Helag replied, feeling a strong sense of pressure as the man approached. It wasn't intentional but an aura that naturally emanated from him.

Dino patted Helag's shoulder, and the pressure disappeared. He introduced the man, "This is Larry Church, a powerful wizard from Moonlight Woodland. He'll take you back."

"Mr. Larry," Helag greeted politely.

Larry glanced at him expressionlessly and nodded slightly. "Hmm, follow me later."

"Next, Lilian," Dino continued the test.

Lilian, standing behind Helag, stepped forward.

"87!"

The crystal ball displayed the number clearly.

"Excellent! Miss Lilian!" Dino praised.

"Thank you!" Lilian said, lifting her skirt in a curtsy.

Nina personally came over, holding Lilian's hand, her smile uncontainable. She whispered in Lilian's ear, but no one else could hear what she said.

The apprentices with tokens quickly completed their tests. None had a higher score than Lilian. The best after her was 72, and the worst was 15.

Helag noticed that the boy with a score of 15 was the same one Fegar had hung at the ship's bow for fishing, named Joshua.

Joshua looked devastated, his face full of worry. His token was a quill, a token from Aruf Swamp.

Helag watched for a while, then turned his attention to the second round of tests.

Among the four apprentices without tokens, Fegar stood last, as he always preferred.

The first three had scores between 60 and 70. Finally, it was Fegar's turn.

Helag watched intently, curious about the score of the second-class apprentice, Fegar.

Fegar's eyes remained emotionless, like a snake's. He always had a cold, indifferent expression.

He placed his hand on the crystal ball, and the white mist swirled, finally forming the number 5.

***

The scene fell silent.

"Five? How did someone with an aptitude of 5 become a second-class apprentice, and at such a young age?" Helag was shocked. He had thought Fegar would have a high aptitude.

He recalled Dino's words: "Look at Fegar. His mental strength is high but extremely unstable. This kind of power gained through extreme means…"

"Extreme means… What kind of means can make someone with an aptitude of 5 become a second-class apprentice…"

Dino didn't seem surprised. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "The test is over. Those with tokens, find your corresponding guides."

He turned to the eight wizards who had come to pick them up. "Now, there are four apprentices without tokens. Who's willing to take them?"

Among the four, except for Fegar, the other three had scores above the passing line and were quickly taken by various wizard organizations.

Fegar was left standing alone, ignored.

Helag and the others who had traveled with him couldn't believe that Fegar had no token and was the last apprentice standing.

"No one?" Dino asked again.

"Come to Green Cottage," a bearded man finally said, inviting Fegar.

Fegar didn't speak, just nodded slightly.

"Let's go," the bearded man said, walking ahead without looking at Fegar.

Dino watched Fegar, wanting to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.