Farewell

Dago returned to the Wizard Inn, found Selena, and told her of his decision.

Selena did not put on any airs or indulge in sentimental melodrama over his decision. This was the respect one ought to have for one's own life.

"In a wizard's battles, I really am Dago's burden." This was the cruel truth Selena had buried deep in her heart, unwilling to admit it.

Once or twice might have been luck, but what about three or four times? If her group had been the one resting at the watchtower back then, perhaps she would have been the one who died instead of Mariko.

She had never lived a peaceful life in her brief years, always wavering between "almost" and "should have." Some might have found that tragic, but she did not.

Because she had encountered the two most dazzling lights to ever appear in her bleak life.

She bit her lip. After a long silence of thought, she finally nodded gently.

Dago let out a breath of relief. He had no desire to go through some melodramatic romance scene.

Soon, it was noon. At the airship platform behind Academy Castle, a massive airship lay across the platform like a mining truck.

The other four had probably gone out to sweep the Black-Robed Wizards from the forest.

Dago took out his storage pouch and personally handed it to Selena.

He had already erased his spiritual imprint from the storage pouch. Inside were quite a few Mid-Grade Magic Stones and another exquisite rune robe.

"This is my early investment in you. Whether you make it big in the future will depend on you, Selena," Dago said with a smile.

"I will, boss." This was a new word Selena had learned from Dago.

Then she took a sheet of paper from her clothes and handed it to Dago. "Boss, this is my home address. Once you're done with your business, remember to come find me."

Dago accepted the paper still warm with Selena's body heat and put it into his storage ring. He waved but said nothing.

He led Selena to an entrance beneath the airship. The two of them looked tiny beneath the beast-like vessel.

Dago handed his gold card to the stern-faced middle-aged wizard guarding the airship entrance.

The middle-aged wizard inserted the gold card into a testing device beside him. After it gave a long beep, he said to them, "One ticket per person. Board quickly."

Selena did not hurry inside. With her head lowered, she seemed frozen in place, as if searching for a reason to enter.

Seeing this, Dago simply pushed her into the entrance. She turned back to look at him reluctantly.

Dago's heart softened. He spoke in a low voice, "Boarding the airship doesn't mean we'll never meet again. I promise I'll come find you. I won't be by your side from now on, so you need to become more independent. Do you understand what I mean, Selena?"

Only then did Selena nod. Without looking back, she entered the cabin, as though she had made some kind of resolution.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

The power of the Rune Array on the airship stirred up a fierce wind, making the exquisite robes of the Academy wizards on the platform flap loudly.

Judging from their robes, these were all wizards of relatively high status and strength within the Academy, here to see off their families or friends.

As the silver patterns on the airship grew brighter, it slowly rose from the ground.

On the airship's deck, Selena's gray hair was blown into disarray by the wind, adding a touch of liveliness to her features.

She waved forcefully down at Dago in farewell.

This was also the first time Dago had truly seen Selena's eyes clearly. They were like stars glittering in the night sky, bright and deep, her clear gaze seeming to hold a spring of pure water.

Dago waved back as well, wondering whether this counted as raising a death flag.

Only when the airship became a tiny black dot and vanished completely into the clouds did Dago turn and leave the airship platform, slowly heading back the way he had come.

With Selena gone, it felt as if a stone had fallen from Dago's heart. His whole body relaxed in relief.

Mariko's death had deeply affected Dago, and that was one of the reasons he had sent Selena away first.

As for what came next, Dago could finally let loose and boldly cultivate and improve his wizardry.

He had nearly forgotten that before coming to town, he had been a hunter in the forest.

Dago walked briskly along the snow-covered streets, occasionally analyzing where the best ambush positions might be.

As his Meditation Technique improved, his memory had become far better. He could easily memorize every ambush point and escape route throughout the entire town.

Urban street fighting had always been the nightmare of warfare, because detection-type wizards could not see through stone walls. Who knew which corner might suddenly produce some cowardly attacker to ambush you and cast wizardry right in your face? Not even the heavens could save you then.

When he passed the notice board outside Wizard Hall, Dago stopped to take a look.

There were not many wandering wizards gathered around the notice board now. A dozen or so discussed things in rising waves of conversation, all wearing delighted expressions. It seemed there was good news.

There was not much new in the contents of the employment order. Considering that many hired wizards could not even last a month, wages had been changed entirely to daily Magic Stone payments.

However, basically no foolish wizard would choose to sign an employment contract anymore. The Apprentice Wizards in town who could be deceived had essentially all died out.

Many bounty notices issued in the form of missions had been added beneath the notice board. They were open to all the remaining wizards in town.

In order to win the war this time, the Academy had mobilized every resource to rally the wizards in town. It was truly prepared to bleed heavily.

A wizard like Dago, half Academy and half wandering, had no mentor at the Academy. Since Vissel's death, no one at the Academy had cared about him, so naturally he could accept bounty missions as well.

If he had been an official Academy student, there was a very high chance an Academy mentor would have sent him to carry out those high-risk combat missions where he could lose his life at any time.

The rewards listed after each mission were written in bold, conspicuous fluorescent paint—potions that increased spiritual power, low-grade magic tools, Magic Stones, tickets to leave the Academy, and even the chance to become a Formal Wizard's disciple.

Dago's gaze paused briefly on the first reward. On this notice board, that was the only thing that truly held any appeal for him.

Most of the missions were kill orders targeting the Duskblood Council's Black-Robed Wizards. One Black-Robed Wizard could be exchanged for three bottles of spiritual power-enhancing potion.

Combined with the spoils carried by the Black-Robed Wizards themselves, Dago's greed stirred slightly.

"Now that my spiritual power has undergone Metamorphosis, I'm only lacking the accumulation of spiritual power to reach Half-Step Wizard. Potions that increase spiritual power can greatly accelerate this process."

"On the other hand, the rewards most tempting and best suited for wandering wizards are practically useless to me. Setting aside whether the rewards are real, I already have a path to becoming a Formal Wizard."

Thinking of this, Dago once again thanked Vissel in his heart for his selfless gift.

To reach Formal Wizard more quickly, Dago was willing to take risks.

But when he thought of the Destruction Night in the northern part of town yesterday, and the battle between the two Formal Wizards he had witnessed, lingering fear still remained in his heart.

Although hunting apprentice-level wizards was easy for him, if he encountered a Formal Wizard, he would probably be reduced to ashes.

"I still need to be more cautious. I'll wait until I'm stronger—at the very least, until I have the ability to escape from a Formal Wizard."

That was what Dago thought to himself.

Only after both the Ice Crystal Technique and Ice Crystal Cannon advanced through Metamorphosis would his combat power undergo a qualitative transformation.

"I still need to cultivate and improve more. I have to focus on both spiritual power and wizardry, and make both strong."

Dago shook his head and withdrew his gaze from the notice board.

Now, he was alone once more. He had fewer attachments, yet his mind had become more focused than ever.

His next priority was to focus on cultivation progress. While ensuring his absolute safety, he would hunt the Black-Robed Wizards entering the town in exchange for mission rewards from Wizard Hall.