Ainak Wizard Academy

Golden sunlight, like mischievous little sprites, spilled cheerfully through gaps in the forest canopy.

Dago got up early and delivered the packed jerky and deer hides to the town's butcher shop and leather store, then returned to the shelter.

He stood outside the shelter's clearing and let the forest breeze wash over him for a while, feeling some of his sweat fade. Recently, the Swift Deer around the area had treated the forest near the shelter as forbidden ground and no longer dared venture into it.

As a result, hunting in the nearby forest had become increasingly difficult for Dago. Fortunately, he had already saved up ten Low-Grade Magic Stones.

That was enough to cover the tuition for attending classes at Ainak Wizard Academy. Unfortunately, he did not have enough for the Academy's lodging fees.

According to Mariko, tuition only covered the cost of learning spells and magic at the Academy. Accommodation fees had to be paid separately.

Living in town was safe and convenient, but it was noisy and crowded, which greatly affected a wizard's meditation practice. It was better to find a place in the wilderness and live alone in peace and quiet.

Otherwise, Mariko would not have moved into the forest. In fact, quite a few auditing apprentices from the Academy lived there as well.

"This black-hearted Academy is really planning to bleed apprentice wizards dry."

Dago cursed inwardly.

Before one had the power to resist, one could only silently endure the violence imposed by the world.

Dago no longer felt as insecure as he had when he had first transmigrated here. After a month of living alone, he had gradually grown accustomed to this rhythm.

After thinking it over again and again, he decided not to go hunting that afternoon. He would first go to Ainak Wizard Academy to enroll and learn magic. If he wanted to steadily continue down the path of a wizard, he would ultimately have to rely on the Academy.

After cultivating diligently in the shelter's clearing all morning, Dago summoned his current system panel.

[Universal Wizard Meditation Method (Beginner 101/1000); Air Bullet (Beginner 110/1000)]

He kept improving, kept growing stronger.

At noon, Dago drank large mouthfuls of deer blood soup and chewed through mouthful after mouthful of dried venison.

He lowered his head and looked at his much stronger body. He still remembered what this body had looked like when he had first transmigrated here. Back then, he had been a malnourished skinny boy.

Now, he had been fed into a fair-skinned, sturdy young man. He had even grown several centimeters taller.

After eating and cleaning up, Dago took out the apprentice robe left beneath the bed and put it on.

Now that the Academy robe draped over him, it even gave him a somewhat slender and upright appearance.

He also found a small silver mirror left behind by the body's previous owner in the miscellaneous box and looked into it. In the mirror appeared a youthful face with a faint scholarly air.

His skin was fair and smooth, his nose high, his eyes a deep blue, and his black hair had grown long enough to hang loosely over his shoulders.

Dago swept his jet-black hair back, and the youth in the mirror looked handsome with a touch of nobility.

"I look pretty decent now."

Dago muttered in smug delight.

He tied the Second-Level Apprentice Wizard badge around his neck with a cord and activated his spiritual power. The crystal in the badge lit up with a sapphire-blue glow.

Satisfied, Dago tucked the badge beneath the inner layer of his apprentice robe, pushed open the door, and slowly walked out.

Sunlight blanketed the forest as though it cost nothing, dazzling and brilliant.

Dago knew this little path he traveled every day like the back of his hand. In less than half an hour, he arrived in town.

"Ainak Wizard Academy, here I come..."

Dago stared deeply at the Academy shrouded in white mist atop the mountain and spoke softly.

Then, with his money pouch in hand, he headed straight for the Wizard Hall.

When he found the same counter as last time, the girl from before was gone. Instead, there was a somewhat older woman. Feeling slightly disappointed, Dago walked over.

"Hello, I'd like to enroll as a Second-Level Apprentice Wizard at Ainak Wizard Academy."

"Certainly, Apprentice. Academy tuition is ten Low-Grade Magic Stones. If you wish to arrange Academy lodging, an additional five Low-Grade Magic Stones are required."

The woman spoke without even raising her head.

"I won't be applying for lodging. Enrollment alone will be enough."

Dago took out his money pouch, counted out ten Low-Grade Magic Stones, handed them to the woman, and said so.

"Then you are choosing to commute. If anything happens while you are living outside, the Academy will not be responsible."

"Also, you must arrive on time when Academy instructors hold their classes. If you agree, I can issue you a certificate now, and you can head to the Academy to report."

"Fine, no problem. I agree."

The woman counted the Magic Stones, turned around, and stored them in the safe behind her.

She also took out a gilded card from the safe, bearing the emblem of Ainak Wizard Academy.

She handed it to Dago. He accepted it, tucked it into his cloth pouch, and walked out of the Wizard Hall.

Dago walked toward the mountain, in a direction he had never taken before, until he reached a tall and solemn stone gate.

The four guards at the gate stood with imposing bearing, their steel plate armor reflecting a cold gleam beneath the sunlight.

Just as Dago was about to enter, the guards raised their spears to stop him. At that moment, an Academy apprentice who had been dozing beside a walnut desk beneath the stone gate noticed him and slowly got to his feet.

"What are you here for? Unauthorized people are not allowed inside."

The Academy apprentice spoke with sleepy eyes.

"I'm a newly enrolled Second-Level Apprentice Wizard."

Dago took out the gilded card and showed it to him.

"Oh, a new apprentice. All right, follow me."

The Academy apprentice led Dago to the side of the marble gate.

There, a silver device the size of a shoebox hung on the stone wall, with a crystal lamp protruding from its top.

"Take out your Second-Level Apprentice badge and place it in the hollow beneath this box. Once the crystal above turns green, you can enter."

"Oh, and you can give me your enrollment certificate."

Dago did as instructed. He handed the gilded card to the male apprentice, removed the badge from around his neck, and placed it beneath the box. Yet the crystal above showed no reaction.

"Wait a moment. It's your first time registering your spiritual power fluctuations, so it will take a little time."

The male apprentice put away the card and spoke indifferently.

As soon as he finished speaking, the crystal above the box lit up green.

"Looks like you've been registered. If you're a commuting apprentice, come here and place your badge in the hollow before entering the Academy. That way, no one will stop you."

"Oh, and one more piece of advice: once you're inside the Academy, keep a tight hold on your Magic Stone pouch."

The Academy apprentice yawned as he spoke, then returned to the walnut desk and continued dozing.

Dago nodded and strode through the marble gate, stepping into a brand-new world.

This Academy had been built upon an enormous platform forcibly carved into the mountainside.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, scattering strands of golden light and adding a trace of mystery to the entire Academy. It made the place feel like an ethereal realm, as if even one's soul had been cleansed.

Dago took a deep breath and immediately felt refreshed.

Before him stood a towering boulder at least three or four stories tall. On its front, ten large words had been carved in wizard script: "Ainak Wizard Academy Welcomes You."

The boulder was encircled by a flowerbed, adding a splash of colorful brilliance to the otherwise stone-brick paving.

Dago walked around the massive stone flowerbed and discovered that a huge rune had been carved on the back of the boulder, though he could not recognize it.

Ahead of him were three branching paths, along with a signpost to the side.

Following the signpost, Dago chose the middle path. It led to Academy Castle, the main teaching grounds of Ainak Wizard Academy.

At the end of the path stood a majestic and spectacular Academy Castle, like a mysterious beast crouching in wait.

Its spires rose one after another, glimmering with mysterious light beneath the sun, while its windows resembled the eyes of a giant beast watching the world before it.

The castle walls were built from ancient stone. Weathered by the years, they appeared mottled and heavy, as though every stone told a long and ancient story.

Countless students in apprentice robes hurried through the castle. This place was like a miniature society, containing the joys and sorrows, births, aging, illnesses, and deaths of countless people.

Dago shook those thoughts from his head and casually stopped a female apprentice carrying a book.

"Excuse me, where should new students report?"

Dago scratched his head and asked with an apologetic expression.

The female apprentice looked displeased at being stopped by Dago, but she still answered coldly, "Report? If you're only coming to report now, go directly to the Academy Academic Affairs Office."

Afterward, the female apprentice pointed toward the towering main entrance of Academy Castle and quickly walked away.

Dago was left standing there alone in silence for a long while. Were all Academy apprentices this intensely competitive? They did not even want to say a few extra words.

Dago stepped through the ancient castle gates, and his eyes were immediately overwhelmed. The place was far too complicated.

At a glance, countless staircases crisscrossed the center of the castle, surrounded by densely packed rooms. Fortunately, a main map of Academy Castle was posted nearby, or Dago would have had to go through great trouble asking someone else.

After spending quite some time painstakingly locating the Academy Academic Affairs Office on the map, Dago made his way there and pushed open the ornate doors.

With a creak, he saw a fat wizard reclining in a broad leather chair, his ankles crossed atop a walnut desk as he snored soundly.

Knock, knock! Dago pounded hard on the ornate carved wooden doors.

"What is it? Which blind fool doesn't want to keep living anymore?"

The fat wizard jolted awake and shouted in annoyance.

"Hello, Wizard sir. I'm here to report as a new student."

Dago said innocently.

"You're reporting as a new student at this hour? Take your textbook and get lost. Don't disturb my sleep."

The fat wizard impatiently waved a hand, casually pulled a black-covered wizard book from the cabinet beneath his desk, and tossed it at Dago.

His eyes were still bleary, and his expression was full of disdain, as though he desperately wanted Dago gone.

"Then thank you, Wizard sir."

Dago picked up the black-covered wizard book from the carpet and looked at its blank cover.

Just as he was about to say something, a powerful, icy aura washed over him.

"You know, disturbing someone's sleep is not very polite."

The fat wizard narrowed his eyes and spoke through a yawn.

Dago pursed his lips and said nothing. He tucked the book into his clothes, turned around, carefully closed the door, and went out to wander aimlessly through Academy Castle.

After a long while, the fat wizard slowly woke again and stretched lazily.

"Today I performed a great service. I confiscated a forbidden wizard book, [Emerald Life], and saved one of the Academy's little cash cows. Hehehe!"

The fat wizard muttered happily. Then he opened the desk drawer, only to find that the black-covered wizard book was gone.

"Where's my achievement?"

The fat wizard hurriedly opened the other drawers and searched through them, but found nothing.

"Forget it, forget it. Some student must have stolen it. This book isn't fun at all. At best, it leaves you crippled; at worst, it kills you. Anyone with sense will return it soon enough."

The fat wizard did not take the matter to heart. Right now, all he wanted was to clock out, go home, and eat a lavish meal.