Chapter 296 – Overthinking?

“You’re three seconds late.”

Punk spoke without looking up from an enchanted pocket watch in his hand.

“Apologies, Mentor. This happened because I encountered…”

“I have no interest in whether you met an ancient dragon or a Titan giant. Every second you waste is time stolen from learning knowledge, understand?”

“Understood, Mentor!”

Anya didn’t continue explaining, merely accepting the reprimand with utmost deference.

As a somewhat clever young woman, Anya knew she wasn’t entitled to make excuses before certain people – like this black-robed mentor who appeared no older than fifteen, who clearly belonged to the category of those who wouldn’t listen to explanations.

She had to admit, when Punk emerged from the shadows and stood before her, the young woman was genuinely startled by his appearance. In her mind, she had imagined Punk to be a stern middle-aged man.

However, Anya wasn’t one to be swayed by appearances. No amount of handsome features could dispel the profound unease deep within her.

Most importantly, Punk’s subsequent behavior thoroughly confirmed that Anya’s apprehension wasn’t unfounded.

“Very well, my apprentice. Your talent is exceptional, but talent alone isn’t enough. You need to unlock that potential.”

Punk spoke expressionlessly to Anya. Though not a single word he said was truthful, his delivery showed no trace of insincerity.

What could Anya possibly say in response to Punk’s topic raised under the guise of “caring for his apprentice”? After a momentary daze, she could only nod in agreement:

“Yes, I’ll follow whatever instructions you give, Mentor.”

“Excellent, it seems you’re quite ambitious. But the path of magic is always treacherous, and suppressed talent is useless! However, don’t worry – I have a method to unlock your potential. One essentially guaranteed successful experiment will suffice, and you’ll be the first beneficiary. The only side effect is a bit of pain! So, are you willing to accept?”

Punk got straight to the point about his intentions. Though he phrased it as a question, he had already calmly retrieved from his Storage Ring a small vial containing a pale green potion coursing with blue lines.

“Rest assured, experiments in the Thought of Truth follow voluntary principles. Even if you’re unwilling, no one will force you.”

Punk spoke ominously while directly approaching Anya with the potion in hand, then stared straight at the terrified-looking young woman.

Forced to meet Punk’s icy gaze, Anya suppressed her trembling as much as possible, maintaining a calm exterior.

But in reality, she was inwardly lamenting.

“Voluntary? Some voluntary principle this is! Is this what they call ‘voluntary under coercion’? How utterly excessive!”

Anya was complaining loudly in her heart – though she only dared to complain internally. These were words she definitely wouldn’t dare say directly to Punk’s face.At this moment, the vast Magic Tower contained only Anya and Punk. She was merely an apprentice who hadn’t even become a professional yet, while Punk was a Master-Level powerhouse who held a high position even within the branch. Most importantly—Punk’s demeanor showed no intention of seeking her opinion whatsoever. Anya had no doubt that if she refused, she would be “volunteered” for the experiment through even more painful means.

In the end, faced with Punk’s ice-cold “kindness,” Anya could only helplessly compromise. She vaguely sensed that accepting this so-called “talent excavation” experiment was a matter of “digging her own grave,” but if she refused… that would be “swallowing a bitter pill.” Compared to “swallowing a bitter pill”… Anya had no choice but to opt for “digging her own grave”!

Without much hesitation—not that she could afford to hesitate under Punk’s oppressive presence—she forced a faint smile and accepted the potion he handed over with slightly trembling hands. Then, she spoke in the most grateful tone she could muster:

“Thank you very much, respected Mentor!”

Anya lifted the cocktail-like potion to her lips, casting one last pleading glance at Punk.

But unfortunately, all she saw was his expressionless, handsome face and those deep, chilling eyes.

Finally, under Punk’s watchful gaze, Anya had no choice but to drink the potion down to the last drop.

“Mentor, is there anything else you require?”

After drinking the potion, Anya gently set down the empty Potion Bottle. She now felt a vague, throbbing pain beginning to pulse in her head, as if something deeply unsettling was churning and stirring within her soul.

“Hmm, very good. Next, take off all your clothes and lie down on the Experiment Table.”

Confirming that Anya had finished the potion, Punk calmly turned and retrieved various bizarrely shaped surgical Alchemy Tools from his Storage Ring, simultaneously issuing the command to her with indifference.

This time, Anya was even more stunned. She glanced at the Experiment Table beside her, covered in engraved runes, and heard the clinking sounds as Punk turned and pulled out numerous unknown objects.

The young woman’s face began to pale!

“N-no way… could it be… have I encountered a perverted mentor? What he just made me drink was… was…”

At this thought, Anya didn’t dare to continue. She knew that in the ordinary world, some high-ranking Nobles enjoyed tormenting young girls for amusement. For those unfortunate girls, such a life must be as agonizing as Hell.

In Anya’s mind, Punk had now become equivalent to those depraved Nobles.

Thinking of the possible “ordeal” that might befall her, coupled with the growing discomfort in her head, Anya felt she was on the verge of tears:

“Mentor… could we not… not use this method… could we use a normal approach instead?”

With reddened eyes and a tearful voice, Anya looked pleadingly at Punk.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Hearing Anya’s distorted tone, Punk frowned slightly and turned around. He had been intently inspecting the enchantment runes on the alchemical scalpel and didn’t immediately grasp Anya’s “baffling” remark.However, upon seeing Anya’s pale smiling face tinged with a hint of crimson, Punk immediately knew the little girl had misunderstood.

For such adolescent delusions, Punk originally had no intention of paying attention, content to let her speculate wildly. But considering the negative emotions that might be released during the upcoming “Eerie Eyeball transplantation,” he thought it best to keep Anya from becoming too agitated. Thus, he patiently offered a dry explanation:

“You’ve misunderstood. This is merely a step in the experiment. Your body is too frail, and I will perform a minor procedure on you. Trust me, I would never harm my own apprentice”!

Punk didn’t hesitate in the slightest when lying, his expression as calm and indifferent as ever.

Meanwhile, Anya’s usually reliable intuition was nowhere to be found this time…

Seeing Punk’s serious demeanor and feeling that chilling aura that always made her soul shiver, Anya couldn’t help but think she had indeed overthought things:

“Ah, Anya, what nonsense are you thinking? How could the Mage possibly be interested in a little girl like you? Besides, even if the mentor wanted to do something, could you resist? Being obedient in the face of power is the wise choice. Perhaps… perhaps the mentor truly has my best interests at heart, right?”

Anya silently comforted herself, then slowly began unbuttoning her clothes with her slender, pale fingers.

Though somewhat self-deceptive, this was the only way Anya could console herself…

Please vote! So few recommendation votes~ Please vote!

(End of Chapter)