NEC Chapter 45: Glimmer Group Three

Under Kato’s enthusiastic guidance, Chen Mo quickly familiarized himself with the environment of the mage tower. Overall, the conditions of

Under Kato’s enthusiastic guidance, Chen Mo quickly familiarized himself with the environment of the mage tower.

Overall, the conditions of this “preparatory mage tower” were abysmal, shockingly so.

The cafeteria’s walls were severely corroded, with large patches of plaster peeling away to reveal darker adobe beneath. The few shoddy repair marks looked like scars left by an unskilled doctor’s clumsy stitches.

The dormitory had a mudboard floor, seemingly made from poorly processed soil. It was uneven underfoot and carried the raw, earthy stench of unrefined dirt. In the gaps, sparse, wilted weeds stubbornly poked through, trampled into a drooping, half-dead state.

As for the study hall, it was the most presentable building in the apprentice area, clearly serving as the facade.

Yet it was still dilapidated beyond belief. The corridor under the eaves was narrow and long, with mottled walls embedded every few steps with fist-sized firestones emitting a dim yellow glow, barely dispelling the heavy shadows.

As they walked, loose flagstones occasionally clicked underfoot, emitting abrupt sounds.

Chen Mo arrived during the evening class. One instructor, ten classmates, plus Kato and Chen Mo, made up the twelve members of Glimmer Group Three.

“Instructor, Roy has returned from leave!”

Whoosh!

A dozen gazes turned on Chen Mo like spotlights.

Curiosity, speculation, disdain, contempt, these were the emotions Chen Mo could directly sense. If he used the microexpression analyzer on each one, he’d likely be overwhelmed by a flood of strange feelings.

At that moment, Chen Mo had a realization: Deputy Director Vincent’s claim that everyone in the tower needed to be bribed might not have been an exaggeration.

At the very least, no one seemed surprised that Roy had suddenly transformed into this new appearance.

Though the environment was overly crude, it didn’t matter. Chen Mo wasn’t here for a vacation. The upcoming new meditation techniques, accompanying magical materials, and the coveted channeling skills, everything was moving rapidly in a positive direction.

However, there was bad news: the instructor for Glimmer Group Three was far from friendly toward Chen Mo.

Kato had warned him on the way. Instructor Morton came from humble origins and was exceptionally talented, but a severe accident had left him injured, deemed incapable of advancing magically, and expelled from his original mage tower.

His mental trauma worsened over time, and without funds for treatment, he could only wait despairingly for death.

“It was our head instructor, Master Hal, who saved him,” Kato explained, winking at Chen Mo. “But his realm has been stuck at Moonring, likely never to advance again.”

“So, he really doesn’t like kids from wealthy families…” Kato’s wink made it clear Chen Mo fell squarely into this category.

Talk about hitting a sore spot.

“But the instructor’s a good person and teaches earnestly. The Certification Office has taken care of all the necessary bribes, so just be careful not to provoke him!”

Instructor Morton sat at the front of the study hall, around forty years old, of average build with a gaunt face. His hair, a deep brown streaked with gray, was meticulously combed back, revealing a broad, wrinkle-lined forehead.

His mage robe was washed to a faded white, its original color nearly indistinguishable. The hem was frayed with thick fuzz, and the cuffs and collar bore several conspicuous patches in similar but still jarring colors, the first time Chen Mo had ever seen a mage robe with patches.

Instructor Morton, deeply grateful for Master Hal’s life-saving kindness, was tirelessly saving money, dreaming of building a true mage tower for his mentor. Perhaps it was this obsession that allowed him to grudgingly accept Vincent’s conditions despite his loathing for “connected” individuals.

But from the frosty glint in his gray-blue eyes, Chen Mo keenly felt Morton’s undisguised disdain.

Unabashed disdain!

Morton stared at Chen Mo for over ten seconds before slowly standing, his overly solemn expression seeming to lower the study hall’s temperature by a few degrees.

“Everyone’s here, so listen up!”

“I’ve said this countless times, but now, I’ll emphasize it again.”

“I am Morton, in charge of Glimmer Group Three’s basic spell instruction.”

The middle-aged mage tucked his hands into the sleeves of his tattered robe, his body slightly hunched, his gaze sweeping past Chen Mo’s corner.

“First, rules! In my group, you must follow the rules. No bullying, no disrupting others, and don’t bring any filthy habits into the study hall, understood?”

The apprentices’ gazes snapped toward Chen Mo again, many barely suppressing gleeful expressions. Some even nudged their neighbors with elbows, exchanging smirks.

“Second, fairness!” Morton’s voice remained steady. “Here, everyone gets the same time, the same materials, the same potions. If you want special treatment, get Master Hal to arrange it himself. Otherwise, get out and go find your ‘generous relatives’ who’ll spend money on you!”

Once again, all eyes turned to Chen Mo.

“Third, and most important,” Morton’s voice suddenly rose sharply: “In my group, there’s no place for the useless! I don’t care about your past status! In Glimmer Group Three, before me, Morton—”

“Background means nothing, only strength matters!”

“That’s all for today’s lesson. Practice on your own. Tomorrow morning, don’t let me see you late, or you know the consequences!”

As Morton left, the study hall came alive. The students, who moments ago hadn’t dared breathe, erupted into chattering exchanges. Though they lowered their voices at times, Chen Mo clearly heard their barely concealed excitement.

“Is that the useless guy who replaced Roy? Heard he knows nothing?”

“Who cares? Morton’s old-school attitude will make him suffer enough. The old man hates these shady deals…”

“I’d love to see more like him. Swap out you annoying lot for silver coins and materials in my pocket!”

“Dream on!”

“They’ll definitely test him tomorrow. Let’s see what he’s made of!”

“Here’s to a good show. Think he’ll cry tomorrow?”

“Heh, he’s pretty good-looking, though. Maybe Group Six’s…”

“Shh! Quiet down! Don’t let him hear…” Several cruder voices were hurriedly hushed by their peers.

Chen Mo ignored the malicious whispers.

He had no time to waste.

Going to bed early, rising early, and doing a simple morning workout around the dilapidated dormitory, Chen Mo was the first to enter the study hall.

Morton, as an instructor, was highly dutiful. Because of this “newcomer” who wasn’t truly new, he arranged a group assessment using the only large-scale magical testing device in Hal’s Mage Tower, retesting every student.

This finally addressed Chen Mo’s lack of a status panel, allowing him to quantify his abilities for the first time.

One deep meditation and one mana activation later, the results were unsurprising: Chen Mo ranked dead last in the group.

Having only studied for a few months with almost no resource support, he couldn’t compare to students who had trained for at least half a year, some for two and a half years, under relatively formal education.

Mental strength index: 4.2. Mana: 4.0. Among apprentices starting at 15+ for both metrics, his scores stood out glaringly.

“Oh, poor kid. Did he trade his mental strength for money?”

“He’s worse than that sickly Roy! What’s he even here for? Can he pass the assessment?”

As the key liaison and Certification Office informant, Kato was bewildered.

Had Director Vincent overestimated this guy’s abilities, or was he deliberately set up to fail?

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