“Congratulations, Ronan.” Professor August said enthusiastically, “You have successfully awakened your potential. You are now a Wizard Acolyte.”

 

August had a beaming smile on his face. Even though he was ready for the worst possible outcome, Ronan had surprised him once again.

 

Considering the chances of a commoner having a medium-level affinity is said to be one in a million, he had little hope. The results, however, made him glad to have made Ronan his disciple.

 

August was excited about Ronan’s future. Though there was a lot to be seen, he could imagine Ronan becoming a great spiritualist in the future.

 

He might not become a powerful wizard, but with his fellow disciples and himself standing behind him, there would be few who would dare to mess with him.

 

A wizard acolyte was someone who had awakened his potential but had not yet reached the level of an official wizard. The requirements to advance were harsh, and that is why many awakened people remained as acolytes their entire lives. That would definitely be the case of acolytes with low-level affinity, but for those with medium affinity, there was hope.

 

Ronan was beyond happy to have finally stepped into the territory of the supernatural.

 

Since the very first day, he had come to this world, and since the day he learned about magic, he had always dreamed of the day he would finally wield the mysterious power.

 

Now it had come true. The day had come too fast and without warning. Just this morning, he was nothing more than a senior apprentice of Dr.Virat, and in a day, his status had jumped several times.

 

Ronan knew that even the mercenary leaders of Albus village would have to be courteous to him because he had Professor August, a great wizard as his teacher. But he knew that now a lot more responsibility and expectations were on his shoulders.

 

“Thank you, sir,” Ronan said respectfully.

 

Professor August smiled and said, “I only did what I would do for any of my disciples. I am thankful that not only did I get a genius doctor but also a talented acolyte.”

 

Ronan couldn't help but involuntarily smile at the praise.

 

Professor Layak snorted as he watched the duo and warned, “It is good to be happy, but you better come back to reality fast. Unexpectedly, you are blessed with magical affinity, but you still have a thorny way ahead of you.

 

You have a medium affinity for magical energy, which is not great but it is way better than the low affinity usually seen in commoners. Many wizards have achieved great things with such an affinity, but almost all of them had a head start compared to you.

 

You can be considered a genius of medicine, but you are a total beginner at magic. Every acolyte your age is stronger than you.”

 

Dr.Layak’s words poured cold water on Ronan’s fantasies. For a moment he fantasized about the power of magic but the reality was often cruel.

 

Ronan had a medium affinity for mana which wasn’t bad but not the best either. Many acolytes his age had a high affinity, and those with medium affinity awakened many years in advance and had a head start in training.

 

He had neither talent nor the background to catch up. If he didn't want to be at the bottom of the pack, he needed to work harder than anyone.

 

“Yes, sir,” Ronan answered sincerely.

 

The warning resonated deeply with Ronan as he readied his heart for the difficult path ahead of him.

 

The three heads were satisfied with Ronan’s attitude. In their eyes, Ronan had a mature personality for his age despite growing up with no proper education. They felt satisfied knowing that he would work hard and not let this minor success get to his head.

 

“Alright,” Professor August said, “No need to be tough on the boy so soon. It is his first day so he can take it easy. Either way, he won’t have any time to relax later on. Because he is behind on his magic training, he needs to train extra hard to catch up.

 

Unfortunate as it is, we are postponing your training as a surgeon. You can take up the scalpel at any time, but you need to focus on your magic training for now.

 

Ronan, you can go back to your home today and explain to your leaders what happened here. From tomorrow, you will live with me.”

 

The three heads then explained some more things and answered many of Ronan’s questions before letting him go.

 

Ronan left quietly preoccupied with his thoughts. He had learned a lot from the conversation and had a lot to think about. The future he envisioned for himself had changed a lot, and he needed to make a new plan.

 

From his recent conversation, Ronan learned that the world of Avalon was a lot bigger than he imagined. The wizards originating from prestigious families knew a lot of classified information that ordinary people didn’t have access to.

 

Ronan had once believed that considering the size of the Dakshin empire, the world of Avalon must be at least several times larger than earth. But the three wizards explained that the continent of Arthrea alone is several dozen times larger than the territory of the Dakshin empire.

 

The size of this world and its mysteries were beyond Ronan’s comprehension. In the beginning, he estimated that the Dakshin empire would be around the same size as Asia. On earth, countless kingdoms and later many countries occupied the same territory, and even in modern times, it wasn’t ruled by one nation.

 

Earth had many unexplored regions despite its small size. Now the continent of Arthrea alone measured dozens of times the size of the Dakshin empire. There was still the endless ocean and island territories not to mention other continents.

 

It was a mind-blowing statistic and also showed him the immensity of this world.

 

Ronan always believed that he would stand at the top of this world and uncover its secrets when he becomes a wizard. The reality was he would be a slightly stronger person, but that is about it. The immensity of this world made him look small and his ambitions pitiful.

 

In the eyes of the truly strong, the wizards were like children, and the common folk would be similar to ants that they can step on at any time.

 

The true rulers of this world were hidden far away from the eyes of normal men. Becoming a wizard would just give him the qualifications to step into their world. An acolyte was nothing in the context of the larger picture.

 

Ronan hated that fact. He imagined a free life beyond anyone’s restraint when he first knew of magic. He wanted magic because he desired freedom. He wanted to live a long life and obtain everything.

 

But that same freedom was nothing more than a flicker of the candle which can be exhausted by someone with enough power. He didn’t have any power to resist them.

 

The three heads, who he imagined were unbelievable existences, were strong in the empire, but there was always someone stronger.

 

Ronan believed that the three heads informed him of these secrets to open up his mind to the absurdity of the world and to prevent him from getting carried away due to a small success.

 

The small speck of satisfaction that he had earlier disappeared with those words. He was insignificant as far as this world was concerned.

 

Ronan only found out about the truth because he finally stepped over the boundary of the ordinary people. If he had no potential and never came to Kathyad, then he might have never known about these secrets. He might have lived his entire life in ignorance, or he might have died without knowing the cause of his death.

 

The sun had long set as he made his way back to the mercenary quarters, and the way home was illuminated by the mana lights, which are a luxury in the mercenary village but here they were used as street lights. Walking under their illumination, Ronan soon reached the Albus mercenary campsite.

 

He didn’t bother to inform the leaders as he had no relationship with them but went straight to Dr.Virat, who had helped him tremendously for the past three years.

 

Ronan learned everything from Dr.Virat but hadn’t paid him back yet for his favor. The kindness and the trust shown by him had helped Ronan tide over the turbulent time when he had first crossed over into this world.

 

If not for him, Ronan might have suffered a lot. Dr.Virat also treated him without any prejudice and fought for him. He gave Ronan every chance to prove his skills and did everything he could as his teacher. It was a rarely seen quality in men of both worlds.

 

Ronan might have felt emotionally distant from most people of this world, but the time they spent together made him treat Dr.Virat as a parent figure.

 

Ronan had no family back on earth and had lived with various relatives all his life. Most if not all of them had no interest in taking care of him.

 

He never had a parental figure in his life who would unconditionally help him no matter the reason. Thus Ronan appreciated Dr.Virat and vowed to return the kindness. He didn’t forget to remember Kaleb and Derek either. Favors had to be paid back, both good and bad.

 

Walking into Dr.Virat’s office, Ronan bowed and greeted, “Sir.”

 

Dr.Virat looked at Ronan and felt the change in his mood. He didn’t know what had happened, but he would surely listen to his favorite student.

 

“Have a seat,” Dr.Virat offered and went to make some tea.

 

Ronan sat calmly and thought about how he should explain the events of the day.

 

Dr.Virat soon offered Ronan his tea and questioned, “Alright, why the long face? You didn’t get accepted into the surgical dept? It’s alright. You have a lot of time to improve and try again.”

 

Ronan raised his head and answered, “I was accepted into the surgical dept.”

 

Dr. Virat's eyes brightened, and he exclaimed, “Good! Good! What is the problem then? I knew you had it in you to pass the test.”

 

Ronan pursed his lips and continued, “I was appointed as the chief apprentice by the director, Dr.August.”

 

Dr.Virat’s eyes widened in shock as he asked in a dumbfounded manner, “Chief apprentice?”

 

Ronan nodded and continued, “Then Professor August asked me to be his disciple. I accepted after weighing my options.

 

I was then tested for my magical affinity and awakened my potential to become a wizard acolyte.” Ronan finished as if he still had trouble believing all that happened in just a day.

 

Dr.Virat was way past the point of getting shocked and just stared at Ronan as if he was a madman who was lying about everything. But the few years he spent with Ronan let Virat know that there was no way he would lie to him about something so serious.

 

Although the news was shocking, it also left him excited.

 

Dr.Virat had noticed something different about Ronan since a long time ago. Sometimes Ronan would behave like an adult, and he had seen Ronan hide his skills to not stand out among his peers multiple times.

 

A whale cannot live in a pond. Ronan's skills and talent were too good to be wasted in a little mercenary village. That's why Virat agreed to bring Ronan to the expedition despite the possibility of danger.

 

He hoped that Ronan would find a better teacher and leave the village because, in his opinion, Ronan’s future was limitless if he was provided with good opportunities.

 

Dr.Virat never mentioned the Wizards and acolytes. Once he saw Ronan’s interest in everything supernatural, he became worried that Ronan's dreams would ruin him. After all, Magic was something far out of the ordinary people league.

 

He once tried to help Ronan become a knight's apprentice, but Ronan wasn't skilled in martial arts. Thus he could only hope that by some miracle Ronan would awaken his potential naturally.

 

He was planning to reveal everything once Ronan grew up a little more and was mature enough to accept the ways of this world. But today, Ronan came to inform him that he had become a wizard acolyte and a disciple of a genuine wizard.

 

Dr.Virat might have been just a rural doctor, but he had been to the capital before and knew the might of wizards. Becoming a disciple of a wizard and awakening his potential meant that Ronan was no longer the same as his peers.

 

He was genuinely happy for Ronan as his teacher and a parent figure who saw the boy grow into a fine young man in the past few years. It was both an occasion to celebrate and agonize as it was time for Ronan to leave his tutelage.