Fireball

That mistaken impression did not last long. Everyone soon learned that Adam's performance that day had been nothing but an illusion. They discovered this because they learned of Adam's exceptional talent, so many people brought him the problems they encountered while constructing Mental Power Solidification Runes to ask for guidance. In the end, they were all driven away by Adam's cold stare.

Adam was only interested in research. That did not mean he enjoyed wasting time playing teacher and answering those idiotic questions.

It was not as though no one had become enraged and tried to teach Adam a lesson, but... it had to be said that while the food aboard the ship was simple, it contained a great deal of energy. Without even realizing it, he had broken through to the level of a Great Knight. As a result, Adam's popularity only grew worse.

The voyage continued without a ripple for two months. During those two months, the monotonous, unchanging scenery of the Outside World could no longer draw the apprentices' eyes. The mages seemed to have vanished and no longer bothered with them, so the nobles resumed their noble lives—endless parties and banquets.

At first, the proposal had come from the descendant of some eastern noble. He had worried that the sailors would refuse, but when he discovered that, as long as he paid, the sailors would fulfill every demand he made without compromise, the entire apprentice circle nearly rotted away completely. Adam did not attend, and naturally, no one invited him. However, he noticed that the sailors looked at the apprentices with strange, amused eyes.

Throughout those two months, Adam had maintained multithreaded calculations, doing his utmost to optimize the rune structure. With Computational Power supporting him, the task progressed well. He had already found a three-dimensional structure capable of steadily bearing the output of his Mental Power. Yet he discovered another problem. Unlike what he had imagined before, Adam had thought that once the rune structure became three-dimensional, Mental Power could be poured into it. But it could not.

Then what was the hollow interior supposed to hold?

Adam vaguely had a guess. Over these past days, he had noticed that after Mental Power dispersed, large amounts of Second Special Energy were produced. Adam had once tried injecting Second Special Energy into the runes, but every attempt ended with the runes shattering and violent pain in his soul.

It was still a matter of lacking samples and sufficient data, so Adam could not reach a conclusion. But he was in no hurry. These questions should not be especially profound. Once he arrived at the academy, he would surely find the answers.

One morning not long afterward, the several Mage Masters who had not appeared for over two months showed up at the same time. They gathered everyone on the deck and brought news so shocking that everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"We have now sailed into the inner sea of the Mage Continent. From this moment on, every second we advance means a perceptibly higher concentration of aether. This is what I meant by a High-Magic Environment."

"Aether comes from every corner of multidimensional spacetime. It cannot be seen or touched; only Mental Power can sense it and react with it. If knowledge is the foundation of mages, then aether is the key to turning knowledge into power."

"The power produced when Mental Power comes into contact with aether is called magic power. Only those with magic power can cast spells."

Black Mage explained this knowledge directly, and everyone listened as though intoxicated.

"Perhaps some of you have already discovered the secret of the Mental Power Solidification Rune. That is right—the ultimate purpose of inscribing it is to store magic power." Adam's eyes lit up.

"But do not celebrate too soon. During the initial apprentice stage, your fragile souls cannot bear such high-level energy as magic power." As Black Mage said this, he suddenly revealed a strange smile much like the sailors'.

"But this is already enough. If you are clever enough, you should be able to survive."

Astonishment spread through the crowd. Black Mage's change in tone had been too abrupt. One moment he was teaching them knowledge, and the next he was speaking of life and death. The apprentices had not yet reacted.

Black Mage waved his hand, drawing a Rune Array of three runes in the air, then said, "From now on, the defensive spell formation around Mordo Academy will be removed. Do you know of Magic Beasts? There are countless Magic Beasts in these waters. In the time ahead, you will face Magic Beasts directly. Only those who reach the shore alive are qualified to become true mage apprentices."

The mages turned and walked away. The apprentices were left reeling from the news, utterly at a loss. At the doorway, Eileen Mage turned back and said to them, "Remember this set of Fireball runes. Neither we nor the sailors will help you. Want to survive? Then work for it."

Only after the mages and sailors had all left did the first voice rise among the apprentices. "How can this be? Fighting Magic Beasts—we'll die! No one can survive!"

That despairing voice triggered a Chain Reaction. They frantically tried to leave the deck and return inside the ship, only to find every entrance blocked by the mages. No matter how they rammed against them until their heads were bloodied, they could not force their way in.

At such times, the ignorant could remain happy a little longer. Krystal, for instance, innocently asked the pale-faced Ophelia, "What are Magic Beasts?"

Ophelia had never seen a Magic Beast either, but she knew that the precious ointment she used during training was rendered from the bodies of Magic Beasts. She had heard that such creatures could Tear Apart even Great Knights with a casual swipe.

"We are in serious trouble." Ophelia stared blankly at Krystal and muttered.

At that moment, there were probably only two people on the deck who did not panic. The first was Adam. He had anticipated that things would not be so simple. No tuition fees, no fare, no appraisal fees—simply bringing them to the academy, teaching them knowledge, and turning them into extraordinary beings? Was that not a little too good to be true? So good that Adam had thought it was Compulsory Education.

The second was William Alfred. He had a father who had once been an apprentice, and his father had long since told him everything he would encounter along the way and made ample preparations. William even regarded this as an opportunity to establish his position as a leader.

That was what he thought, and that was what he did. He clapped his hands and said loudly, "Everyone, calm down. Panic will solve nothing. There are only two paths before us now: survive and become mage apprentices, or die at sea and feed the Magic Beasts. Withdraw? Impossible."

When people were at a loss, they instinctively sought someone to rely on. William played that role perfectly and successfully drew everyone's attention.

William was very satisfied with this. His father had told him that the path of a mage was never peaceful. Battles born from all manner of causes were countless. In many situations, one person's strength was insignificant, but if one possessed an organization and became someone in power, that insignificance would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

"We need to unite. Magic Beasts are powerful, but they are not invincible. The Mage Masters would never place us in a situation where death is certain. They merely wish to weed out some trash," William continued.

Weed out trash. Those four words stabbed into the hearts of the nobles who had spent their days and nights in revelry. If there was any trash, it was them. Even now, some people still could not skillfully master the Mental Power Solidification Rune.

"But do not worry. As long as we unite, everyone can survive," William said loudly, brimming with confidence.

The southern apprentices had always followed William's lead. Tom, his face slick with powder, interjected at just the right moment, "Mr. William, what should we do?"

William gave Tom a satisfied look, then said, "Perhaps some of you still do not know what Magic Beasts are. Let me tell you: they are not merely stronger wild animals. Like mages, Magic Beasts can use magic."

The apprentices who knew what Magic Beasts were stared fixedly at William, awaiting his solution. Those who did not, such as Krystal, suddenly turned deathly pale.

William continued, "We need an organization. We need someone to bring everyone's strength together. Only then will we have a chance to defeat the Magic Beasts. Randy, Quentin, Ophelia, and Adam, what do you think?" Randy was the apprentice from the west with a talent for curses. As for why he included Adam, it was because he had always remembered his father's advice.

William voiced his idea. He believed that under such circumstances, no one would reject a proposal that benefited everyone.

Ophelia spoke first. "I agree, but how exactly we should unite still needs to be discussed carefully."

Randy and Quentin both nodded as well, indicating that they had no objections.

William knew that it was settled. As long as he displayed sufficient leadership within this alliance, he could gain the support of this batch of apprentices. In the unfamiliar environment of Mordo Academy, he would then possess a certain measure of Forces.

Only Adam had yet to state his position. He did not even turn his head, his unblinking eyes fixed on the Fireball Rune Array floating in the sky.

William felt somewhat uneasy. He asked Adam in a gentle tone, "Adam, what do you think?"

Adam had actually heard them. He always kept one thread dedicated to receiving information from the Outside World, but that thread automatically filtered out useless information. Clearly, as far as Adam was concerned, William and the others' words were garbage information.

"Adam?" Ophelia stepped forward and patted his arm. Adam turned around and looked expressionlessly at Ophelia. There was no focus in his eyes; all his Computational Power had been devoted to analyzing the composition of the Rune Array.

For an instant, Ophelia actually felt fear. She could not help recalling Earl Johnson's words. He is not one of us. He has no emotions. Could that be true?

Ophelia suppressed the Thought and briefly repeated William's words to Adam. Even she did not think there was anything strange about needing Adam's agreement for such a decision, but someone saw it differently.

"A mere commoner—even if he has some talent, so what? Why should our alliance need to ask for his opinion?"

At the same time, Adam's Logical Thinking sent him a prompt: Rune Array successfully recorded. Construction successful. Level-zero spell Fireball added.

Adam turned his gaze toward the apprentice who had spoken, his expression still blank. The apprentice could not help taking a step back, though he forced himself to say, "What? Am I wrong?"