After the results for the first part of the test were revealed by the Toolcraft Grandmaster, and his firm announcement conveying his desire to take Kale in as his disciple.

The candidates all looked towards the very cursed one whom they all held in disdain, right in front of their eyes, a tamer had managed to do what only the greatest of the greatest talent amongst the Artificers would be able to do.

If a Grandmaster Rank entity didn’t speak those words, they would not have dared to believe it. In fact, many amongst them still could not believe it.

Some of the candidates were filled with disbelief.

Some were filled with intense jealousy.

While some had hatred flashing in their eyes.

Others continued to deny, a ghost of a false pride lashing onto their souls, their fragile ego unable to accept that they had been outclassed by a wide margin, by the hands of someone whom they thought of as lesser.

voices rose one after another, in defiance, "No... There has to be some mistake."

"This sort of thing should not be possible by a Tamer."

"Not to mention he is cursed."

"He must have cheated."

"Yes, it must be; he must have done so."

"If the bastard could do something heinous enough to be Cursed by the Church, then he could definitely cheat."

Countless more allegations, whatever they could throw, whatever they could imagine, all of it escaped the lips of the crowd of indignant candidates.

Their voices were not loud, but whispers, yet each statement could be heard crystal clear.

"SILENCE!!!" The irrefutable voice of the Toolcraft Grandmaster rang once more, but this time, there was heaviness to his voice; all those who dared to talk nonsense felt their mind rattle, and blood came out of their orifices.

Some even coughed up blood, but a small number of candidates did not utter any baseless words, out of caution, only wearing a frown; those few did not suffer any punishment.

Kale remained unbothered by all that; his mind was only mulling over the offer made by the Toolcrafter judge. There was a complicated look on his face. Because, in all honesty, according to the traditions of the test, this sudden intervention by a judge was not supposed to occur.

After all, the Judges had made it clear that all the candidates needed to complete at least two of the three tests consecutively within the 30-minute time limit, without a break.

At this moment, the Pillcraft Grandmaster, who always had a pleasant smile on his lips, spoke up, but his smile seemed a little cold at this moment. "Grandmaster Kraul, don’t you think that you are being a bit too brazen, violating the rules of the test like this?"

But the Toolcrafter only snorted, unbothered by that cold tone, "A good enough pupil has appeared for me to finally pass down my craft, you expect me to stay calm, damned be the rules, you think I care?"

"No, I don’t care," the man grumbled, his voice booming loud to the ears.

The Pillcraft Grandmasters gave the Toolcrafter a cold look, "It doesn’t matter, everyone will finish their tests, then we shall decide on it. No one is beyond the rules."

At this moment, the Toolcraft Grandmaster sneered, "Oram, are you feeling down that I finally found a worthy disciple, or are you harboring the false hope that some other heaven-defying genius would pop up for you as well?"

A frown appeared on the face of the green-robed Pillcrafter judge, just as he was about to reply, the cold voice of the only Master rank Artificer spread out throughout the section for the first time,

His voice laced with tiredness, "Senior Kraul, it doesn’t matter whether the kid accepts you as your master or not; he would still have to continue the test. Might as well, let him finish with a calm mind."

The dark-robed Fleshcraft Master added after a moment of pause, "Of course, whether he accepts you as his master at this moment or after, that is the candidate’s choice; please do not be forceful in this matter."

There was a pensive silence after the Fleshcrafter was done speaking, and Grandmaster Kraul did not refute; all three of the judges looked towards Kale, waiting for his answer.

The Cursed Tamer sighed, and after a moment of hesitation, he stated resolutely, "I wish to finish the test."

Kale’s gaze was firm, and for a moment, there was a hidden shine in the eyes of the Toolcraft Grandmaster for a fraction of a second, but Kale was unsure.

With his response, the Pillcraft Grandmaster Oram showed a subtle smile of approval, and even the Master Fleshcrafter nodded towards him in a form of acknowledgment.

Kale exhaled; it felt like he was in a high-stakes interview, where only a few would be able to pass. He knew full well that if he had actually foolishly accepted the proposal of the Toolcrafter, then it would have been a small blunder on his part.

Kale would come off as too desperate and short-sighted; it was likely that Grandmaster Kraul would have been disappointed in him as well if he did that.

Though the man’s offer to take him as a disciple was likely genuine, it was also a test of his character. To determine what kind of person Kale was, what core principles drove him forward.

A bait that would expose whether his epiphany was a fluke or not. A bait that did not hold the slightest attraction for Kale. Because, in all honesty, what he wanted to achieve by trying to join the Association was quite clear from the start.

He only showed that hesitation as a form of normalcy. After all, a kid of his age, with his unique circumstances, should naturally be tempted by that offer, which could completely change his future in one go.

So, in order not to draw any obvious suspicion towards himself. He acted accordingly, showing hints of hesitation.

Grandmaster Oram resumed the test once more with his command, as he stated, "Five more minutes will be added to the remaining time of the test. Now, 20 minutes remain. Begin...."