Chapter 292 – Gaze

Countless metallic needles never reached their targets, as they were all intercepted mid-air.

A translucent green shield spanned across the curtain of rain, its barrier perfectly encompassing all the apprentices. The hyper-velocity metal needles continuously struck the shield, only to burst into silvery sparks before vanishing into annihilation.

To Anya and the other apprentices, it appeared as if a starry canopy had manifested above their heads. Glimmering lights swirled endlessly across the protective dome, yet not a single spark could penetrate this seemingly delicate but indestructible energy barrier. All creatures sheltered beneath this “celestial canopy” remained utterly secure.

“Collapsing Field Shield”! This was a genuine Master-Level conjuration spell. The size of the protective shield depended entirely on the amount of magic power infused—a Master-Level practitioner’s full magical output could even envelop an entire small city. Using it to block a low-tier Formal-Level attack while protecting over three hundred apprentices was naturally more than sufficient.

The Iron-Toothed Raven’s assault was typical of a “single-wave” tactic. Before long, the dense metallic needle rain gradually ceased.

Only now did the apprentices clearly see a man in black mage robes with crimson patterns hovering in the sky, unnoticed until this moment. Raindrops seemed to “automatically” part before him—despite the torrential downpour, not a single drop moistened his robe.

The mysterious arrival’s face remained hidden in the shadows of his hood, but his eyes, blazing with azure fire, appeared increasingly cold and eerie against the gloomy sky. In an instant, the chilling aura he emitted seemed to freeze the entire world.

“Caw! Caw!”

The Iron-Toothed Raven, now with visibly sparse feathers, shrieked in panic mid-air as if it had seen a ghost, completely devoid of its earlier arrogance and ferocity.

Without doubt, the newcomer was Punk.

It must be said that Punk’s killing intent was now completely unconcealed, for his mood was exceedingly foul. Moments earlier, he had dealt with the other four Iron-Toothed Ravens flying toward different exits and inspected the four other apprentice groups as intended. However, the results left Punk deeply dissatisfied.

The apprentice he sought needed to be optimistic, resilient, talented, and discreet in conduct. Yet among those four groups, while many apprentices demonstrated optimism and resilience, they were either foolishly bold through ignorance or socially excessive enthusiasts who loved making friends everywhere.

As for talent… that ironically proved easiest to find. Among thousands of apprentices, countless possessed outstanding aptitude. The very reason the Thought of Truth’s apprentice recruitment consistently attracted Zhentarim interference was its uncanny ability to identify truly gifted candidates.

Having toured the area without success, Punk naturally felt displeased. Even this partially plucked Iron-Toothed Raven now seemed an eyesore to him.

The Iron-Toothed Raven wasn’t entirely foolish. Though inherently arrogant, it recognized when facing an overwhelmingly superior opponent and knew retreat was the only option.Seeing Punk’s extremely unpleasant expression, the Iron-Toothed Raven that had just enjoyed its freedom for less than five minutes quickly turned to flee.

But its supersonic speed was practically no different from a snail’s crawl in the eyes of a Master-Level powerhouse.

Before the Iron-Toothed Raven could even flap its wings, Punk’s pale purple Mage Hand grabbed the desperately struggling raven like a chick.

“Annoying.”

Punk cast a disgusted glance at the still frantically flapping Iron-Toothed Raven and spoke expressionlessly. Simultaneously, the Mage Hand tightened its grip slightly.

Crack! Crack!

Accompanied by wails that pierced through the curtain of rain, the Iron-Toothed Raven’s bones—tougher than steel reinforcement—were completely crushed by Punk. Of course, injuries of this degree weren’t enough to kill the raven, but they were certainly excruciatingly painful.

After tossing the screaming, wailing Iron-Toothed Raven into a magically conjured cage, Punk paid it no further mind. He turned his gaze to the apprentices on the ground and asked coldly:

“Where is your supervising instructor?”

“O-over… over there.”

As Punk looked their way, none of the apprentices dared meet his eyes. Only one younger apprentice near the front timidly pointed toward a pile of bloodstained rubble while keeping his head lowered.

Peter, whom the apprentice had pointed out, didn’t continue lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious. He wouldn’t dare play tricks before a Master-Level powerhouse, especially when this particular Master-Level powerhouse seemed to be in a foul mood.

During his time lying in the rubble, Peter had regained considerable mobility. Hearing Punk summon him, he hastily scrambled over.

“Respected Lord Cyan, how may I serve you?”

“Nothing important. I thought you were already dead… Your control over life energy is decent, but using it this way is truly shameful.”

Punk immediately saw through the Formal-Level Mage’s little trick. However, he was fully focused on scanning the three hundred-plus apprentices struggling to suppress their sobs. For the humbly bowing Peter, Punk merely offered this sarcastic remark before saying no more.

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right, my lord. I’ve been utterly useless.”

Peter wouldn’t dare refute him. Even though being scolded in front of so many apprentices filled him with shame and anger, he could only keep his head lowered, adopting an expression of “the master’s criticism is my honor” as he stood obediently in the rain.

At some point, the torrential rain had gradually lightened. Though the pattering raindrops hadn’t fully ceased, the howling cold wind had already died down.

Punk remained silent, sensing the reverent yet fearful gazes the apprentices cast toward him.

These children also disappointed Punk. In his view, they were no different from the previous four apprentice groups—just a bunch of half-grown kids who, even after brushing with death, could only muster immature and tedious hero worship. The few with better talent and starry-eyed dreams of the future kept chattering to their companions with self-perceived cleverness, showing no awareness of maintaining a low profile.

“Seems like wasted effort after all. I’ll have to go back and find another approach. As expected, you won’t find any truly promising sprouts among a bunch of kids.”Punk thought with displeasure. Finally, he frowned helplessly, picked up the cage once again filled with Iron-Toothed Ravens, and prepared to leave.

“Huh? This little one seems somewhat different!”

Just as Punk, feeling utterly disappointed, was about to turn away and resign himself to his misfortune, a gaze unlike any of the other apprentices entered his perception.

It was a gaze brimming with curiosity, longing, and joy, standing out like a beacon in the dark amidst the simple admiration in the eyes of the other children.

Punk halted his steps and followed the gaze.

There, in an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, a girl with long ink-black hair was staring at him with wide, pale green eyes!

(End of Chapter)