Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"Kid, you should be glad he didn't fancy you."

Bernal glanced disdainfully in Campbell's direction in the distance and said mockingly, "For those hounds who specialize in recruiting for the Bitter Thorns, the price you have to pay for a single recommendation is much higher than what you would pay me."

"Um?"

Dago was taken aback. "They also ask for favors?"

"That's a really stupid question."

Bernal said calmly, "Without sufficient benefits, why would a complete stranger like me risk recommending someone?"

"If you enter the French Ring through the hounds, you'll have to hand over 30% of all mission rewards to them for at least ten years. However, they have their own connections and methods to make it easier for you to pass the entry test; it's basically a guaranteed pass."

"After all, they can get another reward from the painful thorns on the French Ring Road if they successfully enter it. It's a typical case of double-dipping, a scumbag middleman."

Dargo was shocked for a moment, then relieved. Luckily, Campbell had looked down on him and rejected him.

In comparison, he would rather deal with a true scoundrel like Bernal.

Then, Dago heard Bernal's voice again in his ear.

"This guy missed you; he's clearly not a discerning and qualified 'hunting dog.' Haha, such a brilliant scene is rare indeed!"

Dago chuckled a few times in agreement.

Before long, the entrance exam for the Ring of Law began. Campbell's group of wizards were much faster than Dargo, and one of the young wizards with fire markings on his body was the first to enter the special exam room.

Bernal's disdainful gaze startled Campbell, who gave a soft "hmm" and his eyes involuntarily fixed on Bernal, who was dressed in a silver robe not far away.

Whenever Campbell's gaze swept over the Dharma Ring symbol on the left breast of the latter's robe, waves of shock would inevitably rise in his eyes.

Three thorn knots!

The number of thorn knots indicates the wizard's status within the Thorn Ring, with seven thorn knots being the maximum.

He knew all the "Three Knots" wizards of the Thorn Ring, but he had never seen this man before!

Moreover, he was only a "Triple Knot" wizard with the strength of a late-stage first-ring wizard. Logically speaking, someone who could obtain the Triple Knot status should at least have the strength of a second-ring wizard.

Could he be a top genius from another city in the Thorn Ring, or a descendant of a high-ranking wizard?

He was only vouching for a mere early-stage first-level wizard, huh?! Campbell noticed the unassuming little wizard beside him and suddenly a vague impression popped into his head.

Campbell remembered that he had been searching for a "big fish" at the spell training center, and this little wizard happened to be on their list of targets.

It was truly astonishing and unbelievable that such a lowly wizard, with an extremely mediocre background, strength, and talent, could actually get a "Three Knots" to personally recommend him.

As he was still in shock, the Fire Emblem Wizard emerged from the assessment room looking rather disheveled. His robes were tattered, and his face was grim. He was walking quickly toward Campbell.

Seeing the unpleasant expression on the other person's face, Campbell's heart sank slightly, but he still asked, "How did it go? Did you pass?"

"It's no use!"

The Fire Pattern Wizard spat and said resentfully, "I paid the kickback, and you even gave me your name, but all I got was a few words about the selection criteria: last two minutes to pass, and five minutes to be considered a core member."

"He actually injected a Berserker Potion into a Rockshatter Beast with late-stage Ring-level strength right in front of me!"

Campbell's face immediately darkened, and he uttered a name in a low, cold voice: "Frantz!"

The Earthshaker, possessing a diluted bloodline of the Earthshaker Tyrannosaurus, was already formidable. It's unclear where Franz found this late-stage first-ring Earthshaker, but he went so far as to inject it with "Rage Potion."

Even a second-level wizard would have a headache if they saw a Rockshatter in this state.

To pass the test by enduring two minutes under the attack of such a monster clearly shows that they had no intention of letting anyone pass the core test of the magic ring smoothly.

The Fire Emblem Wizard in the late first stage of the first ring was Campbell's most promising "ace" among this group, aiming to become a core member.

Franz raised the bar for "core" performance to five minutes! Even if he went up there himself, he might not be able to do it.

"Frantz!"

Campbell took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and muttered through gritted teeth, "I'll remember this. I'll make sure the Thorns of Pain kill him when the time comes."

The wizard who was "examiner" for the entrance exam changed; Campbell's old acquaintance was replaced by a wizard he didn't know well.

Unexpectedly, the other party didn't even give Pain and Thorns any face, but instead intensified their targeting.

Clearly, the other party is a wizard who is not on the same path as the Bitter Thorns.

Campbell's eyes flashed, and he said to the remaining wizards awaiting the assessment, "You all wait a bit. At least I can arrange your order of appearance. You can go in for the assessment after the effects of the 'Berserk Potion' inside the Earthshaker Beast have worn off."

After saying that, he went to where the person who reported the number was, whispered a few words in his ear, and seemingly got the answer he wanted. He then smiled and returned to his original position.

Perhaps because the result was not as expected and he was in a bad mood, the Fire Pattern Wizard, who had come out in a disheveled state, glared at Dago, who was "taking their place" for the assessment, and cursed, "A first-stage first-ring cultivator dares to participate in the assessment? Just wait to collect his corpse."

Campbell didn't say anything, his face still bearing a fake smile.

"Go on, kid, it's your turn," Bernal said calmly, while Serena kept encouraging Dago.

Dago nodded to the two of them, then suddenly turned to Bernal and said, "As the recommender, shouldn't you share some of your experience with me before the assessment?"

"The assessment has no fixed items; it depends entirely on the 'examiner's' preferences and mood. In any case, it's all pretty much the same: combat."

The moment Dago stepped through the small door, he seemed to be struck by a sudden, slight dizziness.

When he came to his senses, he realized that he seemed to have entered a "folded space", a spacious and bright space.

This is a small white square, which is right next to a towering, huge gray wall, and is covered by a light curtain of runic arrays on three sides.

Once outside the small square, the light immediately dimmed, revealing a vast, gray wilderness shrouded in thick fog, with the outline of a small hill faintly visible.

There are two people in the small square.

A bald man with a sinister appearance and a black mole on his chin sat lazily on a huge, high-backed chair made of intertwined black tree roots.

Standing beside him was an ordinary-looking middle-aged male wizard.

When Dago appeared in the small square, the bald man on the high-backed chair only glanced at him briefly before looking away, yawning and looking listless.

The middle-aged wizard beside him stepped forward and shouted loudly to Dargo, "Walk straight ahead into the wilderness. Failure occurs when you retreat back to the protective area of ​​the rune array. The test begins now."