Chapter 5

It's hard to lie in front of a college overseer, especially when these half-meter-tall owls are special magical beasts specifically bred by the mysterious headmaster of the Black Magic Academy.

Their combat power surpasses that of high-level magical beasts, making them capable of handling any disputes among apprentices below the level of formal mages.

Not to mention, the Black Magic Academy is filled with hidden magical inscriptions and alchemical eyes.

To investigate the truth or even directly reconstruct the details of a recent battle is not a problem.

However, for a mere conflict between low-level apprentices, it clearly hasn't reached the point where the overseers would use surveillance eyes to reconstruct the battle scene.

When Sain took out the identity medal representing a formal black magic apprentice, the overseer chose to let the matter rest.

Sain's latter words gave the owl a way out.

With a large wing sweep, the corpse of the low-level apprentice Ilk, which had been charred by strong acid, was blown to the sides of the road into the White Raven Forest.

These corpse fragments would be the best fertilizer for the underground plants in the White Raven Forest.

Considering that the Black Magic Academy often sees conflicts and battles among apprentices, similar fertilizers are not uncommon in many corners of the White Raven Forest.

Sain bowed slightly to the wise owl and ignored the strange looks from the surrounding apprentices as he walked step by step toward his dormitory building.

The pale mask, as Sain's trophy, was already on his face.

As expected of a magical item, after putting it on, Sain clearly found his vision clearer and more open.

...

The Black Magic Academy in Mithral City has a total of 700 to 800 apprentices year-round.

Every year, some apprentices fall for various reasons, and new apprentices also emerge.

Among these new apprentices, only a small portion come from the children of Mithral City.

More than 90% of them, like Sain in the past, come from the surface and are children who have been captured and brought to the underground by black mages through various means.

Sain vaguely remembers some things from before he was six years old, his luxurious golden hair and handsome face, which marked him as a noble.

Including when he first came to the Underdark, his ability to snatch food from other children was due to the basic swordsmanship and breathing techniques he had learned as a child.

These things were inaccessible to commoners.

Sain's memories of his origins and childhood are already few.

Apart from his surname and the kind face of his mother in his dreams, Sain finds it hard to recall anything else.

Life at the Black Magic Academy has taken up too much of Sain's energy.

Rather than dwelling on the past, Sain prefers to live in the present.

The Black Magic Academy provides over twenty dormitory buildings for the apprentices, each with six floors and eight rooms per floor.

The more powerful apprentices live in buildings further inside and on higher floors.

The reason these powerful apprentices choose such locations is that meditation and spell experiments require a relatively quiet environment.

Some powerful apprentices even occupy an entire floor by themselves, which is not uncommon.

Similarly, every year, when new students first arrive, intense conflicts often erupt over dormitory assignments.

Sain's room is on the fourth floor of the fifth building at the back of the dormitory complex.

With his status as a low-level apprentice, he clearly couldn't secure such a good position.

The reason he can live here is because of his cohabiting girlfriend, Lina.

Lina is his benefactor, his senior, his magic mentor, and his girlfriend.

In some ways, Lina should be his mentor.

Sain's talent in fire element knowledge is also due to his long-term assistance in Lina's magic experiments.

"Click!" As Sain pressed the magic crystal lamp, dim light appeared in the room.

This is a room of about 70 square meters, not very large.

Due to the accumulation of many experimental items, books, a bathroom, and a small independent laboratory, the room looks even more cramped.

But when he returns here, Sain feels a genuine sense of relaxation, as this is his little nest.

The air is filled with a faint acidic smell, which Sain recognizes as the burning odor of low-level magical material—black camphor grass.

Lina is not a tidy person; in fact, over the years of cohabitation, it has always been Sain who handles the housework.

After looking around and finding that Lina is not at home, Sain, feeling rather tired, went to the large bed in the center of the room.

This is a special large bed made by combining two single beds, born two years ago.

Perhaps thinking of certain scenes, Sain's throat made a gulping sound, and he shook his head.

Placing his harvest on the desk by the bed, he sat cross-legged on the bed, with a large bottle of intermediate-level antidote given by his new mentor, Moses, in front of him.

Drinking the antidote, Sain began his routine meditation, guiding his mental energy.

Meditation is the gentlest way to restore mental and magical energy, and sometimes it can even replace sleep.

As Sain gradually entered a meditative state, his depleted mental and magical energy gradually recovered, and the blue moss poison in his body slowly dissipated under the effect of the intermediate-level antidote.

Meditation has no set time; when Sain opened his eyes again, it was already the next day.

After a meditation session lasting over ten hours, Sain's energy and spirit were finally restored to a vigorous state.

It was only when he stopped meditating that he noticed his girlfriend, Lina, had returned.

"You're back," Sain said softly.

"Uh-huh," Lina nodded.

Standing by the window is a girl with a height of only 1.5 meters, fiery red hair, and a cold demeanor.

Lina is not a talkative person; in fact, even after living together for eight years, their conversations are still very stiff and brief.

Her appearance and height make Lina look like a 14- or 15-year-old girl.

But Sain knows that this is not Lina's actual age.

Since they met eight years ago, Lina has maintained this appearance, and after eight years, she hasn't changed at all.

From some idle talk at the magic academy, Sain knows that Lina became this way due to an experimental accident with her mentor years ago.

Sain doesn't know how old Lina is, and he hasn't asked.

Just as Lina hasn't asked about Sain's surname or his childhood background.

Everyone has their secrets and corners that are not understood by others.

Although Sain and Lina have been intimate, they seem to have not yet fully opened up to each other.

"Are you hurt?" Lina first looked at the magic wand and pale mask on the bed, then frowned and looked at the bloodstain on Sain's chest.