After a fitful sleep, plagued by the images of giant rats, I awoke in the sleeping quarters of the [Guild].

They weren’t that bad, but decidedly shabbier than expected, with the bed having a wooden frame and the mattress stuffed with hay (and don’t get me started on the myriads of drafts in the room).

“The quality of things in the[Temple] gave me a warped expectation on what is normal”

Better get used to it, this is the best you can afford until they start paying you: And even then, it will not get much “classier”, since it will not be with a salary.

Word of discomfort aside, this was a day that I hoped wouldn’t ever come, and yet here I was.

“How do I keep finding myself in situations where I have to study more and more, even though I keep saying that I don’t want to? That seems hardly fair, [Luck] should be throwing books at those egg-heads that went to the [Academies], not me.”

I shared a small breakfast with the other [Humans], who had gone back into being rather taciturn around me, and then we were escorted to a room where we met with the first of [Teachers].

He was a very old Elf, like ancient level of oldness, with a voice that oozed superiority, robes and hat that resembled those of Merlin from that old cartoon, except it had different colored swirls as decoration, instead of five-pointed stars, and a white beard so long that it almost swept the ground when he moved.

I immediately didn’t like him, and the thing seemed to be reciprocal, by how he seemed to hover largely around me.

He started his lesson by telling us that he would test our adaptability and guile through our [Spell-Weaving], and then give us some time to experiment on our own.

I did see the point in lecturing us on various things that we might find useful, both to adapt our ‘common sense’ to the equivalent this world has, and to possibly save our lives in the future; I did not see the point in our [Teachers] being asshats about it.

“That’s ridiculous. Why wouldn’t magical fire burn in water? It’s not actual fire”, would the grouchy [Elemental Sorcerer] say, while trying to make me understand every subtlety there was in [Spell-Weaving] with the [elements].

“But it still needs to burn something, and I can’t see a weak fire being able to both survive in water, and feed on it at the same time. And don’t you dare say that [Mana] is the fuel, because that sounds stupidly inefficient”, I would rebuke.

“Maybe inefficient for a [neophyte] like you, but I’ll let you know that there are various perks, at higher [Level], that will help in circumventing this problem, you only need to cope with it until you reach that point. Now stop pestering me with your squabbling and do it right!” He would harrumph.

“ ‘Do it right’, ‘do it right’, like that explains anything!”

At this point, it was only the two of us in his class, with the others having been dismissed after completing the lesson satisfactorily and being offered to continue their study on their own.

My [Teacher], the [Moon Elf] called Eddd (weirdly enough), was trying to back to teaching me the fundamental of ‘basic’ [Elemental Magic], his ‘alleged’ area of expertise, which was a requirement for every [Adventurer] to at least being able to light a fire at any time, regardless of the circumstances.

My solution was rather easy: make the [Lantern] shoot at the place that needed to be lit on fire, and be done with it.

But noooooooooo, he was all ‘you can’t rely on only one spell, doesn’t matter on how convenient it is’, or ‘you can’t let your [familiar] do everything for you, you should still be able to do something when it isn’t around’, or my favorite: ‘every magic-focused [Class] should find this second nature to accomplish, your failures are a testimony to your obtuseness’.

“News-flash asshole! I don’t even know what my [Class] is supposed to do, and apparently nobody else does! So, stop being a know-it-all and work ‘with’ me, instead of ‘against’ me!”

Every time I tried to break away from making a simple small fire sprout up, like creating a small [Fire Wisp] to light stuff up, Eddd would perceive it from my [Matrix] and rebuke me before it was completed, prompting me in dropping the [Matrix].

“Yoh, Eddd, I don’t really think this is working for me.”

“It’s Master Kaell to you, you impertinent brat!” as if he wasn’t self-important enough, that was how he wished to be referred to, “and it will work, you just have to learn it better”.

“ ‘Learn it better’? mother- I literally can’t manipulate the [Elements] directly, how can you be so blind!? I need to ‘bind’ them to some other ‘construct’. The best I could do is a [Magic Lighter], but you won’t let me do even that!” I think about everything that I’d like to say to this ass, but can’t, so it doesn’t ruffle his feathers if they were to unwillingly explode out loud.

“Maybe it’s you should rethink their position as a teacher”, I blurt out nonetheless.

I realize that I actually said that bit with my physical mouth when I notice his left eye twitching nervously and a couple of sparks start running through his beard.

“Aw crap, now I’ve done it.”

“You dare doubt my qualifications as a [Teacher]!?” Eddd booms, with the tiny sparks rising in frequency.

“You know what?”

Please, do not: you have angered him enough.

“Nope, Fuck it!”

“Yes, I’m saying that if you were to ask me, you shouldn’t be allowed to even get close to those still learning [Spell-Weaving], to avoid stunting their growth”, I say right in his face.

“You dare to both doubt my methods, and insult me so!?” He shouts, getting within my personal space.

“Why shouldn’t I!? You haven’t taught any of us a single thing, all you did was explain what you wanted from us and then left us to our own schemes. Except for me, whose ass you’ve been hounding the entire time, without letting me accomplish anything! If I had been left to my own designs, I would already be done here! It is literally your fault that we’re still here!” I start shouting back.

“In all my years of tutoring for the [Adventurer Guild] I never met someone as difficult as you: If you are the only ones having problems with my methods, how could you even think that the fault lies with me!? It is obvious that the problem it’s you that is a poor student!” He manages to get out, after gasping like a stranded fish for a while.

“Your method goes literally against what is normally taught! You want something uniform and simple for every person, while everybody else is instead naturally inclined to put some of their uniqueness into their [Matrixes]. I mean, what the fuck!? Where did they even fish you out of? From under a rock, in an isolated cave, lost to time? How could you even think yourself a [Teacher] when you stomp on your [Students] imagination like that!?”

We are staring at each other, breathing more heavily than the situation would incur, but anger ended up sapping us both of our stamina.

For a moment I feel something sort of pushing against my mind, but I’m so angry that I just imagine myself kicking the sensation into the stratosphere, which makes Eddd stumble in place, almost as if something had rung his bells, and something told me I was the cause of his shocked expression.

“Ok, that’s it, I am not spending another minute of this day in the same room as you!” he says with a more moderate tone, finally composing himself, “we’ll see just how much your views will doom you in life”.

And he just leaves after that, slamming the door behind himself.

Bravo.

You just made one of your designated Teachers walk out on you, I hope it was worth it.

“Definitely. I bet he wasn’t even that good of a [Mage].”

Through your actions, you have been awarded +1 [Will]

“Uh, at least something good came from it.”

* * *

{Guild staff POV}

Eddd Kaell was stomping through the main building of the [Guild], the recent fight with his student still fresh on his mind.

He arrived in front of the [Guild Master]’s office, and strode in, without waiting for the staff to check on his availability.

Not that they would have bothered, they knew their relationship.

The door was first slammed open, so he could stride in while still fuming, and then it was slammed closed, to keep up appearances.

Abaan was watching him with undisguised mirth from behind his desk, so he quit all pretenses and just fell butt-first onto the only available seat.

The other instructors, already in the room, were all waiting on his report.

“C’mon ‘Kaelly’, don’t make us beg for it, spill it!” Skortch, the [Fire Nymph], demanded.

“Oh, shut up, you matchstick, he got me even more involved in it than expected!” He snapped at his colleague, but there was no hostility in his words.

“Eddd?” Said the [Guild Master], raising an eyebrow at the antics of the wizened Elf.

“Fine”, relented the [Elemental Sorcerer], “his [Will] is as strong as you thought, not even bending after hours of belittlement and discouragement. Also, he’s capable of incredibly complex [Matrixes], which can be born even from the simplest of concepts, regardless of what common sense would dictate as the ‘normal’ line of thought. And he just makes it all work, somehow”.

“Ok, that’s good… but I’m feeling that you’re leaving something unsaid”, Abaan said.

“Of course ‘I’m leaving something unsaid’, I haven’t been paid yet!” Everybody in the room knew his love for money, so it elicited a good-natured chuckle from most of them.

“Do not be a miser, Eddd, get on with it”, the ever-impassible Grog growled out.

“Ooooh, ‘miser’! Someone is using his thesaurus!” Joked Merga, while poking him with her elbow.

“Useful for not sounding like a troglodyte to others”, admitted the Orc to the Syren.

“And now that you’re all done with your squabbling-” Eddd tried to bring back the attention of his colleagues to himself.

“You wish!” Hollered Merga, interrupting him.

“Yes, I do. Nevertheless, this isn’t about me… at least not entirely.” Amended the Old Sorcerer.

“Are you all trying to test my patience?”, said the [Guild Master], who had brought his hands to his face during the previous debacle.

“Sorry, but I needed to work some of the tension I had accumulated out of my system; that tiny [Human] really knows how to strike your nerves”, he excused himself, before continuing, “I mentioned that he had a high value of [Will], right? Well, it’s more correct to say that his willpower is off the chart”.

He pauses for a moment to raise a hand in a quelling motion to stop Skortch from interrupting him.

“What I mean with that is that I tried to both [Dispel] his [Matrixes], which felt like he was letting me destroy them after having difficulties with the first one, and tried to put him under the effects of my [Pressure], which immediately backfired on me, like I was trying to do it on someone 10 [lvls] my senior!”

A quick round of meaningful looks passed between the reunited officials, currently only acting as [Teachers], which was accompanied by nods, shrugs, and head-shakes.

“All on board with switching already to phase 2 with him?” Queried Merga.

“I’m honestly just interested in seeing how explosive he can get!” Exclaimed Skortch, slamming his fists on his arm-rests.

“One [Dynamiter] in an [Area] is enough”, rumbled Grog, “But I must admit that I feel invested in seeing the limits of this prodigy”.

“Great!” clapped Abaan, “Glad to see you all on board with this. But just as a reminder: Be careful, he did just get [Transferred], he could be unexpectedly volatile in some ways”, he finishes, in complete seriousness.

“Don’t worry, my initial approach will have worked as some sort of ‘shock therapy’ for him, if I keep on attracting his attention, by playing the part of the grouchy old Wizard, it should be easier for the rest of you”, reassured Eddd.

“I kinda feel bad for the little guy…”, morosely put Merga.

“Don’t tell you’re going soft on us!? You? Really!?” jumped in Skortch, flabbergasted.

“Eh~”, replied Merga while wiggling one hand, “it’s more like I feel like he doesn't really deserve all this harshness”.

“Trust me, an hour alone in a room with the guy, and you’ll reconsider what you just said”, interjected Eddd, exasperated.

“But what about our other ‘guests’?” Abaan reins the conversation back to business.

“Average” replied Eddd with a one-shouldered shrug.

“They are greener than me”, joked Grog, which elicited groans from the other present, at his favorite pun.

“The [Army] got the best ones once again” finished Merga.

“You don’t consider Darwin one of the best ones!?” asked a surprised [Guild Master] to his oldest friend.

“Of course not! But he is the most ‘special’!” She said while licking her lips in a sinister way.

“Back off, you old hag! You’re so ancient that my grandmother would call you ‘venerable elder’! And he’s far too inexperienced for having to deal with you!” Warned an upset Eddd.

“Relax, grouchy, I wouldn’t have really played with him… much”, responded Merga.

“What a truly hapless individual he is”, said Grog, to which Abaan could only sadly nod.

One could only blame luck for catching the attention of the [Depth Witch].

But it was what the [Guild Master] was counting on.

It seemed that [Luck] really had it out for the diminutive [Human].