Chapter 45: Recruitment Day

After the Herbalist’s hasty departure, Ain and Hugo waited at a hoverbus station. Soon, a red-haired figure fell from the sky, landing right before them, saying hurriedly, “Where is he?!”

It was the Arcane Enforcer, Elric Hyfner. Ain pointed towards a building, “He disappeared into the shadows there.”

“Alright, thanks. See you around!” Elric quickly replied before chasing after the Herbalist. Ain hastily asked, “Wait! Are his elixirs safe?”

Elric answered without looking, “Yeah. Most of them are fine!” Finishing this sentence, he quickly vanished into the shadows.

“Umm… Was that the Arcane Enforcer?” Hugo asked, thinking that the exchange was too casual.

“Yeah. His name is Elric Hyfner.” Ain said. Hugo memorized the name as his excitement for the mysterious elixir recovered. He looked at the pill in his hand and said, “From his words, these pills should be real! Just imagine the progress if we could meditate during our sleep!”

Ain also observed the pill thoughtfully, replying, “Yeah, but there’s only one pill each. We need enough pills for regular consumption to see a difference.”

“Can’t we get more from the Herbalist? Why else would he give us these samples?” Hugo responded.

“How do we contact him?” Ain asked in return.

“Uh… He didn’t leave his contact!?” Hugo finally realized the problem.

“No, he didn’t. We can only wait for him to contact us. Moreover, an elixir with such effects is probably expensive…” Ain trailed off. He still had over fifty aether crystals but hadn’t yet extrapolated the most optimal way to use them. Maybe this was it…

“Well, he might contact us soon then.” Hugo said.

“Probably.” Ain answered. He then said, “But there’s only a week left before the recruitment. It won’t make much of a difference even if we had enough pills.”

“You’re right…” Hugo agreed. At this moment, a hoverbus reached the station, drawing their attention. Ain kept one of the pills, saying, “I’ll ask Elric about it later. Let’s head over to Liberty Firm first.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.” Hugo said.

…

It was already nighttime. A fierce gust cascaded through Heart City, compelling residents to close their windows and stay inside. Back at The Red Baron, Ain glanced at the shuffling clouds above the city. Earlier, he’d accompanied Hugo to Liberty Firm before returning to the hotel together. Upon selling the remaining loot, they’d both received 310,000 starcoins, a sum higher than their mission rewards. Altogether, his balance increased by 400,000 starcoins today. This newfound financial ability greatly eased his anxious heart. He wasn’t as averse to large expenditures anymore. No wonder spirit masters were perceived as wealthy.

Tearing his gaze away from the window, Ain turned to Stalker who’d failed to play a role during today’s outing. He’d initially hoped to test the Puppet Command Token, but Hugo’s presence led to adjustments in his plans. “Let’s join Arcane Heart University first before deciding whether or not to openly reveal Stalker.” He thought while touching the Puppet Command Token, saying, “Stalker, keep watch.”

Stalker remained unmoved but Ain knew it’d received his instructions. Letting Nox wander around the room, he glanced at the black pill in his palm. “Let’s test the Spark of Inevitability.”

Consuming the elixir, he sensed no abnormalities as he lay on the bed, circulating his aether in accordance with the Chronarch Precept. Soon, his eyelids grew heavy as darkness consumed his mind. He quickly fell asleep. His aether, however, continued circulating automatically, following the pathways he’d trodden before his slumber.

Nox floated nearby, observing him curiously. It was Ain’s witness, aside from his own judgment the next day, beholding the Spark of Inevitability’s effects.

“Wooo…” It voiced faintly, moving closer to sense the flowing aether within its contractor. It recognized the familiar aura of the Chronarch Precept, confirming its thoughts. Its contractor was meditating while sleeping!

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“Wooo…” Nox rejoiced. Its duties were now complete! It merrily retrieved the new Ghastly Pearl before slouching next to Ain’s head, commencing a new round of devouring. In the corner of the room, consumed by the shadows, Stalker stood silently guarding them.

The following day, Ain awoke early, finally confirming the elixir’s effectiveness. Aside from Nox’s recollection, he sensed the modest strengthening of his second aethercore. The first aethercore didn’t mesh well with the Chronarch Precept; hence, he’d only relied on his second aethercore, and the effects were easily discernible.

“The Spark of Inevitability… I need to obtain more.” Ain mumbled. It would be of substantial assistance over time. After dismissing Stalker, he adorned his black and purple clothes before heading to the training room.

A week flew by quickly. Ain continued training throughout, accompanying Hugo for missions on two separate occasions. They completed several missions to obtain more than a million starcoins each. Contrary to their expectations, the Herbalist didn’t contact them again.

Finally, the first day of September arrived. It was the anticipated time for Arcane Heart University’s recruitment! The university was north of Heart City, tens of kilometers away. Ain and Hugo checked out of The Red Baron and departed on a special hoverbus. These special hoverbuses, the only ones to leave the city, were granted limited access into the university during the annual recruitment period.

Under the dull gray overcast skies, a series of hoverbuses flew towards Arcane Heart University. Young Rank-1 Spirit Masters were the only passengers. Ain and Hugo sat beside each other, holding a quiet discussion.

“In the end, we didn’t hear from the Herbalist again.” Hugo complained. Just like Ain, he’d also confirmed the Spark of Inevitability’s effectiveness. Of course, he didn’t know its true name. Ain had only learned of it through Scan.

Ain nodded and replied, “Elric finally replied to my message this morning. He explained a few things about the Herbalist.”

“Oh? What did he say?” Hugo asked curiously.

“The Herbalist is someone from Arcane Heart University. He’ll likely contact us again after the recruitment.” Ain explained.

“After? Wasn’t his sales pitch to help us with the recruitment?” Hugo stated in puzzlement.

“Well, do you know the requirements to participate in the recruitment?” Ain asked in return.

“Requirements? It’s to be between fifteen to twenty years of age and have awakened in the past two years. I heard that the tests are more difficult if you’re participating in the second year after awakening.” Hugo answered. As a participant, he was naturally aware of the requirements.

“You’re right. Each participant potentially has two opportunities. Outside of the university, the Herbalist usually targets those participating within a year of their awakening. Moreover, those participants usually only have a fifty-fifty chance of passing the recruitment.” Ain started his explanation.

“That’s a peculiar group to target- wait. Does that mean he thinks we only have a fifty-fifty chance?” Hugo suddenly realized mid-sentence.

Ain continued, “He probably thinks so. Just like you said, the test is made harder if it’s your second year after awakening. If you failed the first year, you’re likely to fail the following year as well.”

“Unless you have that elixir!” Hugo said, understanding Ain’s implications.

“Right. Elric mentioned that quite a few repeaters have succeeded in their second attempt because of the Herbalist. While the test is made more difficult, his elixirs can accelerate their training progress. They’re more likely to pass with strength higher than what they could’ve achieved on their own.” Ain finished his explanation.

Hugo silently contemplated before asking, “So, he’s basically helping the repeaters?”

“While making a profit.” Ain added. He continued, “Most participants in Arcane Heart University’s recruitment are wealthy. A majority of them will also fail the recruitment. The Herbalist has a large crowd to profit from. Moreover, his business within the university is even more prosperous. It’s just easier to find him during the recruitment as he personally contacts the new participants.”

This was all information he’d gained from Elric.

“I see.” Hugo nodded in understanding. As this discussion concluded, Hugo switched the topic, saying, “Did you know that both tests will be conducted in Cyberspace?”

“I’ve heard about it. I don’t know the details though.” Ain replied.

Seeing Ain’s oblivious expression, Hugo grinned, “I knew you wouldn’t know. I couldn’t find this information with my 2-star access either. I had to ask around. The true Cyberspace is actually a virtual world. You can enter it with your consciousness.”

Hearing this, Ain’s eyes revealed his surprise. “Virtual world?”

Although he’d lived in the slum, these words weren’t foreign to him. This was the Technological Age. He’d obviously heard of virtual reality on the streets. Of course, ‘heard of’ was his limit. He hadn’t delved into the topic on Cyberspace as it held no relevance. Out of mind, it didn’t rouse his curiosity.

“Yup. The real Cyberspace is said to be almost indistinguishable from reality. My access isn’t high enough for it, but I’ve experienced normal virtual reality before. I heard we’ll get special access for the recruitment tests.”

Ain asked for more detail, but Hugo’s information was also limited. He could only describe the virtual reality he’d experienced. As he learned more, Ain’s eagerness for the recruitment tests heightened. Various hushed conversations permeated the hoverbus, so their voices didn’t stand out.

With the passage of time, the steady hoverbus traveled through the air. The vibrant green grassland below soon morphed into a mountainous pink forest. Between the exotic trees, dimmed by the overcast sky, were snaking streams of water flowing gently.

Far in the distance, Arcane Heart University was vaguely discernable.