The world was shrouded in darkness, yet humanity clung to the light.
...
"ROAR!!!"
A deep, terrifying roar suddenly echoed through the silent, desolate underground valley!
The sound, like thunder, sent shivers down the spine of the black-robed youth by the lakeside. He covered his ears, his face twisted in pain.
The black hood fell to the ground, revealing a handsome, aristocratic face. Though pale and bleeding from the ears, his eyes were clear, and his expression hardened with resolve.
Sain, a humble apprentice of dark magic.
At that moment, the rocks from the cavern ceiling above the underground lake began to fall like an avalanche, crashing around Sain as he dodged frantically.
"ROAR!!!"
The deafening roar came again, mocking the insignificance of human struggle and resistance in the face of absolute power.
The source of the terrifying roar was a mid-level magical beast—a Saltwater Crocodile.
The underground lake beneath Sain's feet was its domain.
Now, it ceased its roaring, its gaze fixed on the human. Its massive tail lashed against the rocks, the sheer terror of its presence making Sain's hair stand on end.
Its pale eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, and much of its head bore burn marks, evidence that Sain's earlier spells had inflicted some damage.
But to the beast, this human was merely provoking it.
While the fear of death hadn't completely broken the dark magic apprentice, the crocodile's patience had run out.
It charged at Sain, its gaping maw aiming directly for his head. Sharp fangs dripped with saliva, the stench of decay overwhelming.
In that split second, Sain moved!
The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
His left hand flung a handful of iron phosphorous powder!
With the last remnants of his mana, his right hand unleashed the spell he had been preparing—
Minor Fireball!
Instantly, a fireball the size of a soccer ball shot forth!
"BOOM!!!"
The powder ignited in a fiery explosion, amplified by the fireball's impact.
The deafening blast shook the entire cavern, and the crocodile's massive jaw was blown apart, flesh and blood scattering everywhere.
Sain was thrown back three to four meters by the force. He struggled to his feet, looking at the crocodile's corpse, and pumped his fist in triumph.
He had gambled—and won!
Thanks to the iron phosphorous powder, the minor fireball had unleashed far more power than he had anticipated.
...
The battle was over. With his mental energy drained and his mana nearly depleted, Sain's face was deathly pale.
After mustering a bit of strength, he forced himself to stand and swam to the small island in the center of the lake. There, he plucked three vibrant Starlight Herbs—the ultimate reason he had risked his life to challenge the Saltwater Crocodile.
Returning to the battlefield, he retrieved the crocodile's most valuable treasure—its magic core—and a piece of its skull, still radiating potent elemental energy. Then, he quickly left the lakeside.
In truth, Sain had only taken half of the mid-level beast's worth.
More materials from the corpse and the blood rich with magical energy were left behind. It wasn't that he didn't want them, but in this underground world, every second was fraught with danger.
Exhausted and powerless, Sain couldn't afford to linger in peril.
The three Starlight Herbs were his ultimate goal, the reason he had dared to cross into the territory of a mid-level beast.
"Hu, hu." A low, heavy breathing sound emerged from the darkness.
It seemed to come from the direction of the lake.
Sain quickened his pace, eager to leave this place of danger.
...
City of Mosobra.
The heart of the "Underdark," the only city ever built by dark mages, it was a place revered—and feared—by all dark creatures.
The twenty-meter-high city walls, made of ancient blue stone bricks, bore the marks of history. Between the cracks, dried beast blood and faint, oppressive magical runes were etched into the stone.
After two days of hard travel, Sain finally arrived at the grand city. A weight lifted from his chest—here, his safety was somewhat assured.
"Hey, Sain, looks like you took quite a beating!" A mocking laugh came from atop the city walls as Sain approached the special entrance reserved for mages.
A dozen or so black-robed figures stood on the wall. The speaker was a dark-skinned man with a scar across his face, standing in the center.
Though he and Sain weren't mortal enemies, he didn't mind seeing the young apprentice in a rough spot.
The other apprentices nearby remained mostly silent, their expressions cold and indifferent.
This wasn't due to any particular malice—it was simply the way of the Underdark.
In Mosobra, conflicts among dark magic apprentices were common. The underground world followed the law of the jungle: only the strong survived. Kindness and mercy had no place here.
Even Sain himself wouldn't lift a finger to help others without reason. If he saw another apprentice in trouble, he might secretly rejoice at having one less competitor for resources.
Ignoring the scarred mage's taunt, Sain pulled out his token and addressed the minotaur captain guarding the gate: "I am Sain, an apprentice under Master Mosido. I was sent on a herb-gathering mission. Let me in at once!"
The minotaur captain, whose strength rivaled that of a high-level magical beast, showed nothing but respect and obedience to the lowly apprentice.
It wasn't Sain he feared—it was the identity of a dark mage, and the name of Master Mosido.
In Mosobra—indeed, in all of the Underdark—dark mages were the embodiment of power and truth.
Without another word to the mocking apprentices, Sain passed through the gate and disappeared into the city, leaving the onlookers disappointed.
Sain was something of a rising star in Mosobra's dark magic academy. At just sixteen, he was on the verge of breaking through to the intermediate apprentice level.
But potential alone didn't guarantee a bright future. What truly made the other apprentices take notice were the praises Sain had received from several esteemed dark mages.
No one knew when Sain might get lucky and be taken as a disciple by one of those towering figures.
If that happened, his status among the apprentices would skyrocket.
"Hmph!" The scarred apprentice's face twisted in annoyance at Sain's cold dismissal.
He wasn't looking to make an enemy of Sain directly—he was more wary of Sain's girlfriend.
After a moment's thought, he turned to one of his lackeys and whispered, "Spread the word that Sain is badly injured. Make sure Ilk hears about it."
"The two of them are mortal enemies. Heh, I doubt Ilk wants to see Sain reaching the intermediate level anytime soon."
The scarred apprentice himself was at the intermediate level, while his lackey was a newcomer to Mosobra, barely an initiate in the dark arts.
In the Underdark, those without strength needed a patron to survive.
The lackey had no choice but to obey, even if it meant earning the ire of Sain and his notoriously fierce girlfriend.
If Sain were to fall to Ilk, that madwoman would surely seek vengeance.
As for the scarred apprentice?
He had his own backers and wasn't afraid of her.
In fact, in certain circles, he and Sain's girlfriend were rivals.
That was why he took such pleasure in seeing Sain suffer.