Chuck returned to the fine establishment called the Lost Lamb after midday. He was hoping to pick Erwin's mind some more. He didn't see any of his friends as he entered the building. He walked up to the bar, "Hey, do you know if the guys I came in with last night are here?"

The guy behind the counter shrugged, "Kid, I don't even know who you are, let alone who you came in with. Do you want a drink? If not I got work to do."

"Y- Yeah, food and drink," he said sitting on a stool.

It was weird for those three not to leave at least one person behind if Chuck went out. He supposed maybe they went looking for him; he did leave without telling them he would be gone. Chuck decided to just wait for them to return at one of the tables.

Many hours passed and more people filtered into the building for some entertainment as the day was coming to a close. The girls were starting to give Chuck dirty looks as he continuously turned them away, yet took up a valuable table.

The proprietor came over after one of the girls complained about him. "You need to pay for this table if you want to wait any longer," the man stated flatly.

"I don't see you charging anyone else?"

"Everyone else is here to enjoy the women; you are here to waste space. Pay up or get out."

Chuck grabbed his bag and headed out the door. It was obvious that Erwin and the others weren't here or weren't coming back. He came to that decision after midday passed without a sign of any of them. It just took being practically kicked out for him to accept that fact.

He didn't think they would abandon him like this. What had he done? He didn't think Erwin was still mad at him for that incident with the Orcs. They had been getting along well after that. The only other thing that came to mind was the weird questions Erwin asked him the previous night. Had that been it? It was frustrating not knowing the reason.

Chuck wasn't worried about being alone again, that was how he started his life in this world. It did feel like his father walked out on the family and wouldn't be coming back. He knew Erwin wasn't his father but there was a tight camaraderie he felt with the three of them. More so with Erwin and Mellas than Bargo but still.

With him being alone he had a few choices to make. One he could just take solo jobs from the Guild until he found the corruption. The other option was to join the Tower and become a mage. It would further his understanding of this world and give him the best fighting chance. And with what Harlo said open war wasn't likely. He decided to go talk with Barlo again in the morning.

"I'm glad you changed your mind, Chuck, you won't regret joining, the Tower has vast knowledge on the arcane."

"And you're certain we won't be conscripted?" Chuck asked again.

"Of course not, like I said there are always border disputes between the kingdoms, has been since they were founded. Only the mages that have chosen to join the army are ever needed. The rest enjoy their time in study."

"You seem quite knowledgeable about the Tower even though you are joining along with me."

"Well, my father was a mage, he was also the one to get me in with Seeker."

"So are there classes or how does the whole thing work, exactly?"

"There are some classes on basic magic, dull things I've been told. Mostly for children of rich and powerful."

"I thought nobility didn't join the Tower?"

"They don't, at least first and second sons don't. Those farther removed from inheritance join to gain standing. Then there are powerful merchant families. They like to keep their power so tend to send their offspring to the academy as well."

"What about us?"

"Well, we can either join as new initiates or prove our magical aptitude. Then we can study at our leisure."

"Are you talking about a duel?"

"Oh gods no, not unless you wish to test yourself against one of the General's."

"Why would that be so bad?" Chuck asked in confusion.

"If you pass you are forced to study military doctrine and focus on attack magic. Your study of the arcane would suffer greatly at that," the man added. He said it like it would be the worst thing that could happen to a mage.

Chuck supposed for a man like Harlo it probably would be. He was more the research, slash scientist type if he compared him to someone from Earth. It wasn't a bad thing but Chuck needed to be stronger if he was going to go up against an unfathomable evil.

The two approached the gate, the guard eyed Chuck suspiciously before he saw Harlo. He stepped out of his booth to greet us. "Greeting Harlo, who's your friend?"

"Settle down Bertran, this is Chuck and we are here to join the Tower."

The guard's eyes flicked over me, taking in my attire and sword before they flicked back to Harlo. "He doesn't look like much of a mage, looks more like a dirty adventurer. Are you sure he isn't playing you?"

Harlo rolled his eyes, "just let us in so we can go to the testing area."

The guard let out a grunt, "alright, but if he causes trouble I will report it to your father."

Harlo just waved his concern away and the guard slid his hand across a plate. The gate swung open smoothly and quietly allowing the two of us to pass.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Chuck could feel the guard's eyes on him the entire time until the gate closed behind them with a soft click.

"Don't worry about Bertran, sometimes I think he takes his job a bit too seriously. Like you could cause trouble on Tower grounds," he said, chuckling.

Chuck took the short break to check on his skills. Stealth was nearly finished with level four but multitasking still had a ways to go.

Multitasking: 38930/80000SP to level 4

Stealth: 7130/8000SP to level 4

He wasn't all that worried about the training time, it wasn't like he would be utilizing either of these skills for some time to come.

The two came to a table under an open tent. A man looked up at them. "Welcome to the tower, please state your name and desired field."

Harlo stepped up, "Harlo Enair, Arcane study, advanced."

"You are aware that to enter the advanced class that you need to pass a test of knowledge?"

"Yes," Harlo responded proudly.

"Very well," the man scribbled something on a sheet and handed it to Harlo. "Head to room c17 for testing."

"Alright, Chuck, I will see you around," the man said, waving as he rushed off.

"And you?" the man at the table asked in his monotone voice.

"My name's Chuck. Um... what are my options?"

The man groaned before laying out the options. "Arcane study, magicraft, spellcraft, and warcraft. All fields are available in beginner, intermediate, and advanced."

Chuck hated to ask, seeing as the man was obviously annoyed at his presence but he did it anyway. "Could you um... give me a brief description of the fields of study? I'm new to Nur."

The man groaned even louder, like talking brought him physical pain. "Arcane study is the study of magic and the theory behind it. Magicraft is the study of magical gear. Spellcraft is the study of spells and how to create new ones. Warcraft is the study of how to apply magic in battle."

Chuck prepared for one more question, but the man cut him off.

"Choosing a specialty does not lock you into only one field of study, it only declares your focus and the type of test you need to pass."

Chuck thought it best not to annoy the man anymore, he was a mage after all. "I guess Warcraft."

The man showed something other than boredom for the first time. He wrote on a slip and handed it to Chuck. "Go around the tower and find the training yard for your test."

Chuck thanked the man and walked off.

The training yard was simple enough to find. The sounds of spells and explosions kind of pointed the direction. The building reminded him of the Roman colosseum, only it was a single story. Chuck entered through an arched entry into stadium-style stone seats.

There were surprisingly few people in the stands. In the arena, itself were three sets of individuals fighting. Chuck recognized the shield pillars placed around each circle. He hoped these weren't fights to the death.

A man came up to him. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, yes, sorry," Chuck replied handing him the note.

The man looked it over before giving out a shrill whistle that hurt Chuck's ears. Immediately all fighting ceased in the arena, all eyes turned towards Chuck.

"It appears we have a new member."

Nobody clapped or smiled, they all just stared at Chuck quietly until he wanted to slink back out of the arena. A firm hand on his shoulder prevented that. The man who took his note led him down some steps and through a smaller gate into the arena floor.

"Chuck, it doesn't appear that you declared a rank."

'Shit, that bastard at the desk forgot to remind him, or maybe this was payback for making him talk too much.'

Chuck was going to say beginner but the instructor beat him to the punch. "Since you haven't declared, I can only assume you are advanced. Class, why is that?"

"Always assume your enemy is more powerful than you," came a chorus of replies.

"Correct."

"Now since, Chuck, here is at the advanced stage of battle tactics and magic, who would like to spar with him?"

A younger man, possibly in his early twenties stepped up. "I'll spar with him, teacher," the man said with confidence.

"Good, Vigo will be your test. A shame that the General isn't here to test you personally, but we make due."

Chuck was pushed forward and into one of the rings. He felt something sticky slide over his skin as he passed the barrier.

"Since you are new here, Chuck, I will explain the rules. A shield has been placed over your body that will absorb every type of magic and damage. If it takes too much damage it will break and you will lose the bout. Be careful though, when it brakes it may not absorb the remaining damage of the final spell. Begin!"

Chuck hastily erected an elemental shield. It was just in time to block a firebolt. He was thankful that this mage hadn't learned the more advanced magical techniques.

Vigo circled, firing low-level spells at the newcomer to test his defenses. The kid had a simple elemental shield and it appeared to be maxed out. A few ice arrows shattered against his protection offered by the arena.

Vigo hadn't put up a defensive spell yet, as he wanted to test the kid's power but now that he had a measure of the boy, he cast an earth shield in front of himself and ducked behind it. It had been a calculated risk to let the barrier take the hits and be weakened against further attacks but he was confident that he could take the other mage out before his barrier failed, costing him the match.

While most mages would go for the elemental shield he preferred the earth one. It could absorb impacts and deflect heat away as well as be used as cover against physical attacks. He also preferred the spell for its time limit vs the total absorption of only three spells elemental shield allowed. This allowed him to outlast most mages in combat.

Chuck ducked another firebolt, his opponent had taken cover behind a wall he conjured. Chuck didn't have much in the way to deal with barriers, other than enhancing his ice arrow. So he did just that as soon as the man ducked back behind his wall. Chuck pumped an eight of his mana pool into a slowly rotating ice arrow that was forming in his hand. Usually, he wouldn't materialize the spell until it was ready but he had to keep moving to avoid incoming spells and didn't want to miss his target.

Rudian quirked an eyebrow as he saw the new kid modifying his spell on the fly. It wasn't spell manipulation, that was only good for modifying trajectory. No, this was something stronger but he wasn't sure what. He would have to talk with some other teachers later to see if they could confirm his suspicions.

Chuck found the right opportunity to launch his spell. It was a good thing too because it had drained another quarter of his mana holding it at the ready like this. He launched the spell directly at the wall. The added spin and acceleration allowed the spell to punch through the barrier.

Vigo was taken by surprise when his wall burst apart, chunks of dirt and ice pelting him. He recovered quickly, looking for his target. His eyes grew wide, seeing the kid sprinting right at him with a sword drawn.

Chuck knew he wasn't a match for someone who was trained in mage combat. The only reason he won that duel with that Bandit had been sheer arrogance on the man's part. He didn't have that luxury here so he used the one advantage he did have. His sword stabbed out and into the opponent's heart.

Vigo cried out in terror as his shield stopped the blow from the sword, only to collapse a second later, declaring the other the victor. He was about to accuse the kid of cheating before the teacher whistled again. He stood straight and looked at the teacher.

Rudian smiled, so few mages learned that a sword can kill just as easily as a spell. Perhaps Vigo would take this lesson to heart.

"What did we learn?"

"Never underestimate your opponent," came the shouted replies.

Chuck winced at the volume but sheathed his sword.

"Anything else? Vigo?"

"All weapons can kill," he stated bluntly.

"A good lesson to learn, be glad Chuck was the one to teach it to you and not an enemy intent on your death. That will be all for today. Chuck, please see the boarding master inside the Tower entrance for your room assignment. You will be placed in the intermediate classes."

Chuck bowed slightly before heading off.