Chapter 3

After leaving Master Moses' laboratory, Sain walked straight through the vast buildings of the Black Magic Academy, heading towards his own small den.

The Black Magic Academy in Mithral City is quite large, and the high-ranking black mages and black magic apprentices do not live in the same area.

Passing through the towering teaching buildings, Sain encountered many black magic apprentices on his way back to his dormitory.

However, these black magic apprentices, like Sain, were all in a hurry, and there were few instances of stopping to chat.

The rules of the Black Magic Academy are very cold; apart from the patronage relationship, there is only enmity between magic apprentices, and very few so-called "friends."

A dark green white-raven forest was the last stretch of Sain's journey back to his dormitory.

It was here that Sain encountered a roadblock.

"Hehehe, Sain, just as Scarface Jock said, you are indeed severely injured."

"Instead of dying in agony from your injuries, let me help you find peace now!" A sharp, cold laugh echoed.

A black-robed magic apprentice wearing a white mask suddenly leaped out from the white-raven forest on either side of the road.

This magic apprentice was about the same height as Sain, but unlike Sain, who had enviable golden short hair, this apprentice had gray and white mixed hair.

There were disputes among magic apprentices.

The dispute between Sain and this apprentice named Ilk originated from ten years ago when Sain first arrived in the Darklands. To avoid starving to death, he had punched down a fellow captive of the same age to secure a meal.

Unfortunately, that person happened to be Ilk's younger brother.

Ten years have passed, and the once helpless human children who arrived in the Darklands have now grown into low-level black magic apprentices.

Because of the food shortage back then and being punched down by Sain, Ilk's younger brother did not survive until the Black Magic Academy sent people to test their initial mental power.

Although that little guy might not have met the recruitment standards of the Black Magic Academy even if he hadn't starved to death, Ilk clearly blamed Sain for the entire grudge.

As for why Ilk didn't seek revenge on Sain back then, it might have been because Sain's extraordinary strength and performance scared him.

Over the past ten years, Sain and Ilk have fought dozens of times in the Black Magic Academy of Mithral City.

Twice, they almost killed each other.

This accumulated enmity has brought them to a point where they are determined to fight to the death.

Such conflicts between apprentices like Sain and Ilk are very common in Mithral City.

Strangely, the high-ranking black mages do not stop such internal conflicts but instead take a keen interest in watching these little guys fight to the death.

Perhaps for the black mages, this is an entertaining interlude during their experiments.

If the conflict drags on too long, it might attract the attention of the academy's inspectors and other black magic apprentices.

So after coldly mocking Sain a few times, Ilk immediately took action.

Unlike Sain, who specializes in some fire magic, Ilk excels in plant magic.

Due to his outstanding performance in the Black Magic Academy's botanical garden, this guy even received a low-level magic item from the academy—a pale mask, which he is wearing now.

This also shows that without sufficient strength, one is not even qualified to be Sain's opponent.

Three green sharp arrows were launched from in front of Ilk as he chanted softly.

A normal green sharp arrow spell only has two arrows, but Ilk can now release three, indicating that he, like Sain, is very close to the intermediate apprentice level!

Faced with Ilk's aggressive attack, Sain remained unmoved throughout.

The three green sharp arrows aimed at Sain's head, heart, and lower body clearly intended to kill him in one strike.

Having just returned from a mission, Sain's depleted mental and magical power made it difficult for him to use his most powerful spell, the Lesser Fireball.

His severely injured body also prevented him from dodging the three incoming green arrows in time.

Ilk, who had just released the three green sharp arrows, was already smiling under his pale mask.

Due to the limited mental and magical power of magic apprentices, the number of spells they can master and use is very strict.

For example, in their peak state, both Sain and Ilk, as low-level apprentices, can only cast the green sharp arrow or Lesser Fireball twice at most.

But three green sharp arrows were enough to kill Sain, and perhaps even one would be enough to blow his head off.

Ilk's smile under the mask gradually froze as Sain pulled out a magic wand from his chest.

Before Ilk could take any remedial action, with the last bit of mental power Sain had, the corrosive acid liquid solidified in the magic wand was instantly released!

It was indeed a gift from the formal black mage, Master Moses, to Sain.

Even though this was just a small trinket Master Moses casually made during his alchemy experiments, it was enough to allow Sain, holding this magic wand, to challenge any intermediate or higher-level apprentice.

In addition to the high-level spell, corrosive acid liquid, this magic wand also has the ability to slowly restore magic and mental power.

Sain had been holding this wand in his chest since leaving Master Moses' laboratory.

Although his magic and mental power had not recovered much, it was enough to handle any sudden situation that might occur in the Black Magic Academy.

The high-level spell, corrosive acid liquid, and the low-level spell, green sharp arrows, are not in the same league.

Whether in terms of power, release speed, or accuracy.

The three originally fierce green sharp arrows turned into a wisp of green smoke in the yellow light of the corrosive acid liquid.

The high-level spell then hit Ilk's body with undiminished force, and during this time, Ilk was unable to release a second spell or dodge.

"Aaaah!!" A painful scream echoed.

The hissing sound of corrosion made one's skin tighten.

Soon, Ilk's voice gradually weakened.

When Sain approached, except for Ilk's relatively intact head, his lower body had turned into a pool of charred black.

The air was filled with a foul stench.

The scene of the killing did not change Sain's expression much.

There were already sounds coming from the surroundings, indicating that other black magic apprentices or academy inspectors had discovered the situation.

At this moment, Sain calmly began to collect his spoils of war.

The low-level magic item, the pale mask, was the first to be taken from the ugly head at his feet.

As a low-level magic item, the pale mask has only one low-level spell, the Clarity Spell, which allows one to see more clearly in the dark.

Although its value is far less than the wand Sain is holding, it is still a significant gain for Sain.