Veridian Forest!
Morning!
Sunlight spilled across the square of Horton Wizard School as the school welcomed a new batch of apprentices.
There were roughly thirty or forty people in the square, most dressed in linen and woolen clothes.
Before them stood a man clad in a black Witch Robe.
The man's deep, shadowy eyes swept over the surroundings as he rapidly checked the roster.
"Ian Green."
"Here!"
A boy in the crowd called out instinctively.
He wore linen clothes, with black hair and black eyes, and still seemed rather dazed.
"Where the hell have I ended up? Is this even my country anymore?"
Ian appeared calm on the surface, but within, towering waves had already overturned the sea.
One second ago, he had been a lowly fresh graduate who had just walked out of campus. The next, he had arrived here.
He looked around.
A broad stone-paved road ran through the square, with Gothic stone towers interspersed among the stone houses on either side.
They were not the only ones in the square. Men and women in black robes walked past, and from the corner of his eye, Ian saw scales exposed at their cuffs, crystal bottles hanging from their waists, and even appearances marked by exotic traits such as blond hair and blue eyes.
Just then, a sound drifted over.
Ian followed it with his gaze.
At the edge of the square, a young man in black robes held a slender wooden wand in his hand.
Before him, a woman knelt on the ground, desperately kowtowing as though begging for mercy.
Yet the young man's eyes were filled with cold severity. He rapidly chanted something that sounded like a spell, and a dark green viscous sphere flew toward the woman. Amid a fleeting, shrill scream, she melted into a puddle of green water beneath a sizzling corrosion.
After watching the woman die, the young man simply turned and left as if nothing had happened.
A dark green water sphere.
A bizarre and brutal death.
Scenes that shattered every fragment of his worldview.
Ian's eyes widened as even more memories flooded into his mind.
A serf of the kingdom, tested to possess Wizard talent, brought to Veridian Forest, to Horton Wizard School...
"Wizard!"
Ian finally gained a rough understanding of his circumstances.
This was no longer Earth, but a supernatural world—a world controlled by Wizards.
And what was a Wizard?
"One who grasps truth and commands the supernatural through spiritual power is called a Wizard."
"Welcome to Horton Wizard School, everyone. I am your Instructor, Victor, a Second-class Apprentice Witch."
The black-robed Wizard's voice came from ahead. The corners of his mouth curled upward, as though he had been quite pleased with what had just happened.
His words did not dispel everyone's terror, but they did kindle a sliver of anticipation!
Could they wield such power too?
That fearsome yet powerful force known as Wizardry?
Yet whether it was the black-robed Wizard's smile or the scene just now—
Both seemed to say that it would not be so simple!
"Next, we will go to the Teaching Area."
After finishing the headcount, Victor led everyone away from the square toward the Teaching Area.
Along the way, Ian observed his surroundings.
Some who appeared to be slaves were casually killed by those wearing Witch Robes. Some bloodstained Wizards hurried back from outside. There were even Wizards riding terrifying giant beasts three meters tall...
Amid fear and anticipation—
Everyone arrived at the Teaching Area.
They entered a large classroom.
Ian casually chose a seat and sat down.
Victor looked at the crowd from the front and said:
"Your time is limited. Next, we will begin teaching the Meditation Method directly. One copy per person."
He took out thin booklets one after another, waved his hand, and sent them flying directly before every person.
Witnessing this supernatural scene once more filled everyone with novelty and wonder.
Their time was limited?
Ian pondered Victor's words in confusion.
He was not the only one to sense that something was wrong. Someone directly asked:
"What does it mean when you say our time is limited, sir?"
"A reminder: call me Instructor."
Victor answered with a smile, but he did not beat around the bush.
"The school gives you the opportunity to achieve the supernatural, and naturally, there is a price to pay."
"Over the next three months, you will study the Wizard Meditation Method. Those who successfully sense it and advance to apprentice may join the school and gain more opportunities to learn.
An equal exchange: should you fail, you will become slaves of the school and serve it for the rest of your lives."
Hiss!
Everyone leaned back and sucked in a cold breath.
Slaves?
Thinking back to the person who had just been casually killed, that person had undoubtedly been a slave.
They had no human rights. Wizards could beat or kill them at will.
"Three months!"
Ian drew a deep breath, his gaze turning serious.
He wanted to command the supernatural, and he did not want to become a slave. Naturally, there was only one path.
Become a Wizard apprentice.
He lowered his head to look at the thin booklet before him and rapidly flipped through it.
There was not much content.
It explained how to sense spiritual power, absorb elements, and finally condense an abstract rune.
At the end, there were three spells attached: Ignition Spell, Glimmer Spell, and Water Condensation.
Victor began his introduction as well.
"What is recorded in the booklet is the Basic Meditation Method, though only part of it. As long as you condense your first supernatural rune, you will count as a First-class Wizard Apprentice.
The rest are three tricks, not yet at the level of Wizardry. Those interested may take a look, but I do not recommend wasting time on them. Next, I will explain the Meditation Method."
After briefly introducing the booklet, Victor began teaching the Meditation Method.
Very soon, the time it took for an hourglass to run out had passed, and the explanation was complete.
"Now you may try sensing it yourselves. Do not come ask me."
With that, Victor sat directly in a chair to the side and closed his eyes to rest.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, but no one dared disturb him.
The classroom was large, and there was a broad empty area at the back, covered with carpets.
Ian casually chose one and followed the Meditation Method's instructions, attempting a strange posture.
He looked like a lizard with all four limbs twisted, yet he had to maintain his balance.
After working hard to settle into the pose and closing his eyes, Ian attempted the first step toward becoming an apprentice.
Sense his own spiritual power.
He found nothing.
More than ten minutes later, Ian opened his eyes with a frown.
He had not felt anything at all.
And he was apparently not the only one. Many people in the classroom had their eyes open now, with only a few still maintaining that strange pose.
Looking at them, he seemed able to sense an odd fluctuation.
"Buddy, stop staring. To sense spiritual power for the first time, you need at least Third-star Witch Talent. What grade are you?"
A voice sounded, and Ian looked to the side.
A blond young man was looking at him.
"Talent?"
Ian blinked, and another memory surfaced in his mind.
Inside an ancient castle, he had placed his hand on a crystal ball.
"Fifth-star Talent."
A Wizard had announced it before taking him away.
Spiritual power talent was how Wizards judged an apprentice's potential. It was divided into first through sixth grades.
Fifth-star was only a little better than the worst, Sixth-star.
"I know some information. Most Third-grade Stars can do it, most Fourth-grade Stars can too, Fifth-grade Stars can manage it occasionally, and Sixth-grade Stars can basically give up."
The blond young man continued.
Ian frowned.
As far as he knew, there seemed to be people in this batch with Sixth-star Talent.
Did that not mean Sixth-stars were destined to become slaves?
He was Fifth-star, so his situation was not optimistic either.
He had to hurry.
Without chatting further, Ian immersed himself once more in sensing spiritual power.
Before his eyes was utter darkness.
He had not sensed spiritual power, but a pale blue screen appeared instead.
[Name: Ian Green] [Age: 12] [Strength: Mortal] [Talent: 98 (Fifth-star)] [Skill: Basic Meditation Method (Not Initiated)]
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