Chapter 334: Interlude??

Gray Rain Country Gray Marsh.

In a not-so-spacious underground structure, various rune-drawing tools were neatly arranged in the corner of the room. On the central table lay an exquisite mage robe, with only half of its energy circuits completed. The magnificent luster, leaping like flames on the experiment table, illuminated the entire laboratory.

“Alright, with this, the preparations are complete.”

A young man in a white mage robe dissipated the enchantment spell in his hand, stretched lazily, and then casually turned around:

“Oh my, I only needed one assistant, but five or six people came to apply all at once. What should I do?”

Looking at the five female apprentices standing respectfully in a row at his laboratory door, the white-robed mage couldn’t help but show a troubled expression.

Mijia Ka was a thirteenth-level Formal-Level Mage. Unlike many emotionless spellcasters, this mage who preferred wearing white robes had maintained his consistently cheerful personality even though three to four hundred years had passed since his promotion to Formal-Level. Even in the strictly hierarchical and socially oppressive environment of the Thought of Truth, Mijia Ka would still frequently visit the apprentice areas. Moreover, he completely lacked the aloof attitude typical of Formal-Level Mages. When approached by apprentices seeking guidance, Mijia Ka would even provide serious answers, never minding his status as a Formal-Level Mage.

It was precisely because of Mijia Ka’s unconventional approach that he was generally regarded as an oddball and not accepted in Formal-Level Mage circles. However, among apprentices, Mijia Ka was genuinely considered a good teacher. Some infatuated female apprentices had even spontaneously formed a fan club, calling Mijia Ka the “Handsome Sage.”

As a spellcaster specializing in enchantment magic, Mijia Ka had recently been researching some enchantment spells. Perhaps finally feeling that he couldn’t manage the workload alone, he decided to recruit an apprentice assistant and offered what could be described as generous compensation.

Generally, when Formal-Level mentors recruited assistants, they had to resort to semi-coercive methods because apprentices viewed these mentors—who often studied disgusting and terrifying things and sometimes even transformed themselves beyond recognition—as practically equivalent to “dangerous perverts.” Faced with assistant recruitment from Formal-Level Mages, almost all apprentices would avoid it if possible.

But Mijia Ka’s assistant recruitment proceeded very smoothly—perhaps too smoothly. Five apprentices came to his laboratory to recommend themselves, all uniformly beautiful female apprentices (don’t misunderstand—any male applicants had been collectively driven away by the female apprentices).

What surprised Mijia Ka most was that among the neatly lined-up female apprentices, he saw a completely unexpected figure.

It was a girl with jet-black long hair. The petite girl stood quietly in the corner near the doorway, appearing somewhat dazed with a sense of “moe.” This feeling made Mijia Ka think he had encountered a little kitten that hadn’t fully woken up yet. A sense of protective affection quickly rose from the heart of this otaku mage.However, Mijia Ka only sighed briefly before looking at the magical emblem on the girl’s chest with a bitter smile:

“Ah, Anya—Lord Cyan’s most valued disciple. How… how should I handle this?”

——————————————

When Anya heard that the famous “Handsome Sage” instructor was recruiting assistants, she began to feel tempted despite being troubled by the increasing mysteries surrounding herself.

Of course, it wasn’t the generous compensation offered by Instructor Mijia Ka that attracted her. The resources Punk had left for Anya before his departure were so abundant that she could undoubtedly be considered the “wealthiest” among her apprentice cohort. What truly concerned her was finding someone sufficiently advanced to help unravel the peculiar occurrences happening to her. After all, Anya was an intelligent girl, and the recent abnormalities within herself had been making her increasingly uneasy.

It must be said that Anya had no worries about the progression that troubled ordinary apprentices the most. In less than a year, she had astonishingly advanced three consecutive ranks at an almost monstrous pace, now just one step away from becoming an Apprentice Mage. In terms of progress alone, Anya had already left the vast majority of apprentices far behind.

As for spells, Anya wasn’t concerned either. Although her understanding of magic had become increasingly muddled, and she sometimes felt as if someone else was manipulating her soul to construct the intricate details of spell models, in her hazy perception, her spell models not only remained error-free but grew increasingly refined. Even the most difficult Apprentice Rank spells could be mastered with ease after less than a day of practice.

Yet despite possessing these benefits that countless mage apprentices dreamed of, Anya found no joy in them. Over the past month, she had begun noticing subtle side effects—or perhaps… costs!

The most direct change Anya perceived was in her own personality. She was horrified to discover herself becoming increasingly arrogant, irritable, and filled with an almost greedy possessiveness.

For instance, she cared less and less about Moli using her as protection from disasters, focusing more on whether the soft-spoken, cute-looking girl stayed by her side at all times. Anya also found herself enjoying holding little Moli in her arms, manipulating her like a ragdoll with forceful playfulness. Even when Moli whimpered in pain, Anya was unwilling to stop—and even… felt some indescribable, perverse pleasure from Moli’s pleas…

As Anya’s behavior grew increasingly excessive, Moli’s gaze toward her became filled with unspoken fear. Upon reflection, Anya realized that if Moli weren’t dependent on her protection, the increasingly terrified girl would have likely fled far away long ago.

After discovering these frightening changes, Anya grew deeply concerned. Although she still told herself to remain optimistic and strong, to trust her mentor, the continued absence of Punk combined with accidentally hurting poor Moli the day before finally prompted the calmer Anya to seek help.”I can’t go on like this. If things continue this way, sooner or later… I’ll become someone I no longer recognize!”

Holding such thoughts, Anya attended Mijia Ka’s assistant recruitment session. Though she didn’t know much about this mage, in Anya’s view, Master-Level experts of higher tiers were completely beyond her reach, while most other Formal-Level mentors tended to be cruel and perverted. Mijia Ka, with his decent reputation, seemed like the best available choice.

“What a pity there are still some troublesome competitors. I wonder if I’ll succeed… Damn, I really want to kill them all!”

At this moment, facing the somewhat flustered Mijia Ka, Anya stood nervously among several other female apprentices, feeling unusually anxious. Deep in her heart, a thought even she hadn’t noticed began to surface like faint bubbles…

(End of Chapter)