The Wizard: Starting with Infinite Part-Time Jobs

"Even if Calvin were here, it wouldn't make a difference. You've already abandoned your noble dignity; you're no longer on the same side," Haske added, pointing to a spot not far away. "Look, he's coming."

Calvin, who was short in stature, walked slowly towards them. His steps were heavy, each one seeming to pound on Bondi's heart, and his face showed a look of disappointment.

"What do you mean? Could it be that you two are still in contact behind the scenes? Calvin, answer me." Bondi's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Your Highness Bondi, our friendship has been drifting apart ever since you chose Aiden," Calvin said, shaking his head.

"I understand. From now on, you'd better stay away from me," Bondi said nonchalantly, his face full of disdain.

He and Calvin were never on the same wavelength. Even though they grew up together and had some friendship, the thought of that guy standing next to Prince Haske, whom he hated, made him feel nauseous.

Now he was all alone in front of the tavern, facing the mockery of Haske and the others, and his mood became extremely bad. He lowered his head, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

"Let's go, Calvin. We don't need to follow that coward Bondi anymore. Look at him, reeking of alcohol. Oh, it's my vomit." Haske and the others exchanged glances, then laughed mockingly. Their laughter was sharp and grating before they all left.

As they walked, they would occasionally turn back and make various mocking gestures.

This scene was witnessed by Aiden and Galatea, who had just arrived.

Aiden quickened his pace, his face showing anxiety.

Galatea was alright; she couldn't understand what Bondi and these people were fighting over. With a puzzled look, she said softly, "What's the point of all this fighting?"

"Since you are a wizarding apprentice and want to go to the wizarding world, there is no need for these meaningless and energy-wasting arguments." Galatea said calmly.

But Aiden, being a boy, could understand a bit and said, "Bondy was trying to protect me."

He never expected that Bondi would break with Calvin in order to protect himself.

But he was now completely powerless, and his physical condition was only slightly better than that of an ordinary person. He was no match for Calvin or that burly wizard apprentice.

Aiden secretly vowed to himself, "I will definitely help Bondi get revenge someday."

Although he knew that Bondi and Galatea must have had ulterior motives when they first approached him, mostly because of Mr. Ford, after spending the past six months together, he could feel that the two of them were sincere in befriending him, especially after he demonstrated his value.

"A grown man like you, aren't you ashamed?" Aiden stepped forward and slapped Bondi hard on the shoulder, the "smack" sounding particularly loud in the silent air.

Bondi shuddered, then said with a wry smile, "You've come."

"Your Highness Bondi, this kind of plot is a bit too boring," Galatea said calmly, her face expressionless.

"I'll make that Haske regret this." Bondi took off his wine-stained robe and shook it off forcefully.

"I'll help you," Aiden said with a smile.

He looked at the skill level of the [Acrobat] in the job panel, which showed 67%.

Aiden muttered to himself, "This progress is still a bit slow."

"With a little more time, I'll be able to advance to become a [Black Market Beast Fighter]. I'm sure I'll have even more ways to fight back then."

Aiden deduced that this black market beastmaster must be manipulating creatures to fight for his own use; otherwise, he would be unworthy of the professional title of "black market beastmaster."

Before that, he needs to lay low for a while and at the very least avoid getting into conflicts with others.

"I'm relieved to hear that, Aiden," Bundy grinned.

"Let's go home and train. Only our own strength matters. Besides, once we become formal wizard apprentices, we can train in elemental magic, and then we won't have to be afraid of Calvin and that big guy anymore," Aiden said, nudging Bondi.

The three chatted for a few more minutes, then composed themselves and went back to their respective cabins.

……

The next day at noon, Aiden, as usual, used up his meditation quota in the wooden meditation pod and got up.

Then, the sound of wood cracking came from beneath him.

Aiden's face darkened, and he complained, "Damn it, this meditation pod is so dilapidated. If it gets damaged on me, I'll have to pay for it."

He patted the meditation pod hard, and the pod shook a few times.

Although he was destined to dismantle the meditation pod to unlock the [Carpentry Assistant] profession, he felt uneasy no matter how he thought about it.

A line of text appeared before my eyes.

"Woodworking Assistant, Resolution: 25%"

"The resolution has increased again," Aiden muttered to himself.

For the next half hour, he trained the three creatures in the house: the little green snake, the brown toad, and the little red bird that Bondi had brought.

They have grown much bigger now and strictly follow Aiden's commands. Aiden nodded in satisfaction.

"These three guys are almost fully trained, but they can't provide me with much control over them anymore," Aiden said regretfully.

He discovered that the improved resolution was related not only to the organisms being trained, but also to the familiarity with those organisms.

He stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"In short, once they're trained, it's very difficult for me to gain control over them anymore. Of course, if I can train some more powerful beasts, then I can continue to gain control."

"Yes, it's about time. I need to start selecting some rare wild animals in Ms. Ollie's laboratory for training," Aiden muttered to himself, his eyes lighting up as if he had seen new hope.

For the past three months, he has been busy establishing the most basic social relationships with these wild animals, that is, recognizing his identity as their caregiver.

As for training, that can be put on the agenda.

Aiden quickly retrieved the key to the passage from Galatea's hut. The latter needed to process her recent notes and therefore wouldn't be going to the experimental area.

Aiden, alone, followed the passage to the experimental area.

On the way, he muttered to himself, "Where on earth did Senior Sister Winnie go?"

He even considered spending magic stones to ask the formal apprentices for help, but after thinking about it, he gave up.

He didn't want strangers to know that he had a good relationship with his senior, Winnie, because he didn't want them to be taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives.

In his heart, Bondi and Galatea were good friends, while Winnie was like family to him.

……

We are currently in experimental zone 040.

As soon as Aiden pushed open the gate, he saw Ms. Ollie sitting in the Rainbow Garden, reading some newspapers. The garden was filled with brightly colored flowers in full bloom, releasing a rich fragrance that attracted several butterflies to flutter among them.

"Ms. Ollie, it's been a while since I've seen you," Aiden greeted her warmly, walking quickly forward with a bright smile on his face.

He's been the only one in the lab these days.

He glanced at the newspaper in the woman's hand, but it was blank; Aiden couldn't see any writing on it, which made him suspicious.

"Aiden, you're here. My experimental project has reached another milestone, and I need to take a break," Ms. Ollie said with a smile, leaning back in her chair and relaxing slightly.

As she smiled, her purple, snake-like hair suddenly trembled and twisted in the air in a very strange way.

"Ms. Ollie, what's wrong?" Aiden asked with concern as he looked at Ms. Ollie, whose face had turned pale. He quickly stepped forward, his face full of worry.