21st Century Necromancer

Chen Yu's test for Misumi Mikoto was one of the basic tests for orthodox mages to select an apprentice, assessing the apprentice's memory, observation skills, judgment, and coordination.

Each of Chen Yu's hand gestures lasted less than half a second, averaging three gestures per second. At such a speed, not only did one need to clearly see each gesture, but one also had to understand how to perform each gesture and remember their sequence. Without good observational and judgment skills, it was impossible to accomplish.

And to memorize all forty-eight gestures in one viewing without making a mistake required a memory far beyond that of an ordinary person.

However, seeing and remembering were not the entirety of the test. Replicating all forty-eight gestures was key to this challenge.

The forty-eight gestures were very complex. In each gesture, the ten fingers of both hands had different positions from one another. If one lacked good body coordination, trying to replicate these gestures would likely result in cramping hands before managing to perform many of them.

But to Chen Yu's surprise, Misumi Mikoto actually managed to replicate the forty-eight gestures.

Although in the end, she only replicated forty-six gestures, and seven of those were incorrect, the fact that she had achieved this much impressed Chen Yu greatly.

"Doctor Chen, could I try one more time? If I try again, I'm sure I can do it!" Misumi Mikoto naturally knew she had not completed all forty-eight gestures. Feeling uneasy and believing she had failed, she pleaded with Chen Yu for another chance.

However, Chen Yu shook his head, stating unequivocally, "A test requires only one attempt. There's no need to try a second time if it wasn't passed."

Upon hearing this, Misumi Mikoto's expression fell. Chen Yu's words made her feel she had not passed the test.

This was, without doubt, a tremendous blow to her. She had finally seized an opportunity and obtained Chen Yu's consent, but now she had lost this precious chance due to her failure, missing the opportunity to learn from Chen Yu. This left Misumi Mikoto feeling extremely dejected, and she couldn't help wanting to cry.
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Seeing Misumi Mikoto on the verge of tears, Chen Yu was actually quite satisfied with her performance.

According to the assessment standards recorded in "Multiverse Universal Necromancy Spell Compendium," being able to recognize all the gestures after one viewing and replicate more than half of them met the benchmark for becoming a Mage Apprentice and possessed the talent to become a mage.

Of course, those who only met this benchmark were doomed to remain Mage Apprentices for life, learning a few tricks to deceive people with magic and understanding a couple of simple spells—that would be the extent of their lives.

Apprentices of such caliber could be found in every orthodox mage's Mage Tower. They are the lowest tier in a Mage Tower, only marginally better than servants or Summoned Creatures. Their existence is merely to satisfy the tower's master's need for servants who understand spells.

For someone like Misumi Mikoto, managing to perform nearly forty gestures correctly was already a commendable achievement. She had enough potential to become an Official Mage. As for how far she could advance on the path of magic, that would depend on whether she had a renowned mentor and her willingness to work hard on this path.

Higher achievements were still too far off for Misumi Mikoto and for Chen Yu as well. While becoming a legend and crossing the threshold between the legendary and the mundane was a matter of course for Chen Yu, he was still far from that threshold.

Chen Yu did not explain these thoughts to Misumi Mikoto. He simply nodded impassively, took out a business card, left a mana imprint on it, and handed it to her: "Take this card and find Kyuuzai Ryousen of the Mingyue Society."

"Kyuuzai Ryousen? Mingyue Society?" Misumi Mikoto was puzzled as she took the business card. It was Chen Yu's card, and it did not have Kyuuzai Ryousen's contact details: "How should I find this person? And what should I do after finding him?"

Hearing Misumi Mikoto's questions, Chen Yu smiled, snapped his fingers, and said, "Just call the number on the card. When you see him, tell him I sent you to find him. He'll know what to do."

Misumi Mikoto was even more confused, her feelings still in turmoil. She was about to question Chen Yu further to find out whether she had passed the test when the business card in her hand suddenly caught fire. But before she could throw it away, the flame disappeared, and the writing on the card was seared into it, revealing Kyuuzai Ryousen's contact information.

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"Professor, what brings you here?" Inside the ICU ward of Eastern University Affiliated Hospital, the Glasses Doctor had just finished examining a burn patient when he saw Chen Yu walk towards him and hurriedly greeted him.

"I had stopped by UDI earlier. They are very concerned about this patient, so I came to check on his condition." Chen Yu approached the bedside, checked the medical records and monitoring equipment, and, finding no issues, nodded in satisfaction. However, as he prepared to examine the patient's body, he frowned slightly and paused.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Seeing Chen Yu hesitate, the Glasses Doctor immediately asked with concern. He understood from Chen Yu's words that this patient was significant and did not dare to neglect him, fearing something was amiss.

"It's nothing. I thought it was someone I knew, but I was mistaken." Chen Yu smiled at the Glasses Doctor and resumed the examination.

He carefully examined the patient's wounds and, confirming there were no problems and that the injuries were healing, smiled at the Glasses Doctor: "The patient's recovery is fairly ideal. Intensify the nursing care. This patient's situation concerns ten lives, so make sure to notify me immediately if he wakes up."

"All right, Professor." The Glasses Doctor appeared to be well aware of the situation and took the matter to heart.

Seeing that the Glasses Doctor had taken note, Chen Yu nodded and left the ICU ward.

But as soon as he stepped out of the ward, Chen Yu's expression grew cold and his gaze sharpened. As a Necromancer, there were things he could mistake, but not the resentment and hatred that clung to the man he had just seen.

That was not the kind of resentment and hatred formed by killing just one or two individuals—it was the kind produced by killing at least twenty people with extremely cruel methods.

In other words, the patient currently being treated was a serial killer.