By contrast, exploring new planes carried far too much uncertainty.
One careless encounter with a plane whose rules were particularly unusual, and the advance party might vanish inside without even being able to send back a message.
Of course, the odds of encountering such an absurd plane were low, but most newly contacted planes still caused considerable losses.
Watching those young faces—some excited, some anxious—step into the teleportation array as light flared and their figures vanished, Benjamin could not help but feel a trace of emotion.
Ten years. The Academy was like an enormous furnace, selecting and forging batch after batch of talent before sending them into a broader, harsher world.
After the farewell ceremony ended, the plaza fell briefly silent.
Then, the teleportation array on the other side began to glow.
Those were the wizards returning from the front-line battlefield.
Benjamin and the other two mingled near the back of the crowd, watching the returning wizards emerge from the teleportation array.
They were utterly different from the old apprentices who had just departed. Most bore the marks of time, their gazes sharp and weathered, their bodies faintly carrying the scent of blood and fire.
Most of their robes bore scars from battle and looked somewhat bedraggled.
Yet they themselves were like blades honed upon a whetstone—sharp, dangerous, and openly aggressive.
Several high-ranking wizards from the Academy stood before the teleportation array, their expressions solemn as they welcomed them.
Tempered on the battlefield, these people had now become the backbone of the Academy.
Amy and Victor quietly discussed the strength and planar experiences of those returning wizards, their eyes filled with reverence.
Benjamin said nothing, silently sensing the fluctuations of power from the returning wizards.
Most of them were Level 3 Formal Wizards, and there were even a few Level