Matthew

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Matthew (马修)
Alias(es)	Class Leader; “Lord Matthew” 2 4
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Carlson Family (former attendant); Wizard Tower; Elemental School 1 13 16
Occupation/Role	Former class leader of the shipboard apprentice candidates; formal wizard apprentice 1 13
Status	Alive 23
First Appearance	Chapter 1 (mentioned) 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First Astral Star condensed	3, 4	Completes his first meditation in less than half a day, becoming the first candidate aboard the ship known to condense an Astral Star.
Level 5 spiritual-power talent; fire affinity confirmed	8	His Astral Star is verified by Selenst’s attendant; the crystal emits a steady red glow.
Fire magic awakened	12, 13	Produces a wavering orange-red flame and regards his fire magic as the basis for future revenge against Li Ang and the Carlson Family.
Elemental School apprentice	16	Chooses the Elemental School, fitting his fire affinity and the path favored by Selenst.

Background

Matthew and his younger brother Kavi were attendants of the Carlson Family. Li Ang’s original self treated them as companions, including allowing them to eat at the same table, and the Carlson Family spent its entire fortune securing wizard-talent tests for all three youths. After boarding the ship to Riley City, Matthew and Kavi abandoned their former deference and repeatedly abused Li Ang. 1

The supervising wizard appointed Matthew class leader and Kavi deputy class leader of the apprentice candidates. Matthew used the position to impose arbitrary discipline, ordering the group assembled hours early and having Kavi assault anyone who objected. 2

Matthew was the first candidate to condense an Astral Star. The achievement drew immediate praise from the other candidates and intensified his arrogance; he publicly derided Li Ang as a sickly failure and claimed that the Carlson Family’s investment had been meant to benefit himself and Kavi. 3 4

During this confrontation, a violent lurch of the ship threw Matthew face-first into a rotten threshold. His jaw was injured and he lost a front tooth, leaving him humiliated while Kavi panicked beside him. 4 5 He continued to posture as class leader afterward, but the injury weakened both his authority and his ability to intimidate the other candidates. 6

When Matthew and Kavi later tried to attack Li Ang in his cabin, Li Ang used the Breeze Technique to blast Kavi away. Matthew was terrified by the display, fled with Kavi, and chose not to report the incident because exposure could cost him his position. 7 8

His Level 5 fire affinity was formally confirmed during the ship’s assessment. Although he remained proud of possessing the highest recorded talent among the candidates, Li Ang’s performance made that pride unstable and fear-ridden. 8 9 After becoming a formal apprentice, Matthew developed fire magic and fixated on gaining enough power to kill Li Ang and retaliate against the Carlson Family. 12 13

Appearance

Matthew’s appearance changes noticeably after the shipboard accident that injures his jaw and knocks out a front tooth. 5 6

• Visible bruising and swelling around his chin and lips after striking the threshold. 6
• A conspicuous gap where a front tooth was lost. 5 6
• His missing tooth gives his speech an air-leaking, lisping quality. 6 8
• Wears a gray wizard-apprentice robe after his promotion. 12

Personality

Matthew is intensely status-conscious. As class leader, he treats his appointment as license to command, humiliate, and physically punish candidates beneath him, particularly Li Ang and the reserve apprentices. 1 2 14

His confidence rests heavily on visible markers of superiority: his Level 5 talent, Selenst’s apparent favor, his formal-apprentice status, and later his Elemental School affiliation. He repeatedly emphasizes these advantages when belittling others. 9 14 16

Beneath this arrogance, Matthew is fearful and insecure when faced with power he cannot match. Li Ang’s Breeze Technique leaves him too frightened to retaliate openly, though his fear hardens into resentment and a desire for revenge. 7 8 12 23

Abilities & Skills

Fire Affinity and Fire Magic

Matthew possesses Level 5 spiritual-power talent with fire-element affinity. 8

• Can condense a small orange-red flame in his palm. 12
• Practices the Spark Spell after arriving at the Wizard Tower. 23
• His Spark Spell can scorch wooden boards and cause mild burns, but he considers it far weaker than Li Ang’s wind attack. 23

Meditation

Matthew rapidly completed the initial requirement for wizard cultivation.

• Condensed his first Astral Star in under half a day. 3 4
• His successful meditation earned immediate attention and apparent favor from Selenst. 3 4

Relationships

• Li Ang Carlson — Former young master and primary rival. Matthew betrays and abuses him, then develops fear and murderous resentment after Li Ang demonstrates superior combat ability. 1 4 7 13 23
• Kavi — Younger brother and fellow former Carlson attendant. Kavi serves as Matthew’s deputy and enforcer, while Matthew relies on him to intimidate others. 1 2 5 7
• Wizard Selenst — Supervising wizard who appointed Matthew class leader and recognizes his Level 5 fire talent. Matthew presents himself as a favored future disciple. 2 8 14 16
• Ludik — Fellow apprentice threatened by Matthew after commenting that the Wizard Tower’s starry ceiling might be a wizard facility. 15
• Reserve apprentices — Targets of Matthew’s contempt; he humiliates them for being reserve rather than formal apprentices. 14

Major Arcs

Shipboard Class Leader

Matthew rises from Carlson attendant to class leader aboard the wizard ship, using Kavi’s strength and his own authority to control the prospective apprentices. His early success in meditation makes him the center of attention and emboldens his abuse of Li Ang. 1 2 4

Humiliation and Fear

Matthew’s attempt to further humiliate Li Ang ends with his severe facial injury during the ship’s lurch. Later, Li Ang’s wind spell incapacitates Kavi and frightens Matthew into retreat, fundamentally reversing their former power dynamic. 5 7 8

Elemental School Apprentice

After reaching Riley City, Matthew becomes a formal apprentice, chooses the Elemental School, and continues asserting superiority over reserve apprentices. His encounters with Li Ang remain marked by hostility, but also by wariness of Li Ang’s greater demonstrated power. 13 14 16 23

Notable Quotes

“The opportunity your father traded his entire fortune for ended up fulfilling us brothers instead!” 4