Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 344 Tacit Understanding and Tears

The middle-aged wizard's gaze swept over the group of wizard apprentices present, and he nodded in satisfaction, a slight smile appearing on his usually stern face.

“Very good, eighty-eight people have made it this far, more than I expected. Now, you will all receive one hundred merit stones.” The man raised his hand, and a mysterious light fell on the test tokens of everyone. He suppressed his smile and continued, “You don’t need to worry about the specifics of what you are doing. You just need to know that what you are doing is a very important thing. Wizard apprentices can be very useful in certain special moments. You just need to be proud of what you have done.”

As the middle-aged man spoke, his gaze moved slowly, as if sweeping across the faces of each apprentice.

“Presumably, some of you have reached your limits and should be able to sense the abnormality within yourselves, but you would never choose to withdraw voluntarily, so there’s no need to waste any more time waiting,” the middle-aged wizard said without turning around, pointing to the small house behind him. “The next step is simple: go into that house. You don’t need to do anything, just go in and stay there for as long as you can, within your limits. Once you’re inside, we can’t guarantee your safety, but as long as you feel your limits… come out in time, you should generally be safe.”

The group exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

Ruger looked at them and thought of the stupid-looking man who had quit at the beginning and had interrupted him in completing the Blood Curse Doll. That guy was able to quit on his own initiative, probably because he thought there would be no danger under normal circumstances.

That guy was also a confident person, and he must have believed that he could make it to the end and face the problem of entering this small house.

However, this seemingly foolish fellow was able to get the news in advance, so it must be because his teacher, among the demon hunter wizards, happened to know about these things.

Ruger then wondered if this guy's ability to be one of the three who finished ahead of time might also be due to cheating. No, it couldn't be called cheating; it was just that a little hint might have made things much smoother.

Luger smiled slightly.

Perhaps his half-teacher arranged to meet him in Blackhorn beforehand to do something similar, to ask him if he wanted to become a witch hunter, or to inadvertently give him some hints, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, he was unable to meet him.

"We will determine the specific eligibility criteria, and those who pass will receive an additional two thousand merit stones."

As the middle-aged wizard finished speaking, some people began to get restless.

Everyone here is a confident and daring wizard apprentice.

The middle-aged wizard smiled and slowly rose into the sky, seemingly unwilling to stay there any longer.

Ruger suddenly realized that the middle-aged wizard had not mentioned the order in which people should enter, or whether they should wait for the previous person to come out. The small house was clearly not big enough to hold the nearly one hundred people inside.

Clearly, all the wizard apprentices had thought of this problem.

A powerful man took a step forward, but didn't utter any harsh words; he simply walked silently towards the small house first.

The wizard apprentices behind them naturally followed.

Luger glanced around and naturally chose to follow, staying neither too far forward nor too far back, just in the middle of the group.

The group walked on in silence.

The small house that seemed so close actually wasn't as close as I'd imagined.

Ruger found himself growing somewhat fond of these guys. Whether they were aloof or constantly smiling, the nearly one hundred of them walked together, their every move understood each other perfectly, allowing them to make quick decisions. Even the most assertive among them remained quiet, possessing a tacit understanding without needing to speak. This apparent tacit understanding, though fundamentally unrelated to it, was a situation where everyone could rationally judge each other. It was a rare sight that created a semblance of tacit agreement.

There was no arguing, no conflicts, and certainly no cutting in line or quarrels. Whoever wanted to go first and whoever wanted to go last, everything happened naturally.

Ruger felt that even when dealing with those powerful and troublesome subterranean beasts with these people, as long as they defeated two of them, they could achieve quite good cooperation without needing to communicate verbally, regardless of who used which spell or where they should stand.

Just like the scene right before my eyes right now.

Luger gradually stopped walking.

The first wizard apprentice had already pushed open the door and entered the small house.

The second one followed immediately inside.

But there was no third one; everyone waited silently.

Only after the two people emerged, one after the other, looking utterly bewildered, did the others begin to file in. The answer was self-evident.

The fact that the two people were able to walk out at different intervals, and that the one in the lead didn't seem bothered, was enough to suggest that they were likely not facing the same situation. And that probability was enough for everyone to make a decision.

Ruger followed in the middle of the group, casually stuffing the last bit of fruit into his mouth and crunching it.

He hasn't sensed anything unusual yet, which might be a good thing. Those lovely merit stones might be in his hands soon. Rewards mentioned by the wizard must be good things, but Ruger thinks that what he can get is probably not enough to exchange for an ascension ritual. He might have to work harder.

Soon, he arrived at the door and reached out to grasp the old doorknob.

The moment he pushed open the door, he knew that everyone's judgment was correct. In front of him was a living room that was not very big, and behind him was the door. None of the people who had come in before him were here.

Ruger recalled the words of the middle-aged wizard.

He didn't leave the living room, nor did he look at the dark corners and stairs that held unknown secrets.

The living room, though not large, contained only four chairs and a bookshelf against the wall; there was nothing else, not even a table. It seemed as if no one would sit here to drink tea, but someone would sit here to read. Moreover, the books could only be held in one's hands or placed on the bookshelf. This inconspicuous little detail made Luger feel extremely awkward, as if the owner of this place was a person with habits quite different from ordinary people.

What exactly is the scope of this "doing nothing" rule? Does looking at the books on the bookshelf count?

Or should we not move at all, but simply stand in the same place as before?

Luger smiled, showing no recklessness.

He was completely baffled by what had happened this time, and witnessing that stupid-looking guy voluntarily withdraw made him more cautious.

The middle-aged wizard had previously mentioned that they would observe and judge, which meant that this was still a selection process.

What will happen next will only be known to those who pass the selection process. To avoid causing too much confusion, the wizard reassured everyone at the beginning, saying that they didn't need to worry about what was happening, as long as they knew it was an important matter.

Ruger now understood that those words were probably meant to anticipate their confusion upon entering the room and to prepare them mentally in advance.

Ruger stood there, somewhat bored, and even thought of using the Spirit Hair Nourishment spell to comb his fur.

But he held back, simply because he didn't know whether the boundary of "doing nothing" included casting spells on himself.

He suddenly realized he was getting a little impatient.

When he realized it, his emotions were already fluctuating. He took a deep breath and began to think.

Was it because of a failed grooming attempt? Was it because he couldn't grasp the boundaries? Obviously not. He wasn't that easily angered; rather, something was subtly influencing him.

He raised an eyebrow at this thought, feeling that this so-called revised trial assessment seemed a bit too simple. Sometimes, he wasn't quite used to things that were too simple, or he would always wonder if there were any unknown traps.

Time flowed by, second by second.

Just as he was getting bored, he suddenly heard a crying sound coming from the back of his hand.

"Waaaaah, my dear master, waaaah, I shouldn't have thought that way, it's all my fault, I'm a shameless hair, I don't deserve to have a spirit... I even dared to dream that I could become a carefree fairy, a great fairy king, waaaah, master... I know I won't succeed, my mind wasn't pure enough... I, I'm actually not the first number one miscellaneous hair, I'm number two... Miscellaneous hair number one, to save you, led his brothers in shouting, I... I only made a tiny sound... I, I, they all used up all their spirit..."

The scraggly one burst into tears, babbling incessantly as if in a daze.

The hair on the back of Luger's neck stood on end.

The sudden turn of events left him momentarily stunned.

He wasn't surprised by the content of Zamao No. 1's words, but rather worried about the current situation.

(End of this chapter)