Hope and reality are always at odds.
After thoroughly searching the two-person room, Ronald had to face the harsh truth that all his belongings were gone.
The culprit who slipped away without a word was undoubtedly that wretched slut Anna.
Looking back on every memory with Anna, Ronald realized there were many holes in her story that he had overlooked. He had fallen too easily into the elaborate romantic trap she had set, which resulted in every possession being stolen, including the heirloom wizard staff that held special meaning for his original self.
The staff was called "Storm's Fury", an heirloom from his mother. It had been kept by the Wizard Guild before Ronald took it back at the start of the trial.
"What should I do...what should I do..."
"With just a level one apprentice's strength, I can't even break through a high level apprentice monster's magic resistance without my staff amplification. That whore..."
"Should I seek help from the family?"
As soon as this thought arose, Ronald suppressed it.
He knew the noble's temperament all too clearly from the memories.
Things were fine when his mother was around, as the family might have helped find the staff to save face for their high level professional child. But with his mother gone, the family would likely refuse to get involved, and if they wanted the staff, they would act behind his back.
Unable to seek outside help, he could only rely on himself.
Ronald covered his face to think of a solution.
Rather than recklessly chase after Anna, the safest strategy was to first pass the trial and secure his identity, then consider how to retrieve his lost items.
From her actions, this did not seem like a spur of the moment decision. She likely had this planned for some time.
Ronald could not expect her to be unprepared for escape, and chasing blindly could jeopardize his trial and lead to failure, with dire consequences...
"Hey kid, did you do something to that girl to make her run off in the night?"
"Not talking huh? Don't look down on me, or I'll punch that smug face in!"
As she spoke, the brawny innkeeper grabbed Ronald by the collar, ready to teach him a lesson.
But meeting Ronald's eyes, she hesitated.
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It was hard to explain why, she just felt someone with those eyes was unlikely to be a lust-driven fool.
"Aren't you going to hit me? I promise one punch from you and I'll have you begging for mercy."
"You damn brat!!!"
"It seems you are not an accomplice."
Hearing this, the innkeeper froze, and her eyes softened.
Ronald stepped aside and walked out.
That bitch really went all out, didn't even leave a change of clothes, so Ronald could just head out as is.
"Wait!" Came a call from behind.
Ronald looked back to see the innkeeper return to the counter and rummage around, before holding out a simple bundle.
Ronald did not take it, just looked at her silently.
"You're an apprentice headed for the trial right? You can't complete it looking like this."
"You seem like a good kid, this is a trial ration I'm giving you."
Ronald's eyes flickered, but he still did not take it. He asked softly, "How much?"
"It's surplus goods, free of charge."
"How much?"
The innkeeper had clearly never met such a stubborn brat. She scratched her head and suppressed her anger to say, "The most basic adventurer camping gear, market price 120 copper."
"I understand. I will repay you for this." Ronald took the bundle and left without looking back.
After Ronald disappeared around the street corner, the innkeeper walked out of the shop and looked towards where he had gone. In a voice only she could hear, she murmured, "Don't die out there, poor child."
*
*
*
The dazzling sun climbed to its apex in the sky. Lush greenery blanketed the earth, with shadows cast by clouds drifting slowly across the land. The wind blew through the meadows, stirring waves in the grass with a swooshing sound.
Two days had passed since the theft of Ronald's staff.
Through diffusion over time, the news that Ronald had lost his staff was now known to all who paid attention to the trial, and he had become an object lesson many used to educate their children.
Some even mockingly called him the "Weakest, Stupidest Wizard".
Traveling under such a title was misery, as he faced not just mockery and scolding from others, but also total distrust.
Arriving at his destination, the mining town of Ironhand, Ronald encountered a new problem. Hearing he was the "Weakest, Stupidest Wizard", the mayor immediately pulled up the drawbridge and refused him entry, yelling about finding a replacement to handle the monster threat.
No matter how Ronald explained, the old man would not listen, insisting on swapping out the extermination team member.
Left with no choice, Ronald released the unique life force aura that belonged to professionals.
During his travels, Ronald had not been idle. He constantly meditated and trained his mental strength.
Last night during one meditation session, Ronald felt his mental energy shudder, then successfully broke through to a level two apprentice.
The difference of one level brought an immense pressure gap.
The old man on the wooden wall instantly changed expression. Sticking his head out, he asked tremblingly, "You...didn't lose your staff after all?"
The old man had little experience. He thought Ronald could still cast spells with his staff.
"Why insist on replacing me? Success or failure of the quest should be irrelevant to you." Ignoring his question, Ronald asked coldly.
The old man was a coward who bullied the meek and feared the strong. With Ronald's stern face, he spilled everything at once.
"Good sir, you may not know, but if a wizard dies during the trial in a region, the Academy heavily fines that area and reclaims the previously paid extermination reward..."
Hearing this, Ronald finally understood the old man's hesitation was all about money.
The Academy was quite shrewd, profiting from both the apprentices and towns, impressively ruthless.
Disregarding the cowering old man, Ronald cast Lightness on himself and lightly leapt atop the wooden wall.
Things were simple after that. One look from Ronald had the old man spewing out all the information.
The creatures plaguing Ironhand Town were vampires, around five or six of them, living in a cave up the mountain.
Vampires were nocturnal group creatures, afraid of fire and sunlight. Individually around mid to high apprentice level, so 4-9.
For mindless creatures like this, even high apprentice level vampires could be massacred by apprentices, provided the apprentices were prepared.
And preparation was Ronald's problem. Anna had stolen everything he had, leaving him utterly empty handed without even material to set magical traps. Any apprentice would find this impossible...
Little time remained for Ronald. He had to finish before sunset today, or he would have no hope of making it back to the Academy in time...
The town air was very polluted, with the stench of excrement reminding Ronald this was not his world.
Order was backwards here, human life worthless...
Suppressing his irritation, Ronald reviewed his spellcasting to avoid mistakes in combat.
Extending a hand and simply stirring his spirit to draw magic power, a ball of intense heat manifested just before Ronald.
Observing the roiling flameball, Ronald noticed severe energy dissipation around its edges!
A thought struck Ronald. If he compressed the flameball, would the energy dissipation shrink?
No sooner thought than done, Ronald stirred his spirit to attempt compression. The flameball belched then winked out...
Undaunted, Ronald persisted. After dozens of failures, he finally summoned a fist-sized blue-white fireball.