Chapter 18

**"Boom!"** The explosion of the fireball spell sent a large amount of dirt and gravel flying across the training ground.

The low-level apprentice standing opposite Sain let out a scream, loudly called for a surrender, and then retreated from the battle area in a disheveled state.

One of his arms was burned and rendered useless by Sain's secondary fireball spell, the price he paid for challenging Sain and failing.

At the Black Magic Academy, there was never a concept of "just touching" to stop. The frequent injuries and deaths among apprentices clearly explained why, despite a steady influx of mentally qualified children each year, the total number of apprentices in the academy never increased.

In fact, for a long time after Sain entered the arena, no apprentice dared to challenge him.

His notorious reputation seemed to have already secured him a place among the top three.

However, in this Black Magic Academy, there were always some who were fearless.

The one who just challenged Sain was one of them.

With his strength inferior to Sain, he ultimately lost an arm, which only further solidified Sain's fierce reputation.

What left many of the low-level apprentices watching the battle in awe was that Sain never even took out his trump card, the short staff. He relied solely on his proficient use of the fireball spell to stand out among his peers.

Over the past two months, Sain had continuously studied the two magic notebooks given to him by his mentor, Mosido, and naturally, he had made significant progress.

Faster spell casting speed, lower mana consumption, and Sain's innate combat talent and sharp reflexes made defeating his opponent a matter of course.

Moreover, this was a one-on-one duel, not a group fight.

For a mage, sometimes being faster in casting spells than your opponent already determined the outcome.

Sain had to thank Mentor Mosido for the magic notebooks and Senior Faye for her private guidance.

Without them, he would never have made such noticeable progress in just two months.

If Sain were to venture into the Saltwater Crocodile's territory now, although it would still be extremely dangerous, he would be much more composed than he was two months ago.

With his right hand, hidden under his black robe, tightly gripping the short staff, Sain restored his mental and magical energy with the Acid Staff while scrutinizing the next possible opponent.

According to tradition, a low-level apprentice who wins three consecutive matches would receive a reward from the academy.

Not all low-level apprentices were willing to risk their lives for the academy's reward. Sain's sixth-place ranking last year was based on his two wins and one loss.

Meanwhile, battles among other apprentices on the training ground had also begun.

The low-level apprentice area was the least "exciting" battlefield, as most of these apprentices only knew one spell, and those who knew two were considered rare.

What truly drew the attention of the hundreds of apprentices in the training ground was the battlefield for intermediate and advanced apprentices.

The colorful magical auras made these young apprentices, who had not been in the dark realm for long, feel the heavy pressure of survival and the constant danger, while also fostering a sense of hope and aspiration for the future and power.

Power was the driving force for the majority of apprentices to learn magic.

As for the "pursuit of truth" and the "essence of magic" that Mentor Mosido spoke of, very few truly understood.

...

As the battles on the training ground raged on, the three black mages in the stands paid no attention to the casualties and chatted among themselves.

Actually, it was mainly two of the black mages chatting, while the other, a man with blue hair and a cold demeanor, spoke very little.

Among the official black mages, there were also distinctions in status, as this was a world where strength mattered.

Andis, the blue-haired man, was one of the strongest official black mages in Muzubura City, rumored to be second only to the three vice-deans in strength.

The three vice-deans were all powerful mages of at least the second level, and while Andis had not yet reached the second level, his reputation suggested that he was at the peak of the first level.

In response to the inquiries from the two black mages beside him, Andis glanced at them coldly and then slowly said, "It's true. Vice-Dean Martin and Ms. Joan are there now."

"However, the scale of the spatial rift is very small, and it's not yet known which specific alternate world it connects to. It's not yet determined whether it has any development potential."

Andis seemed to know a lot, and the information he provided was new to the two black mages.

One of the black mages, upon hearing this, said with obvious excitement, "I hope it's a half-plane with development potential. Muzubura City is really too barren."

"If it weren't for the vice-dean's strict restrictions on our actions in recent years, I would have already raided the surface."

"The magic organizations and noble knights on the surface are incredibly wealthy. Just picking off a lone one..."

The black mage spoke excitedly, possibly due to the long confinement underground, and some of the "black slang" unique to the black mage community kept popping up.

The black mage beside him nodded in agreement but was a bit more rational.

Besides agreeing with the other, he added, "We still need to be careful when we act on the surface."

"Ordinary magic organizations and noble knights are one thing, but if we provoke the Holy Tower or the Knight Hall..."

The black mage's tone was filled with wariness of the latter two.

Of course, besides wariness, there was also a brewing, unnamed emotion, especially regarding the "Holy Tower."

Master Andis was not as idle as the two black mages.

He did not like baseless speculation but was extremely interested in the spatial rift, which was why he had gathered so much information.

"Do you think the spatial rift might lead to a fully-rules world?" the more rational black mage suddenly asked.

But his words revealed that he was not as "rational" as he seemed.

A fully-rules world was a world that had given birth to countless living beings and a complete set of laws and mechanisms.

Even the weakest micro-worlds were beyond the reach of a mere Muzubura City.

Only the Holy Towers and Knight Halls scattered across the world of wizards had the capability to conquer an entire world.

The slave armies involved in such campaigns could number in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.

How many official black mages did Muzubura City have?

At most, there were about twenty, not even thirty.

With such strength, dreaming of a fully-rules world was no different from a dreamer's fantasy.