10 Drowner

Wayne had emerged victorious in the first two rounds of the competition, securing his place as an official witcher at Kaer Morhen. Despite the battles not being overly intense, they had taken a toll on Wayne, leaving him fatigued.

Now, he faced his most challenging opponent among the witchers, Geralt. Wayne knew that he needed a solid strategy to face Geralt in the third round of the competition, and he was determined to prove himself as a capable witcher.

Vesemir, the experienced witcher who had been overseeing the competition, made a decision. He believed Wayne had demonstrated his prowess and was satisfied with his performance. Therefore, Vesemir chose to end the competition after just two rounds. This decision meant Wayne had passed the test and was now qualified to become a witcher at Kaer Morhen, no longer requiring a third round. It was a significant achievement for the young witcher.

He scanned the faces of Geralt, Lambert, and Eskel.

"However, you have no experience dealing with monsters yet."

"In the next few years, you and Geralt will form a team and carry out missions together. He will teach you how to become a real witcher."

As the old witcher's voice fell, the system prompt sounded in Wayne's mind.

Expert-level task: [Witcher] has been completed.

Rewards: 30 exp, expert-level treasure chest.

Wayne initially considered continuing the third round, but upon receiving a system prompt confirming that he had completed the expert-level task, he decided against it. Passing the challenging test not only granted him the right to be a witcher officially but also fulfilled his first expert-level task. The rewards were quite substantial, he received 30 experience points, equivalent to the rewards from ten regular tasks, and an expert-level treasure chest that could potentially contain valuable items, including rare ones. This marked a significant step in his journey as a witcher.

Wayne had collected over 500 ordinary treasure chests over the past year and a half, one per day. Each of these chests contained a small amount of currency or some common-level random items. He stored them in his system column but refrained from opening them while at Kaer Morhen, as he didn't want the items he obtained from these chests to raise any suspicions among the witchers, especially Vesemir. He likely intended to open them at a more opportune moment or location.

Wayne (16 years old)

Occupation: Witcher

Level: Level 5 (263/500)

Ability value: 2 points

Attributes: Strength 17, Dexterity 22, Constitution 19, Spirit 22.

Skills: Swordsmanship LV5, Seal LV8, Gene Mutation LV1.

Special bloodline: Ancient blood (weak, unawakened) requires ten ability points to activate.

Subsidiary skills: Archery LV1, Cooking LV5, Planting LV3.

......

Half a month later, heavy snow once again blocked the passage between Kaer Morhen and

the outside world.

Wayne's training at Kaer Morhen involved various tasks, such as gathering herbs, hunting monsters, and collecting materials for crafting witcher potions. This hands-on experience allowed him to apply the knowledge he had gained from books to real-life situations. However, the winter season limited their options as the forests and valleys around Kaer Morhen were cold and covered in snow. The monsters they could find during this time were mainly drowners and evil spirits, and there weren't many materials available for collection.

During one of their expeditions near a small lake, Wayne was surrounded by five drowners. Geralt, the White Wolf, observed Wayne's performance with great interest. Wayne displayed incredible talent, swiftly and skillfully dealing with the water ghosts. His combat abilities and swordsmanship were impressive, and he appeared fearless in the face of these monsters. Geralt couldn't help but marvel at Wayne's potential and considered the possibility of him becoming one of the strongest witchers in the history of the wolf school, just as Vesemir had predicted.

Despite the initial fear Wayne felt when facing these monsters, he managed to overcome it and prove his abilities in combat. This practical experience was essential for his growth as a witcher.

Wayne's impressive swordsmanship and combat skills allowed him to defeat the group of water ghosts quickly and efficiently. In less than two minutes, he had successfully slayed all five water ghosts, reducing them to lifeless corpses lying on the ground. His swift and precise movements demonstrated his growing expertise as a witcher.

After Wayne had killed the water ghosts and the adrenaline of combat subsided, he found himself standing amidst the lifeless bodies, lost in thought. The sight of the dismembered water ghosts, which bore a close resemblance to humans, had left him feeling somewhat disturbed. It was not fear but rather the gruesome nature of the task that had momentarily unsettled him. It was a reminder that the life of a witcher often involved dealing with gruesome and morbid aspects of the world.

"What are you doing in a daze, quickly take out the drowner's brain?"

"Today's lesson is to refine the swallow potion."

Seeing Wayne holding the silver sword in a daze after killing the drowners, Geralt took the potion-brewing tool, stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you scared when you see these monster corpses?"

Wayne, still slightly unsettled, looked at Geralt and replied, "I'm not scared, Geralt. It's just that the appearance of these drowners, so similar to humans, and the aftermath of the battle made me feel a bit queasy. I'll get used to it with time, though." He forced a small smile to reassure Geralt that he was not afraid but needed some time to adapt to the life of a witcher fully.

Geralt nodded understandingly. "I get what you mean, Wayne. The first time is always the toughest, especially when the monsters resemble humans. But you'll learn to compartmentalize and focus on the task at hand. Dealing with various types of corpses is a significant part of our work as witchers. It's not pleasant, but it's necessary. You're doing well so far. Let's continue with our task. From now on, you have to get used to living with rotting corpses, mud, and shit." Geralt encouraged Wayne to help him with the grim but essential work of dissecting the water ghosts and preparing the materials for the swallow potions.

As he spoke, he put the drowner brain that he had taken out into a basin-like container,

then waved at Wayne, and said"I heard from Vesemir that you really like being assigned tasks for you. Come on, our task today is to dissect the corpses of twenty drowners and refine ten swallow potions." As soon as Geralt finished speaking, a system prompt sounded in Wayne's mind.

Task: [Dispose of drowner corpses, brew swallow potion] Normal level.

Accept/Decline.

Wayne has accepted the task

Despite his initial discomfort, he focused on the task at hand, as he began dissecting the drowner, he mirrored Geralt's method, getting accustomed to dealing with these gruesome tasks. Over time, he knew he would adapt to this aspect of the witcher's life. After all, it was a path he had willingly chosen, and he was determined to become a skilled and fearless witcher, just like Geralt.