(Morcster Chef) - Ming's Exam - Ch. 64 (Patreon)

“Oh?” The man across from her asked. “I’m aware of your younger years, Malissa. The guild briefs all the examiners before we meet a group. I know that you and Belmont were the only survivors from a kobold swarm. Your friend is utterly fixated on stopping such events from happening again – a very noble desire. He reminds me of myself. I might have believed you if you’d said that your goal was the same.”

“Or you would have caught me in a lie,” Malissa said, smirking slightly. “I honestly don’t know what I want. It just feels like I’m drifting along.”

Malissa stopped talking. Her brow tightened and her lips pursed. She was being far too friendly with the examiner – someone she didn’t even know.

“Wait a minute. What’s going on here?” Malissa asked, rising to her feet.

“Ah. I suppose our time together is up,” the examiner said. He stood up and nodded slightly to Malissa. “I must apologize. In order to get responses from the real you, I utilize magic that weakens your inhibitions. You’ve only spoken what you truly feel, even if its not something you would ever admit to yourself.”

Malissa shook her head, trying to clear it of the fog that had suddenly appeared. It had been there for a while, but she’d somehow missed it.

“I’ll assume I didn’t pass then?” She asked, her face unreadable.

“On the contrary,” the examiner replied. “Flying colors. Most people would have lied and told me what they thought I wanted to hear. My magic doesn’t make you tell the truth – it just makes you act like your true self. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing what your goal is, Malissa. Just make sure you figure it out before it’s too late.”

He reached out and offered Malissa his hand. She was barely able to function enough to take it, her mind stunned into silence.

“Congratulations on making F rank,” he said. “Let’s hope your team can match your efforts.”

Ming floated several inches above her wooden chair. Her bundle of staves rested against her feet, and four cloaked figures stood a short distance away from her.

“Hello,” she said happily, waving to them.

“It’s good to see you again, Ming,” One of the hooded figures said. Ming recognized his smooth voice from the last promotion exam she’d taken.

“We will begin with the standard tests,” a woman said. Ming was too far to hear her breathing, but a faint translucent shield about the size of a door appeared a few feet to the small mage’s right – a good distance away from any of the hooded examiners.

“Please use your strongest attack against that shield,” the man Ming recognized said.

“Okay,” Ming said. She pulled a staff free of the bundle and pointed it at the shield. She drew a deep breath and let it out in an explosive burst. A bolt of purple lighting screamed out of the staff and hammered into the translucent shield. It instantly turned a dull orange.

“Again,” the man ordered.

Another bolt of lightning leapt out and slammed into the shield. It darkened slightly, but nothing else changed.

“Continue attacking the shield until you no longer have enough energy to continue,” the woman said.

Ming nodded and focused her attention on her target. A series of blasts lit up the room as her magic hammered against the shield relentlessly. It didn’t darken in color any further, remaining at a burnt orange. After six earthshaking strikes of lighting, Ming’s hand was shaking.

After eight, she leaned heavily against the chair and drew ragged breaths. The small woman narrowed her eyes and lifted the staff one last time, drawing on the last reserves of her strength. One more burst of magic screamed through the air, smashing into the shield.

The staff fell from Ming’s hand and she slumped into her chair. The whole ordeal had only taken a minute at most, but she looked like she’d just ran around the city.

“Magical strength above average,” one of the men who hadn’t spoken yet said. “Energy reserves…exceptional.”

A few murmurs rose up from the other examiners, but they quickly stopped as Ming reached into her pouch and pulled out a strip of jerky that Arek had given her. She stuffed it into her mouth, ignoring the stares they sent her way.

“Just like last time, you’ve clearly passed the magical aptitude test,” the lead man said. “Seeing as you’ve come back, I assume you have some thoughts on what you’d like to try and specialize–” he trailed off as Ming chowed down on another strip of jerky.

She noticed them watching her and nodded, her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk. She snuck one more strip of dried meat into her mouth and chewed for a few moments before swallowing.

“I’ve already got my specialization,” Ming said.

As she spoke, her gaze drifted the fourth cloaked figure. They hadn’t said anything yet. In fact, they seemed to be looking in an entirely different direction. While the other three examiners were watching Ming, he was very focused on the wall to their side.

“Have you already arranged for a teacher?” the woman asked.

“No.”

“I can acquire a list of mages who are currently looking for an apprentice,” the first man said.

The fourth figure – the one who hadn’t spoken – covered their face and coughed. It was a male voice. Ming’s eyes darted in his direction and a tiny smirk played across her lips.

“There’s no need,” Ming said. “I already know who’s going to teach me.”

“Oh? I thought you said you haven’t arranged for a teacher. I’m afraid that you can only choose your specification – the teacher isn’t up for choice. I assure you that all of our mages are competent–”

“That’s not it,” Ming said. “There’s only one person who can teach me. My specialization will be pure magic.”

The fourth figure let out a cough that racked his body and whipped his head around to stare at Ming. There were a few moments of stunned silence from the examiners.

“Well, ah, I see what you mean. There is indeed only one person that can train you in pure magic, but we can’t press gang him into agreeing. We will locate him and let you know his thoughts on the matter.”