The Lesser Sharpness gathered on his hand had already been partially depleted when it shattered his opponent's spell claws, but Ruger still believed it could smash the other apprentice's face, perhaps even shear away a small part of his skull. Since this was a fight to the death, there was no reason to hold back. Even a well-known Wizard Apprentice would die with a chunk missing from his head. Every self-important Wizard Apprentice here had their own specialties and unusual spells. Ruger thought his Foul-Smelling Skin was no worse than theirs-a modified spell developed after he witnessed that mysterious giant skeletal hand.
Ruger also knew that these outstanding Wizard Apprentices were not the very best. Although Vito had never explicitly said so, their rambling conversation beside the campfire that night had revealed plenty. This Land of Fissures was a place ordinary Wizard Apprentices knew nothing about, while the truly elite rarely came here. First, its opening had become a once-in-a-century event, and many people would not deliberately wait for it. Second, every contest for the right to stand beside the well and ask a question caused some degree of injury and death.
The Endless Sea, the path of Faith Wizards, nightmares and demons-all of them stirred Ruger's curiosity intensely. Some said curiosity and the desire to explore were a Wizard's most precious qualities. Ruger wanted not only to explore their domains and see more fascinating things, but also to fight them and experience their abilities firsthand.
The words of so many people he had met along the way echoed through his mind. He was still that little kobold, yet he was no longer that little kobold. The path of a Wizard had no end. Old Lunse had once said that even those incomprehensible figures who stood at the pinnacle of