Chapter 49: Nancy (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
Nancy looked at him before returning her sword back into its sheath slowly.
"I just don't like the way you deal with the girl. I'm done with you." Nancy was seemingly calm, and then she started to walk toward Angele. Angele was standing in the crowd while feeling a bit confused.
"You," Nancy said as she pointed at him.
"Come help me tend my wounds," she continued to say while maintaining a calm demeanor. It was as though she was talking to an old friend.
"Me?" Angele pointed at himself to make sure Nancy was talking to him. Suddenly, he saw a lot of blood oozing out of Ali's mouth. It seemed that Ali's organs had been injured during the fight, making Angele realize that Nancy wasn't the only one who got hurt. Though he didn't like the way Nancy approached him, he still decided to step forward due to her relationship with Master Adolf.
People around weren't surprised because everyone witnessed Nancy talking to Angele when they first met. Nancy walked into the cabin with Angele following her. Wizard apprentices weren't allowed to bring maids with them, so they had to do everything by themselves. Nancy trusted Angele because he was one of Adolf's students like her. They went into the dark staircase. Nancy could barely stand properly, almost falling down. Angele grabbed her uninjured shoulder to prevent her from falling down the stairs.
"Help me get to my room. He poisoned his dagger." Nancy, who had a pale face, gritted her teeth. Angele finally realized how serious her wound was. When she faced Ali, she was trying her utmost not to show vulnerability. Angele decided to help her first, so he took her back to her room. Nancy was sweating buckets when they walked down to the 1st floor. After reaching the room, she opened the door slowly. Angele assisted her to sit on a chair.
"You can leave now," Nancy said with a weak voice. Angele scrunched his eyebrows; he could smell the strange stench coming from Nancy's left shoulder.
"The poison on the dagger originated from the Snake Root Flower. If you handle it erroneously, you'll be paralyzed for days. By then, Ali can do whatever he wants to you," Angele said. He had confirmed the source of the poison after smelling some spiciness from the stench. Nancy's expression abruptly changed after hearing Angele's words and quickly grabbed a small leather pouch from the drawer. She took out a little paper bag out of the pouch and opened it carefully. There was some light yellow powder inside. When Angele saw the powder, it immediately reminded him of some data he had stored on the chip before.
"You…" Angele quickly stepped forward, but he blacked out before he could even finish speaking.
Angele woke up with a silver crossguard sword held against his neck. Nancy was coldly glaring at him. The blade already made contact with his skin, a thin line of blood slowly trickling down his neck. Angele felt his hair all over his body raising and he could feel the pain coming from his neck. He was already at knight level and had decent attributes among the knights, yet he didn't have enough time to react after seeing that powder. She must have used her enchanted item to catch Angele off-guard. Zero couldn't help him under such occasion.
"Wait, the dagger actually had mixed poisons on it. One thing I could distinguish is the poison from the Bolan Grass. If you don't deal with it within five hours, your whole left arm will be rendered unusable. I'm just trying to warn you about it, so don't get too angry." Angele raised his hands and slowly pushed the sword away.
"The man in the black robe wouldn't allow murder on this galleon. Besides, losing a left arm is probably nothing to a wizard," he continued. Nancy let Angele push her sword away, sheathing the sword right after. She was still staring at him coldly as though she wasn't too concerned about what Angele was saying. She decided to pour all the powder into her mouth.
"Universal antidote? Your premium item probably has the root of Gerro in it, but it will only slow down the mixed poison from spreading." Angele smiled, "You still need to give up your left arm." This made Nancy's expression change again, thus forcing her to swallow all the powder with some water.
"Do you have the cure? I can forgive your rude behavior if you do," Nancy spoke emotionlessly.
"Even if I do have it, why should I?" Angele had an evil smile on his face.
"Your father, Karl Rio, lives at Marua Harbor now, right? You also have an aunt there," Nancy said.
"I don't think you have the right to refuse," she continued.
"Threatening me?" Angele spoke as he squinted his eyes.
"I probably won't win a fight against you, but I can opt to not help you," he continued.
"No. One. Shall. Threaten. Me!" Angele said this word for word while glaring into Nancy's eyes. Their gazes intersected for a while. Then, Angele stood up after deciding to leave.
"You're going to lose your arm. Oh, wait. Also, enjoy being paralyzed for three days. You might die from excessive blood loss," Angele said while opening the door.
"Wait! What do you want? Just tell me," Nancy said as she stopped him. Angele turned around and looked at her again.
"Beg me for it," Angele said while looking at her with an amused expression.
"You're dead!" Nancy grabbed her sword again. Angele knew how serious she was, so he decided not to further anger her.
"Just a joke. However, I really don't like the way you talk to me. I'm not your servant," Angele said when he ceased smiling. Nancy slowly put down her sword after hearing his words.
"Fine, I apologize for my earlier remarks. Now tell me, what do you want?" Nancy said. The paper bag that had the antidote in it was twisted broken in her hands as she tried to calm down.
"Don't say anything that's not going to happen. I'll talk to the man in the black robe if I have to," Nancy said.
"He's not going to do anything about it. Last time, two apprentices fought each other on the ship deck. One had his leg broken while the other, his arm. They begged the man to heal them, but he did nothing. You think you're an exception?" Angele saw through her lie right away.
"You're testing my patience," Nancy said in a deep tone.
"Give me an enchanted item," Angele said.
"No way!" Nancy didn't even think about the offer.
"Losing your left arm it is." Angele turned back and tried to leave.
"I'll kill you!" Nancy said. For the second time, Angele felt a pain in his neck.
"Give me the cure and I'll give you something in return. Otherwise, I'll kill you before I lose my arm." Nancy coldly glared at Angele while drawing her own sword slowly.
"You have two enchanted items on you. I just want one of them." Angele was now barely smiling because he knew that she meant it. The girl had seen blood without a change in expression and behavior, thus confirming that she had killed someone before. He was just trying to get an enchanted item from her, but he didn't know how important they were to her.
"Again, No way!" Nancy said in a serious tone.
"Many people in my family sacrificed their own lives for them, so I can't just give one to you. You can't use it at your current level anyway. Instead, someone might just take it off your hand," she continued. There wasn't much Angele could do at present, and threatening her could put himself in danger.
"Well, what do you have for me then?" Angele asked.
"Ten Glass Gems, worth 10000 gold coins," Nancy answered right away.
"Aside from that, can I at least have a look at your enchanted item? I'll stay in this room, just so I won't be able to take it away under your nose," Angele said.
"Fine." Nancy thought for a while before she slowly nodded.
"Deal." Angele clapped his hands and smiled.
"I'll give you the cure before it is too late, but you need to go first," Angele said. Nancy nodded before taking out 10 small purple gems from the leather pouch. She then took out a silver necklace from her pocket. It seemed that the ring on her finger was just for decoration. Nancy put everything on her palm and handed them over to Angele.
"Also, you need to swear that you won't harm me after I give you the cure," Angele added.
"Then you need to swear that the cure you'll give me will fully heal me," Nancy said.
"Sure," Angele said before taking an oath to the gods upon their names. According to the rules of the wizards, one must never break promises after making an oath upon their full names. The worst a noble or a wizard could do was to break one's promises. Though Angele didn't believe in such a thing, he knew Nancy was a person who would keep promises. She could fight for a stranger just because of Ali's wrongdoings. Angele was just trying to take a look at the enchanted item. He wasn't going to take away anything important to her. Ten thousand gold coins were of a significant amount to Angele, but Nancy was the daughter of a duke, so she probably never cared.
Meanwhile, Angele was a son of a baron who only had several thousands of people in his territory. The Andes Alliance was much larger than Rudin Empire, thus a duke's territory was probably the size of half a Rudin. She would've had the power of a princess if she was a Rudin. Ten thousand gold coins were probably her allowance, so she wouldn't think too much of it.
Angele decided to treat her after taking a look at enchanted items. He knew the certainty of him being able to cure her. He had tried those two plants back when he was traveling, and Zero assisted him to find the easiest way to detoxify. It was the reason why he was so certain that he had the cure. Angele had tried thousands of plants and insects before storing all the data on the chip. Zero analyzed the data and found various ways for Angele to detoxify. What he was about to do was one of the methods.
However, he found Nancy being completely rude to him, thus he didn't like her. Angele decided to apply the most uncomfortable way to her.
"Now, lie down on the bed. Lie on your stomach, so I can have a look at your wound," Angele said with a light tone. The wound was behind her shoulder where the dagger had struck her in reverse. Nancy looked at him for a second before lying down on her stomach. She still had her hands on her sword, clearly signifying that she still didn't trust Angele too much.
Angele saw her lying down and unwittingly took a glance at her butt. In her white tight pants, it looked quite nice and sexy. Angele could barely see any gaps between her slim, long legs. He stood by the bed for a while, feeling an urge to touch her legs. They were just too enticing for him. Angele wanted to see how Nancy would react if he suddenly touched her legs and butt. However, he decided not to after seeing the sword in her right hand.
"Hurry up!" Nancy got a bit nervous and said.
Angele ceased staring at her body and started treating her wound quickly. He first spat some saliva over the wound and sprinkled some sawdust on it. The process was easy and fast, but it was too painful for the person being treated.
"If this doesn't work, I'll absolutely kill you," Nancy said while she was in pain after standing up. She didn't show her emotion on her face, but Angele knew how mad she currently was.
"Let's see." Angele smiled. He threw the silver necklace to her.
"Take a rest and bandage your wound," Angele said as he opened the door.
Chapter 50: Ramsoda (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
After leaving Nancy's room, Angele took a deep breath. His smile was gone, now replaced with solemnness. He surveyed the passage; there were no other wizard apprentices around. He could only hear footsteps above him. Angele covered his wound on the neck with his collar and quickly descended the stairs.
'Zero, how much radiation energy did you absorb?' Angele asked.
'1.35% from the necklace. The item's surface was perfectly secured, thus the energy stored in it was barely leaking,' Zero reported.
'That's enough. She'll find out if we take too much,' Angele thought. By then, he had already arrived at the 5th floor. He just reached stage 1 not too long ago, so he didn't want to waste time after obtaining that energy from the enchanted item.
'Nancy won't be happy about this, but I don't really care whether she likes me or not. I don't even know when I'll return to the city. Master Adolf said the letters would only be shipped out with the newbie recruitment ship. It will take about four years for me to communicate to the ones in the city. By then, she would've already forgotten about it,' Angele thought.
He got back to his room quickly and locked the door. He was very excited, instantly taking out the book Adolf had given him. Angele turned to the page where he left last time. The content written on it wasn't about meditation. Instead, it was the author's biography. He needed to calm down because being excited wouldn't help him with meditation.
'However, I need to wait until I can sense the energy by myself. Otherwise, I won't be able to train my basic skills,' Angele thought. He knew just how crucial the basics were to him.
**********************
Fifteen days later, the galleon containing all the apprentices separated from the fleet, setting and turning its path toward land. It then stopped at a beach, and at that place, there was a man in a black robe waiting by the shore. He led the apprentices who were part of their respective organizations to someplace else. Ali, Nancy, and Jared left with them. Lando Luc left as well because the location of the organization he would be part of was here. The only ones who stayed on the ship were Angele, Yuri, and Velvet. When the ship departed once again, more than 10 wizard apprentices remained.
The wind carried the fishy and salty stench of the ocean. The sunlight brought just enough heat to the deck. Angele could feel the transition between the chill from the wind after the warmth of the sunlight. The sunset made the whole world look golden. Quietly, Angele stood on the deck, watching the light beyond the horizon quietly disappearing. Yuri was by his side, standing there as well. Golden sunlight was reflected all over the waves around the galleon.
"The galleon really is empty without them. I just don't see anyone around," Yuri said as he scratched his head.
"We'll probably never see them again," Angele calmly said.
"True. I heard our destination is more than ten thousand kilometers away from here," Yuri said. He had mixed feelings about leaving his friend.
"Which organization are you heading to? We probably have the same destination," Yuri asked.
"The Ramsoda College," Angele answered.
"Ramsoda College? Never heard of it…" Yuri was confused.
"It's possible that you don't know anything about it." They heard a girl's voice coming from behind. They turned around and saw Velvet walking toward them. She was wearing a white one piece and holding a long sword in her hand. Her black ponytail rustled in the air. Although she was breathing heavily since she had just finished training her sword skills, she still looked clean and pretty.
"There are many secret Wizard organizations in this world, so there's no way for you to know all of them. Also, if it's a college, it could be an ancient name formerly used by that Wizard organization. It's quite likely that the organization already changed its name," she continued.
"You're so knowledgeable," Yuri said while smiling.
"My father's a wizard, and he told me a lot about this world. My destination is the Six Ring High Tower," Velvet spoke in a light tone.
"I'm heading to White Tooth Castle, an organization settling at the White Tooth Highland. I heard it's a strong organization," Yuri said as he laughed. He was easy to approach even as a noble's child. He never paid much heed about fame or anything, and he was a very nice and honest person.
"We're good as long as the man in a black robe knows about them," Angele said before he laughed.
"Lando Luc told me that the Six Ring High Tower and the White Tooth Castle are at the same place. Even the man in a black robe told me to get off there as well. Since we're close to each other, we need to keep in touch and help each other if necessary," Angele continued.
"Sure," Yuri said.
"All of us who boarded the galleon are from Marua, so we need to unite after we get into a new environment," he continued before smiling happily.
"You guys don't care that I only have a talent level of 1?" Velvet bit her lips as she asked.
"Talent is just a base. It's not the most important thing to a wizard. We need to keep studying, research, and do whatever we can to imagine and create. That's what a wizard needs," Yuri said after his expression became solemn.
"It's my grandfather's words. He's a wizard in White Tooth Castle," he continued.
Velvet looked at him for a second before nodding. Tears had started forming in her eyes.
'Yuri is correct based on my current understanding of wizard. Talent may be the basic requirement, but it's not the most important. According to the book, talent itself will give me a good head start, but after that, I have to keep learning and researching. Knowledge is my power and my treasure. However, with a talent level of 1, it'll take Velvet tremendous amount of time to complete the basics and reach stage 3 by the age of 30 if everything goes as he plans,' Angele thought. He agreed with Yuri's points, but he wasn't sure if Yuri was just giving Velvet false hope.
He didn't speak out his thoughts, only telling Velvet some kind words before going back inside the cabin. He ate some food on the 4th floor and returned to his room. Angele already sensed some trial of unknown energy particles last night, but he wasn't certain if that was the energy particle he wanted.
Angele crossed his legs and sat on the bed. He closed his eyes and entered meditation. The crystal clock on the desk kept ticking. He had begun meditating at 6 o'clock in the evening. Now, it was already 10 o'clock in the evening. The room was dark, but suddenly, a speck of green light appeared near Angele's face. The speck of light was the size of a sesame seed that quickly went away. The speck of green light kept flickering, appearing and disappearing around Angele for about half an hour. Angele's eyelids were rapidly twitching, even starting to sweat. He woke up as soon as the green light completely disappeared, fatigue nearly overcoming him when he opened his eyes.
"Finally, I reached stage 2. My progression will become smoother after I become capable of sensing those energy particles. Now, I must help my body adapt to those radiation particles," Angele said.
'Zero, use the stored radiation energy and release it at a rate my body can handle.' Angele asked.
'Mission commenced… Using the energy… it will take 271 hours 43 minutes and 12 seconds to consume all of it,' Zero replied.
'More than ten days? Great.' Angele nodded as he was satisfied with the result. When the chip finished intoning, some green light appeared on the surface of Angele's skin. It disappeared quickly and nothing happened after, but Angele knew the chip was still releasing radiation energy. He could feel the life energy coming from inside his body constantly. Like a small sun in his body, he could feel the warmth of it. Angele felt very comfortable as he could no longer feel the chill inside his room. There was a grass-like taste in his mouth and a refreshing feeling all around his body.
"Positive energy of the plants." Angele determined the source based on the knowledge learned from the book and Adolf. Only energy from the plants had such positive power. According to the wizardry book, the world was filled with basic energy particles in the air. The term for such energy that could help plants grow or heal had been coined Plant Energy by wizards. They also labeled different energy into two categories: Positive Energy and Negative Energy. The wizards had also discovered different types of energy particles and classified them based on their effects.
The energy particles Angele absorbed from Nancy's necklace was definitely the Plant Energy; most of its effects were positive. Some of the plant particles, however, might have a negative impact such as destroying the balance of nature. There were just too many energy particles in the air, and the wizards hadn't understood each of them yet. Wizards had trouble proving the existence of negative energy particles until one of the wizards discovered the particles during his research hundreds of years ago.
'Zero, can you make a rating list for the radiation energies?' Angele asked.
'Please set the unit name and the equation,' Zero reported.
'Unit name: Degree. One degree of radiation energy is equivalent to the amount of energy produced by burning one match. Show me the stored energy amount using this equation,' Angele asked. Degree was the most common unit used by wizards and the equation itself came from the book. Angele set it as the universal unit to help the chip calculate the data for him properly.
'Calculation finished. 17.4 degrees of energy has been stored. Consumption is in progress,' Zero reported.
Angele nodded with a satisfied look.
'At this rate, if I can get the radiation going for the next half-year, I'll be able to lead the particles into my body and make them circulate. It will be much faster than just following the steps listed in the book,' Angele thought as he did the calculations in his mind.
Chapter 51: Ramsoda (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
Ten more days later, the ship had once again stopped at another dock. Yuri disembarked together with Velvet and several other wizard apprentices. Just like last time, someone was waiting for them by the shore. Only four people were left on the galleon: Angele, the two other wizard apprentices, and the man in a black robe. After two days of sailing, the ship had finally arrived at the final destination, Aikenhain. The name Aikenhain meant 'where the sun rises'.
"This is the end of the route. Disembark now." The man in a black robe pressed a button on the side of the ship and the landing ladder was quickly lowered down to the dock.
"There are two Wizard organizations here, Ramsoda College and Liliado's Cabin. You can follow the road signs for directions. They aren't too far from here, and the roads are safe," he said before leaving the three on the beach. He then embarked the ship once again and left the place right after.
There was no one else on the beach aside from the three. It was early in the morning; the sand seemed shiny under the golden sunlight. Angele looked at the other two. He had no idea who they were, so he didn't say anything. He saw a path on the beach, probably built by the people who walked on it. There was a road sign in the tropical forest not too far from them. There, a man in a white robe stood there awaiting their arrival.
Half an hour later…
Angele, along with the other two wizard apprentices, followed the man in a white robe to a humongous abandoned castle. The surface of the walls looked gross; it was dark gray and had green vines all over the walls. Several large, dark tree roots covered the surface of the road. From the sky, Angele could hear strange noises resounding throughout.
"This is the Ramsoda College you're looking for. You two follow me," the man said with a light tone. Angele stood there, watching the others leave. He was on a stone bridge just outside the castle, standing on green mosses and cracked stone pieces. Angele walked forward and took out his enchanted ring carefully. He then put it down on a small stone platform by the left side of the entrance.
Suddenly, a black crow flew over and stood on the platform while staring at the ring. It touched the ring with its claw.
"Young man, it's a newcomer. New blood." The crow started talking with a voice that sounded deep but sharp as though it had a hand in its throat.
"My name is Moroco, the watcher here. According to the rules, you can enter if you have the enchanted item. You're the first one here in recent years," the crow said as it turned to Angele; it was speaking in Anmag.
"Nice meeting you, Master Watcher Moroco." Angele bowed to the crow and took the ring back, returning it to his necklace.
"I'll be entering now," he said before walking into the entrance. Angele heard the sound of the crow flying away behind him.
The ancient castle looked as if it was modeled with sand. The walls and its passages had all been corroded by the wind with the passage of time. Tiny holes were all over the castle's body. Angele felt like he was walking into an ancient city in Egypt since the only color in his view was yellow. The wind blew away the dust on the ground into the air, and several dried leaves rolled around the corner with a few becoming stuck onto Angele's tall, black boots.
"You're the new blood?" A stranger's voice came from Angele's left. He looked over and saw a tall man standing in the corner. He was a gray-robed man who waved his hand toward Angele. The man had a wide shoulder and a messy hair. His face looked like a barbarian from some tale that made Angele think he wasn't a wizard.
"Master Moroco informed us of your arrival. He said you have the trophy of our school?" the man asked. Angele walked toward him quickly before nodding his head. He handed the ring over after pulling it off the necklace.
"Follow me, I'll bring you there. So many apprentices this year, more than 20, including you. However, you're the only one from overseas," the man said.
"Yea? I thought this is the school?" Angele looked around and noticed that they were the only ones here.
"How can our school be built upon a ruin? Though we're now weaker than before, we still have a decent place. My name is Aluta, you can call me Alu. I'm the guy that leads the new blood to the school," Alu said.
"My name is Angele, you can just call me with that," Angele replied politely.
"Well, I'm just an apprentice like you and only 14 years old," Alu said. He didn't like the way Angele spoke to him.
14 years old…
Angele looked at Alu speechlessly. Alu didn't have a friendly look. He was about 2 meters tall and had wide shoulders, most likely weighing 150 kilograms. Alu had the size of two Angele's. His footsteps were quite heavy that Angele could see the holes on the ground created by his footsteps.
"Alright… Alu, right? Can I just call you that?" Angele asked.
"Yea." Alu was pretty cold to him, still looking disappointed for some reason.
They turned around several corners in the city before arriving at a small house. A tunnel leading underground was in the middle of the house. In front of them was a door made of black stone and had two yellow, diamond-shaped gems embedded in it, each having the size of a fist. Alu walked toward the door and did a strange gesture.
"Aloda Sinba," he whispered. The door slowly opened, revealing to Angele the stairs leading underground. The underground tunnel was illuminated with torches placed on both sides of the walls. Alu quickly entered, and Angele followed from behind.
The door closed right after they entered. The passage that was built using gray bricks looked old as it aged after its conception. The same material was used for the floor, but some of the bricks of the passage had now been cracked. The ground was constructed in such a way that it was completely organized without any uneven parts. The light from the torches dyed the whole place yellow. As the two walked together in the underground tunnel, a strange smell wafted from below, but Angele couldn't determine the source. It smelled like mold and sweet olive mixed together.
"You're lucky that you're assigned to the same Master as mine. That's why I came to welcome you. We'll be 'classmates' after," Alu finally spoke after walking for a while.
"Yea? Assigned? How do they do that exactly?" Angele asked.
"Yea. They give the lists to the Masters and arrange the names in a random order to make everything fair," Alu explained.
"We're going to meet Master now. Master will let you choose one course you're interested in at first. Not the freebies though, you must pay for that. Just a friendly reminder, think twice, it's important. If you want to choose another course by yourself, you'll have to spend some magic stones or exchange record points from completing missions," Alu continued.
"Thank you." Angele was quite confused, but he knew Alu was trying to give him some tips so he kept them in mind. The conversation was cut off here before continuing forward. They went across the passage and turned left, reaching a hallway with several rooms on both sides after passing through two forked routes. There was a large, unopened door at the end of the dark hallway.
Alu led Angele to the large door and knocked on it lightly.
"Master, one new guy for you. I brought him here," he said.
"Come in." A hollow voice came from inside as the door slightly opened by itself. Alu pushed the door open and went inside the room together with Angele. The room looked like a normal study. A man in a black robe was standing between two big shelves filled with books. The man was reading a thick book.
"For me? You mean assigned to me?" Angele was surprised by the voice. He noticed that the 'man' sounded like a young girl. It was unexpected to him that it was a girl.
"Yea," Alu answered. Suddenly, the candle lamp on the desk made an exploding noise.
"Take him to Freydoni, my time is up," she said.
"Got it," Alu said. Angele was so confused as he watched Alu walking out of the room. Still, he followed Alu from behind. He took one last glance at the girl in a black robe. The girl already had turned toward them with her head raised, so Angele got to see her face clearly.
The 'girl' was actually an old woman who was smiling. Angele felt shocked and even scared at the fact that the woman didn't have her left eyeball. Instead, there was a bronze pocket watch embedded in the eye sockets. There was also a long scar across her face, and she looked like a patched-up doll. Without the sewing, she might even fall apart.
Angele tried his best to calm down and turn around.
'I'll be learning from such a horrifying wizard? At least, she looked scary,' Angele thought. He had already witnessed a lot of murders as he once killed plenty himself, but he was still scared witless just by looking at her face.
"Scary, eh? Master Liliana was severely injured during a spell experiment, so she now has this horrifying look," Alu explained after seeing Angele's expression.
"Actually, she's very kind, and among others, she's the most patient teacher. She tries her best to explain everything clearly, though not many wizard apprentices attend her class," Alu continued, his tone sounding slightly sorrowful.
"Is that so?" Angele tried to smile.
The master looked like a body that was patched up, so he thought people would try whatever it takes to stay away from her.
Chapter 52: Magic (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
Angele left the room together with Alu, walking down the tunnel once again. He began seeing people wearing gray robes walking to and fro, most of them greeting Alu. Some smiled and spoke with him while some just nodded their heads without speaking a word. After walking for about 100 meters, he faced a large, black wooden door in front of him.
PONG!
Alu knocked hard three times; the door opened a gap that would let one man pass through. Angele peeked through the gap and saw a huge underground cave inside.
"Let's go get your supplies first," Alu spoke with a low voice as he turned his head to Angele. Angele nodded, following Alu through the door.
Angele felt much better after walking into the door. He saw a huge cave that would easily fit an aircraft carrier inside. There were many holes, passages through the wall that twisted around the cave. Angele could see people wearing gray and white robes there with some entering the holes. It was highly likely that those holes were entrances leading to other areas. A huge 3-level glass chandelier hung over in the middle of the cave; many oil lamps sat on each level. It was the only thing that illuminated the cave.
"This way." Alu led Angele, who continued to follow from behind, toward the left.
The ground wasn't decorated at all and the roads were made of stone. Everything had become light yellow-colored under the large chandelier. The two's shadows shook and dance on the bumpy walls, seemingly mysterious and strange. They entered another path once again and then walked into a hallway. There were several people waiting; all of them had people without robes by their sides.
Alu talked to one of the men before taking Angele to wait at the end of the line. It took them several minutes to enter the door at the end of the hallway. Various types of linen bags and wooden barrels were inside the room. An old man who had a goatee was sitting behind a desk by the door, holding a feathered pen in his hand. On the desk were a small notebook, a candle stand, and an ink bottle.
"Alu, another one?" the old asked after laughing.
"Yea, he just arrived here today. He came here by ship, so it took him a long time to get here," Alu said with a smiling face.
"Tell him your name, stage level, and talent level," Alu said to Angele after turning to him.
"Angele Rio, 15 years old, stage 1, talent level 2." Angele stepped forward after nodding.
"Talent level 2, better than nothing." The old man nodded, and he wrote down something on his notebook.
"You got a trophy?" the old man asked.
"Yes," Angele said before handing over his ring to the old man.
The old man scrutinized the ring, his expression changing several times. In the end, he had a piteous expression as though he was feeling sorry for the item.
"Such a pity. Agility Boost Ring with a high-level spell. If it's complete, it will be considered as a mid-level enchanted item at least. It's from the past, at least 500 years old. We were still referred to as a college back then," the old man said.
"Well, I'll take the trophy. You'll be exempted in your entrance exam," he continued speaking as he grabbed a small gray pouch from the ground.
"It's your basic pouch." The old man handed the gray pouch to Angele.
"Thank you." Angele carefully received the pouch.
"One gray apprentice robe, one stage 1 wizard apprentice badge, one emergency magic stone, and your wizard apprentice number card. Don't lose any of those. There's a clean spell enchanted on the robe. It will clean itself once a day. It costs ten thousand gold coins outside, so don't break it. Otherwise, you'll have to reimburse it using magic stones or record points," the old man said.
"Understood," Angele replied. Alu toured Angele to the dormitory area, classrooms, laboratories, gardens, and various places after obtaining the supply. He led Angele back to the first hallway after everything. Angele thought of how the whole school was akin to a secret base underground. It was huge and its depth was unknown to Angele.
"First course is free. Make sure you make it count. Take care, my job here is done." Alu shrugged his shoulders and left after. He disappeared at a corner by the end of the hallway.
Angele took a deep breath before he walked to his new master's room and lightly knocked on the door.
"I'm the new apprentice, Angele Rio. Master Liliana, may I come in?" Angele asked politely.
"Come in, please." Liliana's voice still sounded like a young girl. The door opened by itself right away. Angele walked in and the door closed by itself. His new master was writing something on a paper using her black-feathered pen.
"Here for the free course?" Liliana raised her head and asked. Angele saw her horrifying face once again, the bronze pocket watch embedded in her left eye still ticking.
"Yes." Angele attempted to use the chip to analyze her attributes, but some unknown power hindered the chip from doing so.
Liliana smiled. However, she looked like she was crying to Angele. She moved the items on the table, making an empty space. She then put several things on the desk, but Angele didn't know where they came from. From left to right, the items on the desk were: a red banana-like fruit, a fresh eyeball of some animal, and a black leather pouch.
"The one on the left represents the basic shifting skill I'm good at. The eyeball in the middle represents the fundamentals of advanced dissection skills, while the last one represents biology. These are the options I offer, you can choose one to learn for free. You have one minute to think about it," Liliana smiled as she said.
Angele nodded. He started thinking while looking at the three items. Liliana didn't feel restless, only sitting there as she waited.
"One minute," Liliana said. Angele hesitated for a second. With a serious look on his face, he placed his hand on the black pouch.
"I'll go with this one," Angele said while looking at his master. Suddenly, the pouch started shaking as a swarm of black insects came out of it. Angele became surprised, immediately drawing back his hands. The insects were black, looking like medium-sized roaches. The pouch was, but the number of insects came out of it was great. In just a short time, they were all over the desk.
Angele's hand that made contact with the bag felt itchy. Liliana was still smiling toward Angele, whose face was pale. She took out a small mirror and placed it in front of him. From the mirror's reflection, Angele saw blisters all over his body; his arms, neck, and face all full of blisters. The blisters were large, shiny, and full of red pus.
"That's your choice." His new master's smile looked mysterious. Angele touched his face with his hands, but he could only feel nothing, only the flatness, and smoothness of his face.
Angele's face was pale; his mouth and nose stank. He saw a black human-like shadow in Liliana's right eye before he plunged into darkness. When he recovered his vision, he found himself in deep water. Though there was a white light over his head, he could see nothing around. It was dark and cold, even making Angele feel suffocated that he could barely breathe.
Angele tried to reach the light above him, yet something was pulling down his feet as he sunk. He looked down only to see pure darkness. He felt like he would never come back if he kept sinking.
'It's an illusion…' Angele kept convincing himself, but he couldn't stop the growing fear inside of him.
"You should come back." Liliana's voice echoed in his ears.
"The knowledge has been transferred into your brain. Go back and drink a potion that will help you stabilize your mind. This transfer spell has been harmful to you. Make sure you don't get any sequela," Liliana said.
"You can go now," she said as she waved her hand.
Angele, who was soaked in sweat, tried to calm down. He bowed and opened the door.
Angele left right away. Recalling the transference, the first line of the knowledge in his brain said: Necromancy.
******************
The following days, Angele attended the free courses just like any other new wizard apprentices and went to the library after classes. He went to the sections open to stage 1 wizard apprentices. He focused on several different subjects such as Dissection, Neuroscience, Fundamentals of Negative Energy, Spell Models, Source of Mentality, and Fundamentals of Pharmacy, basic subjects, and many different languages. Angele could learn all of those for free.
Angele finally understood the meaning of the word 'Ramsoda'. In dragonish, it meant shadow and death. The most well-renowned researches the college had ever done were about necromancy and curses. The school had been considered to have the best shadow spells in the Wizard world.
The free course he chose was Necromancy wherein the main focus lied in studying the negative energy's impact on living beings. It was the core of utilizing spells created from negative energy, which was something he must learn. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to build the model for the negative energy spells. This course was one of the most expensive courses in the school considering how dangerous researching negative energy was. Because of how high the expenditure would be for someone to take this course, Angele was thinking of trading Necromancy knowledge with other wizard apprentices.
Angele learned the fundamentals of spell utilization from the basic spell model book. One had to use mentality to build the spell model and release the energy using a special method. Some spells even required certain materials as catalysts.
Chapter 53: Magic (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
Mentality model was the engine. Elemental energy was the gas. Both combined together to produce other forms of energies. It was the most basic of all spells, and there were much to be researched on such as the different effects produced by different models, the loss between each transfer, the strength of the final result, and the necessary mentality strength in constructing the model. Those were the factors that determined the level a wizard apprentice or a wizard had in spell manipulation. Being able to use a spell didn't mean one could control it well as most of the existing spells had been further improved by numerous wizards from each successive generation in the past.
Besides attending classes, Angele helped his master organize the laboratories, clean the spell room, and assist her in potion making. Also, he helped take care of the rare plants in the garden. However, Angele was progressing slowly, and there was only so much he could learn every day as his master only put a certain amount of content each day, though he could finish other works properly. It took Angele more than 4 months to be able to lead the energy particles into his body during meditation. Zero's radiation had doubled his speed.
********************
"Today's 1st class is the Theory of Everything taught by Master Angelina," a girl said. She who had a long brown hair over her shoulders was sitting beside Angele.
"The Theory of Everything is too difficult to understand. I always feel like I have no idea what she's saying," a black-haired boy said. He was wearing glasses and was sitting beside the girl. The three sat together at a corner, creating a small group just like other wizard apprentices in the school.
"Ansett, why is Master Angelina wearing a white robe, while other masters are wearing black?" Angele asked.
"It's based on their specialization, whether it's positive energy or negative energy," Ansett answered. She was an average-looking girl. However, with her long brown hair combined with a shapely body, it made her very attractive.
"Masters who specialize in positive energy wear white and masters who specialize in negative energy wear black. That's the rule. You came from overseas and you never heard of it?" the boy with glasses asked.
"We barely have any wizards there. How would I obtain information like this?" Angele had the feeling similar to that of studying in a university on Earth. However, the students here had at least one magic stone with them while Angele had nothing. He didn't enroll in any other course except for the free one he had gotten at the beginning.
Magic stones were the main currency here. It was a black mineral that had a crystal-like appearance, which contained special energy that could help boost mentality. Many wizard apprentices kept enrolling in courses, thus gaining a huge amount of knowledge. Angele became nervous because he knew wizard apprentices who had more knowledge would be likely able to use spells and even advance to become real Wizards. Knowledge also helped them construct more spell models. Wizard apprentices who had more knowledge would've had more spells in their repertoire.
The good thing was, enrolling in a course didn't mean they didn't have to learn by themselves. Of course, their rate of comprehending the knowledge would've had a similar speed to that of reading a book. With the exploitation of the chip, Angele could use to reach twice their speed. The problem was Angele didn't have any magic stone with him.
"Angele, you said you're very close to advancing to stage 2. Is that true?" Ansett asked.
"Yea, very close." Angele nodded. There was no point in concealing it. Any master could distinguish the wizard apprentices' stages just by looking at them. Only wizards could block information probing by setting up their own force fields.
"That's fast… and yet, you're only 14," Ansett said, expressing admiration for him.
"I already spent a long time trying to reach stage 2. Now, I'm just very close to it," Angele said. He would never tell them he had started meditating only a year ago.
"I'm almost there, too," the boy with glasses calmly said.
"Angele, I remember you saying that you need a magic stone, right? I've got an extra here when my family sent some to me. How about I give it to you and you help me with the course?" he continued.
"Extra magic stone? Manas, are you sure about this?" Angele asked.
"Sure, your Theory of Everything is far better than mine. I need your help with that, and I have major problems with several basic structures," Manas said with a calm expression.
"I'm not as talented as you guys, so I have to work harder," he continued.
"No problem. I need magic stone anyway," Angele said. Trading was something common here. Wizards normally didn't develop deep relationships with others, though they loved trading objects. Wizard apprentices were like this too. Though magic stones were a very rare commodity to normal people Manas, who came from a large local family, could easily obtain them with his background.
"I'll give you a magic stone, too. I'll listen to your explanation together with Manas. I don't want to be left behind," Ansett said after hearing Manas's words. She wanted to keep up with the class. Angele smiled as he himself knew they couldn't jot down everything their masters taught. If they missed some notes, it would be very difficult for them to understand the material. The masters didn't care if the wizard apprentices understood the class or not because they were too busy with their own research. They were teaching only for the money the school had paid them, and they would leave the class right after they finished.
Angele thought that trading his knowledge for magic stones was a great idea.
"Manas, do you know how to obtain magic stones fast?" he asked.
"You can go accept some assignments given by the school and obtain record points after completion. The record points can be used to exchange magic stones and other items. You'll get one magic stone for one record point," Manas said.
"However, the assignments are difficult, so you need to think twice before accepting any of it. We need to reach stage 2 to be able to use enchanted items," he added. The three of them banded together not because they had close relationships to each other, but because they were the weakest wizard apprentices in their class. Manas was kind enough to tell Angele something like this. Angele could already lead the energy particles into his body, but he needed some herbs to make the Sensory Potion to assist him in reaching stage 2. He could also buy one from the school, but the problem lied in the number of magic stones needed for purchase.
"Master Angele is here," Ansett spoke in a low voice as he sat properly. The wizard apprentices ceased talking and everyone had their gazes fall on the entrance of the classroom. A stunning blonde lady appeared, wearing a white robe with a gray wooden wand in hand. As she quickly walked inside the classroom, the wizard apprentices could see her blue eyes, hair all over her shoulders, and a smile on her face.
"I am Angelina. It's my pleasure in teaching you, future wizards. Let's not waste any time. I'm going to teach you the plant section of the Theory of Everything. It doesn't matter what type of spells you use in the future. You'll need to understand different types of spells. Otherwise, you'll never learn the Spell Analysis skill," the lady said.
"Master, we already learned some basic models about botanical spells. The problem is how to transfer the pure energy to the real world. I'm wondering if you could demonstrate the process to us," someone said.
"Master Angelina, you're the best botanical spell user in our school," he continued.
"Vader, you sure know how to flatter people…" She shook her head as she looked at the wizard apprentice. Angele thought it was quite likely that she knew the one who was speaking from the way she was looking at him.
"It's Vader, her younger brother. Master Angelina raised him since young, so they're more like mother and son," Ansett explained with a faintly discernible voice.
"Yea." Angele nodded his head.
"Since Vader asked, I'll demonstrate one spell to you guys today," Angelina said.
She smiled and raised her left hand up. Angele could see a black seed in the middle of her palm. Angelina dropped the seed to the ground and chanted,
"I control you, a new form of life."
With a few noises, the seed started sprouting as it quickly grew into a green sapling. It didn't cease there, still growing incessantly. The roots twisted with the vines as it kept ascending. At its topmost was a white bud.
"Bloom." Angelina pointed her wand at the bud, and then the bud started to slowly bloom. In the middle of the flower, there was a shiny, white fleck. The white light it brought was gentle and warm.
"The Light of Life, something that could make your wishes come true." Angelina smiled.
"Of course, it's a joke. I'm just making it shine using the Botanical Light Spell. I tried my best to slow down its process," she continued.
Angele sat in his seat watching the demonstrating, staring at the shining flower.
"A wonderful spell…" He praised.
Chapter 54: The Cost (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
In one minute, the strange flower that had the height of an average human blossomed. Angele was surprised by this scene. To him, it was really impressive. The wizard apprentices in the classroom started clapping, and Master Angelina waved her hand again. The light dot in the flower flew into the air, causing the plant below to wilt and die within a second. The whole thing fell apart and became a pile of black ash.
"This spell is for increasing the growth rate of the plant to its maximum. It's actually a botanical spell that consumes negative energy. If anyone is interested, you can come and purchase the basic spell model from me. Of course, only I have the right to sell the spell model. If I find anyone trying to sell it privately, I will hang him," Angele said in a serious tone.
Angele became nervous for a second. He planned on trading his knowledge about Necromancy for resources, but he didn't know about the 'copyright' issue beforehand. Thus, he had to abort his plan.
"Well, I'll just do my thing then. Meditating and earning magic stones are the top two priorities now," Angele said before shaking his head.
*******************
Half a year later…
Above the Ramsoda College.
In the morning, a group of people in gray robes were slowly advancing along a path in the large forest. They had various weapons on them such as swords and bows, while some had short, black wooden wands in their hands. There were black cross insignias on the back of their robes — the insignia of Ramsoda College. One of them carried a white, wooden longbow on his back and a silver crossguard sword tied to his waist. It was Angele, who didn't look attractive with his short brown hair. He was surveying his surroundings consistently just like what other wizard apprentices in the group did.
"Green, don't be so nervous. At least we're still in Ramsoda's territory, and people don't have the guts to invade us. They'll try to avoid us," a black-haired man said. He was about 20 years old and had a pair of green eyes.
"Last time I went on patrol, I got sneak attacked, and don't call me Green. I don't like it," Angele said as he smiled. Half a year ago, he joined the patrol squad, which had a monthly wage of one magic stone. He also tried to become familiar with the neighboring areas.
Ramsoda College was located at a wasteland. There were barely any people around such that only numerous dangerous beasts inhabited the place. Even if people were strong enough, they would be randomly assaulted by a swarm of flies. That was the reason why there weren't many people living here, even those adventurous people. The patrol squad's mission was to prevent those dangerous animals from breaching the school perimeter. Though this didn't pay very well, Angele could witness real wizards and high stage wizard apprentices fight, even obtaining some experiences.
"Alert! Human-eating Lizards!" one of the men at the front yelled.
"Alert! Watch out for weakness-focused attacks. Masha, get in defensive position." The black-haired man who was the leader started giving out orders with a serious expression on his face.
"Green, use your bow. Andrew, assist Masha in defense. Get in your positions and watch out. Don't waste our antidotes," he continued yelling. The five got into formation and a huge lizard emerged from the bush in front of them. This lizard had a green skin that made it easily possible to camouflage. It was looking at the five with its brown eyes.
"Only one. Take it out quickly." The black-haired man looked relieved.
"Narus!" He cast a spell as he invoked the incantation, and dark light covered his body. He drew his short sword and rushed toward the lizard, stabbing his sword right at its head. Another wizard apprentice cast a spell to enhance the power of Angele's arrows, making the arrowheads shine with a strange dark light. The arrow flew out at a breakneck speed as Angele shot it right toward the lizard's right eye.
The sword and the arrow struck its head simultaneously, creating a huge hole in the middle of its head and the arrow piercing its eye. The lizard's green blood started flowing to the ground; its wound started to rot quickly. A red laser came out of the short sword, killing the lizard right after. The black-haired man stepped back and reassembled with the team.
"Another lizard came from outside. People around all know this is our territory," he said while shaking his head.
"I can extract some infective poison from it. I'm recently doing a research on it. I think it is fine for me to have its body?" the man asked.
"One magic stone for each of us, and we'll let you have it," the girl who cast spell on Angele's arrow said.
"No problem," the black-haired man said. This was a bonus for the patrol members. If they wanted something valuable from what they found, they must pay others. Angele smiled; he knew the magic stone would help him in the future. They needed to spend a lot of magic stones and record points every year. If he didn't get enough magic stone, he wouldn't be able to continue studying.
Nothing else happened after this encounter, which was very normal for them. Angele finished his shift by noontime. He returned to his room in the school. It was a small room, having the same size of a dorm room back in the harbor school. The only thing special was the oil lamp on the wall. It had been said by some that the oil in it would never run out. In actuality, it was a spell cast by a real wizard to make it bring light to a room incessantly. Angele sat cross-legged on his bed and took out a small pouch which he poured its contents onto the bed. Five black crystals and a tiny red pearl were there. Angele took the pearl and stared at it for a while, but he didn't do anything to it.
He played with the magic stones for a while before placing them back into the pouch carefully. He began meditating again. He was already a stage 2 wizard apprentice, and he was going for stage 3. Angele had earned enough magic stones in order to purchase the new meditation method from the school. After that, his progress became much smoother. However, it had begun slowing down a bit recently. The red pearl he looked at earlier was obtained from a Red Pearl Bird when he was on patrol duty. It was something he obtained by paying a lot. This pearl could help him in his meditation, but he could only use it once.
He had trouble with meditation, so he wanted to use the pearl. Angele meditated for a while and asked Zero to show him his body condition.
'Zero, show me my body condition.'
'Angele Rio: Strength 2.9. Agility 4.1. Stamina 3.5. Status: Healthy,' Zero reported quickly.
'Did you get enough data to show the mentality as numbers?' Angele asked.
'Yes. Your mentality could now be presented in a numerical format at any time you wish,' Zero reported. Angele collected a lot of data to make it possible because he wanted to measure the strength of other wizard apprentices and wizards.
'Show me my mentality,' Angele asked with a serious expression on his face.
'Database created. Comparing data. Initiating…' Zero reported.
'Angele Rio: Mentality 3.1.' Zero gave the result within a mere moment.
'3.1… Zero, show me the requirements needed to reach stage 3,' Angele asked after thinking for a while.
'Mission created, collecting data… finished. Model created, simulations beginning…' Zero created a slowly rotating, light blue human body model in front of Angele. Inside the model, there were many silver lines flowing.
'Analysis initiated… Most optimal plan: Reach 6.0 in Mentality. Comprehend more than two spell models. 500 ml of Black Lead Potion. Success rate: 79.43%,' Zero reported.
'Your mentality is not being gathered. Analyzing… Please focus on increasing the density of your mentality,' Zero warned.
'I knew it!' Angele thought before he smiled.
Chapter 55: The Cost (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
The best function of the chip was that it could analyze known data and give Angele the optimal plan. It could even list all the requirements and calculate its success rate. This function was extremely valuable to Angele. Many wizard apprentices had to spend a huge amount of time searching for the reason of their progress being hindered and must check the issue many times to confirm its authenticity. If they made any mistakes during the process, they would waste too much time and money, and they wouldn't be able to keep up with the set timeframe. No matter how talented one was, one had to discover the correct path by oneself.
Angele could find out in time the reason for his progress slowing down due to the chip he had. He kept advancing and wasted no time. Those were all of his advantages.
'Increase my mentality points to 6 first, and then I'll buy two basic spell models. Training in the construction of the spell models will also help me increase my mentality. One model will cost me two magic stones. I can buy two right away. The problem lies with the 500 ml Black Lead Potion,' Angele thought.
Black Lead Potion was made of special stones and ink. It could aid people in increasing their sensitivity, rendering the sensing of energy particles easier. It could also help people focus, but it had some side effects on the user's stamina. After using it, wizards or wizard apprentices needed to stay in bed for at least two days. The damage done to their stamina was permanent. It was one of the most effective low-level potions, but it had the worst side effect. If the chip didn't even mention it, Angele would've never thought of using it.
Angele sat cross-legged on his bed. He considered his following plan carefully before he got up. He wiped the dust off his gray robe and tied the pouch to his waist. He then opened the door and left his room.
More than 10 minutes later…
Angele stood in front of a huge stone wall with his head raised high to check the price list. Several other wizard apprentices in gray robes were around him staring at the list as well. There were about 30 people there, but no one made any noise. They just stood there and quietly looked at the stone wall. After some time, a few would leave and a few would join.
'I took the Necromancy course for free from Master Liliana, and it was one of the basics required for using spells with negative energy. If I want to go for the spells with positive energy now, I'll have to purchase new basic knowledge. It's probably better for me to just stay with spells that use negative energy. One course will already cost me more than 10 magic stones, and that's just too much for me. I can save some resources by doing so, and I'll even progress faster." Angele made up his mind and started checking the courses listed under the negative energy category.
Only three basic negative energy spell models were currently open:
1. Poisonous Cloud: Paid course. Necromancy and Basics of Negative Energy
2. The Hand of Exhaustion: Paid course. Necromancy and Neuroscience
3. Stun Spell: Paid course. Advanced Dissection and Neuroscience
Angele looked at the options and started thinking.
Basic spells models were the simplest models that most wizard apprentices could learn. As for improved advanced spell models, wizards would often keep them a secret. The same spell could've differing effects when different wizards used it. The spell duration, effect radius, casting speed, casting distance, the weaknesses, and the damage done by stun effects might all be different. The basic models were the only spell models wizard apprentices could purchase. They were easy to understand and had practical uses in certain situations.
Angele kept thinking for a while before deciding which one to buy. He walked toward a small window by the side, right when the wizard apprentice in front of him just finished his own activity.
"Which one you want?" Inside the window, an old man with white eyebrows asked.
"The Hand of Exhaustion and the Stun Spell from the negative energy category." Angele took out his magic stones and handed them over to the old man.
"That will be four magic stones, alright." The old man nodded and took the magic stones from Angele's hands. He then gave Angele two leather-covered books, and Angele saw the names of the spells on the books. Angele took the book and kept it inside his pouch.
"Hey, Angele," someone called his name from the side. Angele looked over only to see Manas, who was also wearing his gray robe and was quickly walking toward him. He saw Ansett following Manas at the back and found her looking at him with a strange expression.
"You came here for spell models?" Ansett asked. Learning spell models meant Angele had been progressing fast as a stage 2 wizard apprentice. Meanwhile, she was still a mere stage 1 wizard apprentice. She and Manas were just checking out the spells, not expecting for Angele to buy spells from the store. Manas wasn't good enough to learn the spell models yet. If he tried to draw the spell model without sufficient comprehension on it, he would only get hurt.
The three of them started together, and yet Angele was progressing much faster than the two. Manas and Ansett both had mixed feelings about this.
"Yea. I think I'll start constructing spell models, so I decided to buy two basic ones. How about you, Manas? I think you're nearly at that point as well." Angele heard Ansett asking, so he answered.
"Not yet. I need more time. I want the Hand of Mage spell, but I need to finish learning the Energy Cycle and the Force Field Transformation first. I have enough mentality, but…" he said as he slightly raised his eyebrows. It looked like there wasn't much he could do about it.
"Well, just don't get frustrated. Make sure you're fully prepared," Ansett said. She was trying to remind Angele about the importance of comprehending the spell models before starting.
"I know. I won't start constructing them before I could understand everything." Angele nodded and smiled.
"Sigh… I'm not sure when I'll be able to reach stage 3… People with talent level like us will spend at least three years for it. I don't even know if it's possible for me to become a wizard," Manas said.
"Do you know Bell Mini? He was promoted several days ago. He's now a wizard and he's only 19 years old… He was in our class… The Mini Family has all those resources for him to use and has a wizard in his family to guide him. The only thing we could do was to ask other talented wizard apprentices…" he continued.
"He's from one of the three largest families. Of course, he'll be faster than us. His talent level was improved by using advanced wizard technologies and was much stronger than us from the beginning," Ansett muttered. Angele finally knew why they were so upset. It was too difficult for stage 2 and 3 wizard apprentices to reach the wizard level, and the possibility of becoming one was most likely just 1 out of 50. It meant most of the apprentices would stay at stage 3 their whole lives. Then, they would just return to their hometowns or choose to stay at the school to contribute in other ways. The old man with white eyebrows was at stage 3. A long time had already passed after reaching that stage. He had tried breaking past his limits multiple times, but he never succeeded. Many people had similar circumstances with the old man in this school.
There were less than 50 Wizards in the school, but ever since Angele arrived at this people, he had never seen the president. Angele's situation was different because he had the chip. Before breaking the limit, the chip would help him formulate the most optimal plan. If the possibility of success was too low, he could keep studying until the success rate increased.
"I have to go see my master now. I'll see you guys in the evening." Angele talked to them for a while before leaving.
"See you." The two left after bidding farewell.
Several minutes later.
In a dark room of the Negative Energy Research Center.
Many strange runes were engraved on the ground and many complex magic arrays were drawn on them. The ground was black while everything on it was silver. There was a square stone platform in the middle of the room, and an old lady with a bronze pocket watch embedded in her left eye was standing beside it with a staff in her hand. She was pouring some white dust over the platform carefully.
A ray of yellow light descended from the hole above them, making the whole room illuminated. Angele stood by the door, waiting for his master to summon him. There was another apprentice inside the room, though he only looked at Angele once. He just kept watching the things Master Liliana was doing.
"What do you think?" the man asked with a light voice.
"Me?" Liliana poured all the dust onto the platform before raising her head.
"Do whatever you want. It's your own choice," she said while staring at the man in a gray robe.
"Understood, I'll leave now, Mother." The man bowed and left after.
"Why are you here?" Liliana finally looked at Angele and asked.
"You're one of my students?" She didn't seem to remember him.
"Yes, Master Liliana. I was accepted in the school last year," Angele introduced himself after stepping forward.
"Tell me what you want. I'm busy," she said.
"I would like to ask about the Black Lead Potion," Angele politely said.
"Black Lead Potion? Its side effect is the worst. Don't tell me you want to drink some?" Liliana seemed surprised.
"Yes, I would like to try it," Angele said.
"It's hard to make and it's expensive. I have one in my storage, but you better prepare enough magic stones for it." Liliana began to smile.
"How many?" Angele asked in a low voice.
"120 regular ones or 12 mid-level ones," she answered.
"120…" Angele had already expected it to be expensive, but he was still surprised by the price tag. He could purchase some low-level enchanted items with 120 regular magic stones.
"It's the best offer I could give. I already put a discount on it since you're my student. If you ask other masters, it'll cost you at least 200. You can check the price at the trading hall," she said.
"You may leave now. My time is up." The bronze pocket watch in her eye ticked once. Angele took a deep breath, and then nodded his head. He turned back and left the room.
'What's the best way for me to earn magic stones…?' Angele kept pondering over this question.
Chapter 56: Mission (1)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
Angele heard a beast-like roar coming from the room after he closed the door. He quickly left the place.
'This happens once a day. The sequela is really terrifying,' Angele thought as he shook his head.
***************
One month later…
Trading hall, underground.
The place was completely crowded. Most of the people were looking at the stone wall. The mission information was displayed on the wall, and the information pages looked like paintings. The pages were automatically changing as though it was a slideshow. Most of the people here were wearing gray robes. Only several of them were wearing black and white. No one stayed near the ones in black, but Angele could see people greeting the ones in white.
Some people were talking, while some were just staring at the mission information pages.
"Level 3 mission! Is that even possible!" a wizard apprentice yelled, and the hall became noisy.
"This one has the best reward?" someone asked.
"It's level 3! Mary, shall we…?"
"The leader is Khedira…" Several other wizard apprentices were discussing.
Most of the people here were concerned about the leader. Even one of the male wizard apprentices in the corner also looked hesitant. Two wizard apprentices beside him started talking about Khedira.
"I can't believe the leader is Master Khedira. He had a talent level of 4, and last year, he became a wizard. He's one of the top wizard apprentices. How about joining the mission? The mission has no restrictions on the number of people and the reward is 50 magic stones per person," one of them said.
"50 magic stones… The mission must be very difficult. It has no number limit, so it means the mission is most likely not for young wizard apprentices like us," the other guy said as his expression changed.
Angele was carefully listening to their conversations from the sidelines. He was trying to take some suitable missions to earn enough magic stones for the potion. The missions had decent rewards. Angele had already finished 3 of the easier missions this month, earning him 30 magic stones. However, he almost died during one of the missions. The information page stated that the main purpose of that mission was to check on some dying trees around the school. Angele joined a 5-man group for it. Four of them got injured, while one of them died. The reward for the missions was good, but all of them were risky.
"50 magic stones…" Angele muttered. He couldn't give up such a great opportunity to earn a decent amount of magic stones. Although he knew the mission was going to be dangerous, he thought he would do a good job at ranged attacks. Usually, a group protected the ranged attackers well. That was the reason why he survived the first several missions. Angele's arrow became more powerful when enchanted with spells that could buff its damage.
'I have Zero aiding me in the surveillance, and it can check a larger area than an average wizard apprentice could. I can easily escape a stage 3 wizard apprentice if he isn't too close to me,' Angele thought. He saw a young man in a black robe walking into the hall. The man had a handsome-looking face, but he had a cold expression on his face. He was about 1.8 meters tall, and in his hand was an even taller black staff.
"My name is Khedira. Guys, an unfortunate event just happened 10 minutes ago under the Achslach Mountain." He lowered his head as he held his staff tightly. Angele could see his hands shaking from too much grip.
"My younger brother, Asan, a genius stage 3 wizard apprentice from our school, just got killed after he completed the mission," he spoke in a very sorrowful tone.
"This level 3 mission was announced by the masters after I begged them." Khedira raised his head, his eyes clearly emanating that of a person who dearly wished to exact vengeance.
"Someone killed my brother! He was one of the best wizard apprentices in the Ramsoda College! He was the second inheritor of the Caesar Family!" He glanced around the hall. Suddenly, his eyes began to gleam.
"No matter whom the murderer is! I'll make him pay!" he yelled, eyes looking red as it had been filled with bloodlust. Khedira quickly left the hall after saying these words.
"Someone is provoking us!" someone said with a deep voice.
"Asan died… The Caesar Family will send people there, too."
"It could be infighting with their own family. I don't want to be part of this."
"True, the Caesar Family now…" People began discussing the situation.
Angele stood in the corner, raising his head to take a final glance at the mission information page on the wall:
Vengeance: Make whoever disrespected lives from Ramsoda pay for their sins!
Basic Reward: 50 regular magic stones.
Danger Level: High.
Number Limitation: None.
The words were written in red; whoever wrote it was seeking the life of the murderer. Angele stared at the page for a while, and then he made up his mind. He touched the silver crossguard sword by his waist before he disappeared into the dark hallway.
**********************
One month later.
Abandoned Ancient City, above the Ramsoda College.
It was early in the morning. Angele could barely see the rising sun. By the entrance of the city, a group of people was standing on the bridge. Some of them were wearing gray robes, while some were wearing black. All of them had black cross insignias on the back of their robes and all had their hoods on, covering most of their features. The man leading the group had a tall, black staff in his hand and a black pigeon standing on the man's right shoulder.
The man knocked his staff on the ground, attracting everyone's attention.
"Everyone." the man had a deep voice.
"I'm not going to mention how dangerous this mission is again. Please use whatever secret weapon you have. If we complete the mission, my family will double the reward," he continued.
"Double? You have that many magic stones left?" one of the men in black robes asked.
"How do we know that you aren't lying to us?" he asked.
"I know the Caesar Family has become weaker at present, but we're not short on magic stones," the leader said in a light tone.
"We trust your promises, Wizard Khedira. Let's move then, don't waste any time," a wizard in a white robe said.
The three were the only wizards in this group, while the rest were all wizard apprentices. They could only follow the three's plan. There were about 10 people in the group; most of them were very young. Angele was in the middle of the formation, carrying a metal bow on his back. He looked like an average wizard apprentice in the group.
Three black carriages came to pick them up. The coachmen were three gnomes wearing gray linen clothes. They were too scared to look at the wizards and the wizard apprentices.
They started to board the carriages. Angele chose the one in the middle. There were four other wizard apprentices riding in the same carriage as him, two females and two males.
'Zero, can you check the attributes of these people?' Angele asked.
'Within range. Checking… Information is being shown in front of you,' Zero reported. Angele closed his eyes before opening again. Everything in his vision was coated with some light blue color. He looked at a male wizard apprentice in front of him.
"Greetings, I am Angele. I'm from the Faculty of Negative Energy. I'm adept at ranged attacks. I think I'll later need your cover," Angele said as he smiled.
"Sure. No worries. We should help each other. I'm Andre from the Faculty of Mutation." The man looked surprised; it seemed that he wasn't used to communicating with others.
'Andre. Strength 0.9. Agility 1.1. Stamina 3.1. Mentality 4.7. Stage 2 Wizard Apprentice.' Andre's attributes showed up beside him. Angele then greeted the others, but all of them seemed slightly uncomfortable with conversing with others. Angele's purpose was to gain intel on their attributes. Without the protection of force fields, Zero could easily obtain data like this within a certain distance. People who joined mission like this were usually poor, but they were confident with their skills. Zero had even found an enchanted item on a girl named Marylin.
Angele tried to start a conversation, but no one was in the mood to talk. Thus, he decided to stay silent. Everyone was at stage 2, though the girl named Marylin was probably the strongest in their group as she possessed an enchanted item. The rest of them were above average just like Angele.
The other girl was called Griffia. Both of the two girls weren't very good looking. Marylin was slightly plump while Griffia looked sexy. Griffia attracted the eyes of the males in the carriage. Andre and Griffia had no special items on them. Their gray robes looked like it had been patched up several times already. It was clear that the cleaning spell on their robes was weakening.
'They're really poor,' Angele thought as he shook his head. However, he himself would also not spend 5 magic stones just for a new robe. He would rather spend 1 magic stone and ask a stage 3 wizard apprentice to fix it. That was probably what the two in front of him did.
Half a month later.
The carriages entered a small town by the school at night. Several noble-like people were patiently and politely waiting outside the town for them. They welcomed the group to the town and led them to a private manor. The group stayed for the night before they left, heading to the place where Asan got murdered.
They traveled for another day and reached a canyon. It was a cloudy day, fog filling the valley.
The ground had dying grasses all over. There were some green trees with small leaves around. Angele could barely see the mountains on both sides as they had been canopied by the fog. The stones that were quietly lying on the ground looked strange. Occasionally, small animals passed across the grass, making them noticeable due to the movements of the grasses. By the entrance of the valley, a group of swordsmen who were all wearing iron armors was waiting. A man from the group walked toward the man in a black robe. He seemed to be the leader of the group.
"Master Khedira, you're here. We already blocked the whole valley such that not even a bird could escape," the man said.
"Good, keep guarding the entrance. We'll head in and deal with this," Khedira said as he nodded. The leader also nodded and took a glance on the people behind Khedira. He respected the wizards, but he also feared them.
Angele became surprised when he checked the attributes of the leader. The leader was a top-level knight. After entering the valley, Angele stayed in the innermost middle part of the formation. He nocked a black-feathered arrow on his metal bow while scouting the surroundings.
Chapter 57: Mission (2)
Translator: Leo Editor: DarkGem/Frappe
The rest of the group stayed alert as well. Due to the members being used to walking on the road, no one complained about walking in the valley. Everyone was checking the surroundings. No one seemed to be tired from doing so. If typical noble children had joined missions like this, they wouldn't have been able to handle it.
Clouds had completely filled the sky, and suddenly, the sound of thunder crackled. Khedira, who was leading the group, looked above.
"It's going to rain. We're very close to our destination. Stay alert, everyone," he spoke after he turned his head around.
"You two, please scout the surroundings. I'll track the murderer using my spell," Khedira said as he turned to the two wizards.
"Don't worry. You gave us the two items we wanted. We'll serve you well," the one in a black robe laughingly said. The white-robed wizard nodded his head but didn't say anything.
After walking for a while, they reached a pit. Its depth was about half a meter and looked like a huge bowl; its surface actually looked very smooth.
"We're here!" Khedira raised his hand, signaling the group to cease advancing.
"Get in your positions and stay alert. Make sure no one touches Khedira!" the black-robed man yelled. The apprentices nodded in response before they formed an encircling formation with the three wizards in the center.
Angele was standing inside the encirclement, holding his longbow. He utilized the sensory function of the chip to survey the area. He took a glance at Khedira. Khedira was holding his staff over his head and stood in the middle of the pit. Angele could see tiny tornados appearing under his feet, these wind gradually increasing in strength. The tornados ran into each other and surrounded Khedira. The grasses being uprooted and the branches being dragged from the ground began flying into the air. The sound of the wind howling gradually became louder as everything around was being drawn toward Khedira.
This strange scene lasted more than 10 seconds before the gray tornados started weakening. Finally, Angele could once again see Khedira, who still held his staff over his head but had an exhausted demeanor.
"You can't escape from me!" Khedira yelled with a cruel expression showing on his face.
"Everyone, there's a tunnel on our left side. Our friends are hiding in there. Let's welcome these f*ckers…" he continued.
From a tree close to the pit, a white-feathered arrow whistled toward Khedira after he finished speaking. A green silhouette jumped off the tree and ran into the forest after shooting the arrow. Before it could even reach Khedira's eye, the arrow ceased its movement in midair. An invisible barrier was protecting him.
"Come at me! You sons of bitches!" Khedira yelled with a frightening expression.
"Everyone, there are 18 males, 5 females, and 8 kids. Those disgusting green f*ckers. I'll put their souls on the colorless crosses. Kill all adults and do whatever you want to the kids! It's fine if you want yourselves some elf slaves," he continued.
Khedira grasped the arrow in the air and broke it into pieces. Angele saw a shining ring on Khedira's finger.
"Elves? Don't tell me they're wood elves," Andre, who was standing beside Angele, said.
"They're wood elves. Otherwise, they wouldn't murder Asan. Races other than them don't have the guts to do something like this," Griffia spoke in a low voice. They talked while following the wizards from behind, quickly walking toward the tunnel. They wouldn't bother too much with an average archer, but if the archer had superb skills, they would instantly change targets to the archer.
"Colorless crosses? Damn, that'll make their souls suffer. The stronger their faith, the more they'll suffer. Master Khedira is completely enraged right now," one of the male wizard apprentices murmured.
"There are elves living here?" Angele asked.
"In my country, they only exist in tales," he added.
"Really? Although there aren't many elves around, we catch several ones every year. I hope I can obtain some today. Elf slaves can be sold for a significant sum," Marylin excitedly said as she tightly gripped her wand. Others also had excited expressions. Angele made a conjecture about the wood elves having more worth than he had previously thought.
The group quickly discovered the entrance to the tunnel. It was covered with some branches and dried grasses. Khedira stood by the entrance and glanced at the white-robed wizard beside him. As if they already had something planned, the wizard nodded his head and stepped forward. He raised his hand and pointed toward the dark cave as he started to cast a spell.
Angele scrunched his eyebrows. He had never heard languages such as this. Only several languages could be used to cast spells, and Angele only knew two of the most common: Anmag and Advanced Elf Language. The wizard's incantations echoed in the valley. Fog began flowing out of his hand, spreading deep into the cave.
Khedira didn't merely stay there and watch, he was whispering something to the pigeon on his shoulder. After touching the feather of the pigeon, it flew into the darkness.
"Found them. They only have one knight and an enchanted item. They haven't eaten for days," Khedira said and laughed after.
"The Sleeping Fog will make those wood elves fall into slumber quickly. This seems like an easy mission to me," the white-robed wizard said in a ridiculing tone.
"True. The only thing we…" The black-robed wizard looked relieved as well.
PONG!
Suddenly, the white wizard's head splattered into pieces like a watermelon and blood spilled everywhere. Everyone became stunned at that scene. After wiping off the blood on his face with his hands, Khedira still hadn't figured out what had happened. Then, a strange voice casting a spell resounded from nowhere.
"Kano! How dare you! You killed Kano!" The black-robed wizard finally realized what happened, which caused his eyes to be filled with anger. He patted his chest with his head, white light began coming out of his eyes.
"Calm down! It's an illusion!" Khedira struck the ground with his staff and cast a spell. Gray waves appeared under his feet and spread out, billowing across everyone. Angele, who stood in the middle of the formation, felt dizzy when the waves passed him. The scene ahead of them changed after they became clear-headed.
Not too far away, he saw the white-robed wizard who had had his back against the wall and been surrounded by a white barrier. A tiny, green girl who had wings similar to a fly's was in the air flying around him, slapping the barrier several with her claws and laughing with a high-pitched voice.
The girl was the size of a human head and wasn't wearing any clothes. She looked exactly like a human being but had a dark green skin. Her short hair was also green. Green liquid was dripping from her body, which had an irritating stench.
Angele saw the grass corroded within seconds after it fell onto the ground. Some had even turned into black ashes after making contact with the liquid. It looked like it had been burnt to ashes.
"It's the Green Spirit!" Someone yelled after being able to successfully recognize the identity of the flying girl.
The wizard apprentice then cast a spell toward the Green Spirit. Angele saw a white laser materializing out of the wizard apprentice's hand, hitting the Green Spirit's chest. However, Angele saw something that successfully blocked the attack. In front of the Green Spirit's chest, a piece of green ice had appeared before it fell to the ground after blocking the laser. Angele quickly shot an arrow right toward the Green Spirit, causing a hole to appear on her body. She kept laughing with her high-pitched voice, not caring about the injury in the slightest. The Green Spirit moved away from the wizard and flew toward the wizard apprentices. Seeing this, Angele knew they were in danger.
'Unknown particle approaching in high speed… Optimal plan: Step back and crouch,' Zero warned in time. Angele had no time to waste; he instantly stepped back and crouched.
'Unknown living being within range. Analyzing… Force field detected. Analysis failed. Danger. Please escape.' Zero kept reporting, but Angele had no time to listen to it. The wizard apprentices present in the scene were screaming in fear, including Andre.
Angele glanced around. About 7 of them were struck by her claws in the face, causing them to fall to the ground while screaming. Only one blocked the attack with some sort of spell. Similar reaction to that of the grasses occurred to them and they turned to black ashes in seconds.
"Anya! I know it's you!" Khedira yelled.
"HAHA!" The Green Spirit kept laughing. After the first attack, she stopped attacking and instead flew to the left and landed on someone's shoulder. A black-robed lady suddenly appeared behind them. She wore a silver headband and had an attractive face and long blonde hair. The lady looked like a forest goddess. The Green Spirit stopped releasing the green liquid and sat on the lady's shoulder.
"I knew it…" Khedira's expression was ice-cold. The other two wizards who were standing behind him looked at the lady in fear.
"You killed my brother?" Khedira asked.
"What do you think?" The lady laughed without a care.
The lady was a wizard, and similar to the other wizards, none of them cared about the dead wizard apprentices. Angele felt slightly uncomfortable as he looked at the ones who had survived the attack. Most of their faces were pale and they were hiding in the bush without making any movements.
"You guys can leave now." Khedira talked with the lady for a while before saying that to the wizard apprentices. The wizard apprentices stood up with relieved expressions. They retreated carefully while staring at the lady. Angele walked away with them.
The lady didn't even spare a glance at them, only talking with the three wizards. The wizard apprentices continued to retreat, only stopping when they could no longer see the four in their sights.
"That woman can control the Green Spirit. Holy…" One of them said with a low voice.
"What should we do? Go back?" Marylin held her wand tightly, clearly feeling scared.
"Let's wait for the master wizards," Angele said.
After this, not a single one of them talked because of the shock they just experienced. This was the most dangerous situation Angele had ever encountered since he began taking missions. A single drop of the green liquid could turn him into ashes.