"Please take me as your apprentice. I want to become as powerful as you are."
Seele stated decisively.
Taking an apprentice?
Oliver had considered other scenarios—confession, informing, gossip—but he had never expected Seele to ask him to take her as an apprentice.
"Not everyone is qualified to be my apprentice."
Oliver looked serious, gazing intently at Seele.
He used to call Seele his 'wife' when playing the game before he transmigrated.
Now, Seele wanted him to be her master—"I know!"
Seele's answer was decisive, without the slightest hesitation, as if this answer had been rehearsed in her heart a thousand times.
She puffed out her chest, as if to add a bit of gravitas to her demeanor, and then, with a movement so fast it was dazzling, she suddenly pulled something out of her bulging pant pocket and unceremoniously handed it to Oliver.
"This is the tuition!"
Her voice was still loud, carrying a strange, almost innocent boldness.
Oliver looked down at her open palm. Five Wintermane Shield coins lay quietly in her hand.
Their edges were somewhat smooth from wear, and under the dim streetlights, they gleamed with a subdued metallic luster, stubborn yet seasoned by time.
"If money alone could make you my apprentice, you wouldn't even be on the list."
He drew out his words, the last syllable rising slightly, carrying a hint of mischievous teasing, yet his gaze was like the most precise probe, firmly locking onto every subtle change in her expression.
Seele's brows instantly furrowed, and the cluster of blue flames in her eyes suddenly flared, burning even brighter.
She clearly hadn't expected Oliver's reaction, and her cheeks flushed even redder, as if provoked, or perhaps wrestling with herself.
"What makes me qualified then? Just tell me what to do, and I'll prove it!"
She practically roared, with a hint of being underestimated and an unyielding stubbornness.
It was as if she would become a bandit today if she couldn't become an apprentice.
Oliver stared at her beautiful eyes; it would be a great pity if they were to go blind.
Whoosh!
Time seemed to slow down.
The dripping sound of the leaky pipe at the street corner was infinitely stretched and amplified.
Just as Seele's last syllable fell, Oliver moved.
There was no warning, no sound of wind.
His index finger transformed into a cold, absolutely dangerous silver line, tearing through the less-than-a-foot of air between them, and with a terrifying sharpness, it pressed towards her left eye!
The movement was faster than the limit of neural reaction.
The cold metal tip, carrying the aura of death, hovered steadily in front of her iris, so close that she could even feel the faint warmth emanating from the surface of her fragile eyeball.
If it advanced even a fraction further, or if she instinctively blinked due to fear, Oliver's fingertip could easily pierce that beautiful eyeball.
Around them, there was a deathly silence.
Only the pipe in the corner dripped, dripped, tapping on taut nerves.
The expected screams, evasions, collapses... nothing happened.
Seele was like a statue frozen in an instant.
She didn't even instinctively close her eyes.
Her beautiful pupils suddenly contracted under the dangerous stimulation, clearly reflecting Oliver's slender, pale index finger.
However, that was all.
Her long eyelashes, like butterfly wings resting on a cliff edge, did not tremble in the slightest.
"Why didn't you dodge?" Oliver asked.
Seele replied faintly, "Because I didn't react in time."
Seriously, who could react to that?
If she could have reacted, she definitely would have dodged.
"Heh..." A low chuckle rolled out of Oliver's throat, breaking the silence.
Seeing her so calm and composed, he had thought she was fearless like a protagonist in a movie.
"Alright, since you're my first Six-Star, I'll take you in."
Oliver withdrew his finger and gently patted Seele's head.
"First Six-Star? What does that mean?"
"It's a way to become stronger. A Six-Star like you will become the Electric Welding King of Belobog."
Seele didn't understand, but she was greatly astonished.
Anything associated with 'King' must be strong!
"Then from now on, you're my master."
Seele excitedly grabbed Oliver's hand, her eyes full of yearning for 'Six-Star'.
Oliver smiled and nodded, then casually teased, "I hope you'll become a great master-defying apprentice in the future."
"What's a master-defying apprentice?"
Seele hadn't studied, so she didn't understand.
Oliver explained, "It's an incredibly powerful apprentice who surpasses their master. That's what a master-defying apprentice is."
Seele clenched her fist tightly, her gaze as resolute as if she were about to join the party, "Don't worry, Master, I will definitely become a master-defying apprentice! I will defy my master!"
Oliver smiled faintly, satisfied.
He would definitely look forward to it, to see who defied whom.
Seele decided to tell Natasha the good news, so she brought Oliver back to the clinic.
Natasha hadn't expected Seele to proactively seek an apprenticeship, nor had she expected Oliver to condescend to be Seele's master.
This was simply a great boon for the Lower District.
Seele seemed a bit carried away, directly putting her arm around Oliver's shoulder, leaning half her body against him, like close buddies—Natasha was startled.
She was inwardly horrified: "My dear girl, take it easy. That's a demon king who just killed 1,400 people. Aren't you really afraid of being so disrespectful?"
She was genuinely afraid that Seele's casual actions would offend this guy, and what if he just turned hostile?
Fortunately, Oliver still maintained a gentle and elegant demeanor, like a gentleman, completely unbothered by Seele's familiarity.
This made Natasha let out a huge sigh of relief.
Just then, a beautiful figure appeared at the clinic entrance.
Silver-gray curly hair, delicate features, a tall and beautiful physique.
It was Bronya.
"Lord Oliver, I'm here!"
(Please give flowers, please give votes, thank you, sirs!)