Chapter 98: Training Camp

On the track, a few trainees, who seemed to be familiar with Sara, approached when they saw her. There were both males and females, but when they noticed me standing beside Sara, they hesitated, unsure whether to come over. However, Sara greeted them with a smile first.

"Niya, Weiss, everyone, good morning."

Seeing Sara's usual sweet smile, they mustered the courage to walk over and greeted me first.

"Hello, sir." "Good morning, sir." ...

"Uh-huh."

I smiled and nodded. It was nice to be in this world; in the original world, these young brats would ignore you no matter who you were!

Seeing my approachable demeanor, they relaxed and started chatting with Sara, though their eyes occasionally glanced at me, clearly curious about my identity.

Seeing their behavior, I couldn't help but think of my own student days. It seemed the training camp wasn't much different. However, the people here, perhaps due to the war, were much more mature despite their young age.

Sara was clearly the core of this small group. It made sense; although she wasn't from a noble family, her father was a job changer, making her almost a young lady. Combined with her appearance and personality, it was natural that she was well-liked. The boys in the group looked at her with eager eyes, and even some of the trainees on the track occasionally glanced over, showing how much of an impact Sara had. Of course, most of the trainees were focused on their training, as survival and strength were more important than women in this world.

At this moment, Sara seemed a bit distracted. She wanted to introduce me to everyone, but for some reason, they all seemed to avoid me, making it hard for her to start a conversation. She was also worried about making me feel left out, so she clung tightly to my arm, mumbling "uh-huh" continuously.

Unable to bear Sara's awkward and pleading look, I cleared my throat and took a step forward. The group's chatter suddenly stopped, showing that my presence was putting a lot of pressure on them.

"Sara, introduce me to your friends. I'm quite curious," I said, my eyes gently sweeping over the seven women and five men.

"O-Okay."

Seeing my understanding, Sara's face lit up with a charming smile.

"These are my good friends. This is Niya, this is Weiss..." After introducing everyone, she clung to my arm, her face showing the unique charm of a young woman in love.

"He is... he is my... uh, big brother, uh... not exactly, this..."

When it came to introducing me, Sara hesitated. As a young woman, calling me "big brother" was the most appropriate, but seeing her friends' obvious curiosity, the sensitivity of a young woman in love made her feel threatened. It wasn't just "big brother"; he was closer than that, a big brother who belonged only to her.

She wanted others to know, but didn't know how to express it. Thinking about this, she looked at me with her eyes, which were now tinged with a blush, as if covered by a misty veil. In her mind, her big brother was all-powerful and would understand her.

I couldn't understand what was going through Sara's mind, but I couldn't ignore her pleading look. So I continued for her.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Wu Fan. I am currently Sara's big brother, but after she completes her studies, she will officially become my wife."

"Bang," I could almost hear the hearts of the five boys shatter. Seeing their dejected faces, I felt a chill. This scene was all too familiar, a classic plot from many novels. The fiancé was usually a sinister and foolish antagonist, and at this point, a "male protagonist" would stand up against the "authority" and bravely fight for his love.

Unfortunately, this was just a novel. The status difference was too great; even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to say anything. These five, being potential mages, quickly adjusted their mindset. They weren't here to fall in love; love was too distant for them. However, their eyes still occasionally showed disappointment and helplessness, indicating they would be depressed for a while.

I had only said this to make others give up, but it inadvertently fulfilled Sara's wishes. She turned her head, looked up at her big brother with adoring eyes, and clung to his arm, her heart as sweet as honey in her first love.

Sara's loving gaze made me uncomfortable. I had only repeated a previous promise; there was no need for such excitement. Her eyes were misty, her small, perfect nose gently flared, her thin, cherry lips slightly parted, and her soft, lustrous lips exuded a faint, alluring fragrance. If not for my improved self-control, I might have lost myself.

Fortunately, Sara was facing away from her friends, so only I could see her expression. If others saw her, I would have gained many rivals, and the number would have increased exponentially.

"Cough, cough..."

I cleared my throat to calm my almost boiling blood, then gently stroked her head. I loved this gesture; Sara's hair was so smooth and pleasant to touch, and each time I stroked it, a faint, lingering scent remained on my hand. Was this the male version of "beauty in the eyes of the beholder" in this world?

"Hey, you guys, what are you standing there for? Get over here and start your training!"

A middle-aged voice came from not far away. Huh? This voice sounded familiar...

Hearing the voice, the other twelve people quickly turned around, and even Sara hurriedly let go of my arm. The warm, soft feeling was gone, and I felt a bit uncomfortable.

I also looked up. The voice was familiar, and I wanted to see what this "dean" looked like.

When I saw his face, I was speechless—damn, no wonder the voice was so familiar. It was the "chatty" mage from the Black Wasteland. However, I was grateful to him; he had introduced me to Druv and the others.

He didn't seem to notice me, walking over with a serious expression and scolding Sara and the others. His "dean" tone made me feel a bit awkward.

After a while, the chatty mage finally stopped, about to urge the trainees to start their training when he finally noticed me, his eyes widening.

"Hello, we meet again." I nodded slightly.

"Y-You... Your Excellency." The mage's voice was a bit stuttering. This was a big figure in the Rogues' Camp; why was he here?

"No need for formalities. I'm just here with Sara to take a look at the training camp. As for you, weren't you at the Black Wasteland's teleport station? How did you end up as a... oh, mentor here?" I asked curiously.

"The assignment to the teleport station is decided by drawing lots. My original job was a mentor." The mage's explanation almost made me fall over. Drawing lots? No wonder Akara said the old guys in the Mage Guild were like children.

With the mentor here, Sara and the others couldn't stay, so they returned to the track to start their training.

"Excuse me..." I just realized I didn't know the mage's name.

"Oh, I... I'm terribly sorry. My name is Yale, Havertis. You can just call me Yale, Your Excellency." Yale was smart and quickly understood my meaning.

"Yale, you're Sara's mentor, right?" I said straightforwardly.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"What do you think of Sara's talent?"

"Sara, you mean?" Yale's gaze fell on Sara in the distance, and he shook his head.

"The chances of her becoming a wizard are not high." Indeed, these mages were straightforward. Knowing my close relationship with Sara, couldn't they be a bit more tactful?

Seeing my slightly angry look, the "chatty" mage suddenly realized and quickly added.

"However, this child's understanding of fire magic is not inferior to a wizard. But, as you know, mastering only one type of magic is not enough to become a wizard."

"Do you mean Sara only has talent in fire magic, and not in others...?" I asked, a bit unwilling.

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. So, she is likely to become an excellent mercenary, but to become a wizard, to be honest, it's unlikely."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, Yale."

"Not at all, Your Excellency. I'm just doing my job."

"Please take good care of Sara in the future."

Seeing me bow to him, Yale was a bit at a loss and promised, "N-no, please don't... I will definitely take good care of Sara. I'll also inform the other mentors, so you won't be disappointed."

Sweat, it wasn't just him. This was good.

"However, Your Excellency really cares for Sara." Yale said, surprised. A high-ranking job changer bowing to a low-ranking mage was a big deal to him.

"Because she is my fiancée." I said calmly, and Yale nodded thoughtfully.

"Wait, Your Excellency, could I trouble you for a moment?"

Just as I was about to leave, Yale suddenly stopped me...

The mage training camp's curriculum wasn't very strict. In the morning, they focused on physical training. Although mages had warriors to protect them, there were times when they needed to run away from unbeatable enemies. You couldn't expect warriors to carry you, so physical fitness was essential, especially for sword mages, who needed both physical and sword training.

After the morning physical training, they had formal classes, divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. This division was rough; in the beginner class, some new students couldn't keep up, while those nearing promotion were already familiar with the material. There was no unified start date, so mentors had to repeatedly explain the material, and most of the learning was self-motivated. There were no guarantees of employment, and those who couldn't persist would end up farming or herding.

After Sara and the others finished their morning physical training, they came to the classroom, which was actually a large outdoor tent. Some classes were even held in the open air. Sara was in the second group of the beginner magic class. As they sat down and opened their thick, complex magic books, their mentor, Yale, walked in, followed by an unexpected figure. Sara rubbed her eyes in disbelief; it was none other than her big brother.

Originally, I didn't want to come. I knew almost nothing about magic theory and had planned to share some special forces training methods from my original world, as seen in many novels. However, after seeing the warriors' training methods, I wisely discarded those ideas. After thousands of years of cold weapon warfare, their training methods were far more advanced and rigorous than those of special forces. Were they really treating the people of this world as fools?

However, I couldn't resist the temptation. I didn't know much about magic, and the students were probably tired of hearing the same things. But my nearly year of real-world experience was genuine and more than enough to impress these students.

Yale the mage respectfully asked me to stand aside, then walked to the front of the class with a serious expression, getting straight to the point.

"Everyone, we are fortunate to have one of the strongest job changers in the Rogues' Camp, the lone druid Wu Fan, to give us a valuable lesson. Please listen to Wu Fan's guidance with gratitude. In the future, you will find that every word of Wu Fan is a guide for your survival."

"..."

The students were immediately in an uproar. Even these future mages, known for their rationality, were shocked. The training camp had invited many people to teach, but they were usually new job changers or experienced mercenaries. A truly powerful high-level job changer would never have the time to teach beginners!

Moreover, Wu Fan, the lone druid, was a hero to these young admirers. A genius druid who job changed at 21, he had trained alone and reached level 15 in less than three years (old information from the Black Wasteland). His adventures from the Frozen Plains to the Tempest Highlands were legendary, enough to make these students, who couldn't even defeat Fallen Ones, go wild.

Among the students, Sara's twelve friends were the most surprised. They had thought I was just a new job changer, but now they realized I was the druid who was almost as famous as Shalana, the second strongest. They looked at me in shock, regretting not talking to me more, as it would have been a great story to tell others. They were also envious of Sara.

Amid the students' murmurs, I walked to the stage and subtly winked at Sara, who was staring at me with adoration and longing, even I, a love novice, could see it.

When I reached the stage, the students fell silent. Looking at the hundreds of eager eyes, I felt a bit uncomfortable. I had to maintain my image and not embarrass myself in front of Sara.

I took a deep breath, straightened my face, and gave the students a cold look. The aura of years of killing immediately intimidated them.

"I'm sure you've all heard of me, so I won't waste time. Although druids are proficient in magic, my specialties are transformation and summoning. I don't have a deep understanding of magic, so today, I will talk about the knowledge of training, which could determine your survival. Of course, this is assuming you at least become a mercenary. Otherwise, consider it a story."

My cold tone carried a hint of arrogance. In this world, if you weren't a bit arrogant, people wouldn't take you seriously.

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