The Wizard: Starting as a Corpse Collector Apprentice and Paying for a Monthly Subscription

As soon as Stipunk finished speaking, a low murmur arose from the crowd.

"The complete rune structure?"

Ike bit his rough fingers, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with struggle:

"I've only learned the basic rune framework and a small amount of mana circuit connections so far..."

"As for the core structure, I can't even understand it by looking at it, let alone carving it."

Although he had a first-level apprenticeship, it was the result of investing all his time and resources into it.

I only learned a little bit of other things.

Meanwhile, in the camp of the Kane Wizard Tower.

Locke tilted his head slightly, glanced at Cathy beside him, and asked in a low voice:

"Cathy, are you sure you can do it?"

Cathy pushed up her large glasses, which were almost slipping off her nose, her voice trembling slightly:

"My rune skill rating is only 0.5... barely enough to design a complete set of small runes, like 'Glimmer'."

"But... I've never tried carving on bone before."

Upon hearing this, Locke frowned even more deeply:

"My rune skill is 0.6, so designing runes shouldn't be a problem."

"The difficulty now is that bone is not a flat rune paper; its surface is curved and its interior has pores."

"Hardness and force are also issues."

……

On the opposite side, Joyce and Virgil at the Sun Wizard Tower were also exchanging rapid glances.

As elites carefully cultivated by the Sun Tower, both of them have reached an astonishing level of 0.9 in rune literature.

This level is extremely rare among the current first-year students.

This is also their biggest source of confidence to come here and cause trouble today.

Joyce lowered her voice, a hint of wariness in her tone:

"Be careful, they might tamper with the carving knife and bones."

"I'm going to start designing a set of runes that are small enough and complete enough to crush them in terms of conceptual deconstruction."

Virgil nodded immediately, a sinister glint in his eyes:

"Okay, I'll go and confirm the materials and carving tools."

Then, he turned to look at the several burly corpse-collecting apprentices behind him and gave them a wink.

The apprentices immediately nodded in understanding, their faces revealing malicious smiles.

Just then, Stipunk spoke again, his face still bearing that professional smile:

"Considering that most of you are freshmen, you may not be very proficient in rune literature yet."

"Therefore, this competition is exclusively sponsored by the Scott Chamber of Commerce, and all participants have been provided with a purple diamond carving knife enchanted with 'Sharpness'!"

"This carving knife can cut through bone like mud, which can reduce the difficulty of carving to the greatest extent."

"As for the related skeletal materials..."

Stipunk snapped his fingers.

wow-

Several shop assistants immediately stepped forward and dumped two large sacks of processed bones onto the open ground in front of the shop.

These bones vary in size and shape, including skulls, leg bones, ribs, and even some wild animal skeletons.

"To avoid wasting everyone's time for students who don't understand runebook at all."

"Everyone needs to verify their runic literacy level with me first."

"Minimum entry requirement - Rune Literature level 0.3"

Upon hearing this, the crowd, which had been eager to try, instantly fell silent.

Many of the junior apprentices who were just eager to try their skills suddenly wilted like frostbitten eggplants.

This included Ekko, who looked eager.

"Damn it..."

Ike clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment:

"That's a purple diamond carving knife worth 3000 purple gold coins! And it's enchanted!"

"Even just letting me touch it would be enough for me to brag about for a long time!"

He sighed, turned to look at Tyron beside him, and said with a wry smile:

"Well, let's just stay down here and watch the show."

"This kind of high-level game is none of our business."

However, the next second, Ike was completely stunned.

He discovered that Tyrone had left his side at some point and was walking towards the arena with the two noble apprentices ahead.

"Hey! Magnus, what are you doing?!"

Ike quickly lowered his voice and shouted, afraid that the kid would be kicked out and embarrass himself for not knowing the rules.

Tyronn turned around, grinned at Ekko, revealing a set of white teeth:

"I'm high enough level, I want to give it a try!"

"ha?!"

Upon hearing this, Ike's mind went completely blank.

How could someone who is usually so timid and only knows how to collect corpses have already reached level 0.3 in rune literature?

He himself hasn't even reached level 0.1!

……

At this time, there were only 12 apprentices heading to the competition field.

There were only four people on the Kane Wizard Tower side: Cathy, Locke, Tyron, and another short, freckled boy.

Meanwhile, eight people emerged from the Sun Wizard Tower.

The sheer number of participants alone is enough to show the enormous gap in the quality of the trainees between the two sides.

Twelve people lined up to come to Stipunk for level verification.

Cathy and Locke, who were standing nearby, both looked somewhat surprised when they saw Tyron.

They vaguely remembered this lower-level apprentice who had once been granted special permission by Master Markley to sit in on the classes.

However, he never appeared again due to the ostracism and disgust of other aristocratic students.

Surprisingly, he also met the competition requirements?

Just then, two burly men from the opposing Sun Tower faction suddenly grinned, their eyes fixed on Tyren with hostility:

"Hey, isn't this the Cairn Tower corpse-collecting apprentice we used to chase like a dog?"

"What? You've gotten so confident from picking up corpses? You dare to embarrass yourself in a place like this?"

Tyron raised his head, his gaze calmly sweeping over the two men.

These were the two men who had fought with him a few days ago over the body of the pedestrian who had been hit and killed by a carriage.

Before Tyren could speak, a cold glint flashed in Locke's eyes, and he said in a cold voice:

"That dog who spews filth the moment he opens his mouth."

"A bunch of weaklings who bully the few with their numbers, how dare they speak so arrogantly here?"

Joyce, who was leading the group on the other side, snorted coldly and glanced at Locke:

"Sarah, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Let the lower-level apprentices resolve their own issues."

"As a nobleman, are you going to learn from those good-for-nothings and interfere in the affairs of commoners? It's really beneath your dignity."

Upon hearing this, Locke's face darkened, and he was about to retort.

The burly man grinned and provoked even more arrogantly:

"Little puppy, why aren't you saying anything? Are you scared?"

Just then, Tyron, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

His face still wore that calm, almost frighteningly amiable smile, and his tone was as indifferent as if he were discussing the weather:

"I wasn't scared."

"I was just thinking, if I were to duel you later and kill you, would I need to pay the guards compensation?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

There was no angry roar, no fierce rebuttal.

There was only a sense of indifference, as if stating some established fact.

Locke and Cathy couldn't help but turn their heads to look at this apprentice who was usually invisible. For some reason, they felt a little uneasy.

The burly man paused for a moment, then burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Good job! You've got guts!"

"I hope you don't run away if you lose later. Grandpa will teach you a lesson about rules!"

……

Soon, the level certification for all 12 people was completed.

When Stipunk examined Tyron, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint flashed in his shrewd eyes.

He quickly regained his composure, still wearing a professional smile, but the last trace of worry in his heart finally disappeared.

"Authentication successful."

The match is about to begin.

Hundreds of onlookers had already gathered around.

There were apprentices watching the spectacle, passersby, various mercenaries, and even some officially employed wizard apprentices who stopped to watch.

The 12 people were quickly given amethyst carving knives.

Tyron gripped the familiar carving knife, feeling its perfect weight and texture, and thought to himself:

"The teacher really thought of everything."

"I'm afraid that changing my carving tool will affect my feel for it."

Next came the process of selecting bones.

Throughout the entire process, Joyce and Virgil's eyes were like two venomous snakes, fixed on the four people on Tyrion's side, as if afraid that they might do something underhanded.

The five minutes for choosing went by in the blink of an eye.

Joyce and Virgil, quick-witted and agile, were the first to select two relatively large, flat hip bones.

This type of bone is best suited for carving arrays of runes.

Cathy managed to grab a smaller piece of hip bone, while Locke opted for a complete skull.

As for Tyronn…

He had just spotted a nice shoulder blade when the burly man deliberately pushed him aside and forcibly snatched it away.

He reached for another piece of sternum, but was stopped by another apprentice from the Sun Tower.

Despite this blatant targeting, Tyronn remained unfazed and composed.

After being repeatedly taunted by the other party, he seemed to "helplessly" pick up a thin shinbone from the corner.

Upon seeing this, the burly man immediately adopted a provocative and smug attitude, as if he had already won half the battle.

Seeing this from a distance, Virgil nodded secretly.

He had just learned from his subordinates that this kid had mastered a magical thorn technique, which might be a hidden threat, so he had arranged for people to target him at every turn.

Now that he saw the other party angrily choose a piece of shinbone that was the most difficult to carve and relatively hard, he was completely relieved.

"The shinbone is hard and thin, with an extremely curved surface, making it completely unsuitable for carving flat runes."

"This guy is nothing to worry about."

……

"The match begins!"

With Stipunk's command, the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, all the participants quickly got into the zone.

Joyce and Virgil, true to their elite status, wielded their carving knives with fluid, effortless skill, clearly well-prepared for the occasion.

Although Cathy and Locke were a little slow, they were steady and careful, meticulously outlining the lines on the bone.

Time passed by, bit by bit.

Soon, half of the sand in the hourglass had flowed away.

30 minutes passed.

Most people are still sweating profusely over the connection points of the runes, and some are even annoyed because they cracked their bones due to excessive force.

Just then, a calm yet somewhat abrupt voice suddenly rang out in the quiet arena.

"I think I...did I finish?"

The sound wasn't loud, but at that moment it was like a thunderclap.

Everyone turned around in shock, their eyes all turning to look at him.

Tyron stood there, holding the long, thin shinbone in his hand, looking rather dazed.

His expression seemed somewhat bewildered, as if he were asking:

That's it?