Chapter 6

Lina has a terrible temper, which is one of the reasons why she is often referred to as the "madwoman" by many magic apprentices.

Sain has managed to survive and reach this point in the years he has spent at the Black Magic Academy in Morsobora City, thanks not only to his cautious nature and tenacious character but also largely due to Lina's protection.

Lina is a powerful intermediate apprentice who had already reached this level eight years ago when Sain first met her.

While low-level apprentices can barely avoid being bullied at the Black Magic Academy, only those who reach the intermediate level and above are truly considered strong by their peers.

As for high-level apprentices, they are rarely seen by ordinary apprentices.

For example, Lilianya, whom Sain spoke to yesterday, was someone he had only heard of in the past. It was his first time speaking to a high-level apprentice.

The bloodstain seeping through Sain's chest made the temperature around Lina drop a few degrees.

However, when Sain told her that the person who tried to kill him, Ilk, had been killed by him, and that his injuries were actually caused by the attack of a mid-level magic beast, the saltwater crocodile, Lina's anger visibly subsided.

"Why did you go looking for trouble with a saltwater crocodile? Even I would have been reluctant to face such a beast in the past," Lina asked, frowning slightly.

In the past few years, Lina had not been so concerned about Sain. To her, he was just a sensible lab assistant.

However, after the two of them developed a relationship beyond friendship two years ago, Lina gradually accepted Sain and began to show him warmth beneath her cold exterior.

So, Sain told her everything about his journey to the saltwater crocodile's territory to find the starlight grass and how he was eventually taken in as a disciple by the formal black magician, Moses.

Upon learning that Sain had become a disciple of a formal black magician, the usually cold Lina finally showed a hint of surprise and a faint sense of relief.

"Being a disciple of a formal black magician is certainly a good thing," Lina said.

"But you should have waited for me to return. A saltwater crocodile is not something you can handle alone at your current level."

"The time limit for the task set by Master Moses was limited, and I was very worried that the starlight grass would be eaten by the saltwater crocodile or that something else might happen."

"Moreover, if I had relied on your help to obtain the starlight grass, Master Moses might not have taken me as a disciple."

"To survive in a place like the Dark Region and achieve something, one must face various dangers. I can't always rely on your protection," Sain added, shaking his head.

Sain's response made Lina's cold face show a clear sign of surprise.

However, Sain did not notice Lina's expression change and instead asked about her whereabouts.

"Where have you been for the past half month? I was very worried about you," Sain said softly.

Faced with Sain's full concern and care, Lina's cold face softened, and she smiled.

This was the first time Sain had seen Lina smile in the past two years. Her smile was not just because of Sain's concern but also for other reasons.

"I have advanced to the high-level apprentice stage. For the past half month, I have been in the academy's cultivation room, meditating in seclusion," Lina said.

"We can move to a different room now. The dormitory buildings at the back have larger rooms and more complete experimental setups than where we are now," Lina added.

Advancing to the high-level apprentice stage was the true reason for Lina's smile.

She also hoped that Sain would share in her joy.

Leaving the place where he had lived for eight years was something Sain would find hard to adapt to in the short term.

However, this was ultimately for a better living environment and development space for both of them. Moreover, Sain had also been taken in as a disciple by the formal black magician, Moses, which was like a double celebration for them.

"Hehe, I'll go to the Black Street to buy a fish. Let's celebrate today," Sain said with a smile.

Magic apprentices are human and cannot do without their daily meals.

From the time Sain returned to the dormitory yesterday until now, he had only drunk half a bottle of intermediate antidote and had not eaten anything.

Lina did not know how to cook, and this had always been Sain's responsibility.

In the early years of living together with Lina, Sain gradually gained her acceptance not only because of his good looks and competent assistance in experiments but also due to many small details in daily life.

The Black Street.

A special commercial street located within the magic academy.

This is a place often visited by the apprentices of the Black Magic Academy, offering everything from spell materials, alchemical potions, and magical items to daily necessities and various trinkets.

It is said that behind each of these magic shops on the Black Street, there are high-level apprentices or even formal black magicians.

Indeed, only such beings have the ability and wealth to create the corresponding magical equipment or alchemical potions.

When Sain arrived at the Black Street, Lina accompanied him.

Perhaps the half-month seclusion had made Lina feel restless, or she was worried about Sain's injuries not being fully recovered. The usually quiet and rarely outgoing Lina actually went shopping with him today.

The "black sharkscale fish," a specialty of an underground dark river, was Sain's main goal.

This was not an ordinary fish but a magical creature with a certain level of elemental power, equivalent to the level of a beginner magic apprentice at the academy.

Its large snout, sharp teeth, and spiky scales indicated that it was not a gentle creature.

At the "Koda Magic Materials Store" in the center of the Black Street, this black sharkscale fish was a rare magical creature worth eight black gold coins.

Having just made a fortune from Ilk's death, Sain did not mind spending eight black gold coins.

In fact, if one were to eat a whole black sharkscale fish at the academy cafeteria, it would cost at least twenty black gold coins.

As the standard currency in Morsobora City, the value of black gold has always been stable.

Sain did not know how much private money Lina had, but after so many years, he had only accumulated about twenty black gold coins.

In general, low-level or intermediate apprentices do not indulge in eating magical creatures.

Although consuming these magical creatures can improve their physical condition, most apprentices would use their limited funds to buy spell materials or magic books.

After purchasing the black sharkscale fish and paying, Sain and Lina were about to leave when they encountered some troublemakers.

The leader was the scar-faced apprentice from the city wall yesterday.

Conflicts rarely break out on the Black Street because none of the shops here can be provoked by any apprentice.

The group led by the scar-faced apprentice did not intend to cause trouble for Sain and Lina, but upon seeing the black sharkscale fish in Sain's hand, the scar-faced apprentice, Jock, laughed and said, "You've really made it, Sain. I heard you killed Ilk yesterday."

"Tsk, tsk, this black sharkscale fish must have been bought with Ilk's black gold, right?" Jock mocked.

Jock and his group were numerous, and Sain did not want to engage in a conflict with them at this critical moment.

Moreover, this guy clearly did not have the latest information and did not know that Sain had been taken in as a disciple by the formal black magician, Moses.

Indeed, apart from Lilianya and Lina, Sain had not told any other magic apprentices about this.

And given Lilianya's high position, she would have no interest in mingling with a group of apprentices below the intermediate level.

Jock's mockery caused his group to burst into laughter.

Not all of these apprentices were Jock's followers. For example, there were three intermediate apprentices in the group whose status and strength were on par with Jock.

If Sain were alone, he would have tolerated Jock's taunts. With the support of Master Moses, he would have plenty of opportunities to deal with them later.

But this time, Sain was not alone.

"Whoosh!" A fireball the size of a basketball suddenly appeared at Lina's fingertips.

No one knew when she had silently completed the spell incantation and was ready to attack on the Black Street.

The fireball was much larger than the one Sain could cast and was not red but a deep, eerie blue!

"High-level apprentice!" One of Jock's group, who knew what they were seeing, shouted in surprise.

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