Chapter 22: The Alchemist Apprentice Assessment

As soon as they entered the examination hall, the clamor from outside significantly diminished.

Inside, only a dozen or so people rustled quietly. Among them were teenagers and individuals who appeared to be in the twilight of their lives.

Both men and women were present, their expressions etched with nervousness, clearly indicating they were all candidates for this assessment.

The examination hall itself was a sealed stone chamber, partitioned into numerous small cubicles by wooden boards.

A flicker of surprise crossed everyone’s faces when they saw little Merlin. It was truly rare to see someone so young attempting the alchemist apprentice assessment.

A female alchemist, clad in a white robe and possessing a languid, alluring demeanor, stood in the center of the hall.

She lifted her gaze, observing little Merlin as she entered. “Here for the exam?”

Little Merlin nodded.

“Name, age, mentor.”

“Merlin, twelve years old, mentor Lei Yin.”

The young, striking female alchemist raised a brow. “Twelve years old? Lei Yin’s apprentice?”

“Mhm.”

“White hair, crimson eyes—quite uncommon.” She scrutinized little Merlin from head to toe.

Her gaze lingered on the little girl’s snowy hair, and a faint smile touched her pretty face. “You don’t happen to have a pair of tiny horns hidden in that hair, do you?”

Merlin’s tension mounted. She instinctively recoiled, her small hands clutching tightly at her sleeves.

“Don’t be nervous, I was just joking.” The female alchemist raised a hand, intending to pat Merlin’s small cheek.

However, little Merlin swiftly dodged her touch with a quick step backward.

A hint of helplessness surfaced on the alchemist’s face. Her words had been truly innocent, yet the little girl before her had fully entered a state of heightened caution.

“My mother said not to have too much contact with strangers. Especially young, pretty women. Women are all liars.” Little Merlin stated, her small face utterly serious.

The female alchemist shrugged. She noticed another dozen or so candidates filing in behind Merlin.

At that moment, she could only compose her features into a stern expression. “I am Stella Asherman, the branch president of the Alchemist Guild in Usutal City. I am also the examiner for this alchemist apprentice assessment.”

A gasp rippled through the crowd. No one had expected this apprentice assessment to be personally overseen by the Guild’s branch president.

Typically, assessments of this level were handled by a few older, more seasoned alchemists.

If an elderly alchemist were in charge, they would usually be more lenient, perhaps easing the assessment standards slightly.

However, the Alchemist Guild’s branch president was not one of those old alchemists who doted on the younger generation. When she presided over an examination, it was almost always when the pass rate was at its absolute lowest.

In the hall, several candidates who had failed the assessment multiple times already began to turn pale.

“Apprentices, now that you stand in this examination hall, you should already know and understand what this assessment entails, shouldn’t you?”

“Now, according to your registration order, please proceed to your designated positions.” Stella cleared her throat a few times, her tone turning stern.

“As alchemists, identifying and understanding herbs is the most fundamental of basics. Therefore, this assessment will not test you on flashy things like basic alchemy principles or foundational formulas. It will only test your ability to recognize herbs!”

She raised a hand, pointing towards the examination cubicles. A sly smile played on her lips.

“I have prepared a catalog for each of you. Every catalog contains one thousand different herbs. Within the time limit, the top five individuals who can accurately identify the most herbs will pass the assessment. Everyone else will be eliminated!”

Her words instantly caused an uproar. There were dozens of candidates present, yet only the top five would be chosen.

This admission rate was drastically lower than any previous year.

‘As expected, having the Guild President as the examiner is a brutal challenge.’

Everyone hastily rushed to find their assigned spots.

Merlin did the same. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Stella, the most powerful woman in the Alchemist Guild’s branch, kept casting subtle glances in her direction.

Upon reaching her cubicle, Merlin saw the catalog Stella had mentioned. As she unfolded it slightly, it was indeed filled with intricate drawings of various herbs.

The artist remained unknown, but with just a few strokes, they had managed to depict the many herbs with striking lifelikeness and distinct characteristics.

Identify the most herbs within one hour to win.

‘This seems simpler than I imagined?’ Little Merlin blinked.

When it came to alchemy principles and basic formula composition, Lei Yin hadn’t taught her much due to her young age. Most of the time, he had focused on teaching her herb identification.

Even at a glance, she could immediately name over a hundred different herbs.

Merlin had been quite nervous before the exam, but seeing the nature of the assessment now, a wave of relief washed over her. Yet, a moment later, a sense of unease returned.

‘No, Uncle said that herb identification is fundamental for an alchemist. For such a seemingly simple assessment, the number of successful candidates must be incredibly high.’ As nervousness gripped Merlin, she quickly seized the moment.

Her small hand picked up the pen, and she swiftly began writing on the paper beside her.

One hand turned the pages, the other wrote, her movements almost ceaseless. Countless illustrations flew past as ink splattered, leaving behind a dense array of herb names on the answer sheet.

Soon, she had listed hundreds.

Still, little Merlin showed no signs of relaxing. Her eyes remained fixed, her concentration absolute, oblivious to everything around her.

Only the herb illustrations in the catalog existed before her.

She had no idea about the proficiency of the other candidates. However, she vividly remembered the attitudes of those people towards Uncle Lei Yin throughout their journey. She refused to fail.

If she did, her inability to become an alchemist would be a minor matter; those people would undoubtedly seize upon it to mock Lei Yin once more.

‘In that case, it wouldn’t be me who was humiliated, but Uncle Lei Yin.’

The thought spurred little Merlin to fierce determination, her hands moving even faster.

Even for herbs she couldn’t immediately identify, she would swiftly jot down an ambiguous answer.

One hundred herbs, two hundred herbs, three hundred…