Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Chapter 54 Manlin
Looking at Zellier's appearance, Marcus hesitated for a moment, then said hesitantly.

"Zelier...don't you have anything to say?"

"say what?"

"About what happened yesterday..."

"Oh."

Zellier nodded. "I won't tell anyone. Let's pretend this never happened."

Marcus stared at Zellir for a long time before gently shaking his head.

"I really can't understand you anymore..."

"Your breakfast is here, enjoy." Auro placed the dishes in front of Marcus, then turned back to the counter without interrupting their conversation.

Zellier stirred his vegetable soup with a spoon. "What's there to not see through?"

"You are much more mature than I imagined... not only in combat, but also in mentality."

Marcus stared at his reflection in the soup bowl.

“When I joined the adventurer profession, I was a bit older than you… I still remember the scene of my first murder, which was in the desert.”

"It was originally just a routine mission, but we accidentally stumbled into the territory of the Poison Sand Scorpions. We were all young and inexperienced back then. After witnessing a teammate being seriously injured, the team's morale immediately collapsed, and we started running away in our own way."

"Looking back now, if the captain had remained calm and collected, he might have been able to defeat that poisonous sand scorpion, but he was just too cowardly..."

Marcus shook his head.

"In short, I ran with a teammate for a very long time and finally got rid of the threat. But we lost our pack and weapons. The desert is vast, and it's hard to survive without sufficient supplies."

"We walked like this for four or five days. We were both hungry and thirsty and could hardly stand it. We even drank our own urine twice. In the middle of the night, I fell asleep in a daze, but I suddenly woke up with a start. I turned my head and saw my teammate holding up a rock, ready to kill me."

“I dodged him and asked him why he did that.”

“He said that if I don’t eat your flesh and drink your blood, I will die. Only one of us can get out of here.”

“So…you killed him?” Zellier said.

"Yes, I killed him."

Marcus's eyes darted around.

“But I didn’t touch his body, because the next morning, a caravan of camel traders passed by and they saved me.”

"When I got back to town, I asked around for a long time, but I couldn't find any of the other members of the team. There wasn't even a trace of them. Maybe they all died in the desert."

“Since then, I have dreamed about the person I killed every night, and it took me a long time to recover from that depression... I was worried that you would feel the same way, but now it seems that I was overthinking it.”

Marcus picked up the bread and began to eat it in large bites.

Zellier's heart stirred slightly.

So Marcus came to talk to me about these things so early in the morning because he was worried about my mental state...

It was precisely because of this experience that he so firmly rejected the suggestion to escape when facing the Mist Demon and chose to confront it head-on.

A life-or-death adventure can indeed change a person's character.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be affected by these things,” Zellier said.

"Ah."

Marcus quickly finished the food in front of him, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. Just rest and recover quietly for a while, and I'll contact you again later."

“Okay, I’ll contact you later.” Zellier nodded.

……

The Mage Guild.

The guild was unexpectedly lively today, with a significant increase in the number of members.

When Zellier entered the General Affairs Office, he found a dozen or so mages queuing in the usually deserted hall. They were all there to collect their monthly stipends and volunteer commissions. Of course, not all of these mages were locals of Blackrock Town.

Since none of the nearby towns had branches of the Mage Guild, the mages there had no choice but to come to Blackrock Town.

The people in line all looked older than Zellier, around twenty years old.

Furthermore, judging from the badges pinned to their chests, most of them were magic apprentices.

Of course, there were also two lower-level mages among them.

They stood tall and proud, their brows furrowed with confidence, and were talking quietly to others.

Zellier's appearance immediately attracted the attention of most people—no wonder, his appearance with the cane was just too eye-catching.

Zellir, shameless as ever, ignored the stares and silently joined the back of the line.

Professor Marvin was also in the General Affairs Office. When he saw Zellier's appearance, he frowned.

"Your legs..."

"I got hurt while doing a mission," Zellier said, scratching his cheek.

Marvin sighed, his expression somewhat helpless.

"You... never mind, come with me."

Zelil was somewhat confused, but he still followed behind his mentor Marvin, leaning on his cane, and left the General Affairs Office.

The two crossed the lawn and arrived at a place away from the main road.

Hidden behind clusters of silver birch trees is an elegantly decorated little building.

The walls are made of clean white stone, covered with ivy. Behind the light gauze curtains that sway in the wind are carved window frames. The air is filled with a faint fragrance of grass and trees, which brings peace to the mind.

The two went up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Marvin stopped at the third room on the left side of the corridor and knocked on the door. "Manlin, are you there?"

A slightly magnetic female voice rang out, warm and mellow, "Come in."

Marvin pushed open the door.

The furnishings in the room were completely different from what Zelier had imagined a mage's room to be.

There are no mountains of ancient books here, nor any strange magic arrays or runes; the entire interior layout is very cozy.

Sunlight streamed through the huge glass windows onto the floor, and the windowsill was filled with all sorts of potted plants, lush and green, with several colorful butterflies fluttering among them.

The woman called Manlin was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a steaming cup of floral tea and sipping it gently.

"Marvin, what brings you here today?"

Manlin blew on the steamy air, then her gaze shifted and landed on Zelier. "And who is this little guy?"

"My name is Zelier, and I am a newly enrolled magic apprentice." Zelier bowed slightly and introduced himself.

Zellier glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye.

She looked to be around thirty years old, with long, smooth, flaxen hair casually draped over her shoulders, held up only by a simple wooden hairpin.

It is said that women are like water, and this is especially true of Manlin.

Her features were bright and gentle, lacking the girlish naiveté of Beverly and the sharp allure of Hill, but rather a composure and wisdom that came with the passage of time, making people want to get closer to her.

"A newly recruited magic apprentice?"

Manlin stared at Zelier for a while, then her red lips curved into a gentle smile.

"The level of magic power he possesses doesn't seem like that of a newcomer... He seems to be close to becoming a lower-level mage, doesn't he?"

Zellier was slightly startled.

For some reason, he always felt that Manlin's gaze had a peculiar insight, and in front of Manlin, Zellier felt as if he had nowhere to hide.

(End of this chapter)