Peeking through a crack in his door, Robb saw a familiar figure stumbling down the hallway—it was Andar, another apprentice candidate who had arrived at the Black Mist Forest the same time as him.
This boy from a merchant house usually carried himself timidly and cautiously.
Now, he was clutching a stack of books, his face flustered as he rushed toward the library.
"Another one trying to break through at the last minute..." Robb shook his head to himself.
This sort of thing had become more and more common lately.
As the assessment deadline approached, apprentice candidates with no confidence in passing were either ending up like Locke and Emily—taking the wrong path—or throwing themselves into desperate study like Andar.
But no matter which path they chose, the outcomes rarely turned out well.
"Step by step is still the best way."
Looking at the stimulant potion in his hand, Robb silently reaffirmed his determination.
Although his progress wasn't especially fast compared to those naturally gifted top-tier candidates, his growth path was just beginning.
He was laying a solid foundation, each step grounded and real—progress that he could see and feel. It might be slow now, but soon, he'd surpass them all.
With that in mind, he sat back down on his bed, ready to continue training.
Time was precious—he couldn't let the effect of the potion go to waste.
…
Just as Robb finished meditating and was resting, he heard laughter and chatter from the hallway.
"That necklace is beautiful—it must be expensive?" a female voice called through the door.
"Not really, just something my master gave me. Speaking of which, do you know what Lord Marcus has been working on lately...?"
Robb cracked his door open slightly and peeked outside. From a distance, he saw it was a few apprentices' servants chatting—it sounded like a different group from last time.
But from their elegant clothes and jewelry, it was clear these weren't ordinary housemaids.
"Not everyone gets this lucky..." one voice said enviously.
"I heard that new guy—the one who 'broke through' last month—apparently used some kind of special channel."
"Shhh—keep your voice down. But yeah, I heard that too. It only took him three days."
"Seriously? I thought he was connected to someone from the black market..."
"Let's not go into too much detail, but yeah, they say some new merchants arrived recently—buying up rare ingredients."
Their tone was casual, as if simply gossiping, but their words were loaded with implications.
Robb noticed several nearby doors flickering with faint light from underneath.
Clearly, other apprentice candidates—still struggling with their own breakthroughs—were listening closely.
"Hey, that one guy—what's his name again? The one who went to see the black market dealer a few days ago."
One of the servants lowered her voice: "I heard…"
"Don't say it, don't say it," another quickly cut in. "Still, yeah, those merchants have some seriously effective stuff."
"For sure. My master said as long as the dosage and timing are right—especially when..."
Hearing these conversations, Robb suddenly recalled how he had seen similarly dressed, heavily made-up servant girls wandering around various market corners yesterday, just after he left the herb shop.
Their eyes had lingered on him with subtle curiosity. Thinking back, it was clear—they were scouting for potential "targets."
These servants had clearly been trained for this.
They always showed up in crowded places, speaking loudly about these "special channels"—and always beautiful women, naturally drawing attention, making it seem casual and believable.
Every detail was carefully calculated—to make desperate apprentice candidates believe this was trustworthy information.
"How manipulative..." Robb muttered to himself with a sigh.
Growing up in the House Reyne estate, he was more than familiar with these types of "information tactics."
Back then, his father's flatterers would often plant favorable rumors about themselves in public, just to curry favor.
But here in the Black Mist Forest, the consequences of such tactics were far deadlier.
Here, a single wrong decision didn't just damage your reputation—it could cost you your life.
The servants' voices faded as they walked away.
But those whispered "rumors" had already spread like sparks on dry grass, quietly igniting tensions across the dormitory zone.
"Truly insidious." Robb sneered and shook his head.
The "three-day breakthrough" they spoke of was, of course, referring to Locke—who had already mutated.
But in their retelling, they conveniently left out the gruesome aftermath and focused only on the effectiveness of the potion.
For desperate apprentice candidates, this kind of tale was irresistible bait.
"Three months… really isn't much time for some people."
Robb stared out the window at the fading twilight and sighed inwardly.
As the days passed, those who couldn't see any hope would only grow more desperate.
And the spread of these "messages" would only add fuel to the fire.
In just a few days, several apprentice candidates had already taken reckless actions.
Locke and Emily were only the beginning. There would likely be more walking that doomed path soon.
It wasn't hard to guess who was behind the servants spreading these messages—or which forces were tied to the black market merchants.
In this world of survival of the fittest, the weak were always prey.
Whether they became test subjects or someone's slave, it was all just a harvest game for some.
"I have to get stronger, fast. I refuse to live like a pawn."
Robb took a deep breath and steadied himself again.
He firmly shut the door and sat back down on his bed.
Though the voices outside had faded, those strategically planted rumors had already rippled through the dormitory zone.
He could hear pacing coming from Darude's room next door—clearly, even his reclusive neighbor, normally obsessed with sonic spells, had been affected.
Darude rarely cared about outside matters, always focused on his own experiments. But even he was now restless.
"Time really is running out."
The urgency finally crept into Robb's heart.