"Ah!"
Another scream rang out.
The second apprentice, Bond, was also taken down by Letho. Allen saw it clearly this time. Bond struck the drowner twice, but each time failed to penetrate its defense.
In his panic, a simple spinning slash move made his feet seem like they were tied in knots. He staggered awkwardly, almost tripping himself. The drowner seized the opportunity, swatting away Bond's steel sword with one swipe and lunging at his exposed side.
Bang!
Bond was instantly knocked to the ground by the drowner, his right arm hitting the ground and fracturing. Next, Allen saw Vesemir rush over and kick the drowner away. Letho then picked up the apprentice and carried him to the side of the training field.
"Hoo—"
As Bond hit the ground, the surrounding witchers collectively exhaled in relief.
"This is normal, I almost thought the formula for the Trial of the Grasses had changed," remarked a witcher in a gray cloak, leaning against the wooden railing.
"The grandmaster mentioned something about... Witcher's Eye, right?" responded a blonde witcher with his arms crossed.
"It's Witcher's Vision. Do you want to go to the library?" the witcher in the gray cloak raised an eyebrow and said softly.
The blonde witcher, hearing this, quickly uncrossed his arms, glanced sneakily at the grandmaster watching from the wall, and shook his head, saying, "What witcher has time to go to the library?"
"With that time, it's better to properly polish the sword."
Then, seeming to take an interest in Allen, the blonde witcher glanced at Allen's eyes and asked the witcher in the gray cloak, "Is the Witcher's Vision really that powerful?"
"Have you heard of it before?"
"No matter how I look at it, this apprentice's eyes seem ordinary, just a pair of blue cat eyes."
Without turning his head, the gray-cloaked witcher replied, "So, you think the grandmaster is lying?"
"Of course not! I'm just curious, just curious..."
The blonde witcher shook his head repeatedly, quickly changing the topic to the next apprentice stepping into the field.
Listening to the discussions around him, Allen breathed a sigh of relief. Though being the center of attention like a rare animal was uncomfortable, it was a small price to pay for the disguise granted by the system. However, it seemed he needed to check the library for records of the Witcher's Vision to prevent any future slip-ups.
"The last one, Hughes."
Vesemir's voice rang out.
Hughes jolted, glanced at the miserable states of the first two apprentices, and hesitantly stood up. He took the steel sword from Letho and walked towards Vesemir.
In the training field, Vesemir, seeing Hughes approach, sidestepped the drowner's attack easily and walked towards the edge of the field without looking back. Drowners, being brainless monsters, only attacked the closest enemy in sight. As long as the timing was right and the apprentice approached, the drowner's attention would naturally shift.
"Drowners are indeed the best choice for practical lessons!"
Vesemir thought to himself.
Suddenly, Vesemir's keen senses picked up hurried footsteps behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, an unexpected figure appeared to his left—the witcher apprentice, Hughes.
Vesemir: ?
A thought flashed through his mind instantly.
The apprentice ran off, so where's the drowner he was facing?
Vesemir quickly turned around.
The drowner was already so close that Vesemir could smell its foul breath. In a moment of urgency, Vesemir instinctively extended his right hand, swiftly making a sign towards the drowner.
Aard Sign.
A powerful blast of telekinetic force kicked up a cloud of dust in the training field.
The drowner's blue, slimy skin rippled like a lake in a storm, then crashed through the wooden barriers of the training field, sending dust and wood fragments flying towards the meditating grandmaster of the Wolf School leaning against the wall.
Moments later, the dust settled. Allen saw the drowner hanging lifelessly against the wall. The grandmaster remained unharmed, his red gambeson seemingly untouched by dust or debris.
"Hughes!"
"What are you doing?"
Vesemir shouted.
A pale yellow glow formed a spherical protective shield around him. Yes, after the Aard Sign, Vesemir had cast a Quen Sign in an instant. This sign formed a magical shield around the witcher, absorbing physical damage.
Allen watched clearly as Vesemir cast two signs in less than a second. A brilliant display of sign application. Yet, Vesemir wasn't pleased; his face was grim.
The witchers outside the apprentice training field fell silent. They had all seen the witcher apprentice Hughes flee in terror after just one strike from the drowner, who was still two or three steps away.
"I want to switch to a silver sword." Hughes cowered behind Allen.
Vesemir, exasperated, dispelled the Quen shield. What's wrong with this batch of apprentices? If you want to switch to a silver sword, just say it. Running off without a word, what's that supposed to mean?
With the drowner hanging lifelessly on the wall, Vesemir opened another cage.
Sidestepping the attack, he made a sign, Aard.
The drowner was smoothly pushed to the center of the field by the telekinetic force. Following Allen's lead, Hughes struck while the drowner was unsteady.
Charging, spinning, slashing.
Cowardly imitating Allen exactly.
"Swish"
A silver light flashed. Black-red blood gushed like thick sludge from the drowner's back.
Impressive, Allen. Preemptive strikes indeed work wonders. Hughes admired Allen in his heart.
Although Allen often daydreamed during lessons, his multitasking ability from his previous life allowed him not to miss a single detail. His familiarity with the drowner's attack patterns and countermeasures showed in the fight.
This, along with his proficient sword skills, was why Vesemir allowed him to switch swords midway. Hughes, however, had listened to nothing, sleeping behind Allen for most of the lesson. Therefore, Even with a silver sword, he cautiously mimicked Allen's successful demonstration.
One effective strike, Hughes didn't retreat, mimicking Allen's raised silver sword, ready to decapitate the drowner. Unexpectedly, the heavily injured drowner didn't weaken but instead accelerated suddenly.
"Watch out!" Allen shouted.
Hughes, hearing this, instinctively took a step back, dodging the drowner's claws. Then he slashed downward. The blade sliced through, and the drowner's head flew off.
"That strike wasn't bad," Letho commented. "But it's not worth 17,325 Orens."
Vesemir glared at Letho. Without changing his equipment, Hughes hurried over, looking gratefully at Allen: "Allen, thank you for earlier!"
If not for Allen's warning, Hughes's face would have been scarred.
Allen nodded, "You're welcome, we're friends."
Given the encouragement when no one else trusted him, Allen felt obliged to look after Hughes. After Hughes dealt with the drowner, the practical lesson for the day was over. Vesemir directed the remaining able-bodied apprentices to clean up the training field.
Letho patted an unused cage and asked, "Vesemir, what should we do with the remaining three drowners?"
"We won't need them for tomorrow's sign lesson. Just get rid of them," Vesemir said dismissively.
Drowners were plentiful; they could catch more if needed.
"Alright, then I..."
Letho shrugged, ready to remove the cage.
"Wait!"
"Let Me Take Care Of These Three Drowners."
...