Two weeks later, Shadow Square.
The apprentice testing grounds were set at Shadow Square, the largest plaza in the outer ring of the Shadow Tower. Any major event involving quasi-apprentices was typically held here.
At this moment, the broad and ancient square was already crowded with young people wearing cloaks, all about Lynch's age. These were his fellow quasi-apprentices who joined the Tower during the same term and were now preparing for the test.
"Splash!"
At the center of the Tower was an old Dew Spring, its basin water mixed with dew collected by fairies. It had a slight restorative effect on the spiritual power of wizards.
Lynch stood before the fountain and washed his face. He had stayed up all night reading and doing experiments again, leaving his mind clouded with fatigue.
"Silly boy!"
At that moment, a voice sounded from behind. Turning around, Lynch saw two apprentices walking toward him.
One was a tall boy, with dark skin and a burly, muscular build. His toned physique radiated a sense of strength.
This was Carl, the son of a hunter family from the outskirts of Deer City in the northern region of the Putan Kingdom.
Beside him was a fair and chubby young man, also from Deer City. His name was Subaru, and he hailed from a family of traders in the city.
They all came from the Putan Kingdom and specifically from the northern region of the realm, making them relatively familiar with each other among the quasi-apprentices.
Lynch greeted them amicably: "Long time no see, Carl, Subaru."
Subaru smiled: "Indeed, almost three months."
The life of a wizard was busy and intense, filled daily with meditation, cultivation, experiments, learning, and earning Magic Stones for living expenses. There was never a shortage of tasks.
Thus, even though they lived in the same area, opportunities to meet were rare. Lynch last saw Subaru and Carl nearly three months ago.
Carl pouted nonchalantly and said, "It's only been two or three months."
Subaru chuckled again: "Yeah, just a few months."
Wizard lifespans were far longer than those of ordinary humans. Apprentices could live up to over two hundred years, and wizards could exceed five hundred years.
In such a perspective of time, a few months was indeed insignificant.
Carl glared at Subaru with dissatisfaction: "You sly rascal, why do your words have no backbone? Even goblins are less repugnant."
The chubby boy didn't get angry, instead laughing: "Haha, you could search the entire Wizard World and not find a goblin as generous as me."
As he spoke, he pulled out a few beans and handed them over.
Carl took a puzzled look and asked, "What's this? Peas?"
Subaru rolled his eyes: "Ignorant fool."
Lynch picked up one of the beans, scrutinizing it closely. It appeared like an ordinary pea but was slightly larger than typical peas. Moreover, its surface was adorned with strange patterns—twisted black markings.
Uncertain, he asked hesitantly, "Could this be… Sober Magic Beans?"
Subaru's gaze flickered with apparent surprise as he glanced at Lynch, teasing: "Oh my, with such knowledge and insight, you hardly seem like a 'dull plowhand, clumsy farmer.'"
In this world's social hierarchy, peasants occupied the lowest rung, spending their entire lives working obediently for their lords with little to no access to education. Most peasants were exceedingly dull, ignorant, and lacking any breadth of knowledge.
Naturally, terms like dull plowhand or clumsy farmer were frequently used to describe them.
"Sober Magic Beans? So these are Sober Magic Beans?" Carl finally reacted, his eyes widening dramatically.
Sober Magic Beans were a type of low-level apprentice-grade Magic Plant capable of replenishing a small amount of spiritual power.
Spiritual power was immensely valuable for wizards, being consumed in meditation, learning, experiments, and all cultivation paths. Anything that could restore spiritual power was, unsurprisingly, precious.
"Crunch!"
Lynch grabbed one of the beans, bit it open, and swallowed it. Immediately, he felt a surge of pure energy expanding within his body, quickly rushing upward into his mind. The spiritual power depleted during the previous night's toil noticeably recovered, and the fatigue clouding his thoughts lifted considerably.
Subaru asked, "How is it? My beans are decent, right?"
Lynch nodded honestly: "Very good."
Carl, skeptical, asked disdainfully, "Did you cultivate these yourself? You already know how to grow Sober Magic Beans?"
Magic Plant cultivation was Subaru's primary area of study.
Subaru retorted, "Otherwise, where do you think these magic beans come from?"
After a brief pause, he continued, "Well then, with these beans, passing the test shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Lynch nodded: "Excellent."
Though Sober Magic Beans were only low-level apprentice-grade Magic Plants, successfully cultivating them demonstrated that Subaru had mastered foundational cultivation techniques, achieving at least a Level 1 proficiency. Passing the test would be a cinch for him.
"Tch—"
Carl clicked his tongue in disdain and said dismissively, "Just a trivial test, nothing difficult about it anyway."
As he spoke, he unconsciously tilted his chin upward, revealing deep gray fur on both sides of his jawline. These weren't just stubble but resembled the coat of a beast.
Subaru gaped: "Oh no, you actually fused with that vial of Wind Wolf bloodline?"
Bloodline integration was Carl's primary course of study.
Carl's lips curved into a smug grin: "What do you think? Got a bit of werewolf charm now, eh?"
Lynch nodded, "Very cool."
Their gazes then collectively shifted to Lynch.
Carl asked, "Silly boy, what about you? How are you planning to pass this test? What's your creation? Show it to us."
Though both appeared friendly, Lynch instinctively deliberated quickly. With the Tower's Witch Spirits monitoring the plaza closely, it wasn't an issue to reveal his experiment now.
He then raised his hand, holding up an iron cage concealed beneath a layer of black cloth.
Lynch was about to pull back the cloth to showcase his creation to the two when Subaru suddenly extended his hand to stop him.
Subaru glared: "Are you really that foolish? He asked, and you just showed him?"
Before Lynch transmigrated into this world, he had already known these two. At that time, the impression of 'Lynch' in their minds aligned perfectly with a peasant's image: honest, simple, and silly, so much so they even gave him the nickname "silly boy."
Such a person might fare fine living a plain and honest farming life. However, placed within the vast, treacherous Wizard World, such naïveté was utterly unsuitable.
Gradually, Subaru and Carl tried to teach Lynch to be smarter, hoping to make him less honest than before. Carl's consistent use of the nickname "Silly Boy" was, in truth, meant to help him grow.
After all, encountering companions who truly bonded in this foreign world was rare, and while one might meet many new faces down the road, childhood friends like them were irreplaceable.
Both still sincerely hoped Lynch could be like them—more clever and less guileless—so he might go farther in the Wizard World.
Subaru spoke earnestly: "This isn't your hometown's farmland. This is the Wizard World—a place brimming with danger, deception, and treachery. Be smarter. Don't be so honest. Or have you already forgotten what happened last time?"
Earlier, 'Lynch's' excessive honesty and lack of foresight had led someone to swap his critical experiment materials, directly resulting in his downfall.
Carl added: "Exactly. If you hadn't been so foolish, you'd already be living in the Tower with wizard mentorship by now, maybe even giving us a chance to benefit too."
Two years ago, when their batch of apprentices entered the Tower, one wizard decided to select an Inheritance Apprentice to take into the Tower for direct cultivation.
For apprentices like them, mostly self-schooled with limited access to knowledge, scarcely any resources, and even fewer daily necessities covered, this opportunity was akin to ascending to heaven in a single leap.
Originally, Lynch had a shot at this dream.
The wizard narrowed down his choices to Lynch and another apprentice, intending to pick one.
But at that critical moment, Lynch's experiment failed, damaging his spiritual power and ultimately costing him the opportunity.
... And yes, the culprit behind switching Lynch's experiment materials, leading to his death, was the other apprentice.
Ironically, this was someone Lynch had always treated as a dear friend, the chance for the theft being provided by his trusting simplicity.
Subaru advised soberly: "Learn from this. Stay alert, and don't be so naive again."
In his heart, Lynch felt a sense of warmth, for Subaru and Carl truly cared for him.
So, he set down the iron cage and nodded earnestly: "Alright then."
Afterwards, the three chatted casually about various topics—like a particular apprentice nearly losing his life due to fairy allure while gathering in the forest, or someone's discovery of ruins.
Until suddenly, the square burst into commotion.
"They're here. The Master Wizards are here!"
"The Master Wizards have arrived!"
A sound of wings flapping echoed. Looking up, they saw three crows soaring across the skies.
Black crows circled and descended onto the center of the square. As they landed, their bodies began to contort, stretch, and expand. By the time they touched the ground, they had already transformed into three human figures.
The apprentices on the plaza bowed their heads humbly and saluted with utmost respect:
"Master Wizards!"