Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle Chapter 1272: Talent Swap

By the time Merlin finally returned to the Eclipse Domain, the sun was already beginning to descend toward the horizon.

He had just completed a difficult mission requested by Shane himself.

If one looked at him, the old mage seemed considerably less impressive than one might expect from someone who had just stopped a Draconic Army...

His robes were slightly scorched around the sleeves, several strands of his gray beard had been singed, and there were traces of dried blood on his staff. However, Merlin himself appeared perfectly calm as he walked through the gates of the shelter.

The Draconic Army had appeared several days earlier in a region far from the Eclipse Domain.

It had consisted of Fire Salamanders, several Wyverns, a group of Dragonoids, and various other creatures possessing traces of draconic blood.

For an ordinary Survivor group, encountering even one of those creatures would have been enough to force them into a desperate battle.

Merlin, however, had simply gone there with several other Survivors.

After several days of fighting, the Draconic Army had been stopped before it could reach any major human settlement.

There had been no grand celebration afterward, no ceremony, or any elaborate reward.

Merlin had simply collected the valuable parts left behind by the monsters before returning to the Eclipse Domain.

His first destination after entering the shelter was not the tavern where he had rented a room.

Instead, he headed toward one of the facilities responsible for processing monster materials.

The building was considerably larger than the ordinary shops surrounding it. Several workers were constantly moving in and out, carrying containers filled with claws, scales, bones, blood, and other valuable materials recovered from monsters.

Merlin walked toward the reception counter and placed several containers onto the table.

The worker behind the counter stared at them.

"These are..."

"Fire Salamander scales, and cores, Wyvern claws, Dragonoid blood and scales, and a few other materials."

Merlin casually pointed toward the containers.

"I’d like to exchange them for Spirit Stones."

The worker immediately became more serious.

He carefully inspected the materials before calling over several assistants.

The examination took some time.

After all, the materials came from creatures with powerful bloodlines, and some of them were considerably more valuable than ordinary monster parts.

Eventually, the worker returned with the final valuation.

"Senior, these materials can be exchanged for 182 Spirit Stones..."

A small box was placed on the counter... Merlin opened it and glanced inside.

"That’s fine."

There was no reason to stay any longer, so he eventually returned to the western district and made his way toward the tavern where he had been staying.

However, the moment he arrived outside the building, Merlin slowed down.

There were people everywhere...

"Hmm?"

A group of young Mages had gathered near the entrance.

Some carried staffs while others held spell books or wore enchanted equipment.

A few were even sitting on the ground while quietly meditating.

Merlin looked at them for several seconds and realized that they had been waiting for him!

He heard from Alex that a few Survivors with talent in magic wanted to learn from him! Apparently, they were still waiting.

The moment the group noticed the old mage approaching, the atmosphere immediately changed.

Several Survivors stood up.

"Senior Merlin!"

"He’s back!"

"Master Merlin!"

The calls immediately attracted attention from the surrounding streets.

Merlin’s expression became slightly helpless.

He had already told them that he wasn’t interested in accepting disciples. Yet they had apparently refused to give up.

One young Mage quickly stepped forward.

"Senior Merlin, please give me another chance. I know my talent isn’t exceptional, but I’m willing to work hard."

Another immediately followed.

"I’ve prepared everything Senior Alex requested!"

"I’ve also studied the spell he mentioned last time!"

Merlin looked at the increasingly excited group.

There were more people than he remembered.

Apparently, his reputation had continued spreading while he was away.

The old mage sighed.

"I’ve told you all before. I don’t accept disciples so easily."

Nobody moved.

Instead, they looked at him with even greater determination...

Merlin couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.

He had only wanted to rent a room in the Eclipse Domain and occasionally teach Alex...

Somehow, he had ended up with an entire group of Mages waiting outside his inn every time he returned.

"Fine... I’ll have a lecture for two hours in the arena... I’ll ask Alex to rent a space for us."

***

Merlin’s decision immediately excited the young Mages.

Within only a few minutes, word had already spread through the western district. By the time Merlin arrived, several more Survivors had gathered...

Merlin looked at the growing crowd and couldn’t help but sigh.

"I only said two hours."

Nobody seemed particularly concerned by his complaint. For these Mages, being able to listen to Merlin personally was already an opportunity they could hardly believe they had received.

Merlin eventually stepped into the center of the arena and looked around at the gathered Survivors.

"Sit down."

The crowd quickly settled.

Merlin didn’t waste any time.

He began explaining the basic principles behind spell construction, focusing on how Mages could reduce the amount of Mana required by their spells while increasing their stability and power...

All of this must be done without the System’s assistance...

His explanations were simple and straightforward, but the knowledge behind them was anything but ordinary...

Some immediately began taking notes, while others quietly practiced controlling their Mana as they listened.

Among the crowd, however, there was one person who was far more interested in Merlin himself than in the lecture.

Rain had disguised himself as an ordinary Survivor...

He had changed his appearance, altered his hair, and even used a disguise skill to make himself look somewhat different from his original appearance.

His clothing was also deliberately plain, allowing him to blend into the group of young Mages surrounding Merlin.

He sat quietly while keeping his head lowered, carefully observing the old mage.

Rain had already confirmed what he needed to know.

Merlin was much stronger than he had expected.

Even while the old mage was simply standing there and giving a lecture, Rain could faintly sense the enormous amount of Mana contained within his body. It was far beyond what Rain had encountered from ordinary Mages.

Rain’s fingers tightened slightly.

Ten meters...

That was all he needed.

The Legendary Talent Swap Scroll remained hidden beneath his robes.

As long as he successfully activated it, everything would change.

Rain slowly raised his head and watched Merlin continue his lecture.

"...and this is why controlling the flow of Mana is more important than simply increasing its volume." Merlin said as he paused for a moment...

Meanwhile, Rain slowly moved closer.

One step... then another...

Rain’s heart began beating faster as he got closer.

As soon as he got into range...

His fingers slipped beneath his robe and touched the scroll.

The moment Rain grasped the scroll, a System notification appeared before him.

Ding!

[ Legendary Talent Swap Scroll Detected. ]

[ Valid Target Detected. ]