Talkative Field

"I'm telling you, Lynn, since you just arrived, you might not know how lively things have been at our Academy lately."

Field seemed to be quite the chatterbox. He pulled over a stool, sat down beside Lynn, and immediately launched into an endless stream of talk.

"Did you know? Mentor Marfa of the Soulweavers recently took in a genius prince named Alphonse."

"That new student is incredible. A few days ago, he completed a mission to eliminate a Vengeful Spirit that had escaped from a tomb—all by himself!"

"Tsk, tsk. A First-Class Apprentice being this formidable must mean he has some huge secret."

"Unfortunately, I asked several friends, but none of them knew what his secret was."

Lynn had not expected to hear news of Alphonse from Field.

Ever since entering the Academy, the two had not contacted each other again. Lynn only wanted to cultivate in peace, while Alphonse had tactfully refrained from disturbing him.

It had only been a little over half a month, and he was already a First-Class Apprentice?

And he had even taken part in an extermination mission alone. That meant he had mastered Wizardry too, most likely more than one spell.

As expected of someone with high Death Affinity talent.

After all, Alphonse did not have a "golden finger" to help him condense a Mental Core.

Hmm... not necessarily. Maybe he had some old grandpa, a remnant soul of a demon god, or something like that on him?

Lynn shook his head and stopped letting his imagination run wild.

Heroes were as numerous as carp crossing the river. How could he look down on others?

Field was still chattering away, talking about which female Apprentice was the prettiest and how luscious the succubus he had summoned last time had been...

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh as though he had recalled something extremely important, his voice rising several notches.

"Oh, right! Lynn, since you just got here, you might not know that something huge happened in the Task Hall a few days ago!"

He leaned closer, an exaggerated expression on his face.

"People from Mentor Victor of the Bone Emperor faction and Mentor Grasha of the Master Stitcher faction nearly started fighting right in the Task Hall over a 'fresh' giant corpse that had just been excavated from some relic plane!"

"The atmosphere was so tense, with swords practically drawn. In the end, it was only suppressed when the Soul Hunters personally arrived!"

Lynn's hand, which was inscribing runes, paused slightly as he asked in confusion,

"A giant corpse? It may be rare, but it shouldn't be enough to make two major factions go to such lengths, should it?"

Giants were descendants of the Titans. Originally, they had been used by the Titans to herd other races.

But after the Titans were exterminated, giants also suffered a devastating blow. Though they were not wiped out entirely, their numbers had dwindled drastically.

Giants were enormous and possessed astonishing strength, making them excellent materials for Undead or modification projects.

But a Wizard Academy with such deep foundations should not have lost its composure over a single corpse.

"Heh, then you don't understand!"

Field wore an expression that said, You've come to the right person, then casually sat on a nearby box and began flaunting his knowledge.

"Do you think it was an ordinary Hill Giant or Frost Giant? No! I heard it was an incredibly ancient breed, with a bloodline very close to the Titans of the ancient era!"

He cleared his throat and spoke in the tone of someone recounting an ancient legend.

"Do you know that in the unimaginably distant past, our world was ruled by the Titans?"

"Legend says they stood ten thousand zhang tall and commanded the powers of storms, earth, and mountains. They were the true rulers of the world."

"They enslaved all races, turning other peoples—including giants, dragons, and even the ancestors of us humans—into their servants and livestock."

Lynn had seen this period of history in the Bone Vault. Humans had still been extremely weak back then and had not developed any Supernatural Power.

His hands steadily continued guiding the energy, and he showed little reaction.

Field, meanwhile, spoke with great animation.

"Apparently, the enslaved races later united and went through an unimaginably brutal war. In the end, they overthrew the arrogant Titan Gods and directly exterminated the already scarce Titans!"

"After the Titans fell, the world needed rebuilding. Guess what happened? The Goblins, who had seemed the most insignificant at the time but were the best at using tools and technology, seized the opportunity!"

"Relying on Goblin Technology and engineering, they rapidly rose to power, became the new overlords, and ushered in the Goblin Era, which lasted ten thousand years!"

He paused, his tone carrying a trace of mockery. "Unfortunately, no matter how glorious a civilization may be, it cannot withstand the erosion of time."

"After the Goblins ruled the world for ten thousand years and enjoyed endless resources, they gradually became corrupt and degenerate. They lost their original drive and technical inspiration, internal conflicts multiplied, and external resistance never ceased."

"So, they too were overthrown."

Lynn knew this history clearly.

"That's right!" Field clapped his hands.

"The ones who overthrew them were our human ancestors! It is said that under extreme oppression, some human forebears comprehended the Knight's Path of tapping into their own potential. With mortal bodies, they wielded Life Energy and gained the strength to contend with Goblin Technology!"

"In the end, the Goblins' glorious era came to an end, and the world entered the Human Era that belonged to us."

Field pointed around them, then at himself and Lynn. "After that came the history of us Wizards."

"Some exceptionally wise predecessors were not satisfied with the power of knights and began exploring the fundamental laws of the world."

"Thus, the Wizard's Path, stronger and closer to the truth of the world, was created and has endured to this day."

After such a lengthy explanation, Field finally returned to the main point.

"So, think about it. What does a giant corpse containing a trace of ancient Titan bloodline represent?"

"For Mentor Victor, the bones of that corpse are core materials for crafting a Titan Bone Golem. They could greatly accelerate his research, so naturally he would not give it up."

"And for Mentor Grasha, the giant's flesh, organs, and especially any ancient bloodline that might remain are priceless treasures for creating a top-tier flesh modification, a Stitched Abomination!"

"This concerns the core research and growth in power of their respective factions. How could they not fight over it desperately?"

After hearing this, Lynn slowly nodded.

They were not merely fighting over a corpse. To the research of both factions, it was a rare strategic resource that could bring about a technological breakthrough.

Competition within Bone Spire was everywhere. Even at the level of mentors, it was this naked and intense.

"What happened in the end? Who got it?" Lynn asked curiously.

"Naturally, Mentor Victor did. Under the witness of the Soul Hunters, he paid a considerable price to obtain that giant skeleton."

"With that, Mentor Victor's Titan Bone Golem will probably be unveiled before long."

"Maybe when we take part in planar wars in the future, we'll get to witness the splendor of that war machine."