82: Green's Fighting Spirit

Wizard Tower, fifth floor, emergency treatment room.

When Oakes saw Gelin again, even though he was mentally prepared, he was still startled.

When he left this morning, the armor no. 8 Gelin was wearing was still a beautiful silver-green design. The mysterious runes and strong lines exuded a unique mechanical aesthetic. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a work of art.

But now?

Gelin looked like a refugee fleeing famine, his clothes tattered, or like someone who had just escaped a fire, his body charred black… Seeing this, Oakes, who had originally intended to laugh, couldn't anymore.

This armor no. 8 was in such a miserable state, even the connection of the left arm guard was mostly broken, and Gelin's safety helmet had a deep sword mark, almost cutting through the entire outer layer of armor.

Whether Gelin was alright or not, Oakes didn't know, but he knew he was in big trouble.

“Gelin, what happened to you?”

“Wasn't today your first special training? Wasn't there an introductory education segment?”

“How did you jump straight into it and end up in such a sorry state?”

Oakes said, on the verge of tears. Not only would he have to work overtime today, but he probably wouldn't have any rest for the next three days… “You ask me, who should I ask?”

“As soon as I got there, it was a barrage of fireballs. That Mentor Elfast looked at me as if I were his father's killer. He kept a cold face and went all out…”

“As for the introductory education segment you mentioned, Mentor Jordan was lecturing while watching me get beaten, which distracted me quite a bit and caused me to get hit hard by several fireballs.”

Having just drunk a tube of advanced Life Aura recovery potion, Gelin was no longer as weak as he was right after leaving the battlefield.

“Oakes, hurry up.”

“Quickly take off my armor, I still need to get my bones set.”

“Today is really unlucky; I broke several bones on my first try.”

“I also need to go for a full body check-up later to see if there are any hidden injuries or internal organ damage.”

Gelin urged.

Gelin had resigned himself to his fate now. Fine, getting beaten was fine, but he couldn't let his body get ruined.

Anyway, during this training period, medical expenses were completely waived, so Gelin wouldn't skip the check-ups just to save trouble… After a series of extensive examinations, Gelin breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Gelin was quite resilient, and he had never been injured before, at most just a little weak from staying up late to study.

So his body was still in great shape, no problems.

Three days later.

Gelin, restored to his peak condition, confidently welcomed an even more brutal beating.

But in front of a prepared Gelin, it was still not enough.

Although he was still beaten and fled in disarray, Gelin never suffered any serious injuries again… Time flowed by slowly like this… Gelin lived the most dangerous and exciting year of his life.

Every three days, there was special armor training, each time beating Gelin half to death and leaving him covered in injuries.

The special armor training led by Mentor Jordan and Mentor Elfast was not just about the two of them.

Sometimes, Mentor Jordan would bring in a fully armed team of five Grand Knights to chase and hack at Gelin… Gelin could only continuously block with his greatsword or endure with his body. Although protected by a layer of armor, Gelin was still tormented by the Life Aura that penetrated his body.

Sometimes, Mentor Elfast would also bring in a standard bombing Wizard combat squad to relentlessly bombard Gelin, with each human-shaped cannon giving Gelin a taste of a thrilling race between life and death… But Gelin's inherent ruthlessness and perseverance supported him, allowing him to endure one grueling, one-sided, abusive beating after another… It was precisely under such extreme torment and pressure that Gelin's combat power began to advance by leaps and bounds.

Gelin's temperament also became more stable day by day, his life-saving experience grew richer, and he suffered fewer and fewer injuries. His entire being underwent a baptism of rebirth.

His round, chubby face also thinned, becoming as chiseled as Mentor Jordan's. His appearance directly improved by two levels, which could be considered an unexpected surprise… wizard's path, Year 21, year-end.

“Gelin…”

After another battle where he thoroughly thrashed Gelin, Mentor Jordan called out to Gelin, who was trying to slip away after his treatment was complete.

“Wait a moment, I have something to tell you.”

“Alright, Mentor Jordan.”

“Let's go, let's have a drink.”

“You've worked hard this year. It's the end of the year, so I'll treat you to a drink,” Mentor Jordan said.

“No, no…”

Gelin quickly interjected:

“Mentor Jordan, you've worked even harder than me. You've been busy for me all year. Let me treat you instead.”

Mentor Jordan pondered for a moment and didn't decline:

“Alright, let's go, Battle Axe Bar.”

...“Clink…”

Mentor Jordan and Gelin clinked glasses.

Taking a sip of the blood-red bloody mary, Mentor Jordan slowly savored it for a long time:

“This wine is good…”

“Gelin…”

“The main reason I called you today is to summarize and evaluate your performance over the past year.”

“The identity of an armor experimenter is not always valid. Assessments are conducted at each training stage, and only apprentices who pass the assessment can proceed to the next stage of training.”

“Then… Mentor, when is this assessment, and do I need to pay attention to anything?”

Gelin asked.

“You don't need to consider these things,”

Mentor Jordan slowly said:

“The assessment has already concluded. It evaluated your usual performance and the cultivation of your fighting spirit.”

“Gelin, I must say, your combat talent is quite ordinary, and your intuition for various dangers is not sharp. Even after a year of special training, your performance cannot be called amazing; it can only be described as satisfactory.”

...“Ah…”

Gelin didn't expect to hear such a review.

He immediately lowered his head in sadness… Gelin asked himself, he had truly given his all this year.

Every day was fulfilling, and he invested all his energy, including his Golden Finger.

During special training, he strived to temper himself, resolving various crises with the smallest cost.

After special training, while healing and recovering his state, he reviewed and re-enacted training videos of himself and other armor experimenters, diligently studying and summarizing his combat style and system.

He dared not relax for a moment, yet he received such a review… Seeing Gelin's crestfallen face, Mentor Jordan ignored it and continued:

“But…”

“Gelin, your fighting spirit has been cultivated well.”

“You have fully integrated your will to survive into your fighting spirit.”

“The more critical the moment, the stronger your combat power and the greater your combat resilience.”

“Although the flaws and limitations of this kind of fighting spirit are quite significant, it's undeniable that—Gelin, you have forged your own fighting spirit, which gives your combat system a core support point.”

“Therefore…”

“Gelin, congratulations! You have successfully passed all the training and assessments of the first stage of the armor experimenter.”

...“Ah…”

The sudden surprise hit Gelin, making him beam with joy.

A year of hardship had finally yielded a good harvest.

Gelin's sadness turned to joy, and he let go of his worries and guilt.

“Thank you…”

“Mentor Jordan, thank you.”

“I…”

Gelin excitedly bowed repeatedly, expressing his gratitude and appreciation to Mentor Jordan.

Mentor Jordan calmly accepted, his gaze towards Gelin growing softer… Gelin's growth to this point was due to both his own efforts and Mentor Jordan's significant help… “Alright, Gelin.”

“There's another piece of good news for you.”

“I'm giving you half a month off. Use this holiday to relax well.”

Mentor Jordan instructed:

“In half a month, we will begin the second stage of training.”

“Cherish this holiday well…”