Chapter 324: Serie's Foolish Apprentices
Who wouldn't want to be the disciple of the legendary elven Great Mage?
Especially when the legendary God-slayer Rhodes was by her side. If they were lucky, they might get guidance from him too.
Besides, if they were truly fortunate, they might even learn the secret of how the God-slayer lived until now.
Thus, a large wave of mages from different races, all considering themselves exceptionally talented, flocked to the Magic Association, trying to gain Serie's approval.
Among them were many veteran mages. Although it was somewhat shameful for them to compete with young mages given their seniority, the secret of immortality magic was at stake! They couldn't help but be moved.
"Unqualified!"
The elf sat cross-legged on her exclusive wide chair, a mountain of grimoires behind her. Propping her chin with one hand, she spoke to the mage trembling and retreating before her.
She had merely leaked a bit of her mana and majesty, yet this mage was so scared he retreated repeatedly. Truly an eyesore.
"Unqualified!"
Sending another mage away, Serie waved her hand, signaling the next one to enter.
"Unqualified!"
"Unqualified!"
Serie began to suspect: Did Flamme and Ela not screen these people properly for me?
Ideally, mages who could appear before her should have been filtered and tested by those two first. Their talent and strength should have been guaranteed. So why was their performance so abysmal?
She had merely leaked a little mana pressure and aura casually, yet they were scared into retreating or even collapsing on the floor. They utterly disgraced the name of mages.
What Serie didn't know was that since she had touched the threshold of a Demigod, her mana aura had begun to change slowly, revealing a trace of pressure unique to gods.
How could ordinary mages remain calm under such pressure? Even Second-Class Mages would find it difficult.
Forced by circumstance, Serie had to lower her selection criteria repeatedly while restraining her mana even further.
Finally, after several rounds of near-harsh screening, five lucky individuals stood out.
Three were humans—one male, two female—and two were elves, including the elven girl Serie had pre-selected. Without exception, they were all relatively young.
As for the veteran mages, although their performance under Serie's mana pressure was commendable, Serie had no intention of taking them as disciples. She even suspected they weren't here for her.
Among the five, a human boy named Alvin had a natural affinity for elemental magic. At seventeen, he could cast high-ranking elemental spells. The others had also touched the threshold of Second-Class Mage.
Possessing such strength at this age made them one-in-ten-thousand geniuses in the eyes of ordinary people.
However, in Serie's eyes, their talent was merely "decent."
She remembered that when Flamme was seventeen, she already had one foot in the door of a First-Class Mage. Her combat ability was slightly lacking, but that was a minor issue.
But Serie also knew Flamme was a genius seen once in a millennium. Plus, she had the dual tutelage of herself and Rhodes, so she naturally couldn't be lumped in with these people.
However, Serie didn't act perfunctorily toward these "cheap" apprentices. She dedicated her utmost energy to teaching them.
Thus, Serie's merciless criticism echoed frequently across the training grounds.
Her teaching method was extremely strict, bordering on nitpicking. She wouldn't let even the smallest mistake slide, just as she had with Flamme.
These mages were often tortured to exhaustion, and mana depletion became a daily occurrence.
Even more tragic was that, unlike Flamme, they didn't have Rhodes to comfort them. They could only endure it silently.
But undeniably, under such high pressure, the progress speed of the five mages far exceeded their own and everyone else's imagination.
Their control over mana and understanding of the essence of magic improved at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Although Serie was strict to the point of harshness, her guidance was unreserved and piercingly accurate, exposing bottlenecks and flaws they hadn't even noticed themselves.
Occasionally, Rhodes would come down from his laboratory piled with research data to watch Serie teach her disciples.
Although Serie appeared very strict, the gentleness in her bones couldn't be hidden. She was simply fulfilling her responsibility as a teacher in her own unique way.
At night, when the hustle and bustle of the day settled, Serie returned to the small room she shared with Rhodes, sitting somewhat sullenly on her small chair.
"Did you scold another one to tears today?" Rhodes handed Serie a cup of flower tea emitting a soothing fragrance, his tone teasing.
Seeing her unhappy look, Rhodes guessed immediately that some foolish apprentice had upset his elf again.
Serie took the teacup and huffed lightly. "It was that human girl named Lina. Her mental endurance is too weak. I just asked her to maintain two auxiliary magic circles while keeping the main circle running. She panicked and nearly lost control of her mana. I scolded her a few times, and she cried directly."
She took a sip of tea, then seemingly remembering something, her golden eyes suddenly brightened under the moonlight. "However—that kid Alvin independently completed a new high-ranking spell today. It was barely passable."
Listening to her report, which sounded like complaining but actually contained a hint of approval, Rhodes smiled and comforted her. "They aren't very old. A proper balance of work and rest is best. Do not put too much pressure on them."
"Hmph..."
The elf huffed again, unsure if she listened to Rhodes's words. "What about your research?" Serie put down the teacup and looked at Rhodes. "That... project... any progress?"
She didn't say the words "having a child" directly. It was too blunt for her, and it made it seem like she really wanted to have offspring with this man.
She would be embarrassed.
Rhodes walked to the edge of the window, gazing at the city lights below. "The fusion of life formulas is more complex than imagined, involving rejection at the genetic level. However, I have found several possible breakthrough points and am verifying them one by one." He turned around, looking at Serie. "It is fine. Time is on our side."
Serie walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing at the same starry sky, and gave a soft "Mn."
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