Cutting in Line

Besides maintaining a two-point routine of study between Mentor Moxidu's place and elsewhere, Saine also found time to visit the Black Wizard Academy's Public Library.

Saine did not have many Academy Points—only a mere few.

Ever since becoming Master Moxidu's disciple, Saine had stopped taking on Academy missions and devoted himself wholeheartedly to study.

As for the Academy Points Saine had accumulated over the previous few years, he had already spent them on exchanging for Minor Fireball and some other knowledge.

Why had he chosen the Fireball Spell as his entry-level magic back then?

It was because the Fireball Spell had the greatest power among all entry-level spells. Moreover, Saine's constitution was fairly compatible with the Fire Element, which was why he had made that choice.

This time, Saine had come to the Public Library to test his Mental Strength and magic power values.

Mentor Moxidu actually had a Crystal Ball that could perform the same test directly, but the mentor had recently been busy with Senior Brother on an experimental project. Saine had not seen his mentor for several days, so he did not rashly disturb him.

The Black Wizard Academy's Public Library was enormous, a gigantic five-story building.

It housed countless Magic Books of every kind. When Saine had first come to the library, he had sighed, wondering whether he would be able to finish reading so many books in his lifetime.

Since the academy's Public Classroom had not yet opened, there were still quite a few apprentices in the library.

If Black Street was a place where combat was forbidden, then the library before him was an area where even magic was prohibited.

If anyone broke out into a fight in the library, then no matter how powerful the backing behind them was, they would inevitably face death.

Though Black Magicians had always been unruly and possessed little moral conscience, as members of the Spellcaster community, they at least maintained their consistent respect for knowledge.

Countless magic runes were inscribed throughout every corner of the library. Besides protecting the library, they could also eliminate threats in time when the critical moment came.

The library was deathly quiet, with scarcely a trace of unnecessary sound. Saine headed straight for the corridor on the eastern side of the library.

At the end of the corridor, more than twenty apprentices were lined up.

At the very front of the line stood a transparent Crystal Ball the size of a human head, embedded in a special wooden frame.

Saine's arrival caused

a commotion among the more than twenty apprentices waiting in line.

No extra sounds were made. However, more than ten apprentices who had originally been in the latter half of the line tacitly took a step back, making room for Saine.

There had never been any fairness in the Black Wizard Academy. The dozen or so apprentices who gave up their places were all Entry-Level Apprentices who had joined the Black Wizard Academy less than three years ago.

Several years of study had made these little ones, who were clearly even younger than Saine, deeply understand the rules of survival in the Black Wizard Academy.

The ones who did not know better had already been eliminated in their first year or two.

Either they had been casually crushed to death by ill-tempered Black Magicians, or they had been set up and killed by apprentice seniors stronger than themselves.

Corpses and scattered limbs could often be seen in every corner of the Black Wizard Academy.

Oh, right—there was also an unwritten rule in the academy. As long as no Overseers stationed throughout the academy saw you make a move, then you had not violated the academy's regulations.

This cold, blood-soaked reality displayed the dark jungle law of strength above all else to the utmost extreme.

Faced with the dozen or so Entry-Level Apprentices giving way, Saine calmly cut in line ahead of them.

There was no such thing as courtesy. If Saine had truly deferred to them, he would probably have made those Entry-Level Apprentices feel frightened instead, fearing that Saine harbored ill intentions toward them.

The bullying of lower-ranked apprentices by higher-ranked ones was simply commonplace in the Black Wizard Academy.

This was especially true for female apprentices of low strength. Their gender was their disadvantage.

Like Saine when he had arrived ten years ago, many newcomers to the City of Mozhsuobula were only six or seven years old, so weak they could barely truss a chicken.

Yet many depraved and despicable people liked exactly that sort of thing.

It was not only female apprentices who were targeted. Sometimes, even male apprentices were coveted.

With Saine's handsome looks and that luxurious head of golden hair, if Lina had not protected him in time back then and declared her "sovereignty," he might well have suffered too.

Passing the trembling little ones, none of whom even reached his chin, Saine arrived near the front of the line.

There were eight people ahead of Saine, two Intermediate Apprentices and six Low-Level Apprentices.

Saine's appearance made the low-level apprentice standing before him unable to resist turning his head for a look.

That glance made the

The low-level apprentice shuddered. He quickly lowered his head and voluntarily moved behind Saine.

In truth, among apprentices of the same rank, differences in strength and status were not divided so clearly.

Saine had not intended to cut in front of him, but he had not expected this fellow to be so proactive.

The low-level apprentice who yielded his place to Saine was named Ke Si La. He knew Saine; when Saine had killed Yierke half a month ago, this low-level apprentice had actually been present.

But what truly made Ke Si La so proactive was that not long after killing Yierke, Saine had caused a huge disturbance on Black Street and killed several Intermediate Apprentices, including Scarface Qiao Ke.

After doing something so major, Saine had received hardly any punishment and now appeared openly in the Public Library. Clearly, he was not someone Ke Si La could afford to provoke.

All apprentices who had survived for several years in the Black Wizard Academy were shrewd. Ke Si La had no desire to provoke Saine over something as trivial as waiting in line.

Saine himself was not so petty, but there were more than one or two petty apprentices in the Black Wizard Academy.

Thus, Saine could only silently accept.

But even Saine had not expected that after Ke Si La took the lead, his place in the line would swiftly move forward.

In less than half a minute, he had moved up to second place. The efficiency was so high that one could not help but sigh at the benefits of power and strength.

An Intermediate Apprentice who had finished testing with the Crystal Ball had already left the line. Upon noticing Saine, the dark-skinned apprentice could not help but scrutinize him several times.

The fellow ahead of Saine was also feeling as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

But his palm was already resting on the Crystal Ball, so it was not very convenient for him to withdraw now.

Moreover, as an Intermediate Apprentice, yielding his place to Saine, a junior who was still only a low-level apprentice for the time being, would make him look bad if word got out.

In the Black Wizard Academy, face was sometimes life itself.

Only by appearing tougher and more imposing than others could you keep them from thinking of bullying you.

Fortunately, Saine had not said anything from beginning to end. After hurriedly finishing his Crystal Ball test, the fellow ahead of him left in a rush, and it was unknown whether he had even clearly seen his own values.

Ignoring the Intermediate Apprentice who had already left, Saine walked up to the transparent Crystal Ball, took a deep breath, and then extended his right palm toward it.