Wizard With Daily Task Panel!

Inside, the ghost captain's quarters were modest. An 'oil portrait' of a ship at sea hung on one wall, and a large window overlooked the endless ocean. The ghost captain himself sat by the window, his translucent form glowing faintly as he gazed out at the waves with an air of melancholy.

Hearing Leonard enter, the captain turned slowly, his expression neutral.

"I'm here to sign up," Leonard said simply.

The captain nodded and opened a drawer, pulling out a rolled piece of 'parchment' and a 'feathered pen'. He placed them on the table.

"This is Master Merlin's test paper. Answer the questions, and I'll take them to him for evaluation."

Leonard sat down, unrolling the parchment. Under the warm light of the kerosene lamp, he scanned the questions.

The content was straightforward, basic knowledge of mutation science, foundational spell theory, and some general problem-solving scenarios. Simpler than Leonard had expected. He quickly scribbled down his answers, his hand steady and efficient.

When he was finished, he slid the parchment back across the table and stood up.

The ghost captain glanced at him, mildly impressed. "You're quick," he remarked.

Then, holding the parchment, the captain's figure shimmered and faded into thin air.

"I'll deliver this to Master Merlin."

---

Leonard waited in silence, glancing briefly at the oil portrait as the ghostly figure passed through the wall. Moments later, the captain reappeared, stepping out of the shadows as if the walls themselves had spit him out.

"Master Merlin has reviewed your answers," the captain said, his tone even. "He's approved you. Report to Room 101 tomorrow morning to begin your duties."

Leonard nodded, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Without another word, he left the room, his steps measured and calm.

---

Back in the corridor, the apprentices who had mocked him earlier stared as he emerged. Their eyes followed him, a mix of resentment, disbelief, and unease.

The captain paused for a moment, turning his head slightly to glance at them over his shoulder.

"You don't get anywhere by standing in the way of others," he said coolly. "If you want something, work for it. Otherwise, step aside."

With that, he walked away, his footsteps fading down the hall as the group stood frozen in place. For the first time, they saw him not as a commoner but as a real competitor.

Leonard gave Captain Ghost a quick nod of gratitude. The questions on the parchment weren't particularly challenging, so he wasn't surprised by his acceptance.

As he stepped out of the captain's room, he found himself surrounded by a cluster of wizard apprentices. Their expressions were anything but friendly.

One of them, a tall apprentice with sharp features and an air of entitlement, stepped forward and blocked Leonard's path. His voice was laced with menace.

"Who gave you permission to answer the questions?" he sneered. "You'd better pray you fail. If you actually pass, your days on this ship will become a living nightmare."

Leonard paused, looking the apprentice up and down as if he were a particularly boring insect.

He couldn't help but wonder if noble wizard apprentices were born with a defect in their thinking or if years of pampered living had simply made their brains rot. 'How could people this arrogant and short-sighted be considered the future of wizardry?'

He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "If you have a problem with my answers, why don't you take it up with Wizard Merlin himself? I'm sure he'd love to hear your opinion."

The apprentice's face turned red, but before he could retort, Leonard simply pushed past him, his strength sending the others in the narrow corridor stumbling to the side like scattered leaves. He didn't bother to look back.

---

Once back in his room, Leonard sat on the edge of his bed, his thoughts churning.

Something about the test questions had been nagging at him. The phrasing, the structure, it all felt oddly familiar, like déjà vu.

Frowning, he pulled a notebook from his space ring and flipped through its pages. His teacher, Alfonso, had given him this notebook along with a treasure trove of knowledge.

As he scanned the notebook, Leonard's eyes widened slightly. 'There it was.'

Many of the test questions on Wizard Merlin's parchment were eerily similar to the notes in Alfonso's book.

"So that's why it felt so familiar," he murmured to himself. The realization deepened his suspicion. Was it possible that Wizard Merlin and his teacher, Alfonso, knew each other?

It would explain a lot. His teacher's precise knowledge of the ship's arrival time, for one. But if there was some connection, why hadn't Alfonso mentioned it?

Leonard leaned back in his chair, pondering the possibilities. "Until I know more, I shouldn't assume too much. If I approach Wizard Merlin the wrong way, I could end up making things worse."

---

The next morning, Leonard made his way to Wizard Merlin's room.

As he approached, he noticed a small group of wizard apprentices gathered outside the door. Their eyes turned toward him as he drew closer, a mixture of curiosity and subtle hostility flickering across their faces.

One of them, a red-haired man with a sly, calculating smile, stepped forward. He extended a hand toward Leonard.

"So, you're the one who got the position as Lord Merlin's assistant," he said smoothly. "Congratulations. My name is Bim Buxton. You can call me Bim. You must have an impressive knowledge of mutation science. I hope we'll have the chance to exchange ideas sometime."

Leonard studied the man for a moment, then reached out and shook his hand. "I'm Leonard. It's good to meet you."

The handshake was brief, but Leonard remained cautious. There was something about Bim's overly friendly demeanor that made him wary.

Nearby, several other apprentices introduced themselves, including a familiar face: 'Anusheh Pratt', the arrogant noble who had tried to block Leonard from registering the day before.

Anusheh's tone, however, was surprisingly neutral this time. He offered a polite smile and said, "It seems you've caught Lord Merlin's attention. That's no small feat. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish. Perhaps we'll even find opportunities to collaborate in the future."

Leonard returned the smile, though his eyes remained sharp. "Collaboration sounds promising. Let's keep the door open for opportunities."

After a few more formalities, Leonard excused himself and knocked on Wizard Merlin's door.

---

The door creaked open, and a deep, authoritative voice called from within.

"Enter."

Leonard stepped inside, immediately struck by the sheer size of the room.

The space was 'immense', far larger than his own quarters, clearly the result of some spatial expansion spell. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood, and the dim light from glowing orbs on the walls cast eerie shadows across the room.

At the center of the chamber, an 'elaborate formation' was drawn on the floor, its intricate lines glowing faintly blue. The material used for the formation was unmistakable: 'siren blood.'

The corpses of sirens lay scattered across the floor, positioned in deliberate arrangements that resembled the spokes of a wheel. Together, they formed what looked like a 'doorway', their lifeless forms eerily posed to channel some kind of energy.

Wizard Merlin stood at the center of it all, his lavender hair catching the faint glow of the formation. He didn't look up as Leonard entered, his focus entirely on the glowing sigils beneath his feet.

"You're here," Merlin said, his voice calm but commanding. "Good. You'll assist me with the preparation of this ritual. Watch carefully, and don't make mistakes."

Leonard nodded, stepping forward cautiously. His eyes scanned the scene, his mind already racing to decipher the purpose of the formation and the spell Merlin was preparing to cast.

Whatever it was, one thing was certain: he was about to witness magic far beyond anything he'd ever encountered before.

"Have you ever heard of sacrifice?" came the soft, almost silken voice of the man standing before Leonard. His back was turned, but Leonard was certain, this was Wizard Merlin.

This was Leonard's first time seeing the man up close. Merlin was striking, with 'lavender curls cascading down his shoulders', an ornate magic robe tailored to perfection, and a pale, almost sickly complexion. His features were sharp and cold: a hooked nose, thin lips, and eyes that seemed to pierce through even when they weren't looking directly at you.

"I've heard of it," Leonard replied calmly.

Sacrifice was not an unfamiliar concept to him. He recalled the books he had studied: sacrifice was essentially a ritual where offerings were made to powerful beings through 'specific magical arrays'. In return, the sacrificer could receive blessings, power, or material gifts. In some worlds, these rituals were referred to as 'worship or offerings'.

The beings who received sacrifices were usually immensely powerful entities, though exceptions existed. The offerings themselves varied depending on the preferences of the recipient: 'souls, flesh, blood, faith', and even intangible concepts like loyalty.