After a night of talking and drinking, except for Wayne who didn't drink, the other witchers were all drunk. There was no way, he could only move these drunks back to their rooms one by one like a sack.
According to past memories, Kaer Morhen is the hometown of the Wolf School. The four witchers of the wolf school, Vesemir, Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel, if they are not delayed by other things, they will rush back here almost every winter before the mountains are covered by heavy snow.
In addition to them, there was a witcher named Berengar, who occasionally came back here to recuperate. He was a relatively silent man, and apart from Vesemir, his relationship with the other three was not that warm. Of all these years of training, Wayne only saw him one winter.
Wayne, being familiar with the Witcher game series, knew that this particular witcher would eventually be captured by a group of Vizima gangsters and wild sorcerers. Not only was he forced to reveal the location of Kaer Morhen, but he was also forced to reveal the secret of the Grass Trial, which eventually triggered a series of events.
But these things haven't happened yet, and have nothing to do with Wayne now.
During the winter, Wayne trained diligently, especially in swordsmanship. Four masters with distinct styles sparred with him, providing invaluable combat experience.
As winter's grip on the castle intensified, fishing and vegetable growing became less fruitful due to the cold weather. This made Wayne lose a lot of fun, but fortunately, he had a few more companions. In his spare time, he would take the delicacies he had made to find these senior witchers, and listen to them talk about the monsters and tasks they encountered in their past experiences. It also taught him a lot of customs and interesting stories that he couldn't learn from books. This led Wayne to seek solace in the company of his fellow witchers.
As the snow melted, Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel embarked on their monster-hunting journeys once more. Witchers don't just stumble upon money, they need to earn their keep. Their survival and sustenance rely on traveling the world to complete monster-hunting tasks. The following year, Wayne's growing capabilities seemed to earn him recognition. Vesemir, his mentor, no longer needed to be there daily for Wayne's training. Instead, Vesemir focused on setting training objectives and venture down the mountain in search of employment to make a living.
Vesemir had to cover all the expenses related to Wayne's training. Although the seasoned witcher had some savings, the money was slowly depleting, and training a witcher was quite costly.
The days at Kaer Morhen, dedicated to training, seemed to fly by. Wayne remained diligent, continuously honing his skills and diligently studying all the books about monsters found within the castle.
During this year, his overall level reached to 5, and his sword skill level and magic seal level even reached lvl 5 and lvl 8.
Not only that, but he also obtained a professional specialty when he reached lvl 5.
Swordsmanship Specialty: Sensitivity of cats, able to gain cat-like agility and intuition for
danger, effect: weapon attack speed increased by 25%, intuition +3.
Sign specialties: Powerful spellcasting, which can consume more mana through short-term
energy storage, and cast more powerful signs.
Combat profession bonuses and two professional specialties have greatly improved his overall combat ability, far exceeding the standards that ordinary witcher apprentices can achieve.
The following year, When the mountains were covered by heavy snow winter, and the wolf school witchers gathered in Kaer Morhen, the 16-year-old Wayne finally couldn't bear the loneliness approached his mentor, Vesemir, and expressed his desire to become an official witcher by the next spring. This announcement evoked varied reactions from Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel, who were present.
Before the old witcher could speak, Lambert said mockingly:
"Little guy, don't be so self-righteous. Although you have a good talent, you have only learned swordsmanship for a few years, and you want to become a full-fledged witcher. I don't want to go to the monster's lair to collect your corpse someday in the future."
Eskel took a sip of beer, and followed suit:
"Although Lambert's words may not be pleasant, I find myself in agreement with him. Wayne, you are still young, and there's no need to rush," Eskel chimed in. He continued by pointing out the unfortunate fate of many fledgling witchers, who didn't meet their end at the claws of monsters but rather succumbed to various accidents and hazards posed by human adversaries.
"You still have a lot to learn, and you need to accumulate a few more years. We witchers have a very long lifespan, and you have plenty of time to grow up."
Geralt remained silent, his gaze fixed on Wayne, his curiosity was evident. He wondered why Wayne was so eager to advance. Vesemir, the experienced witcher, regarded Wayne with a grave expression. He locked eyes with the young apprentice for what seemed like an eternity before finally posing his question.
"Wayne, I've always emphasized to you the importance of patience and caution in a witcher's path. You're still in the learning and growing phase, and there's no need to rush."
He leaned in slightly, peering directly into Wayne's eyes, and asked, "Now, tell me, what is your reason for pursuing this so eagerly?"
Wayne showed a sincere smile to everyone and said to his mentor:
"Vesemir, I have memorized all the books in the castle, and I am quite proficient in using the
wolf school's swordsmanship. I think it is difficult for me to continue to improve by staying in the castle and practicing."
He looked at the wrinkled face of the old witcher, and said softly:
"You once said that practice is the best teacher. In order to let you feel at ease and let me become a witcher, I decided to use all my strength to challenge seniors of the Wolf School."