Chapter 294: Interview

Apprentices of the Thought of Truth had no right to choose. At least from the moment they were selected by mentors seeking talented individuals until they officially joined the Thought of Truth, their options remained extremely limited. For instance, now that they were about to enter the headquarters of the Thought of Truth Branch and become apprentices under a Formal-Level mentor, a good mentor would be their greatest asset on their professional path, while a bad one could cause even the most gifted apprentice to perish prematurely.

Yet even though this matter directly concerned their future paths and even their lives, all apprentices could only passively accept their fate.

The selection of apprentices was done by the mentors. The treatment of those with outstanding talent and those with average talent was completely different. Master-Level powerhouses would select the exceptionally talented as apprentices, while ordinary Formal-Level Mages would choose those with average aptitude.

However, if an exceptionally talented apprentice failed to catch the attention of any Master-Level powerhouse, they would face the same treatment as ordinary apprentices.

Becoming an apprentice under a good mentor was even more difficult. Those mentors who genuinely intended to take on apprentices rather than merely go through the motions generally wouldn’t make their selections solely based on the information provided by the Thought of Truth. Most would personally interview numerous apprentices and then choose the disciples they favored from among them.

But there were too few mentors who sincerely sought apprentices. Most apprentices faced nothing more than three options: “negligent mentors,” “perverted mentors,” or “no mentor at all.”

Indeed, in some cases, there were apprentices who weren’t selected by any mentor. The fate of such mentorless apprentices was often miserable. Apprentices without a single coin to their name typically relied on loans from their mentors for “start-up funds.” Moreover, guidance from a mentor was an essential learning step for most apprentices of average talent. Being left to fend for themselves on the outskirts of the branch without any initial resources was far from ideal. Of course, those selected by mentors who enjoyed experiments or had twisted hobbies would also end up in dire straits.

When selecting apprentices, mentors generally followed the “needs-first” rule. For example, mages specializing in alchemy could prioritize apprentices with exceptional mana control, while mentors fond of experimental dissection often preferred thick-skinned apprentices.

However, most of the time, mentors viewed apprentices as utterly useless burdens that only brought trouble. Thus, aside from lecherous old men like Ben Lajie, who carefully selected apprentices based on their beauty, other mages would simply pick a couple at random to fulfill the formality.

As a Master-Level powerhouse, Punk certainly had the right to go through the motions as a mere formality. But for him, this wasn’t just about recruiting apprentices—he also needed to put on a show of seriousness to lay the groundwork for his future special attention toward a particular apprentice.

So, with an air of natural authority, Punk began earnestly preparing for the apprentice recruitment interviews.

He first selected over ten exceptionally talented apprentices, including Anya, then specially set aside a valuable day to arrange interviews for them. He even went so far as to hold these interviews directly within his Magic Tower.It must be said that Punk’s behavior appeared excessively earnest in the eyes of the many perfunctory mages, giving the genuine impression that he was seriously selecting an apprentice to pass on knowledge—at least entirely different from the lecherous attitude of someone like Ben Lajie.

Thus, quite unexpectedly, Punk gained a reputation for being rigorous and serious in his approach. Many Ordinary Mentors even believed that the Thought of Truth was finally emphasizing apprentice training and reduced their own perfunctory treatment of apprentices. Of course, Punk was unaware of these effects and wouldn’t have cared even if he had known.

The preparatory work was actually quite simple for Punk: it merely involved notifying the still silent Master Kirk Weilen, ignoring Ben Lajie’s complaints after Punk had intercepted the beautiful apprentice, and finally staying personally in the already repaired Magic Tower Laboratory.

The scheduled time for interviewing the apprentices was set for seven in the morning, which was also the second day since the apprentices had arrived at the Thought of Truth.

To Punk, who was deeply engrossed in meditation, it seemed like no time had passed before the suns “Mila” and “Chikasa” slowly rose outside the window.

After concluding his daily meditation, Punk set the listless Iron-Toothed Raven aside in its cage and settled onto a stone chair he had just summoned:

“Excellent. From now on, ‘showing concern’ for the apprentices will be perfectly justified. I can’t think of any oversights. So next… Anya… let’s see if you can surprise me.”

The morning light streamed through the enchanted window, illuminating Punk’s back. From the front, his body was entirely shrouded in shadow, with only the crimson patterns swirling with bloody energy and his azure pupils gleaming with an icy chill.

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“I was born into a mage’s family since childhood. The knowledge I possess surpasses what you could learn in a lifetime. One of Lord Cyan’s apprentices will definitely be me. I suggest you scram right now because you’re nothing but a worthless waste without even a family name. Understood?”

A youth clad in ornate Mage Robes leaned close to Anya’s ear, his face full of disgust as he spoke arrogantly. His words were both offensive and merciless—a stark contrast to the humble farewell he had just bid his friends upon entering the Magic Tower.

Outside the laboratory door of Punk’s Magic Tower, the apprentices who had climbed thousands of steps now stood obediently in line. Though there were no servants guarding the area, not a single apprentice dared to speak loudly. Some cast members cast provocative glances at their competitors, while others quietly rehearsed meticulously crafted self-introductions.

However, whether they were glaring at each other or subtly making threatening gestures, no one went as far as the youth beside Anya in openly mocking an apprentice from a common background.

Generally, talented apprentices possessed strong self-esteem, and in such situations, it was almost inevitable for tempers to flare.

But Anya paid no attention to the disdainful youth beside her.

She knew he was trying to unsettle her emotions, especially since it was already her turn for the next interview.Anya preferred to believe that the humble side of this youth was his true nature. She understood quite well the cutthroat competition among apprentices vying to become disciples of a Master-Level powerhouse, especially since this mentor appeared to be the exceptionally dedicated type. Becoming his apprentice would be almost equivalent to soaring to the heavens in a single step.

In truth, had this mentor’s name not been Punk Cyan, Anya would have mustered every ounce of her competitive spirit. But now…

Those icy cyan eyes flashed through Anya’s mind, and involuntarily, she felt her body grow cold once more.

Intuition repeatedly warned the young woman—her interview qualification was absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not a good thing!

(End of Chapter)