The Academy had a dedicated Trading Area. Around its outskirts, senior apprentices ran stalls selling things they had collected on missions: fragments of Sorcery, ancient texts, unusual medicinal herbs. All of them could be found there.
The Academy's own Trading Area was quieter. Its goods were legitimate, but expensive.
Green approached the counter, where a gray-robed apprentice sat with a stiff expression. He was nothing like the welcoming apprentice at the Sorcery testing area.
Green understood why. Prices here were fixed and transparent, and the apprentice behind the counter earned no commission, only a basic wage. His attitude was hardly surprising.
"What do you want to buy?" the gray-robed apprentice asked coldly.
"I need some basic spell templates," Green replied evenly.
The apprentice glanced at him, pulled a Crystal Orb from beneath the counter, and tossed it over. "All the Academy's basic spell templates are in there. Pick what you want and tell me when you're done!"
Green ignored his attitude and sent his Mental Power into the Crystal Orb.
Its contents appeared like an electronic screen. As Green browsed, he soon spotted a familiar Sorcery.
[Treefolk Summoning: Summons a Treant for combat, generally to buy time. Knowledge required to construct the model: Fundamentals of Life Studies, Fundamentals of Plant Structure, Sorcery Model Construction, Applications of Life Energy.]
[Lesser Energy Fireball: Summons a fireball to attack an enemy, used for direct breakthroughs. Knowledge required to construct the model: Fire Element Energy Control, Fundamentals of Fire Element, Sorcery Model Construction.]
[Cloud Mist Spell: Creates a broad bank of dense fog to obscure an enemy's vision, generally used to buy time or launch a surprise attack. Knowledge required to construct the model: Water Element Energy Control, Fundamentals of Water Element, Changes in Water Element Properties, Oushu Model Construction.]
The Crystal Orb held more than ten thousand basic Sorcery templates. Knowing its apprentices lacked the knowledge to browse them all, the Academy had included a search function.
"Find Life-Type Sorcery," Green instructed, sending the request through a ripple of Mental Power.
The entries on the screen dwindled rapidly until fewer than a hundred remained.
That was the predicament life Wizards faced. Many Wizards had an affinity for conventional elements, but rare affinities such as Life Force were seldom seen. As a result, there were few basic Life-Type Sorcery spells to choose from.
With the Chip, it doesn't matter how many spells there are. I can learn them all quickly. The Chip can store their structures, which is practically the same as having them fixed in place; the only difference is that guiding them takes a little longer. There's no need to choose. I'll take the lot.
Green made up his mind. He selected every Life-Type Sorcery template, then opened the support Wizard templates and selected all of those too.
"I'll take all of these. How much?" Green handed back the Crystal Orb.
The gray-robed apprentice took it and probed it with his Mental Power. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.
"Y-you want all of these?" The number of spells Green had selected left him stammering.
"Why? Is that a problem?" Green asked, puzzled.
"O-of course not. It's just that the price will be very high."
"I remember the Academy charges one Magic Stone per spell template. I've selected about 279, so the price isn't a problem for me."
Green handed over his Magic Stone Card.
The apprentice's shock faded when he saw it. A Magic Stone Card required a balance of at least one hundred Magic Stones to obtain. Any apprentice carrying one was either wealthy or important—one of the Academy's rising stars.
"I'll take care of it right away!"
He swiped Green's card and returned it at once. Then he took another Crystal Orb from beneath the counter and placed it atop the first.
The gray-robed apprentice drew a deep breath and chanted in a low voice.
"Aikamanda—Usera!"
As he finished the incantation, the lower Crystal Orb flashed. A stream of blue light rose from it and connected to the orb above, carrying all kinds of characters within it. The light soon vanished, but sweat already covered the apprentice's face.
"Here are the Sorcery templates you purchased." Looking drained, the apprentice handed Green the Crystal Orb.
"Green! Long time no see!" Green took the orb and was about to leave when he heard a voice behind him.
He turned. The face before him was unfamiliar.
The man who had called out to him had blond hair and fair skin. He wore leather armor, with a Longsword at his waist.
"Who are you?" Green asked. He was sure he had never met the man; even searching his memory turned up nothing.
"Haha, you really don't recognize me! It's Bru!" the blond man said with a laugh.
"What?" Green could not connect the man before him with the decrepit Bru he had met earlier.
"I told you, an experiment was what made me age. Now that I've taken Youth Potion, of course I look like myself again. Well? Handsome, aren't I?" Bru said smugly.
"You certainly are." Green looked him over. With his handsome face, sunny manner, and the bearing of a noble Knight, Bru really was striking.
Bru glanced at the Crystal Orb in Green's hand. "Here to buy spell models too? Do you need me to cover the cost?"
"No need, Senior. What are you here for?" Green asked.
"The Academy's triennial Pale Forest Monster Cleanup is coming up. I'm planning to buy a defensive spell or two to prepare for the competition," Bru explained.
"Pale Forest Monster Cleanup? What's that?" Green had been so absorbed in studying that he knew nothing about it.
"Oh, right. I forgot you're new. Let me explain..."
"So that's how it works?" After listening to Bru, Green finally understood.
According to Bru, both Wizard Apprentices and Formal Wizards constantly emitted a kind of radiation. When a large group of Wizards gathered in one place for a long time, nearby creatures mutated, turning from ordinary beasts into Demonic Beasts.
White Wizard Organizations had it somewhat better. Most practiced with Positive Energy, so even their mutated Demonic Beasts were not excessively vicious. Black Wizard Organizations were another matter. To gather more energy, some necromantic Academies were built directly atop graveyards. Wraiths and other terrifying Demonic Beasts routinely prowled their outskirts.
They could not simply leave things as they were. Demonic Beasts grew stronger over time and had to be cleared out regularly. The Pale Forest lay beyond the Academy, which organized a large-scale cleanup every three years. It also gave Wizard Apprentices a chance to train.
That was where the difference between White Wizards and Black Wizards showed. White Wizards rarely sent students on life-threatening missions while they were still apprentices. Cleanups like this were generally conducted in large groups to limit casualties. Black Wizards took a blunter approach: they graded the surrounding areas, then assigned apprentices patrol and cleanup missions through their Academies. Prices in Black Wizard territory were usually high, forcing apprentices to take those missions. But apprentices could do only so much, and their death rate remained high year after year.
"Don't worry, Green. You're new, so you'll most likely accompany senior students on this cleanup and watch how they use Sorcery and fight. There's little danger. New students usually don't know any Sorcery, but you're already a Second-Class Apprentice. You could help a team, so you'll be very welcome. Want to come with me? I can guarantee your safety!" Bru said confidently.
"Thank you, Senior. How do we form a team?" Green asked.
"I just need your agreement. I'll put your name down, and when the time comes, head straight to the Academy gates," Bru told him.
Green discussed a few more details with Bru before they parted.
Green had given some thought to going on the mission with Bru. Rather than team up with strangers, he preferred someone he already knew and could get along with.
Before you continue