Veridian Forest - Ian

Veridian Forest!

Early morning!

Sunlight spilled across the plaza of the Horton Wizard School as the school welcomed a new batch of apprentices.

There were about thirty or forty people in the plaza, most dressed in garments made of linen and wool.

Standing before them was a man clad in a black Witch Robe.

The man's deep, sunken eyes swept across his surroundings as he quickly checked off a list.

"Ian Green."

"Here!"

A youth in the crowd shouted instinctively.

He was dressed in simple linen clothes, with black hair and black eyes, looking somewhat dazed.

Where the hell did this bring me? Is this even still in the country?

Ian appeared calm on the surface, but his inner thoughts were already churning like a stormy sea.

One second he was a fresh graduate stepping out of campus as a low-level wage slave, and the next, he had arrived here.

He looked around.

A wide stone-paved road ran through the plaza, and Gothic stone towers were interspersed among the stone houses lining both sides.

They were not the only ones in the plaza; he could see men and women in black robes walking by. Out of the corner of his eye, Ian caught glimpses of scales peeking out from their cuffs, crystal vials hanging from their waists, and even their appearances were mostly blonde hair, blue eyes, and other foreign features.

Just then, a sound reached him.

Ian followed the noise.

At the edge of the plaza, a young man in a black robe held a thin, slender wooden stick in his hand.

Before him, a woman was desperately kneeling on the ground, kowtowing as if begging for mercy.

But the young man's eyes were cold and stern. He quickly chanted a string of words that sounded like an incantation, and a dark green, viscous sphere flew toward the woman. Following a fleeting, shrill scream, the woman dissolved into a puddle of green liquid amidst the "hissing" sound of corrosion.

Watching the woman die, the young man turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.

A dark green water sphere.

A bizarre and cruel death.

The scene shattered his entire worldview.

Ian's eyes widened as a flood of memories surged into his mind.

A serf of the kingdom, discovered to have wizard talent, brought to the Veridian Forest, the Horton Wizard School...

Wizards!

Ian finally gained a general understanding of his situation.

This was no longer Earth, but a supernatural world—a world controlled by wizards.

As for what a wizard was?

"To grasp the truth and command the supernatural through Mental Power is to be a wizard."

"Welcome to the Horton Wizard School. I am your Instructor, Victor, a Second-class Apprentice Witch."

The voice of the black-robed wizard came from the front, his lips curling into a smile that suggested he was quite satisfied with the scene that had just unfolded.

His words did not dispel the panic among the crowd, but they did ignite a glimmer of anticipation!

Could they also master such power?

That terrifying yet formidable power known as a wizard?

But whether it was the smile of the wizard in black or the scene that had just transpired, it all seemed to indicate that it wouldn't be that simple!

"Next, we head to the Teaching Area."

After finishing the headcount, Victor led the group away from the plaza toward the Teaching Area.

Along the way, Ian observed his surroundings.

He saw people suspected to be slaves being killed outright by those in Witch Robes, wizards stained with blood rushing back from outside, and even wizards riding terrifying, three-meter-tall giant beasts...

Accompanied by fear and anticipation, the group arrived at the Teaching Area.

Entering a large classroom, Ian chose a seat at random.

Up front, Victor looked at the group and said:

"You don't have much time. We will proceed directly to the instruction of the Meditation Method, one booklet for each of you."

He took out several thin pamphlets and, with a wave of his hand, sent them flying directly onto the desk in front of every person.

Witnessing this extraordinary scene once again filled everyone with a sense of novelty.

Time is running out?

Ian pondered Victor's words with confusion.

He wasn't the only one who sensed something was wrong; someone asked the question directly:

"What does the Instructor mean by saying time is running out?"

"A reminder: call me Instructor."

Victor responded with a smile, but he didn't beat around the bush.

"The School grants you the opportunity to achieve the extraordinary, but naturally, there is a price."

"Within the next three months, you will all study the Wizard Meditation Method. Those who succeed in sensing it and advancing to an apprentice can join the School and gain more learning opportunities."

"It is an equivalent exchange. If you fail, you will become a slave to the School, serving it for the rest of your life."

Hiss!

Everyone recoiled, drawing in a sharp breath.

A slave?

Recalling the person who had been killed so casually just moments ago, there was no doubt that must have been a slave.

They had no human rights, and the wizards could even kill them at will.

"Three months!"

Ian took a deep breath, his gaze turning serious.

He wanted to master the extraordinary, and he didn't want to become a slave, so naturally, there was only one path.

Become a First-class Wizard Apprentice.

He looked down at the thin booklet in front of him and flipped through it quickly.

The content was sparse.

It described how to sense Mental Power, absorb elements, and ultimately condense an abstract rune.

At the end of the content, three spells were attached, named Ignition Spell, Glimmer Spell, and Water Condensation, respectively.

Victor also began his introduction.

"What is recorded in the booklet is the Basic Meditation Method. Of course, it is only a part of it. As long as you condense the first extraordinary rune, you count as a First-class Wizard Apprentice."

"The rest are three tricks; they don't reach the level of Wizardry. Those interested can take a look, but I don't recommend spending time on them. Next, I will teach the content of the Meditation Method."

Victor briefly introduced the booklet and immediately began teaching the Meditation Method.

Soon, the time of an hourglass passed, and the explanation was finished.

"Now you can try to sense it yourselves; don't come asking me."

Having said that, Victor sat directly on a chair to the side and closed his eyes to rest.

The crowd was stunned, but no one dared to disturb him.

The classroom was large, and there was a vast empty area at the back covered with mats.

Ian chose one at random and, following the content of the Meditation Method, attempted to perform a strange posture.

It looked like a gecko with twisted limbs, yet he had to maintain his balance.

Struggling to sit still, Ian closed his eyes and attempted the first step to becoming an apprentice.

To sense his own Mental Power.

He gained nothing.

Ten minutes later, Ian opened his eyes, his brow furrowed.

He didn't feel anything at all.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who felt nothing; many people in the classroom had their eyes open, and only a few were still maintaining that strange posture.

Watching them, he seemed to be able to sense a peculiar fluctuation.

"Buddy, stop looking. To sense Mental Power for the first time, you need at least a Third-star Witch Talent. What is yours?"

A voice came, and Ian looked to his side.

A blonde youth was looking at him.

"Talent?"

Ian blinked, and a memory surfaced in his mind once more.

In an ancient castle, he had placed his hand on a crystal ball.

"Fifth-star Talent."

A wizard had announced, then taken him away.

Mental Power talent was what the so-called wizards used to judge an apprentice's potential, divided into first to sixth grades.

Fifth-grade was only slightly better than the worst, the sixth-grade.

"I know some information; those with Third-grade Star talent are generally fine, most with Fourth-grade Star are okay, Fifth-grade Star occasionally make it, but those with Sixth-grade Star can basically give up."

The blond youth continued.

Ian frowned.

As far as he knew, their batch seemed to have those with Sixth-grade Star talent.

Wasn't Sixth-grade Star a guaranteed path to slavery?

He was a Fifth-grade Star, and his situation wasn't optimistic either.

He had to hurry.

Without idle chatter, Ian immersed himself once again in the sensation of his Mental Power.

Before his eyes, there was only darkness.

He did not sense his Mental Power, but a pale blue light screen appeared instead.

[Name: Ian Green]
[Age: 12]
[Strength: Mortal]
[Talent: 98 (Fifth-grade Star)]
[Skill: Basic Meditation Method (Uninitiated)]