Elliot asked every apprentice to extend their hands, and he tapped a drop of his potion on everyone's hand.
The apprentices originally thought that the potion would protect them, but soon realised that this was the potion meant to attract monsters.
After Elliot was done, he announced loudly, "This potion will emit a scent to attract monsters and it lasts for a month. You are allowed to attempt to remove the scent, as it is allowed by the rules of the trial. Of course, it will be difficult, but I don't care how you do it."
After that, Elliot stuck by Adam, as if he was waiting for Adam to beg him to remove the potion. The assembly was soon over, and Elliot followed Adam back to his lab, "Adam, don't you want me to remove the potion for you?"
Adam simply replied, "No need."
Elliot remained silent. He wanted Adam to ask for help, then refuse and tease him. Adam's no fun.
The devil smirked and taunted Elliot, "How could my master fall for a trick like yours?"
Adam didn't need Elliot to remove the potion, but some apprentices had different ideas.
They all knew Adam and Elliot had a good relationship, but Adam's reputation prevented them from making a direct request to Adam. Hence, the apprentices flocked over to William.
When Adam returned to his lab, William squeaked, "Adam, uh... there's something I need to tell you."
Adam was busy loading rations of food, water, and power stones into the portable space. He glanced at William and said, "Speak directly."
William muttered, "There are some apprentices asking you for help... They want you to ask Mr. Elliot to remove the potion's effect from them."
Adam looked at William intently, "Does this include you?"
William waved his hands hastily, "No, of course not. Not like it's possible anyways. I just thought to let you know."
Adam looked away, "Good. You're not stupid, then. You're right -- it's impossible."
"Why?"
"Mages don't leave loopholes in their explanations. They want you to remove the potion's effects with your own abilities, not through relationships."
"Can't networking be considered an ability?"
Adam rolled his eyes, and James interjected, "William, I don't think you understand the meaning of this trial."
William turned to look at James.
"The purpose of this trial is to weed out both the weak apprentices and the apprentices who gave up."
William nods.
James continued, "A mage pursues the source of energy and knowledge, exploring the truth. Networking is useless if you are powerful. The Academy trains mages, not politicians."
William nodded again and stopped talking.
Adam packed up his things, and remembered the other two apprentices from his home island. He walked up to William and asked, "Aren't Crystal and Ophelia going to participate as well?"
William was taken aback, clearly surprised that Adam wanted to know about them, "Crystal is the Black Mage's personal student, so she doesn't need to participate in the trial; as for Ophelia, she's working in a laboratory and hasn't been seen since. I don't know what happened to her."
The devil popped out and asked, "Who are they? Are they girls?"
William nodded.
"I see! Could they be the master's..."
William silently looked at the devil being flung around the room with psychic hands. He didn't know how to answer the devil's questions.
...
Early the next morning, under the guidance of some senior apprentices, the apprentices came to the teleportation hall and entered the portal with mixed feelings. Many people were destined to fail and accepted defeat; some were trembling, but calmed themselves before entering the portal.
The feeling of teleportation is as uncomfortable as ever, but this time, Adam could use his psychic barrier to resist the uncomfortable feeling. After a momentary trance, Adam found himself in a strange place.
His surroundings were damp and smelly. His boots squashed over rotting fauna and flora; the sound of rushing water could be heard. The sky was a dim green, as if a spell was blocking out the Sun.
"Where is everyone?"
Adam found that even though they took the same portal, they were all at different locations. He was alone with his devil, and the potion on his hand started to exude a pungent smell.
He could tell he was in a tropical rainforest. Back on Earth, a rainforest is known for its biodiversity and inevitable dangers. People who venture into rainforests often die, so Adam could only wait to discover what awaits in the mage world's rainforests.
Adam crept around the dense trees, his psychic barrier surrounding him. He hovered above the ground to avoid stepping on the ground as well to minimise risks.
The trees were incredibly tall, and he could tell many creatures were hiding within the branches and leaves, so he didn't dare to fly too high.
Hence, he decided the safest way to navigate the forest was to gently hover over the ground.
He knew that there would be no exit from this trial ground either.
He couldn't help but rejoice that he had a portable space to store food and water. Prometheus knows which plants in the rainforest are edible and poisonous.
Adam whispered to his devil, "Go ahead and scout for me." He then pointed to the deep darkness ahead of him.
Since the devil is effectively immortal, attacks would have no effect on them, so they would be great in scouting a safe route for Adam.
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