Leon returned home after a brief, incomplete conversation with Leah, who was whisked away by the surrounding magicians. He immediately dove back into his training. A week passed, during which Leon traveled only between his home and the herb mountain. During this time, a rumor began to circulate among the residents at the entrance of Widia.

The rumor was that they were selecting general disciples from among the entrance residents.

Leon suddenly remembered the words of the man who had conducted the attribute test on his first day in Widia.

“Don’t be too disappointed. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to become a magician if you accumulate enough merits or wait just a year.”

Leon, who had been extremely tense at the time, remembered every word the man had said without a single mistake.

“Is now that year later?”

Leon had learned a fair amount about the situation in Widia during his year of residence. Even commoners with single-attribute constitutions had opportunities to become magicians. Although these opportunities were rare, the door wasn’t completely closed.

Those who became single-attribute magicians through such opportunities continued to train diligently, either breaking through another tiny opening to enter the academy or resigning themselves to their talent limitations. In the latter case, they would maintain a moderate level of skill and take on administrative roles like Porun, Investigator Mark, or Walter, who managed the herb mountain.

The reason Leon, who had been content with managing the herb mountain, was now seriously considering this opportunity was because of the common magic. When he first heard about it, he hadn’t thought much of it, but it seemed to be more important than he initially realized.

If he became a general disciple and awakened his mana, he would learn the common magic...

"I could change my quest rewards to magic books and keep trying until I get a common magic spell…"

But he didn’t feel strongly opposed to becoming a general disciple. Now that he no longer had to worry about his true rank being exposed, there was no longer any burden in stepping into the spotlight. Moreover, if he became a general disciple, he would likely have less work compared to the entrance residents, giving him more time to train.

“It’s a bit of a shame that I haven’t been able to explore the 2nd and 3rd zones of the herb mountain yet…”

However, even though Walter seemed to have a favorable impression of Leon, there was no telling how long it might take before Leon would be assigned to those zones.

With his decision made, Leon headed toward the dormitory area where the entrance residents lived for the first time in a while. On the notice board in the square, a single announcement was posted.

[General Disciple Recruitment Exam]

Leon scanned the contents.

Below the title was a large emblem made up of various shapes and symbols.

The exam required participants to study the emblem and submit what they thought it represented.

The problem itself was very simple. Leon quickly realized that the emblem had the same structure as a magical spell formula. If he converted it into a formula, it would become a very simple spell.

The structure and essence were immediately clear to him. In fact, he felt he could even modify it into a more efficient spell.

Leon pondered the intent behind this exam for a moment. What could be the purpose of posing such a problem to commoners who were ignorant of magic? As a 3rd-rank magician, the problem seemed so easy that it was difficult for Leon to understand its purpose.

“It’s just a basic 1st-rank water spell…”

The symbols and shapes formed a flow, and their essence was “gentleness.” The emblem, constructed in a regular form, embodied an overall sense of calm and softness.

“Would a commoner be able to figure this out?”

Leon’s reason for contemplating this was, of course, to hide his true rank and appear as a commoner while becoming a general disciple.

“Maybe they just need to recognize the flow?”

Realizing the water magic and the essence of gentleness it contained would be difficult for someone at a commoner’s level.

Leon quickly grabbed a piece of paper from the nearby supply and wrote his answer, carefully avoiding any magical terminology and using the simplest language possible.

Within a minute, he had completed his answer and placed it in the answer box.

“Now, what remains… is convincing Walter.”

Leon sought out Walter and expressed his intention to take the exam for becoming a general disciple.

Walter looked slightly surprised but then smiled warmly.

“So, you’re saying you might quit?”

“I’m not sure what responsibilities I’ll have if I become a general disciple, but I thought it was only right to inform you in advance.”

“If you become a general disciple, hmm…”

Walter rested his chin on his hand and stared at Leon, lost in thought.

Leon’s demeanor was that of an ordinary person full of dreams of becoming a magician.

Walter didn’t want to discourage Leon, especially since he had once had similar dreams himself.

“You’ll likely focus on training for a while. But you won’t be able to train all the time. There will come a day when you’ll be assigned work, though not as much as the entrance residents. When that day comes, come find me again.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

Walter chuckled softly at Leon’s cautious expression.

“This young one doesn’t trust people easily…”

Walter nodded approvingly.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I see potential in you. I don’t teach my herb-gathering techniques to just anyone.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re already talking like you’ve passed the exam. I like the confidence.”

“Oh…”

Leon realized he had unconsciously assumed he would pass.

“I need to be more careful…”

After receiving Walter’s approval, Leon immediately headed to see Arpina. He adjusted his rank to appear as a 1st-rank apprentice using the Bracelet of Hidden Mana.

As soon as Leon faced Arpina, he bowed his head. The fact that she agreed to meet him so suddenly indicated that she was somewhat accommodating toward Leon.

“Have you been well?” Leon asked.

Arpina raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not the type to come just to ask how I’m doing. What’s your business?”

“Please help me once more.”

Leon got straight to the point, as she preferred. Any unnecessary flattery would be meaningless to Arpina.

“...How bold of you. You just show up out of the blue and ask for help?”

“There’s no one else I can ask but you, Arpina.”

Arpina frowned slightly and tapped her fingers on the desk, pondering for a moment. Then she infused her eyes with mana and scanned Leon’s rank. It was the common magic spell, ‘Search.’

Realizing that she was trying to assess his rank, Leon presented himself as a late-stage 1st-rank apprentice. He figured it would be fine to reveal this much. After all, he needed to show that he was competent enough to ask for help. He had also begun to trust Arpina to some extent.

“Late 1st rank?”

Arpina’s eyes widened.

“Did you take some kind of elixir?”

“I was lucky.”

“Hah, that way of talking… did you learn that from your master?”

Arpina clicked her tongue and then spoke again.

“You’re at a similar level to Leah? Makes me less inclined to help you.”

“If that’s the case, I won’t ask for any more favors.”

Despite his words, Leon’s stance remained firm.

“You’re an annoying little brat.”

Arpina crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

“Go ahead, what’s the request?”

“I’ve applied for the general disciple exam.”

“General disciple? It would be strange if you didn’t get selected with your skill, but why? Don’t you have a master?”

Leon shook his head.

“I don’t.”

“What?”

Arpina straightened up in her chair.

“I never said I had one.”

“Then how did you awaken your mana?”

“I studied on my own.”

“That doesn’t make sense! I personally confirmed you’re a tri-attribute mage.”

“I happened to find a magic book when I was young and taught myself by reading and experimenting.”

It wasn’t entirely impossible. If a child happened to find a magic book early on and already knew how to read, they could theoretically understand and awaken their mana over time. Even if they didn’t have a talent for magic, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility if they were exceptionally intelligent. However, their progress would eventually hit a wall due to the limitations of a tri-attribute constitution.

Of course, Arpina didn’t believe this story. It was akin to saying that anyone could become a great magician if they just worked hard enough.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“You said you’d gain a powerful ally.”

“Not to the point where you’d be this arrogant…”

Staring at Leon’s frustratingly smug face, Arpina suddenly asked, “Do you want to be my personal disciple?”

Taken aback by the unexpected offer, Leon quickly shook his head.

“No, thank you.”

“…Why?”

Leon had no intention of becoming anyone’s personal disciple. He was certain that it would lead to too much interference in his training. The reason he wanted to become a general disciple was, firstly, to have the guarantee that he could train openly without raising suspicions. His secondary goals were to secure more training time and learn common magic.

Arpina’s face showed a moment of surprise, an expression Leon wasn’t used to seeing.

“Is she really acting like she’s never been turned down before…”

Leon hesitated briefly, wondering if he had been too quick to reject her. But in the end, if he had no intention of becoming a personal disciple, it was better to refuse outright. There was nothing worse for trust than playing games.

“Why?” she asked again, more insistently.

Sensing her impatience, Leon carefully explained, “You already have Leah as your disciple, don’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no rule that says I can only have one disciple.”

“Didn’t you tell me last time not to even think about becoming your disciple?”

At Leon’s bold response, Arpina let out a short laugh of disbelief.

“...”

She knew he was cheeky, but now she realized just how persistent he could be.

Arpina had never been treated like this before. If she declared her intention to take on a personal disciple, she could easily draw a line of students around the entire academy grounds.

She wondered if she had been too lenient with him. It seemed that Leon had no idea who she truly was. But explaining herself would feel desperate, something she couldn’t stand to do.

Suppressing her irritation, Arpina calmly said, “You might not feel the limits of training alone now, but once you reach the 3rd rank, you’ll find that advancing to the next level requires an incredible amount of time.”

Arpina didn’t know, but unfortunately, her advice didn’t apply to Leon at all. Realizing that he couldn’t just brush off her sincere advice, Leon decided to be somewhat honest.

“Even so, I want to try it on my own.”

“...”

Arpina was left speechless once again.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did he really not understand the vast difference that proper guidance could make in his growth?

“Stubborn too, huh…”

Seeing Arpina’s stern expression, Leon respectfully bowed his head. He had no intention of explaining that he wouldn’t hit a wall in his training. Letting her believe what she wanted seemed like the best choice.

“I’m sorry…”

“Enough.”

Arpina waved her hand dismissively. The more they talked, the more she felt something being chipped away at inside her. She couldn’t allow herself to admit that it was her pride.

Irritated, she asked, “So what’s your request?”

“If I become a general disciple, can you ensure that my true rank remains hidden?”

“So, you’re asking me to help you keep your secret while pretending to be a commoner and becoming a general disciple?”

“Yes.”

Arpina didn’t question his reasoning. Naturally, those applying to become general disciples were entrance residents. It would be troublesome for Leon, who was hiding his 1st rank status.

After a brief moment of thought, she chuckled. She realized there was no need to get worked up.

“I’m curious to see when you’ll repay this favor.”

“I won’t forget.”

“I’ll be expecting it.”

‘Let’s see how long it takes before you hit a wall and come begging to become my disciple.’

Arpina was confident that day wouldn’t be far off.