"That kid Allen is really unlucky!"
Letho sighed after hearing Vesemir describe the background briefly. The two then fell silent simultaneously. Moments later, Letho returned to his senses and patted Vesemir's shoulder, comforting him, "Even if Old Speartip is awake, it doesn't mean certain death for the apprentices."
"Allen is a born witcher; how could he not pass the Mountain Trial?"
Vesemir forced a smile and nodded.
He understood Letho's point: if Old Speartip were awake, Allen would naturally be the most likely to escape. The Mountain Trial was originally designed to select those who are suited to become witchers.
How could it possibly weed out someone as gifted as Allen?
Or, if it did, was there really a need for such a trial?
Thinking of this, Vesemir shook his head and sighed. Seeing that the witcher master's expression was still very downcast, Letho changed the subject. He glanced in the direction of the sorceress and said inexplicably: "It's really enviable!"
Vesemir was taken aback by this and asked,"Envious of what?"
"Envious of Allen, to be so favored by Lady Vira," Letho replied.
His earlier comfort had some effect. The apprentices suited for becoming witchers would certainly pass the trial. This was the foundation of the Mountain Trial.
So the witcher master, feeling a bit better, joked: "What, you want to learn alchemy too?"
Letho shook his head sharply and said: "I'm allergic to paper with writing on it."
"Making me learn such boring things as alchemy? I'd rather be killed."
"In this case, Allen is really amazing. I wouldn't want to learn it even if you begged me, but he actually requested it himself."
"No wonder Lady Vira likes him so much..."
Vesemir nodded.
Although Allen was extremely talented, he had never been complacent and had always been actively preparing for the Mountain Trial.
During the incident with the Drowner King, he almost lost his life in an unnamed cave in the Blue Mountains. But in the following days, Allen acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to leave Kaer Morhen to hunt drowners.
"Sigh~"
"If he hadn't gone to learn alchemy from Lady Vira, would his chances of passing the Mountain Trial have been greater..."
Vesemir sighed again, muttering, accidentally speaking his thoughts aloud.
Letho quickly covered his mouth and said: "How can you speak so recklessly? Do you want to be dragged out of bed too?"
"I wouldn't mind..."
Seeing Letho's disheveled state as he recounted his sad experience, Vesemir was about to say something when suddenly, He rubbed his eyes and stood up from the pine tree he was leaning on.
"What's wrong, Vesemir?"
Letho, who was complaining, was taken aback and followed the witcher master's gaze.
By noon, the snow had stopped. But several days of heavy snow had turned the surroundings of the Lake of the Killer into pure white. Several small overlapping black dots were slowly moving towards them from the distant snowy mountain. That was the end of the path leading to the Mountain Trial, the other route from the Circle of Elements.
"You see, Vesemir, I told you they'd be fine."
Letho's lips curled into a smile, and Vesemir's face also showed a relieved smile. The sorceress waved her hand, dispersing the soundproof barrier, and couldn't help but take a few steps toward the witcher apprentices. Other witcher masters, too, looked on in amazement, whispering among themselves.
"It seems these apprentices are quite lucky to encounter Old Speartip in hibernation despite his hunger."
The white-haired old witcher master stroked his similarly white beard and sighed with a smile.
By the Lake of the Killer, everyone was in high spirits. Until the small black dots gradually grew larger in their sight. They then noticed something was off with the number of people.
"Weren't there four apprentices taking the trial?"
Letho asked, turning his head. The smile on Vesemir's face gradually stiffened as he stared at the black dots without answering.
"Snap"
A snap of the fingers.
"Buzz~ buzz~ buzz..."
All the witchers' chests by the Lake of the Killer trembled violently. Followed by a gust of wind, the snow on the ground was blown into the sky.
In an instant, thick snow mist obscured everyone's view.
Moments later,
The white frost mist dissipated. The crowd focused their gaze and saw three small figures slowly becoming clear in front of them. The sorceress had teleported them all here from afar using magic. Panicked, the witcher apprentices stood up and looked around.
Seeing Vesemir, Hughes's face showed a mix of joy and worry as he shouted: "Master Vesemir, quickly... save Allen."
"To ensure our safe escape, he stayed behind to hold off the Cyclops!"
"What!"
Before Hughes could react, a delicate and beautiful face suddenly appeared before him.
"This must be the legendary Lady Vira!"
Hughes was delighted, knowing Allen had a good relationship with this sorceress and was about to explain the situation again.
But the sorceress, her expression cold as ice, merely glanced at him, nodded slightly, and without listening to the details, Quickly stepped back and turned to leave. However, the chief blocked her way, having noticed something.
"Calm down, Vira!"
"Don't forget how all this happened!"
"Don't add to the chaos!"
...
"Whoosh~"
The moist vapor condensed into a white mist as soon as it left the mouth. Allen shrugged, adjusting the two heads that were slipping slightly due to blood and grease. After all, Old Speartip's hair wasn't a rope designed for binding things.
These two trophies tended to slide to one side as the witcher apprentice moved. Coupled with the snow up to his knees and the biting cold wind, The apprentice's progress was particularly difficult.
Crunch~ crunch~ crunch~
Step by step uphill, then around a corner, the apprentice suddenly frowned. This was a place no different from where he had just passed. Thick snow, low shrubs, and bare, snow-laden trees bent under the weight. What really made Allen frown were the irregular snow pits on the ground.
"These seem... to have been made by stones?"
The apprentice hid around the corner, pondering.
"It could only be those rock trolls."
But hadn't he warned Hughes and the others?
These clumsy but somewhat intelligent creatures should have been easy to deal with with a bit of coaxing.
"Could it be these creatures are different from those in the game? More aggressive?"
As he thought, the apprentice's face grew more serious. Since this world lacked witcher potions and blade oils, and even the Child of the Elder Blood could disappear from prophecy, It seemed reasonable that rock trolls might be more aggressive.
"Damn! How could I just assume the original storyline?"
"Hughes, Bond, and Fred, I hope they're okay."
Worried, Allen was about to activate his tracking skills to find the three when suddenly,
A low, muffled voice came from a blind spot in his vision: "...Big stone...little stone...trolls smell strange...trolls smell strange..."
...
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
74. A New Type of Task.
75. The Circle of Elements.
76. How Can the Notes Be Changed?
77. Is It Really Necessary?
78. Allen's Return.