"Enough, consider all of you passed! Friday morning at eight, high-58 floating island, retest assessment. If you're a minute late, don't bother showing up!"
With a wave of his hand, Lam dismissed a group of incessantly chattering examinees.
Turning around, he glanced at Daniel, who was hastily disappearing into the teleportation portal, carrying Alex.
Shaking his head, Lam promptly activated the portal for his own departure.
In the Inspectorate Department, inside a dimly lit examination room on the first floor, the atmosphere was dense with foreboding.
The room, impervious to light, was adorned with various magical instruments of torture.
These instruments, covered in dust, were well-known among the familiar as mere tools of intimidation.
A beam of magical light emanated from the ground, casting a stark glow directly onto Alex's face.
Daniel stood solemnly in front of a cage formed from a giant blue hand, his expression severe.
Within the cage, Alex's eyes conveyed a silent plea for mercy.
At that moment, Lam approached and quietly exchanged a few words with Daniel.
The way the academy dealt with incidents of harm could be interpreted broadly.
In cases where actual harm hadn't occurred, the situation could be escalated to attempted murder, leading to immediate expulsion.
Alternatively, it could be downplayed as a minor scuffle between students, meriting only a warning within the class and the academy, and then dismissed.
"What about...charging him with attempted murder?" Lam suggested, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"I have no objections. I suspect his intention was indeed murder," Daniel responded with a cold sneer.
Both supervisors harbored no fondness for Alex, speaking freely and without reservation in their conversation.
"Then that's settled. I'll report this matter right away. Then, you can interrogate him further to see if there's anything else," Lam said indifferently.
With a flick of his hand, he removed the silencing spell that was bound to Alex.
"Sir, I swear it wasn't intentional," Alex pleaded.
"I just hate Nathan so much!"
"You know, our Golden House was annihilated by Nathan!"
"I can compensate for the damage to the magic array... Please, just spare me this once!"
Alex, seeing Daniel's unchanging stern expression and his indifference to his pleas, was on the verge of tears.
If expelled, he knew his fate was sealed.
Once out of the Nebula Academy, Milo Shulin would never let him off.
"I don't want to be expelled from the academy!"
"My... my grand-uncle is Frank!"
"What?!" Lam returned and exclaimed, "You say that again?"
"Frank is my grand-uncle!" Alex reiterated, his eyes fixed desperately.
Lam looked at Daniel, who furrowed his brows in concern.
Both felt this situation was tricky to handle.
Frank was the head of the Resource Department at the academy.
He had once been Daniel's direct superior, and they had their share of conflicts.
Daniel, often facing difficulties from Frank, had eventually managed to transfer to the Inspectorate Department.
The revelation of Alex's relation to Frank meant they had to reconsider how to deal with this matter.
Lam approached the cage, incredulously asking, "You're telling me you're Frank's grand-nephew, and then you come to apply for our Inspectorate Department?"
"Sir, please, let me explain..." Alex, sensing a lifeline upon mentioning Frank, pleaded desperately, "I didn't want to come here... I... I was accompanying Anthony!"
"Anthony?" Lam's interest piqued.
"Anthony, the one who publicly pursued Luna?" He recalled, his eyes lighting up with realization.
"Yes, sir!"
Lam and Daniel exchanged glances, both feeling the absurdity of the situation, leaving them momentarily speechless.
"What's your relationship with Anthony then?" Lam asked, puzzled.
Alex suddenly fell silent, sweat breaking out instantaneously.
"Not talking, huh? Don't think that just because you have a connection with Frank, you can escape punishment. I can have you sent to develop a floating island right now, and nobody would object!"
Daniel threatened coldly, pointing at the instruments of torture hanging on the wall.
"And if you don't talk, I can use these on you."
"Actually, it's no big secret. Anthony is Frank's nephew. Many people know this. And I am Frank's grand-nephew. That's the relationship," Alex said with a tone as somber as if he had lost his parents.
It took Daniel a couple of seconds to process this information before he fully grasped the implications.
Anthony was from the dark magic family of the Gale Empire, and Alex belonged to the Dracoria Golden House.
These heirs from two rival nations' families... both had connections to Frank of Nebula Academy...
Daniel recalled a report he had read a few days ago from Sophia about the annihilation of the Dracoria Golden House, an event involving two freshmen of the academy.
He had believed the Golden House to be wronged, but now, it seemed the truth might be more complex.
Considering the far-reaching implications of this matter, Daniel decided not to entangle himself further.
After consulting with Lam, they released Alex, choosing to act as if the incident had never happened.
...
On middle-12 floating island, within the infirmary, Nathan lay on a hospital bed, his head resting on a resonating pillow, as his mind power gradually restored.
"How are you feeling now?" Sophia asked with concern, breaking off a piece of dark chocolate and handing it to Nathan.
She harbored a certain fondness for the young boy.
Nathan accepted the chocolate, chewing it thoughtfully.
This confection was somewhat effective in rejuvenating the spirit.
However, considering his current condition, it was barely helpful.
Moreover, the physician had advised against eating anything.
But hunger drove him to disregard this advice.
Looking out at the darkening sky, he mumbled with a mouthful of chocolate, "Thank you, I'm fine! Just need some rest. Maybe... you should go back first."
"Alright, Eris will be here soon, so I'll leave now," Sophia nodded, standing up to leave.
"Sister, I owe you a meal!" Nathan called out, not forgetting his promise.
Sophia's figure had already vanished at the door.
Nathan quieted down for a moment.
He decided to open his system panel, recalling a sensation he had just experienced.
Indeed, the Hostility Index on the panel was almost full.
Just then, a white-robed female magus entered the room, immediately asking, "How do you feel?"
But her expression quickly turned to a frown of dissatisfaction, "Didn't I tell you not to eat anything before your spirit recovers?"
Nathan looked at the female physician and meekly replied, "But I read in the Magic Encyclopedia that eating a bit of dark chocolate is good for the spirit."
...
The female physician, visibly exasperated, stormed out of the room with a slam of the door.
At that moment, the long-absent system notification sound abruptly rang out:
[Ding! Host has accumulated a massive amount of hostility.]
[Ding! Hostility Index +2000! Villainy Index +0!]
The progress bar representing the Hostility Index reset to zero.
[Reward: Flame Could, Fire Element Affinity (Intermediate).]
Flame Could: Promotion Magic, consumes a piece of magical equipment to form a fire cloud, covering a certain area.
Upon reading this description, especially the word 'Promotion,' Nathan's heart leapt with excitement.
He was eligible for advancement.
In the world of magus, there are two primary methods for determining one's level.
One is based on mana level, and the other is the acquisition of Promotion Magic.
When a magus's mana level reaches a certain threshold, they automatically advance to the next tier and become eligible to learn higher-level magic.
However, at this point, no matter how much one practices, it is impossible to further increase the mana level.
Only by mastering Promotion Magic can one continue to elevate their mana level.
Promotion Magic typically consists of special spells, developed through a process of summarizing and understanding gained from proficient use of magic.
These spells are unique and cannot be taught.
Each magus level generally involves three stages of Promotion Magic.
Nathan had been an intermediate elementalist for over half a year, yet his mana level had remained stubbornly at the initial stage of level 3.
This meant that the number of spells he could release in the short term was limited.
After expending a certain amount of magic, his mana would be depleted, leaving him reliant on magical scrolls.
"Well, well! Weren't you completely drained? How come you look like you've just found a treasure, even sneaking in a smile?"
Eris suddenly appeared, catching Nathan by surprise.
Nathan quickly closed the system and put on a woeful face, "Sister, please don't make fun of me!"
Eris scrutinized Nathan from head to toe, teasingly remarked, "Don't tell me something happened between you and Sophia?"
"Sister, you're thinking too much..." Nathan frowned.
"Come on, Nathan," Eris said with a hint of disdain, "Since when were you ever the quiet and obedient type?"
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Prince Baron, wielding a fan, swiftly entered.
"Brother Nathan, how are you?" Concern was evident on Baron's face as he approached the bedside.
Nathan was visibly surprised, "Oh, it's just a minor injury. I'm honored to have the Third Prince's concern."
He then smiled amiably, "Please, have a seat, Your Highness."
To the uninitiated, they might have assumed the two were friends.
However, Nathan was well aware that not so long ago, Baron had instigated Alex to join forces against him.
This sudden change in attitude indicated there must be a reason behind it.