But then, the rough and muscular Toolcrafter interjected, his voice was not warm, but there was an honesty and boldness to his words, "Kid, I know you have the desire to grow stronger. If you learn Toolcraft, there is nothing in this world that you cannot create with magical artifacts; anything is possible. Any limitations can be rendered ineffective if you are good enough at the craft."
"For example, look at this artifact in my hand, which can be used for memory erasure on mundane humans and newly Awakened. Is this not a miracle? Toolcraft is the creation of such a miracle," uttered Grandmaster Kraul with passion.
The Fleshcraft master did not immediately speak. Only when Kale digested the information revealed by the two Grandmasters did his voice echo in the ears of the Cursed Tamer, "Kale, I think it would be a waste of your talent if you do not study all three professions with your talent. While my senior brothers also possess great knowledge of all three professions. But in the end, their focus remains singular."
"Even though you did not achieve enlightenment in fleshcraft, your affinity with this path still seems immense to me. Accept me as your master, because…."
"Apart from you, there has only been one person in history who ever showed affinity with all three Artificer professions, and that person is….me. Only I can show you the right road ahead. Because only I can understand you," proclaimed Lazek Oberon in a sincere tone.
Kale looked at the person with a hint of shock, 'No wonder. So that's why I felt his presence so strongly, the reason why he could equally match the pressure of the two Grandmasters, even though he is only a master.'
But then Kale suddenly questioned, "Your senior brothers? What do you mean by that?"
The Fleshcrafter chuckled, "Well, Grandmasters Kraul and Oram are both the disciples of the Association Leader. So, they are my senior disciple brothers. As for my specialty across all three Artificer professions, it is known by only a few. You are now one of them."
"So, what will it be, Kale? The choice is yours," said Lazek Oberon once more. But there was no pressure in his voice, only a slight anticipation.
Kale closed his eyes for a moment, pretending to think, but from the very start, his choice was already made long before. Because his goal was the priority above all, he didn't have a noble desire to explore the Artificer path, or something as baseless as earning glory.
His doomsday clock continued to tick overhead every single moment; his goal was to circumvent the curse and become an Apprentice Tamer. Only the profession of Fleshcraft could help him in this endeavor.
Kale bent his upper body and, with a resolute look towards the Master Fleshcrafter, he declared, "I, Kale, accept Lazek Oberon as my master."
Grandmaster Kraul and Oram both let out disappointed sighs, but there was no maliciousness to it; after all, they were all disciples under the Association Leader, not to mention they had all given up on Kale somewhat from the moment he displayed his great affinity with all three professions.
It was just as Lazek had stated: for someone of Kale's talent, it would be a waste if he did not study all three.
Meanwhile, Lazek showed a soft smile as he came down from the platform, standing next to the half-bowed Kale. The Fleshcrafter patted Kale's shoulder and said in a determined tone, "I accept you as my disciple, and from henceforth, and till the moment I die, you will be under my protection."
Kale straightened, but he showed no change of expression, only looked at the pale man. Lazek nodded, "Alright then, follow me, disciple."
As Kale saw the back man walking, a complex wave of emotion rose in his heart, for the master-disciple relationship for Artificers was not just a connection between a student and a teacher. But it was a connection akin to a family.
Once an Artificer takes in a disciple, they are obligated to give everything to that disciple. As a parent should do for their children, but Kale quickly erased those thoughts; he didn't care much about those traditions, he only wished to learn enough to achieve his goal. Besides, he could not trust anyone.
Neither did he want to trust anyone because his soul was still wounded by the betrayal that caused his death.
As the two master and disciple went away, Grandmasters Kraul and Oram remained silent for a while before both moved. They started their work once more with a tired sigh, erasing the memory of all the candidates and everything that had happened in the test, and now they would have to start the test again.
But it was obvious they had lost interest in the event, as the true star of the test had already been taken away by their talented junior brother.
Walking alongside his newly accepted master, Kale observed the Association's inner workings with obvious interest. It was like a magical complex. Many people were flying around with strange devices and wearing magical, enchanted clothes.
Everyone was busy with their own things, and discussions of various advanced topics by various groups walking around would occasionally drift into his ears, most of which he could not understand.
From time to time, some people would recognize his master and greet him with respect, but it was not as many as Kale had expected.
His master explained, "Most Artificers are too busy doing their own thing, so no one really has much time to go around flattering other people."
His voice was soft and low, so that only Kale could hear it. When Kale reached in front of a four-story-tall building, Lazek gave him a certain crystalline magic token with a number written on it. He explained, "This token is the proof that you are my disciple."
He pointed towards the building, "Show the manager of the Apprentice dorm this token, and he will show you to your room. Rest for today, or if you want, you can also go to the third library."
Then he smiled and patted Kale's shoulder, "From tomorrow, I will begin to teach you. Come to the Fleshcraft tower by 6 am, and don't be late."
Kale nodded wordlessly, and as he went towards the Apprentice dorm, the sound of a clock ticking reached his ears, followed by a notification flashing on his retina.
[Time remaining for Mandatory Quest: 39 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 58 seconds….]