Devil Sea, Mist Belt, uninhabited island.
Calling this place an island was rather a stretch. It was more like a relatively spacious stretch of reef.
Normally, aside from a few marine creatures washed ashore, there was basically nothing on these gray-black reefs.
But now, several figures had appeared upon this stretch of reef that was almost never set foot on by anyone.
"I kind of miss the honey-milk roast meat and fragrant-leaf melon seed wine at Butterfly Bar." A huge, fat man whose loose red wizard robe fit him like skintight clothing looked at the grilled fish over the campfire and sighed wistfully.
"Out of all of us, you're the greediest. I'm starting to wonder whether you're a fire-element apprentice or a Gourmet Apprentice." Another wizard apprentice in a purple robe, likewise seated by the fire, said.
"Who says having an appetite means you have to be in the gourmet school? I just love eating. I don't love cooking."
"If you don't love cooking, then stop grilling fish. This smoke is making my nose hurt."
"Who told you to transplant a dog's nose?"
"Fat bastard, I'm warning you again—I don't have a dog's nose. It's the nose of a Highland Land Owl! Its sense of smell is more than a whole level sharper than a dog's nose!"
"So what? Dog nose was just an adjective."
On the other side of the campfire, a female apprentice whose features flickered between light and shadow in the crackling flames propped half her cheek on one hand, watching her companions start arguing again with a helpless expression.
She could not help looking at the black-haired woman sleeping against the reef beside her. "Since Cindy went in there, there's no one to talk to in this godforsaken place. So boring."
Just as she lamented, a