Chapter 57: The Battle for Discipleship, II

A bewildered voice came from beneath the hooded robe.

“What?”

“I don’t have any money.”

“…” Louis briefly responded and turned away.

The hooded figure stood dumbfounded, not comprehending what Louis meant. After realizing the situation belatedly, he hastily opened his mouth.

“Oh, young man… I’m not some peddler.”

“Huh? You’re not here to sell something?”

“Heh-heh, why would you think I was just a peddler?”

“Well, how else can I tell?”

“Oh!”

Finally grasping the misunderstanding, the mysterious person lowered their hood, revealing gray hair and a long beard.

The man’s eyes flickered with an extraordinary power, clearly indicating he was no ordinary merchant. This made Louis even more cautious.

Real con artists never give themselves away! They say true masters can deceive you even through their gaze.

Louis narrowed his eyes further and asked nonchalantly, “What brings you here, Grandfather?”

“Heh-heh-heh, well, you see…” The kindly old man stroked his beard like Santa Claus, his tone filled with anticipation. “By any chance, were you the one who used holy magic on the person lying unconscious on the deck earlier?”

Louis’s eyes narrowed even more.

What’s up with this old man?

From the start, Louis had sensed the potent elemental energy emanating from beneath the robe. However, he initially dismissed him as just another vendor due to uncertainty about the stranger’s intentions.

Louis treated him with suspicion due to uncertainty about his intentions.

Better safe than sorry! Always keep your guard up!

As Louis cautiously stepped back, he asked, “…No, it wasn’t me.”

“Heh-heh-heh, but you did, didn’t you? I was watching…”

“Oh, so you pretended not to know and approached me?” Shocked, Louis took another big step away from the old man.

The elderly merchant waved his hands frantically at Louis’s wary gaze, feeling flustered. “N-no, that’s…that’s not what happened!”

“What do you mean, ‘not what happened’?”

“Well…” The old man couldn’t recall ever receiving such a look before.

Regardless of age or gender, people had always looked at him with envy. The flustered old man sighed heavily.

“Oh… Yes, it was my mistake for feigning ignorance and approaching you like this. I apologize, dear child.”

“Hmm…” Louis, ready to take another step back, relaxed slightly upon sensing the sincerity behind the apology.

The old man and the boy locked eyes as Louis opened his mouth.

“So…what brings you here?”

Louis’s clear articulation belied his young age, bringing a wide smile to the old man’s face.

In a calm voice, he replied, “Before we proceed, may I ask you something?”

“Well, let’s hear it first. What is it?”

“Hmm… The thing is, how old are you this year?”

“How old do I look?”

“What?” The elder was caught off guard by Louis’s question instead of answering his own. Seeing Louis challenging him to guess, he cautiously replied:

“I’d say sixteen—”

Shf.

Before he could finish, Louis took a step back.

“No, sev—!”

Shf-shf.

This time, two steps. With each retreat, Louis puffed out his cheeks more and more.

Realizing instinctively that he had guessed wrong, the elder hastily called out:

“Ohhh…”

Shuuu—

“Not nine, ten!”

Halt.

Louis stopped just as he was about to take another step backward from nine years old.

Louis’s cheeks deflated as he grinned widely with satisfaction. “Ha-ha, correct answer! So what brings you here today?”

“Heh-heh-heh-heh.”

Despite being outwitted by a child almost fifty years his junior, the old man wasn’t upset but rather seemed pleased.

Ahem! Truly, genius runs in this family!

The boy before him possessed immense talent, one bestowed upon him by heaven itself. Not only was Louis gifted, but he also displayed exceptional cunning. The conversation had completely captivated the elder, and his eyes now shone with affection for Louis.

The old man took two steps closer to Louis and asked, “By any chance, do you have a mentor who teaches you?”

“What?” Louis blinked at the unexpected question.

But what happened next truly caught him off guard.

“No matter! Even if you already have one, dear boy—”

“Why’s that?”

“Please accept me as your master!”

“…Excuse me?”

Louis’s jaw dropped at this declaration akin to a marriage proposal.

“…” For a moment, he couldn’t believe his ears before incredulity took over.

“What…did you just ask for?”

“A master! I want to be your master!”

Louis quickly grew uncomfortable and retreated five steps back.

However, the old man was relentless. As soon as Louis moved away, the elder closed the gap between them again.

“Please accept me as your mentor!”

“…Isn’t it usually the other way around?”

Louis had seen people plead to become someone’s disciple before, but this was his first time encountering anyone who wanted to be taken on as a mentor.

The old man chuckled at Louis’s bewildered response.

“Heh-heh-heh, details don’t matter. One must seize opportunity when it presents itself! How regretful would you feel if you missed out on such a golden chance by being too cautious? Only those with courage deserve worthy disciples!”

“…What do you know about me?”

“Oh, I know quite well!”

“What exactly?”

“You’re an exceptionally bright child!”

“…Is that all?”

“I saw it clearly! Your use of holy magic! You’re undoubtedly blessed with psychic abilities, aren’t you? And to think you’ve already reached tier four at such a young age… How could I pass up this treasure standing right before me?”

Louis’s mouth hung open as he stared incredulously at the old man.

What is going on with him?

Out of nowhere, the stranger wanted Louis to be his apprentice. He scrutinized the old man closely.

“All right then. Assuming all that is true…who exactly are you, sir? Why should I trust someone who might turn out to be a kidnapper or con artist?”

“Oh dear! My apologies…I haven’t even introduced myself yet!”

As he spoke, the old man pulled out a metallic rod from his waistband, about the size of his palm.

“Watch closely.”

Proudly holding the metal rod, the elder began channeling mana into it.

Suddenly…

Chang.

The palm-sized rod instantly extended to approximately five feet long. The transformation wasn’t merely an increase in size; its appearance dramatically changed as well.

“Oh!”

The silver metal staff with a red aura looked quite impressive.

‘Red… Is it fire or psychic attribute? Since it feels familiar, it must be psychic!’

The red aura represented solidified psychic attribute power. The harmonious blend of silver and red colors captured Louis’s attention. Especially captivating was the concentrated mass of energy shimmering at the tip like a blazing sun, truly the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

‘How cool… I need to get one of those for myself!’

Louis’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

The old man couldn’t help but grin at Louis’s reaction.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s amazing!”

“Right? Will you accept me as your mentor now?”

“Why would I?”

“Huh?” The boy and the old man blinked at each other, both puzzled by the exchange.

The elder spoke first. “Why? Why wouldn’t you change your mind after seeing this?” He thrust forward the metallic rod.

However, Louis remained unfazed, looking even more bewildered.

“What is that thing?”

“You don’t know what a mana stick is?”

“Huh? That’s a mana stick?”

”…?!” The old man’s eyes widened incredulously.

The old man’s eyes widened in disbelief. How could someone who cast holy magic not know about mana sticks?

A thought suddenly struck him.

Now that I think about it, he doesn’t seem to have any mana sticks on him!

The old man had immediately followed Louis after his departure from the village, but despite searching Louis thoroughly, there was no sign of a mana stick anywhere near him.

Shock filled the old man’s face.

Ha-ha-ha, then…does this mean he cast the holy magic without using a mana stick just now?

It wasn’t entirely impossible, but such a method was incredibly difficult and highly inefficient. To perform a tier-4 holy spell without a mana stick required two to three times more Attribute Power typically needed for casting tier-4 spells.

Moreover, controlling Attribute Power without a mana stick was no easy feat. Yet Louis effortlessly cast holy magic without one.

Just how much… Attribute Power does he possess?!

Such individuals did exist from time to time. They were born with significantly more Attribute Power than others. The child before him must have been one of them, possessing both innate power and exceptional control over it. Even without further analysis, it was clear that this boy possessed extraordinary talent.

I misjudged you… I thought you were an uncut gem, but you’re already a polished treasure.

With these thoughts, his desire for Louis intensified even more.

I didn’t intend to reveal this.

However, it was not the time to hold back if he wanted to secure the treasure before his eyes. He needed to lay all his cards on the table and claim what was rightfully his.

Having made up his mind, the old man stowed away the mana sticks and produced something else from within his robes with great pride.

“Well then, does this give you any confidence in me?” The item he displayed was a small platinum badge featuring a tiny crown at its center.

The old man seemed quite confident that Louis would recognize it, but…

“What’s that? It looks like platinum. Must be expensive.” Growing up playing around in Genelocer’s inventory, Louis had handled countless valuable items, so he immediately recognized the material of the badge as platinum.

Thanks to Louis’s knowledge, he immediately recognized it as platinum. However, his answer caught the old man off guard.

“You d-don’t know what this is?”

“No, sir.”

“What?! What kind of teacher didn’t teach you such basic information?”

“I don’t have a master.”

”…No master?”

“That’s right.”

“Then how did you learn holy magic?”

“By myself, reading books.”

“Ohhh!” The old man marveled at Louis’s self-taught proficiency in holy magic, and his eyes sparkled with determination.

I must secure him at all costs!

With this prodigy on their side, his tower could finally rise above its perennial second-place status. The elder man quickly composed himself, hiding both his bewilderment and anticipation. With a benevolent smile, he calmly began explaining.

“My dear boy, this is an identification badge issued by the Holy Magic Research Association of the Four Continents.”

“Oh?”

“The platinum color indicates that you’ve reached Tier 2 mastery.”

“Wow!”

“And!” The old man brought the badge close to Louis’s face and tapped on the small crown emblem with his finger. “This little crown symbolizes your rank as vice tower master!”

“Whoa!”

Louis looked at the elder with newfound admiration. Achieving Tier 2 mastery and becoming a vice tower master were significant accomplishments in human society. Indeed, the old man was the strongest human Louis had encountered since arriving here.

However, Louis had other thoughts on his mind.

Even someone like him can’t discern my true power level.

Dragons differed greatly from humans anatomically, so only another dragon could accurately assess their strength.

The old man cleared his throat as he felt Louis’s eyes on him. “Ahem! My name is Aiden. I am the vice tower master of the Dawn Tower, which happens to be the second-largest tower on this continent!”

Louis’s initially bright eyes dimmed at Aiden’s confident introduction, quickly losing interest.