Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 349 Order and Goal

All the eyes that looked over were filled with inquiry.

There was curiosity about the two individuals themselves, and curiosity about their subsequent experiences. Everyone could guess that the two figures who appeared last were the apprentices who had stood out from that series of inexplicable trials. In their eyes, there was a desire to see what was special about the two individuals, and also a desire to see what changes might occur in the two wizard apprentices after experiencing the unknown final stage of that trial.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that, theoretically, Ruger and the female apprentice were also eliminated, just later than the rest of them, and were among the last to be eliminated.

Amidst a rumbling sound, a fat, unusually tall wizard, radiating powerful spiritual energy, slowly entered through the open stone door and walked step by step to the crowd.

At one end of the spacious stone chamber was a pile of oddly stacked stones.

The tall, stout figure strode up, even flattening the irregular stones under his feet, showing that his weight was far more than it appeared.

The crowd's attention was finally diverted from the mysterious figure and noise, and their focus was drawn to the tall and broad wizard.

Luger blinked as he looked at the enormous creature.

There must be a deep reason why a wizard would maintain such an abnormal physique.

This sparked the curiosity of many apprentices.

This naturally includes Luger.

The chubby wizard slowly came to a stop, raising his eyes to survey the group of wizard apprentices in the stone chamber.

Luger straightened his expression and, along with everyone else, bowed to the fleshy, egg-like figure.

"One hundred and seventy-three people..."

Just as everyone stood up, they heard the fleshy wizard speak in a deep voice.

"That's a bit much."

Everyone's hearts sank upon hearing this.

Luger raised an eyebrow. He was one of the qualified candidates who stood out ahead of time and went through the formal assessment process, so there was no need for him to panic.

Calmly observing the wizard's enormous figure, Ruger figured that six or seven of him could fit under the wide wizard's robe, and perhaps even more could be squeezed in, or even another big fool like Humphrey.

The strange, fleshy wizard surveyed the crowd, then suddenly unleashed a powerful surge of mental energy.

Ruger took a step to the side, spreading his feet apart to steady himself.

More than a hundred wizard apprentices also began to sway, but after a while, not one of them fell down.

"A bit too little."

A smile appeared on the chubby face of the grotesque fleshball wizard.

"You can call me Wizard Benson. On behalf of all witch hunters, I welcome you. New witch hunters are new blood. If they are all young people of this caliber, then naturally the more the better, hehehehe..."

The fleshy wizard laughed and patted his belly with his big hand.

After the fluctuations in mental energy subsided, the group of wizard apprentices, who had just relaxed, suddenly felt their bodies go limp again, and sat down as the fleshy wizard patted his belly a second time.

Ruger looked astonished, recalling that brief moment and that strange feeling.

He, naturally, also sat on the ground.

“Wizards are all selfish creatures, or even not creatures at all, hehehe,” the fleshy wizard chuckled, sitting on the ground as well, and slowly began to speak. “The selfishness of wizards stems from their obsession and indifference. It was the birth of the High Council that pulled wizards out of the quagmire of being overly obsessed with their own paths, giving the wizarding world a new order, giving wizards a broader vision, and a deeper understanding of their own paths…” Although the fat figure was sitting, in Ruger’s eyes, it was still not much different in height from when he was standing. It wasn’t that the fat wizard had short legs, but rather that his body was too large.

However, his mountain-like figure easily gives people a sense of calm and reassurance, provided he is smiling in a friendly manner.

Otherwise, that composure and peace of mind will turn into an astonishing sense of oppression.

Even the big eyes of the fleshy wizard seemed small against his chubby face, and as he spoke, they scanned the attentive crowd.

"Most wizarding organizations, adhering to the will of the Supreme Council, use shared goals and knowledge to allow wizards to demonstrate their selflessness... The merit stones in your hands can play a small but significant role in this..."

As the fleshball wizard spoke, he reached out and patted his belly again.

Upon seeing this, the group of wizard apprentices immediately reached out and braced themselves on the stone slabs around them.

The fleshball wizard just chuckled when he saw it.

The previous sensation did not occur. Instead, small, black, round objects floated up from the hands of the wizard apprentices, including Ruger's, but they simply floated without making any further moves.

Luger suddenly realized what was happening.

The wizard apprentices were stunned for a moment, then they all raised their fingers.

Soon they also possessed the mark that proved their identity as witch hunters. As long as they raised their fingers and activated their mental power, it would appear without any hindrance, proving that they were witch hunters and members of the Holy Tribunal.

"You have now been truly incorporated into the ranks of the Demon Hunter Wizards. You can now leave your arcane mark on that little thing. From now on, you can use it and the necessary magic stones to travel to the Demon Hunter Wizard's headquarters at any teleportation array approved by the Supreme Council..."

The fat wizard was still speaking in a muffled voice.

Luger has discovered another use for it.

For example, after leaving the secret mark, he communicated with his spiritual power and already knew the number of merit stones he had recorded.

He can exchange a total of 24,200 merit stones.

In other words, even after failing to encounter the strange demon, he still received a reward of 10,000 merit stones. However, due to the previous promise of double rewards to those who succeeded in the assessment first, he received 20,000.

What can you do with 24,200 merit stones?
Ruger was full of anticipation.

At the same time, he felt that this was not an amount that could be easily obtained, at least not something that a trainee witch hunter could squander at will.

The fact that each person receives 100 merit stones upon reaching the end of the initial trial suggests that this is likely the amount a normal apprentice demon hunter would earn after handling such an event. However, a superior ascension ritual is not easily obtained, so a rough estimate suggests it might require tens of thousands of merit stones.

Another surge of mental energy.

This brought the wizarding apprentices, who were sitting on the ground and lost in thought, back to reality.

Of the 173 wizard apprentices, 88 made it to the end, and Ruger remembered that none of them gave up and all entered the house. Even if they failed and were sent away by that wizard, they would probably be given some merit stones for their failure. Therefore, this group of apprentice witch hunter wizards is probably the richest batch of new blood in recent years.

"You all have the opportunity to choose, but you must experience at least three demon-hunting operations or one major event before you can make your own choice..."

The fleshball wizard spoke slowly and deliberately in a deep voice.

The so-called choice of a Demon Hunter Wizard is the biggest difference between him and a Holy Judge Wizard. A Demon Hunter Wizard can sacrifice merits in exchange for greater freedom. As long as the required number of demon hunting incidents are completed, he can act independently and has the right to refuse any summons below the level of a Holy Judge's order. The so-called sacrifice of merits requires 20% to 50% more merits than a normal Demon Hunter Wizard when exchanging merits for items, depending on the requirements of the item being exchanged.

(End of this chapter)