After enduring three whole months and watching Allen's magic rank show no progress, Berton finally could not take it any longer.

  "Is it because I have taught you poorly?"

  "Is there something you don't understand in your studies? Why have you never come to ask me?"

  "Your learning speed…"

  He let out a heavy sigh. The words he wanted to say never turned into harsh criticism, but the conflicted expression on his face grew more obvious.

  He resented Allen for not applying himself, yet he also felt heartache for a talent so extraordinary, yet seemingly used in the wrong place.

  Allen immediately put on a look of deep regret."I really have been trying my best!"

  "But I don't know why, ever since I advanced to Senior Mage, my learning has been unbelievably slow!"

  "I've read the magical texts in the Arcane Library over and over again, but no matter what, I just cannot understand them. I can't grasp the way magic flows within them!"

  "I didn't even have the face to ask you. I was afraid you'd be disappointed, afraid you'd think taking me as your apprentice wasn't worth it. So I just had to figure it out on my own, and that's why my progress has been delayed."

  Berton let out a long sigh, the anger in his eyes gradually fading.

  Allen's words were indeed truthful. Berton had seen him sitting in the Arcane Library more than once, poring over texts seriously. It was clear that this child was not lazy; he was genuinely slow in his magical progress.

  Berton stepped forward, grasped Allen's wrist, and gathered a trace of magic at his fingertips. Slowly, he probed into Allen's body, carefully examining the flow of his magic.

  After a moment, Berton withdrew his hand and murmured,"Could it be that your talent is really not in learning magic?"

  "To be given such an extraordinary gift, yet it is not applied to studying magic… what a waste."

  Hearing this, Allen immediately showed a pained and self-reproachful expression."I have embarrassed you, Headmaster! I have failed your expectations and wasted my own talent!"

  "I'll go back to the Alchemy and Potions Department. Even if it's just organizing potion recipes, I can still be of some use!"

  Berton froze for a moment, then spoke sharply to Allen."What nonsense is this?"

  "It is rare to meet a child with your talent. I went through so much effort to take you as my apprentice. How could I possibly stop teaching you just because your progress is slow?"

  "Do not take on any tasks for the next few days. Whenever you have free time, come to me. I will personally tutor you and help you improve your learning speed!"

  Having said this, Berton waved his hand faintly, signaling that Allen could leave.

  At this moment, he was exhausted, both disappointed and unwilling, yet he could not bring himself to give up on this overwhelmingly talented apprentice.

  Once out of the headmaster's office, Allen's guilt and regret instantly vanished, replaced by a look of ease.

  He had never planned to study seriously anyway. The headmaster's personal tutoring was just one more thing to go through.

  With nothing else to do, Allen strolled out of the academy and wandered along the main street nearby.

  The street was lined with stalls and small shops where mages traded items, and it was usually lively.

  Recently, it was the time of Luminara Magic Academy's annual resource battle, so the street was especially bustling.

  Most of the people passing by were apprentices participating in the resource battle, their faces full of anticipation and tension.

  Allen had long heard about Luminara Magic Academy's resource battle. It was completely different from the one at Radiant Magic Academy.

  This was a resource war in which all the academy's apprentices could participate. There were no restrictions, no level thresholds. As long as you were an apprentice at Luminara Magic Academy, you could sign up.

  According to academy regulations, before the resource battle began, the academy would designate a specific area as the battlefield for the event.

  Then, all apprentices who had signed up would enter the battlefield at the same time. The rules of this war were simple and brutally straightforward.

  There were no rules, only one goal: grab! The more resources you seized, and the rarer they were, the greater the final rewards.

  As long as you could grab it, you could claim it as your own and use it however you wanted.

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  But if the resources in your hands were taken by someone else, you could only blame yourself for lacking magic power or insufficient strength. No one else would be at fault.

  Allen actually did not lack resources. After all, he had never planned to seriously study magic, and items like magic crystals, which were needed for learning, were not something he required much of.

  Luminara Magic Academy had a rule that every month, the top fifty apprentices in the academy rankings would be given a bottle of Mana Crown Elixir.

  It was meant to aid learning and increase magic power, but Allen had never used any of these potions.

  Although his academy ranking had long dropped outside the top one hundred, making him ineligible for the reward, Berton always secretly sent him a Mana Crown Elixir without fail.

  Not wanting to disappoint Berton, Allen would increase his magic rank at the normal pace of an ordinary apprentice. Beyond that, he never actively used any supplementary resources.

  For ordinary apprentices in the academy, the resource battle was an important way to obtain learning materials.

  Things that were normally hard to get could often be seized on the battlefield, making it crucial for them.

  At the same time, for apprentices who had grudges or conflicts with others, it was also an excellent opportunity to settle scores.

  Luminara Magic Academy itself encouraged apprentices to compete and fight each other to stimulate potential.

  Although private fights within the academy were strictly forbidden, once in the resource battlefield, there were no restrictions at all.

  The academy only set one bottom line: intentional killing was prohibited. Beyond that, any kind of struggle or seizure would not be interfered with. Everything depended on the apprentice's own strength.

  Entering the resource battlefield was therefore an inherently dangerous thing.

  Although it was not as merciless and unpredictable as a real battlefield, it was designed to reflect the laws of survival on the continent: the weak are prey to the strong, and only the fittest survive.

  The apprentices on the street at this moment were preparing for the upcoming resource battle.

  Some were choosing weapons that suited them, while others were buying restorative potions for injuries, preparing for any eventuality.

  Participation in the resource battle was not without requirements.

  Apprentices themselves had to bring sufficient resources in order to qualify to enter the battlefield.

  Some apprentices from poor families, with few magic crystals, could not gather the basic resources needed to enter the battlefield.

  Out of necessity, they had to join escort groups formed by wealthier apprentices, protecting the children of rich families in exchange for battlefield access.

  Other apprentices would voluntarily gather together, pool their resources, and choose the one with the highest magic rank and greatest strength to represent the group on the battlefield, with the resources they obtained later distributed according to contribution.

  Beyond the resources seized by apprentices themselves on the battlefield, the academy also offered additional rewards.

  The apprentice who seized the most and rarest treasures on the battlefield would receive a special grand prize issued by the academy.

  Allen had originally had no interest in these matters. He neither needed learning resources nor desired the academy's special grand prize.

  But over time, having heard so much about it, he gradually became familiar with all the rules of the resource battle.

  He strolled slowly along the street, casually letting his eyes wander over the market stalls around him.

  The stalls were filled with a dazzling variety of potions and many magical items whose names he could not even pronounce. Most were things apprentices had brought for trade or had prepared for the resource battle.

  The quality of these street items was mostly ordinary, far from rare, but they still attracted many apprentices hoping to find a bargain.

  They squatted in front of the stalls, carefully selecting and scrutinizing each item, hoping to find something useful that could give them a slight advantage in the upcoming resource battle.

  Walking further down the main street, a finely decorated tavern caught Allen's attention.

  He saw many people entering the tavern, but through the windows, there appeared to be very few patrons drinking or dining inside. The interior looked unusually quiet, starkly contrasting with the bustling activity at the entrance.

  Allen's curiosity was instantly piqued. He decided to follow the crowd and stepped inside the tavern.

  Once inside, he realized that these apprentices were not there to drink or eat at all.

  They passed through the main hall and walked toward the tavern's backyard. Seeing this, Allen grew even more curious and quietly followed them.

  Through the side door, a courtyard filled with various fruit trees came into view. Allen had never seen anyone plant so many fruit trees in a backyard.

  The courtyard was already crowded with people, either sitting or standing, almost all apprentices from Luminara Magic Academy.

  Allen was familiar with most of them by sight, and naturally, they all recognized the famous headmaster's core apprentice, Allen.

  After all, this was the Max-Level Trash apprentice: maxed-out talent but painfully slow in studies, rarely seen in such lively gatherings.

  Allen did not engage in much small talk. He casually found an empty stool and sat down, intending to see what was going on.

  Seeing Allen sit, the surrounding apprentices all looked puzzled, exchanging glances with each other.

  One apprentice with a simple, honest face hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and asked,"Allen, are you here to participate in the resource battle as well?"

  "Are you here to hire willing partners and form a guard team?"

  Allen, clearly not understanding him, leaned closer and asked,"What are you all doing here? I'm just passing by, came in to see what's going on."

  The honest-looking apprentice gave an awkward smile, waved his hand, and gently advised,"Allen, you should get up quickly."

  "All the seats here are reserved for apprentices from wealthy families. They are the employers looking to hire guards."

  "If you sit here without the financial means to hire a guard and someone finds out, it would be a complete loss of face."

  Allen's confusion deepened. He still didn't understand and pressed further,"What do you mean? How does this relate to the resource battle?"

  The honest apprentice patiently explained,"You know how fierce the competition for learning resources is at Luminara Magic Academy."

  "This resource battle is the most important way for apprentices like us, from lower ranks, to get learning resources. If you miss this one, you might have to wait another whole year!"

  "But some people have decent magic ranks and strong strength, yet they lack the basic resources needed to enter the resource battle."

  "Out of necessity, they come here voluntarily to become guards for wealthy apprentices and participate in the resource battle together with them."

  He pointed toward a simple raised platform set up at the front of the courtyard."Later, people will go on stage one by one, displaying their magic ranks and strength for wealthy apprentices to select from."

  "Put simply, this is a special talent hiring event. The highest bidder gets the person!"

  "As long as the offer is high enough, you can hire these capable people as your guards and enter the resource battlefield together."