“Hiss!”
A line of murky blood shot from the Drowner’s neck, and its hideous head dropped to the ground.
[Slayed the Drowner, obtained 25% of the Drowner’s Mutagen]
Alvin lowered his cat eyes slightly and heard the silver sword’s blade sizzling without pause.
That was the suppressive effect of Necrophage Blade Oil on the Drowner.
He clenched his hand and thought to himself.
“It’s more than that.
I can feel my strength and stamina have been enhanced too.
There isn’t just [Cat] Potion in my mouth.”
“Splash, splash, splash!”
The sound of rushing water rang out.
His gaze swept over.
Another deep blue figure emerged from the river before him.
One, three, seven…
Alvin tightened both hands around the sword hilt and steadied his breathing.
These were all Mutagens and experience.
There was nothing else to say.
“Come on!”
…
On a stone wall above the Gwenllech, two figures stood side by side.
Beneath her white hood, Vries’s gaze swept over the Gwenllech below.
On both sides of the river, Vesemir had divided the area into six sections.
In each section, a Witcher Apprentice was fighting Drowners.
“I truly didn’t expect you to invite me to watch your Witcher Apprentices’ Trial.”
“Fighting Drowners?
Hah.
What name did you give this Trial?”
Vesemir’s voice was low.
“Trial of the Dreams.”
“Trial of the Dreams?
It doesn’t look much like its name.”
Vries looked at Vesemir, a hint of surprise in her voice.
Vesemir’s gaze remained on the apprentices.
His cat eyes narrowed slightly, and a flicker of pity passed through them.
“Lady Vries, the Trial of the Dreams isn’t only about killing monsters at night.
Before they came here, they drank many potions, including [Cat], [Tawny Owl], and…”
Vries finished for him.
“And hallucinogens, right?
These apprentices are in the wrong state.
If they had simply woken from unconsciousness, dealing with a few Drowners with Silver Swords and potions would never be this difficult.”
“These poor children.
You’re treating life with contempt.
This is nothing short of murder!”
Vesemir did not argue.
“That’s right.
The hallucinations are where the name [Trial of the Dreams] comes from.
First, they dream of the things they fear most.
Only after waking in terror do they face these monsters, until the sun rises again.”
“Only under such extreme pressure can we make sure they won’t lose their senses when they face Higher Vampires, Leshen, and monsters like them in the future.”
Vries’s tone was cold.
“How cruel.”
Vesemir was silent for a moment.
“This is the path every Witcher must take.
It is their destiny.”
“But…
one of them exceeded my expectations.
The hallucinogen doesn’t seem to have worked on him.”
Vries raised her head slightly.
“You mean Alvin.
His mental strength is naturally stronger than most people’s.
Hallucinogens have a hard time affecting him.”
“Mental strength?”
Surprise flashed through Vesemir’s eyes.
“Disappointed, Vesemir?
Your terrifying Trial didn’t achieve its effect.”
“We are only acting according to the doctrine.”
Vries was about to say a few more mocking words, but both of them quickly turned their attention to the mountain path beside them.
There was movement there.
A tall figure slowly emerged from the blackthorn bushes.
He had milky-white hair, and a thin figure was slung over his shoulder.
Vesemir’s hands clenched unconsciously.
Vries spread out her mental strength and identified the person on Geralt’s shoulder.
Witcher Apprentice, Brad.
Geralt gently set him against the stone wall.
He first nodded to Vries, then walked to Vesemir’s side.
“He killed three Drowners, but he overused his right arm and reopened the wound.
Combined with the shock from his nightmare, he fainted.
Nothing serious.”
Vesemir nodded to show he understood.
Vries looked away.
Just now, she had seen through the anxiety and unease in Vesemir’s heart.
People said Witchers were cold and heartless, bloodthirsty and cruel.
But during her time at Kaer Morhen, she had discovered that such claims were clearly too broad, because Witchers had to be judged by their Schools.
As far as she knew, after the Order of Witchers dissolved, Witchers split into many factions: the Wolf School before her, as well as the Griffin School, Cat School, Viper School, Bear School, and Manticore School.
So many factions already proved that their internal beliefs did not align.
The doctrines of each School had long since grown vastly different.
Some had withdrawn far into the desert, while others had become slaves to power and coin.
As for those who still upheld neutrality and focused on hunting monsters that harmed humans, the Wolf School was likely the only one left.
Right, there was also the Griffin School, known for its chivalrous spirit, but it had vanished long ago.
Even their castle had been buried in the snowy mountains of Kovir in 1140.
Counting carefully, that was nearly ninety years ago now.
Vries sighed with some emotion.
This was also one of the reasons she had chosen to come to the Wolf School after her prophetic dream.
After confirming that Brad was all right, Vesemir turned his gaze back to the apprentices still fighting.
As the head of the Witchers, raising every apprentice took tremendous effort.
Especially apprentices who had successfully passed The Choice and the Trial of the Grasses.
In Vesemir’s heart, they were only one step away from becoming true Witchers.
The [Trial of the Dreams] and the later [Trial of the Mountains] were nowhere near as dangerous as the first two Trials.
Through harsh training, the apprentices could greatly improve their chances of passing.
If one less died, that was one saved.
“Hiss!”
Alvin dodged the Drowner’s pounce, raised both swords high, and brought them down in a powerful diagonal slash.
Silver light fell, and the Drowner collapsed at once.
[Slayed the Drowner, obtained 25% of the Drowner’s Mutagen]
[Witcher Apprentice Swordsmanship Experience +1!]
Alvin kicked the fallen corpse aside with his boot, his movements growing more and more practiced.
On the panel, his Drowner Mutagen acquisition had reached 300%.
“Putting aside the five I killed before, I’ve killed another seven now.”
Alvin’s body did not relax in the slightest.
Instead, his gray cat eyes grew even more alert.
He sniffed.
The damp air was mixed with the thick scent of blood.
Moonlight poured over the river, reflecting rippling silver light.
The water began to stir, rings of ripples spreading across the surface.
One blue head after another, each with fins, emerged and cast savage, bloodthirsty stares his way.
Alvin took a small step back, but behind him there was nothing except a sheer cliff.
There was no cover at all, and nowhere for him to hide.
On the cliff face, Vesemir’s brow tightened as he said in a low voice, “Something’s wrong…”
Geralt’s right hand moved toward his sword hilt.
“What is it?”
Vesemir said, “There are far too many Drowners in Alvin’s area.
It’s already beyond the scope of the Trial.”
Vries lowered her eyes, spread her mental strength over the area, and her pupils trembled.
“Not good.
A powerful monster is approaching him.”