Seeing Horn's puzzled expression, Sherman quickly hid the eagerness in his eyes, put on a gentle smile, and slowly explained:

  "Horn, do not overthink this. We mean no harm. We just came to see your new apprentice. We also wanted to ask if you might be willing to part with one of them."

  He deliberately wore a helpless expression and sighed before adding:

  "You know, our Construct and Relics Department has been losing talent recently. Many of our artifact-crafting techniques have no one to inherit them, so we desperately need people to fill the gaps."

  Hearing Sherman's words, Horn immediately frowned, his expression darkening.

  These two old men actually had designs on his newly recruited apprentices. They wanted to take his prized students!

  He instinctively stepped in front of Beth and said,

  "Sherman, what you are saying is wrong. The academy has clear rules. Once an apprentice chooses a department, they cannot change it or switch Mentors unless expelled.

  You can forget about that. Beth is my apprentice, and there is no way I will give her to you."

  Horn's confusion deepened. He noticed that Sherman and Rudolf had not looked at Beth once. Their gaze showed no interest in her at all.

  Instead, both of them were staring intensely at Allen. Their eyes burned with fervor, as if they had discovered a rare treasure. They did not even blink.

  Allen felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze and thought to himself,

  "These two old men have really strange eyes. Could they have some unusual obsession?"

  Sherman and Rudolf noticed too. Staring so openly at Allen was indeed inappropriate, so they awkwardly looked away, but the fervor in their eyes did not lessen in the slightest. They simply could not help it.

  A genius capable of shattering the Advanced Crystal Obelisk with talent alone had never appeared in the continent for thousands of years.

  If such a person could be recruited as an apprentice, no matter the cost, it would be worth it. How could one not be obsessed with such a person?

  Sherman smiled again and said to Horn,

  "Horn, here is the thing. I heard you recruited two apprentices today, both quite remarkable.

  Here is what I propose. I will not let you lose out. Anything from my stock of artifact creations or enchanted materials that you want, just name it, and I will send it all to you.

  So how about this one apprentice next to you? Let me have him."

  Horn's frown deepened. His face showed both surprise and disbelief.

  He had just been worrying about how to get rid of Allen, a talentless apprentice.

  Now, unexpectedly, someone brought the solution to him on a silver platter. Sherman actually came to him, willing to take this burden.

  But the abnormal attitude of these two men made him suspicious. Something about this did not feel right.

  Sherman had always been proud and valued talent and skill above all. How could he actively want a talentless apprentice who only entered through a recommendation letter, and even be willing to pay such a high price for him?

  "About him… well…" Horn hesitated, his doubt growing stronger. The words were on his lips, but he did not directly agree.

  Seeing Horn about to give in, Rudolf immediately stepped forward, anxious, and said,

  "Wait a moment, Sherman. You are being far too unfair.

  Are you saying that as long as Horn agrees, this boy will automatically become your apprentice?"

  Rudolf's face held a flattering smile as he said to Horn,

  "We have known each other for so many years and share a deep bond. I have never asked you for anything before.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  But today, I do not know why, the moment I saw this young man, I felt a strong connection with him. Consider this my request: allow him to join our Arcane Array Department."

  Horn was stunned by these words. Something was very wrong.

  Had Rudolf taken the wrong medicine today? He was always proud and arrogant, never one to ask favors.

  And now, for a talentless boy who entered the academy through a recommendation letter, he was lowering himself and flattering Horn in this way. Surely something was going on.

  Horn looked at the two elders before him, their posture humble and eyes eager, then glanced at Allen beside them, calm and slightly confused. His doubts grew deeper.

  He quietly turned to Isabella and asked,

  "Isabella, be honest with me. This Allen really has no talent? Are you sure?"

  Isabella herself was confused by the scene. She could not understand how two highly respected elders could argue so fiercely over a talentless boy and even lower themselves to please Horn.

  She hesitated, then nodded slightly and said uncertainly,

  "I don't think so… at the time his hand was on the Crystal Obelisk.

  The Crystal Obelisk did not light up a single concentric ring. His talent really is zero."

  Hearing Isabella's answer, Horn's frown deepened, and his hesitation grew stronger.

  If Allen truly had no talent, why were these two elders acting so strangely?

  "Let me think about this matter…" Horn said. He did not immediately agree and wanted to first understand the situation.

  Hearing this, Sherman and Rudolf became anxious and both stepped forward.

  Sherman said urgently,

  "What is there to think about! Horn, since when did you become so stingy?

  We are not asking for that extraordinarily talented apprentice behind you, just a boy with no talent. And you cannot spare him?"

  Beth, standing behind Horn, also turned to look at Allen with curiosity. Her clear eyes were full of doubt.

  She could not understand why this seemingly ordinary boy, even said to have zero talent, was so special that two elders would fight over him.

  Seeing Horn hesitate, Sherman knew further delay would not help. He turned to Allen and said,

  "Here is what we will do. Rather than let Horn waver, let him decide for himself.

  Young friend, I will take you as my core apprentice. The Construct and Relics Department's resources, including high-level enchanting materials, ancient crafting manuals, and completed magical weapons, are all yours to use without reservation.

  What use are those magic potions? Even if you brew countless bottles, you cannot drink them all.

  Only by wielding powerful magical weapons and possessing real combat power can one truly establish a foothold in the continent."

  Seeing this, Rudolf did not want to be outdone. He immediately stepped forward to argue,

  "What nonsense is this? Magic potions may be limited, but can you wield a hundred weapons at once? True strength never relies on external tools."

  His tone grew passionate. He then turned to Allen, speaking enticingly,

  "Come to my Arcane Array Department. Once you master advanced magic arrays, you could easily defeat thousands of enemies. It would be effortless!"

  Rudolf lowered his posture slightly and his tone became even more earnest.

  "What do you think? I am sincere.

  If you do not wish to become my apprentice, I can have my Mentor take you as a disciple, placing you on equal standing with me."

  Seeing that Allen's status was nearly catching up to his own, Horn could no longer hold back and shouted,"You're definitely hiding something from me!"

  "What is going on? Tell me right now! Otherwise, none of you will take this apprentice away from me!"

  For these two old men to lower themselves and even elevate Allen's status to compete for him, this could not possibly be a simple matter.

  No sooner had Horn finished speaking than the academy gate was violently pushed open. Dozens of elders from various departments surged in together, each with an urgent expression.

  "Sherman! Rudolf! Have you no shame?"

  "You promised to first lure this boy out of the Alchemy & Potions Department and then compete fairly, but what do you do? You jump the gun and fight here until you're red in the face!"

  "So we're just supposed to stand outside and watch, getting nothing?"

  "Don't listen to the lies those two tell you! Whatever conditions they offer, I'll double them!"

  "As long as you're willing to join our department, the resources are all yours."

  Seeing the elders rushing in and shouting all at once, Horn felt his head spin. What was happening today?

  The Allen he had taken in was clearly a waste with zero talent, so why had he suddenly become the prized target of nearly every elder in the academy?

  Could there really be some hidden special trait about him that Horn, blind as he was, had failed to notice?

  Beside him, Isabella was completely dumbfounded. She stood frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening.

  The waste she had desperately tried to get rid of had suddenly become the object of desire for all the academy's elders.

  It would be one thing if a couple of elders were competing, but now nearly every elder in the academy had gathered.

  One by one, they disregarded their positions and reputations, shouting and scrambling for Allen. The scene completely overturned Isabella's understanding.

  "This is too absurd," Isabella muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief. She had never seen anything so shocking since entering Luminara Magic Academy. Never had any apprentice driven all the elders of the academy to act so insanely.

  Beth, standing behind Horn, was equally stunned. She stared at Allen, surrounded by elders, full of confusion:

  What kind of transcendent talent could make these usually aloof elders abandon all dignity to compete like this?

  At that moment, a clear, hearty, and loud laugh rang out from afar:

  "I'm late!"

  "I heard that Luminara Magic Academy has received an extraordinary genius, one who shattered an Advanced Crystal Obelisk with talent alone!"

  "Let me see this prodigy and witness such unmatched ability!"

  Hearing the voice from outside, Horn's body trembled slightly. Shattered an Advanced Crystal Obelisk purely with talent?

  He suddenly realized why all the elders were going so mad over Allen.

  Horn looked around at his colleagues in the room, clenching his fists tightly, his voice filled with anger as he shouted:

  "Unbelievable! You old fools!"

  "You've all been keeping this from me! Deliberately letting me look foolish so you could take him for yourselves, isn't that right?"