Wizard World

When the sailboat had filled with wizard apprentices from all over, it finally set sail.

Before everyone's astonished eyes, the gray-robed wizard summoned the broken spirit of a "Megalodon" and fused it into the "Netherbone."

The instant the spirit merged with it, everyone could feel that the Netherbone... had come alive!

The sails were lowered, and the waves became its driving force, propelling the Netherbone through the surf.

Lynn stood by the rail, feeling the gale brush across his cheeks. As he watched the coastline recede into the distance, his heart filled with anticipation.

Once he left, it would probably be difficult to return.

But he had no attachments in the mortal world and nothing worth lingering over.

Just as he was reflecting on this, a finely dressed figure walked straight up beside him.

The newcomer wore a meticulously tailored deep-blue velvet coat, its cuffs and collar embroidered with intricate family crests in silver thread.

They depicted a spread-winged eagle entwined with thorns.

He was about Lynn's age, handsome, but his complexion carried an unhealthy pallor.

Yet his eyes held a steadiness beyond his years, as well as a trace of loneliness he could not hide.

"Good day, sir."

The youth spoke first, his voice composed and gentle, carrying the polish of a fine upbringing.

"From the direction you came from, are you from near Black Marsh City? I am Alphons Hess."

His tone was calm as he gave his surname, but the name Hess itself represented royalty.

Lynn's heart stirred. A prince of the Kingdom of Hess? That made him a genuine big shot within the kingdom.

But... a prince of an entire nation had actually joined this black wizard faction? It seemed he was not doing so well after all.

Keeping his expression unchanged, he returned the greeting with a mild smile. "Good day, Prince Alphons. My name is Lynn, and I come from Black Marsh City."

Alphons waved a hand and smiled with slight self-mockery.

"Here, there is no prince. There is only Alphons, an apprentice just like you."

His gaze fell upon Lynn's ordinary black robe and linen undershirt, but there was not the slightest trace of disdain in his eyes. Instead, there was a hint of curiosity.

"To be assigned a top-floor cabin, Lynn, your talent must be exceptional. It seems Black Marsh City has truly produced a dragon this time."

"Just luck."

Lynn humbly replied before taking the opportunity to ask.

"Alphons, how much do you know about the wizard world? And what about the faction we've joined?"

Alphons was slightly taken aback when Lynn addressed him so naturally by name, then laughed helplessly.

It seemed this fellow truly did not take his status as a prince seriously.

Leaning against the railing and looking down at the gray-blue seawater, he said in a deep voice,

"What I know is limited as well. Most of it comes from fragments preserved in the royal archives, along with things I have heard over the past few days from apprentices with broader knowledge aboard the ship."

"The Withered Bone Spire Academy we've joined... does not have a good reputation among orthodox wizard organizations. It is regarded as a group of 'blasphemers' and 'devotees of death.'"

He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"I hear the rules there are extremely simple, and extremely cruel—knowledge above all, strength above all."

"Apprentices are treated as the private property of their mentors. Mentors hold absolute authority over their apprentices, while competition between apprentices... I hear the mortality rate is terrifyingly high."

"Losers may become material on someone else's experiment table, or be turned into undead servants."

Lynn's expression tightened. It was roughly what he had expected. It seemed One-Eyed Wolf had not been talking nonsense.

Even with it now confirmed by the young prince, Lynn still felt a chill run through him.

"With such heavy apprentice losses, doesn't the academy do anything?"

"Do anything?" A bitter curve tugged at Alphons's lips.

"They would welcome it. Apprentice corpses are important materials too. I hear the academy's creed is that 'death is the best teacher.'"

"They only fear that resources will be wasted on mediocrities. As for 'survival of the fittest' among apprentices, they see it as a necessary process for selecting the strong."

He looked at Lynn, his tone cautionary.

"So, Lynn, your talent is both an advantage and something that may make you a target. After all, 'high-quality' materials like you are rare."

"Once we reach the academy, we must be exceedingly careful. We must guard not only against the dangers of missions and experiments themselves, but also against... the people around us."

Meaningfully, he swept his gaze over the other apprentices gathered in small groups on deck, whose eyes occasionally flicked toward them.

Lynn took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you for the warning."

What a joke!

A bunch of kids think they can make me their target?

Do they think I earned the name Abacus Snake for nothing?

After considering it, Lynn asked again,

"What about the power system? Aside from common necromancy, what other areas does the academy focus on? What will we learn first?"

Alphons shook his head.

"I do not know the specifics either, but I hear that after entering the academy, every apprentice's first task is to learn a 'meditation method,' construct a 'mental core,' and learn to control 'negative energy particles.'"

"That is the foundation of all necromancy, as well as many dark spells."

"Without stable mental power and an affinity for and control over negative energy, even the most basic Skeleton Revival cannot be performed. Forcing it will only result in backlash."

He pointed at himself, then at Lynn. "Those with talent like us may be able to cross this threshold faster, but the path afterward... I hear there are countless branches."

"There is [Undead Construction], which focuses on creating undead armies; [Soul Engineering], which studies the nature of souls and curses; and [Flesh Modification], which obsesses people like the lord who led us aboard..."

"Flesh Modification..."

Lynn recalled the gray-robed wizard's bizarre compound eyes, bone-blade arms, and tentacle legs, and his heart turned solemn.

Such alterations to one's own body might grant special abilities and increase one's strength, but he had no interest in them.

He did not want to become that sort of neither-human-nor-ghost monster.

Of course, if he ever lost an arm or a leg someday, that would be another matter.

A whole set of "cyber" prosthetics would be pretty cool.

"In short, the wizard world is more naked and dangerous than we imagined."

Alphons concluded.

"There, power is the only pass. We must become official wizards as quickly as possible before we can truly take control of our own fates!"

"Lynn, with your talent, as long as you grow carefully, you will surely gain a foothold in the academy. When that time comes, I hope you will look after me."

His words carried a sincere desire to befriend him. Clearly, he thought highly of Lynn's potential.

Lynn naturally understood what he meant, and he also had a favorable impression of Alphons.

Though he was a prince, he showed no airs in his words or actions, and he seemed exceptionally sincere.

In an unfamiliar world, having one more friend—especially one with such a special identity and possibly broader knowledge—was not a bad thing.

"Let's look out for each other, Alphons."

Lynn extended his hand, and the two shook lightly.

They exchanged smiles until the other apprentices from Black Marsh City arrived, breaking the harmonious atmosphere.

Alphons had only come to befriend Lynn. He did not speak much with the others before taking his leave.

As they watched the handsome and noble Alphons, the girls' eyes sparkled with stars.

Mary in particular, after enduring the darkness and conditioning of Nightingale Hall, had reached the peak of her desire to attach herself to the strong.

Lynn was one such person, and Alphons was another...