I wake up to a pounding headache. I open my eyes to a near pitch-black room. I am lying in a bed, with no clue where I am or how much time has passed. I shift my body weight to find enough leverage to sit up; dim glowstones begin to light at the movement. Everything hurts; on top of my headache, I find each muscle more sore than the last. Enough light fills the room for me to see that I am in a small bedroom—the bed is the only furniture in the room. I hear a soft knock at the door; a second later, the door clicks open and an ancient-looking man wearing blue robes with a green trim hobbles in, his gnarled wood cane clicking across the rocky floor.

  His soft voice gently cracks at points of emphasis. “Ah, good. You’re awake. Camden, my name is Doctor Trevi. You can call me Doc if you’re more comfortable with that, it seems most of the kids your age prefer to do so.”

  I lean in trying to focus on each of the doctor’s words through the pain. My throat feels bone-dry, and my voice waivers. “Doctor Trevi, how long have I been unconscious? Where’s Mallorc? Am I okay?”

  Doctor Trevi’s eyes soften in compassion. “Now child let us stick to one question at a time. You’ve been unconscious for about two days. You will be okay, but I imagine the headache will persist for another day or two. You really put your body and your mana through the wringer, so I would expect there to be some discomfort for a few days. As for your master, he was here this morning checking on you. I imagine he is somewhere around the town as we speak.”

  The gentle old man pulls a small box from his robes. “You are free to go today. Do not, by any means, activate skills or practice for the next fourty-eight hours. Make sure to take one of these pills in the morning and one after you eat dinner. It will stimulate your natural healing for a quicker recovery.”

  I gingerly reach out to take the box. “Thank you, Doc.”

  Slowly, I bring my legs around to the edge of the bed, testing the amount of pressure I can apply before I pull myself up. I stand shakily before the old man. I take one step and find that I should be able to walk around as long as I take my time.

  I face the doctor, unsure of how to phrase my question. “Um, Doctor Trevi?”

  “Yes, Camden?”

  “Where exactly am I free to go to?”

  An unexpected and uncharacteristically loud laugh booms from the delicate old man. “Oh my! Yes, I completely forgot that you really aren’t from around here. Apologies, my boy. Professor Sagaryn’s office is two buildings down on the right as soon as you leave the infirmary. You should be able to find him there and I’d venture a guess that your master will be there as well.”

  I dip my head in a bow, immediately regretting it as the blood rushing intensifies the already sharp headache. Doctor Trevi opens the door for me, and I shuffle my way through the small infirmary. I push open the front door, squinting my eyes against the cavern’s bright reflective light.

  I head in the direction of Sagaryn’s office, and notice that every passerby’s attention is on me—everywhere I look, an almost reverential admiration plastered on each person’s face. A few feet away from the door, I hear a shout from behind me. I turn to see the skewer stand’s icy manager, Virelle, hurrying down the street toward me. She stops about five feet away; an embarrassed blush sprawls across her cheeks.

  She bends into a deep bow, her voice struggles to push out an awkward apology. “I’m sorry, I gave you a bad first impression. Your display during the test was very impressive and I apologize for treating you so poorly.” She pauses halfway through her apology. “Please come by my stall anytime, I owe you another meat skewer on the house.”

  I hesitate for a few seconds, surprise evident from the unexpected genuineness of the apology. “I accept your apology, Virelle. I also would like to start over. My name is Camden Darjean, and I’m the Tea Sage’s Apprentice.”

  She stands tall from her bow, a small smile fighting at the corner of her lips. “Nice to meet you, Camden. My name is Virelle Borean, and I am the Ice Sovereign.”

  I nod my head, acknowledging her introduction. “The pleasure is mine, Virelle. If you’d excuse me though, I have some words to share with Professor Sagaryn regarding the death trap I just barely crawled out of.”

  I turn around and pull open the door. I hear a soft good luck come from Virelle as she makes her way back down the street. I walk into Sagaryn’s office and find myself in a library not too dissimilar from the Sage’s Library beneath the shop. Bookshelves line the walls; stacks of books taller than the minotaur create a maze throughout the room—each labyrinth path leading to cozy reading nooks. I am forced to backtrack a few times before I find the correct path through the complex network of scholarly routes. Finally, I come across a door with a simple iron plaque labeling the room behind it as “office”. I knock on the door, waiting for permission to enter, but I am greeted by silence. Tentatively, I turn the handle and push the door; it only opens about halfway before it is stopped by another towering stack of books. I squeeze through the narrow gap, and find Sagaryn and Mallorc in a tense, hushed argument. Upon seeing me enter, Sagaryn raises his hand to silence the Old Man.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Ah, Camden. Good to see you up and about. I’m assuming Doctor Trevi gave you the all clear to move about. I don’t know if you were fully conscious or not at the end of the test, but you passed… Congratulations.”

  A huff escapes Mallorc as he opens his mouth to speak, but he is cut off by a sharp look from Sagaryn and a nod directed in my direction.

  The professor speaks up again before I can muster a reply. “The test did not go as planned, and for that I offer a heartfelt apology. The formation has never summoned a Tier Two monster before and we were under the impression that it couldn’t. It was a disastrous oversight, and I genuinely am sorry for the pain and hardship it caused you. I want you to know that I was ready to intervene at any point that your life was in danger, but I can understand that this is a small concession having gone through what you did.”

  The entire speech seems like a fa?ade. I feel like he is trying to gauge my reaction as he speaks of tribulations and withheld rescue. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of any understanding or forgiveness being apparent on my face.

  After Ryn’s brief observational pause, he continues. “I understand of course, if you do not wish to continue your journey learning from us. However, I believe that would be a short-sighted decision. The School is prepared to invest heavily in your development following that display and it would be a shame to put in all that work and not receive the benefits of being a core student.”

  My ears perk up at the mention of investing in my development. What I’ve seen of The School so far has been very limited, but even just the cavern’s herbs planted along the entrance’s pathway would be sufficient in pushing my skills further along. I need to approach this carefully, I don’t want to show any interest until I am able to secure sufficient resources to push my training along.

  “What kind of investment are you thinking? What could this place offer me that my Master can’t?

  Mallorc, for his part, remains silent. I can see a calculating look just under his stoic features. There are plenty of resources in the Sage’s Library back home. It would be dangerous to go back to my training in Verdance, if it still stands, but my battle with the minotaur proves that I would at least be able to hold my own against some of the weaker monsters. Sagaryn seems to be able to decipher this calculation and slowly stands from his desk.

  The professor clears his throat. “Mallorc will have to explain the significance of this offer since you are still not familiar with our system here, but I’ve decided to make you a generous offer. The resources we will provide you will firmly establish your foundation and I believe with your talent, in a year’s time you could be close to Mid Tier Two.”

  My poker face finally cracks under such a ridiculous claim—desire flares through me, and I know Sagaryn has seen it in my eyes. Mid Tier Two is something that takes new adventurers five years or more to achieve, but The School can help me reach that stage in a fraction of the time. I can see that Sagaryn knows he has me on the hook, but I can’t make it too easy to reel me in.

  I force myself to keep my voice even. “That is a very bold claim, Professor. What is actually being offered by the school?”

  Sagaryn’s voice seems to drip boredom at the already concluded game. He already has me in checkmate, he just needs to explain why. “The School is prepared to make you a direct disciple with a monthly stipend of one thousand merit points, direct access to the manual library, a new mid grade weapon to replace your monk’s spade, and one spirit herb of your choice per month.”

  None of this makes any sense to me. I heard briefly about merit points during the skewer fiasco, and I know that a new weapon would be greatly appreciated, but I’ve never heard of the manual library or spirit herbs before. I also don’t know much about weapon grading, public education doesn’t cover it since that tends to be a concern for higher tier adventurers. Unsure of the true magnitude of the offer, I look to Mallorc for guidance only to see his mouth agape in pure shock.

  “Sagaryn, you better not be lying to us after all this. His performance in the test was extraordinary, and I’m incredibly proud of him, but it doesn’t warrant such an extravagant offer. What are you playing at?”

  The Professor taps his fingers impatiently on the desk. “You don’t see the whole picture Mallorc. You’re correct, his performance during the test doesn’t warrant such an offer. What does warrant the offer though, is his performance during the test at his current level. If he was Mid Tier One or High Tier One, it wouldn’t mean much. But the fact that this boy with a month of training and no progress in his Inheritance almost defeated a minotaur is testament to his potential.” He turns his gaze to me. “There will be parameters to this offer, you will need to perform, if after three months you haven’t advanced to mid tier you will lose these resources. If after six months you aren’t at high tier you will lose these resources. If after nine months you aren’t at Tier Two, you will lose these resources. But I don’t think that will be a problem… do you?”

  I stand there watching Sagaryn, for the first time since I have met him, I feel genuine passion exuding from him. The man before me truly does wish to train his disciples into the unique, polished gems he believes they can be. For just a moment, I am lost in the fanatical desire to make a man like him proud of me. However, I am able to re-center myself and stop to consider the offer from a logical perspective. I look to my master, still looking at the professor in disbelief. He finally turns his gaze to meet mine, I can see a glimmer of hope that his apprentice will survive this new storm caused by the devils. An almost imperceptible nod from the Old Man is all it takes to push me past all of the internal debate.

  I look over at Professor Sagaryn, take a deep breath, and prostrate myself in a deep bow. “This humble disciple accepts this master’s teachings.”