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Chapter 37: 004: Tower Rewards
"Ah!"
The room fell into chaos as the apprentices nervously rushed to hide the chessboard and clear the table, but realizing they were too slow, they quickly lined up and lowered their heads to block the view of the table.
"Men... Mentor!" they hastily greeted.
The man had his rank insignia pinned to his chest, showing three Wisdom Leaves, marking him as just a High-level Apprentice.
According to the rules of the Shadow Tower, only Official-level Wizards were allowed to take apprentices. However, an exception was made for Inheritance Apprentices, as it was unheard of for any Inheritance Apprentice to fail to advance to wizard status.
The man’s face darkened for a moment but refrained from speaking further in the presence of others.
He approached Lynch, his small mustache at the corners of his lips slightly curled upward, revealing a cordial smile. "Lynch Valen, good day. I am Leonard von Aistheim."
It was actually him!
Lynch had heard of the name before, as it was widely renowned. After all, Leonard’s mentor was none other than the supreme ruler of both the Shadow Tower and the Dark Forest, the sage Erodion—a figure of immense renown. Yes, standing in front of him was Erodion’s very own Inheritance Apprentice.
Lynch hurriedly saluted, saying, "It’s a pleasure to meet you."
The Tower had specialized etiquette courses. Compared to knowledge-based public classes, these were conducted frequently; apprentices generally mastered them quickly.
Leonard nodded slightly and immediately addressed the matter. "The reason I’ve summoned you here to deliver your task statement is that your situation is somewhat unique, and there’s also a reward for eliminating a Black Wizard Apprentice that needs to be issued."
"What? This is the apprentice— the one who eliminated the Black Wizard Apprentice in the Corrupted Forest?"
"He doesn’t look like much at all..."
"Was it really him who did it? Could there have been some kind of mistake?"
As Leonard’s words landed, the room was immediately filled with a buzz of whispers. Lynch noticed the apprentices who had been indifferent toward him earlier were now all fixing their curious gazes on him, their interest swirling as if they were inquisitive children.
At this moment, Lynch was still unaware that news of his deeds had already spread across the entire Tower.
After all, an unexpected attack on the Shadow Tower—a rare occurrence—was already a hot topic of discussion. On top of that, a mere Low-level Apprentice had managed to counter and kill one of the attacking Black Wizard Apprentices, a highly dramatic tale, far too juicy to overlook.
Leonard’s patience broke. His brows furrowed, and he raised his voice slightly: "Does everyone here have nothing better to do?"
The apprentices quickly lowered their heads and returned to their respective workstations.
Perhaps finding the apprentices’ presence too irritating, Leonard refrained from saying anything further and instead turned to Lynch: "Follow me to my office."
Lynch followed Leonard and walked into the innermost room.
The space was roughly twenty square meters. At the far end stood a grand oak desk with distinctive grain patterns, neatly organized with scrolls and books. Near the entrance was a simple reception area comprised of sofas, chairs, and a coffee table.
Leonard gestured for Lynch to sit, then called out, "Goblin."
The room suddenly distorted, and a small, bald, green-skinned creature materialized within it.
Space shift...
Lynch couldn’t help but take another look at the goblin. While spatial shifting was one of their inherent talents, it was considered an extraordinarily rare ability that only emerged in perhaps one in several thousand goblins.
Leonard said, "Tea." 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
The goblin rubbed its hands together over its chest, and like a magic trick, a beautifully crafted porcelain cup appeared in its hands. Rich red tea poured out, filling the air with a thick and fragrant aroma.
Leonard took the teacup and turned to ask, "Would you like something?"
Lynch shook his head, "No need."
Leonard didn’t insist. He took a sip of tea and dove straight into the topic, "Regarding your task..."
Lynch immediately pulled out a prepared Space Pocket. Before coming, he’d deliberately emptied one and stored all his soul sparks for the assignment inside.
"These are my task materials," he said.
Leonard chuckled. "There’s no rush, but since you’ve already taken them out, very well."
He handed the Space Pocket to the goblin, who somehow produced a large wooden tray. Carefully, the goblin laid out the soul sparks from the pocket onto the tray one by one.
Leonard picked up a soul spark and examined it closely. "Hmm... Quite good quality. I’ll send this over for evaluation. You’ll be notified about specific results once the assessment is complete, though passing the test shouldn’t be an issue."
Even though Lynch had been fairly confident before coming, hearing a confirmed answer eased his mind and brought a surge of elation.
Just made it...
In truth, this round of apprentice evaluations was primarily organized for those senior apprentices who had been waiting several years; Lynch had simply benefitted from lucky timing, catching the tail-end of the process. Failing to pass would mean waiting several years for the next opportunity.
"Additionally..."
Leonard passed Lynch another Space Pocket, saying, "Inside are two thousand Magic Stones, broken down as follows: 500 are a reward for eliminating the Black Wizard Apprentice, 300 for your selfless protection of comrades, and the remaining 1,200 are special commendation from the Tower, recognizing your prudent use of knowledge and wisdom."
Pausing briefly, a glimmer of admiration appeared in Leonard’s eyes as he commended Lynch, "I’ve reviewed the report on the Corrupted Forest. You performed excellently. As a wizard, this is precisely how one should act—using the knowledge at one’s disposal. After all, knowledge is power."
Shortly after narrowly escaping the Corrupted Forest, Lynch encountered two apprentices sent to investigate the situation. He was then brought back to the Tower, where he faced questioning by several wizards and apprentices who inquired about the forest’s details. Lynch vividly remembered how diligently the wizards had documented his account.
Remaining humble, Lynch replied, "Thank you."
Leonard continued: "There’s one more significant reward, but it requires processing. I’ll notify you once it’s ready. For now, the particulars are classified, so I can’t tell you much. Just wait patiently."
"Oh, alright."
While curious about the mysterious reward Leonard had mentioned, Lynch didn’t press further, respecting the discretion surrounding the matter.
Leonard added, "Regarding what we discussed today, including the fact that you passed the evaluation, I ask that you refrain from disclosing this for now. Many things remain unresolved. Since the evaluations of other apprentices are still pending, causing a stir wouldn’t be ideal."
Lynch nodded earnestly, "I understand."
With that, the matter wrapped up. Leonard picked up his teacup, leaning back in his chair. He gazed out the window, where two apprentices could be seen flying past on magic wands, chasing one another.
Returning his gaze indoors, Leonard’s mustache curled upward again as he smiled warmly.
"You’ve truly done an outstanding job. I hope you continue striving forward—work toward entering the inner sanctum of the Tower soon. What’s learned outside merely scratches the surface. Only here within the Tower will you truly step into the wizard’s realm..."
...
By the time Lynch returned to his stone cottage, it was already evening. As he approached the door, the sound of knocking rang out.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Lynch, Lynch! Are you inside? Have you returned yet?"
Standing outside the door were two figures, one stout and one sturdy, their faces filled with anxiety and concern.
They were Lynch’s two friends, Carl and Subaru.
Alright, to the Fairy Tavern it is.
Having come into such a substantial windfall, it was only reasonable to celebrate with his friends.
