"I'm more than willing to!" Glenn opened his eyes wide.

"Good. Then you'll be my third apprentice. The guy Varro is the second student I've accepted and before him, I have Deep Spring." Sorcerer Norris's face looked heavy as he mentioned Deep Spring. "She's a good student, but she's alway on business and doesn't stay here."

Glenn rose up, approached Sorcerer Norris and bowed to him in the most respectful manner.

"Master." Glenn didn't want to run the risk of being dismissed by saying a redundant word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The famous First-Year Student Sorcery Test had come to a conclusion. Glenn was reclining leisurely on his bed in his dormitory. It was a luxury which he had been deprived of for 30 days.

"I finally have a future-- a decent future! I've a mentor who's a sorcerer!" Glenn reinforced his grip on a random book in his hand. His eyes were determined.

Soon, Glenn jumped out of bed and was eager to experiment with the new samples he had collected during the test.

The first thing was that rare fire element, and the mission confronting him was how to cure it into his Element Matrix. If he succeeded, there would be a significant rise in his mental strength.

The second thing concerned Daughter of Sun's blood sample. Glenn had vialed her blood stains left in the dirt, which she shed when she was knocked down to the ground by the exploding bead. As a big figure from the Black Isotta and a potential sorcerer whose name was ironed out in the third mirror house's reward table, there must be something worthy of meticulous research in her blood.

The third was about the hallucinogenic substance carried in the mushroom's spores, which almost caused him faint before the first mirror was dropped in the forest. The Symbiotic Insects he had raised had buzzed in his ears and saved him. Now Glenn had a strong desire to deepen his relationship with the Symbiotic Insects.

Glenn put the Daughter of Sun's blood sample and mushroom fragments into separate Petri dishes and kept them in a sub zero temperature environment.

Afterwards, he returned back to the bed and held his new crystal ball in hand. He watched it earnestly as if it was his baby who he was taking care of.

Suddenly there was a round of sharp knocks on his door.

"It's midnight. Who would come to me at this time?" Glenn frowned, and quietly put aside his ball on his pillow's side.

Without much thinking, Glenn answered the door. What he would meet with was dislike, blame and even curses.

"Where the hell have you been? The test has been over for two days, and you're still not coming to me?" It was Lafite who, with a long face, roared out a series of questions.

"I was gonna..." Glen tried to make an explanation.

"Why did you leave us? Why did you take the Bead? You left the whole group in danger, don't you know that?" Lafite stepped up the offensive.

During the quarrel, Glenn was being pushed backwards until he reached the window and hit his head on it.

"Ah!" Glenn let off a cry.

Lafite's gloomy face turned into a loving one.

"Are you okay?" Lafite asked lightly.

"Come on. I'm fine. I'm Sorcerer Norris's student; I will always be fine." Glenn boated.

Lafite returned by pouting her mouth, and she made a suggestion, "It's a huge thing! So what do you say we celebrate it?"

"Celebrate? Like how?"

"Like doing it!"

That night, without having to worry about their life being taken, both of them sunk in sexual intimacy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day's night, the Death Sail League called up a meeting.

In the meeting hall, Glenn was sitting next to Lafite, silently. He had been used to concealing his brilliance. Robinson was stepping to and fro before Glenn, laying grievances against what a hell he had been through. But Glenn paid little attention.

It was said that 5 of the 13 Superiors (including Sam) of the League died in the Test, and the league members had diminished to under 200. Along with the Death Sail League, there were five other major leagues in the Black Isotta.

The Gory Test had decimated the young students in large numbers. The leagues were invariably shorthanded and were in urgent need of new recruits. And to appeal to the non-affiliated students to join, it called for charismatic leaders. That was the reason why the Death Sail League convened this meeting. And words were in the air that Kyrie, Bionna and Sam were on the hit list of the five other leagues; the exact reasons were yet known.

Alastair, founder of the Sail League, was giving a speech to interpret his vision regarding the growth plans against this new background, and he concluded his speech by saying:

"After giving much thought to it, the League has decided that the new Superiors will be Glenn and Belle!"

Glenn was thrown into a daze by his words. Lafite turned to Glenn and gave him a puzzled look.

The audience were bewildered as well. Most of them yelled for Glenn as he was well-known now. Yet they booed Alastair's decision to elevate Belle as a Superior because she was rarely known as a "brilliant" student. She had turned down Alastair's love, yet retained the clinging fibers that linked them up.

Belle was happy about the decision. But Glenn was not quite.

"Glenn, congratulations!" Alastair stepped down the stage and came to Glenn.

Glenn turned to Lafite and begged her as if she was the decider. "I don't wanna be a Superior. I wanna be left alone to learn sorcery."

Lafite looked into Glenn's eyes and saw that they were filled with resolution.

"No, Alastair. Glenn can't take the position. He has personal stuff to deal with."

Alastair displayed a terrified countenance on his face. The day before, he was defeated by a leader from another league.

"Lafite, the League need more strong leaders to take us further. Time is different!"

"The answer is still no! Glenn is busy. He's not suitable for such a position!" The sharp-tongued queen persisted unreasonably.

"The League is in peril. We need him."

"I need him, too."

...

Unable to persuade her, Alastair gave up and dropped the request.