"Mm, the bread from this bakery is really good."
"Freshly baked with a fragrant wheat aroma, filled with rich nuts and crushed kernels—flavorful and satisfying to eat."
Upon returning to the examination site, Gut noticed that there were a few more magic candidates in line than when he left—but fortunately, the number hadn't exceeded thirty, so there was no worry about the bread not being enough.
With two baskets of bread in hand, Gut moved from front to back, distributing breakfast one by one to the magic users who had arrived early.
Judging by the time, most of them, like himself, probably hadn't had the chance to eat breakfast.
Sure enough, after handing out the first loaf, a notification rang out from the system.
[Ding!]
[Daily Task: One Good Deed Completed]
Gut chuckled, looking at the burly man at the front of the line—clearly, the guy had been famished.
Realizing his reaction was a bit much, the man sheepishly smiled and fumbled for his coin pouch, intending to pay for the bread.
Gut waved his hand, signaling it wasn't necessary, and continued distributing bread to the others in line.
When he reached the end of the line, there was still a fair amount of bread left in the basket.
At that moment, a girl at the end of the queue gently tugged at Gut's sleeve and softly asked if she could have two loaves, offering to pay extra.
Just then, an audible growl came from her stomach, and she instantly blushed and squatted down in embarrassment.
"Haha."
Gut couldn't help but laugh. He quickly handed her two loaves of bread.
He remembered this girl from yesterday—after the examination ended and he'd seen off the last disqualified candidate, she had been the one who quietly asked why that person looked so downcast.
As she thanked him, Gut moved along the rest of the queue. Before long, every examinee had received their share of breakfast.
By now, only about five minutes remained before the official start of the magic examination, and Gut still had five or six loaves left in the basket.
"Give me one."
Suddenly, a calm voice sounded from behind, and it made Gut pause.
That voice… was it Teacher Serie?
Turning around, he saw his small-sized teacher extending her hand for some bread.
He quickly handed one over and followed behind Serie, both of them walking into the test site's barrier right on time.
Seeing his teacher munching on bread while he trailed behind with a basket, Lernen—stationed at the hall's entrance managing the barrier—couldn't help but freeze in surprise.
"Teacher… what's this all about?"
"Let's begin the examination," Serie replied blandly. But just before entering the hall, she turned back and added, "Lernen, if you haven't eaten yet, grab a loaf from your senior. That bakery's bread is pretty decent."
"Here!"
Before Serie even finished speaking, Gut had already pulled one out and handed it to Lernen.
After thanking him and eating it, the hunger pangs in Lernen's belly were largely soothed.
A few moments later, the sound of a bell rang out from the city's cathedral—its clear tone signaling that the second day of the Magic Examination had officially begun.
All the candidates in line straightened up and focused, channeling their magic to pass through the barrier.
Those who succeeded wore expressions of joy and took deep breaths, readying themselves for the more brutal elimination round inside the hall.
Those who failed showed a range of emotions—some left in disappointment, some punched themselves in frustration, and others rallied themselves for another attempt from a different angle.
So many faces, so many stories.
Gut said nothing, watching for a bit before turning his attention back to the thick magical tome in his hands. Sitting down beside his teacher Serie, he resumed studying its contents with full focus, occasionally asking her for clarification.
Just like that, the day passed swiftly.
Gut made solid progress, but Serie appeared a little downcast. Throughout the entire day, only one magic user had met her standards and was accepted as a disciple.
Coincidentally, Gut knew her—it was the same girl from the morning who'd eaten two loaves of bread.
As the last rays of sunlight filtered through the window, Serie sighed and gently knocked on the head of the disciple seated beside her.
"Mm?"
Still engrossed in his reading, Gut looked up, blinking at Serie.
"You called, Teacher?"
"Mhm." Serie nodded and rose from her seat.
"Tomorrow morning, same time and place—bring your junior sister to my residence."
"Alright." Gut nodded, then asked, "Anything else we need to do, Teacher?"
"Hmm…"
Serie lowered her head, thinking for a moment, then added, "Adjust the time. Come half an hour later."
"And here, take these gold coins. Keep bringing a loaf of bread every morning during the examination period—for the candidates, and also one for me."
"Understood."
Gut accepted the coins from Serie. From their weight and feel, he could tell at once—she'd given him more than enough.
After she left, without the Disciple of a Mythical Magician talent boosting his intelligence and insight, Gut's progress with the magical tome slowed considerably, and he soon lost motivation to continue.
He got up, tidied his robes, and headed toward the city's municipal hall.
That afternoon, an official had visited from the city hall, informing them that construction for the Continental Magic Association's branch in Äußerst was progressing well. However, there were several key steps requiring official representation from the association.
Since Serie was busy tutoring Gut and couldn't leave as the sole examiner, she had sent Lernen and the newly accepted girl to attend on her behalf.
By Gut's estimate, the meeting should be ending around now.
Sure enough, when he arrived at the city hall at a leisurely pace, he saw the official from earlier bidding farewell to Lernen and the girl at the entrance.