Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein, as a fresh intermediate initiate, felt somewhat out of place participating in an experiment led by a full-fledged black mage like Master Morsidor.

Fortunately, he had diligently studied the “Basics of Alchemy”, one of the magic notes he received from Master Morsidor.

While he might not have comprehended the specifics of his mentor’s experiment, Sein gained valuable insights by observing the finer details and aspects of the process. Such a privilege was only granted to him because he was Morsidor’s fifth apprentice.

The Black Magic Academy was filled with initiates who either surpassed Sein in strength or outshone him in intelligence.

They, too, probably wished to witness the experiment of a full-fledged black mage up close and glean insights into the enigma of alchemy.

Unfortunately, the constraints within their faction, coupled with the high value that black mages placed on knowledge, made it impossible for Morsidor to share his precious wisdom openly.

The public classes on the “Basics of Alchemy” and the “Fundamental Knowledge on the Pyro Element” taught by Master Morsidor merely provided surface-level knowledge. Most initiates probably never expected the countless unwritten secrets and insights that lay beneath the surface.

Sein’s access to Master Morsidor’s personal magic notes was a privilege granted to him as the black mage’s apprentice. This invaluable knowledge allowed Sein to explore the profound mysteries of magic to a greater extent.

Master Morsidor was not the only black mage engaged in such practices.

Nearly every black mage at the Black Magic Academy in Mystralora City held closely guarded wisdom of their own.

The public classes were simply their obligation to impart introductory knowledge to the kids as requested by the dean.

Initiates who aspired to progress further and pursue greater knowledge could only hope to be mentored by the unruly and independent black mages like Morsidor.

Over the course of half a month, Sein assisted his mentor and the others in the laboratory.

Sein did not play a significant role in this experiment. He merely acted as a diligent recorder of experimental data whose activity was limited to a five-meter radius around the small experiment table.

Nonetheless, the past two weeks had offered Sein invaluable insights and practical experience.

He came to realize that while books offered theoretical knowledge, real-world experience was the most profound teacher.

Faye, either disinterested in alchemy or merely wanting to take it easy, handed over most of the operational tasks at the small experiment table to Sein during their final week of working on the experiment.

Fortunately, the operations were straightforward, and Sein might have found them uncomplicated due to his innate talent for alchemy.

Although he stumbled quite a bit initially, he eventually became more adept at them after half a month of practice.

The result of half a month’s effort by the three apprentices and their mentor was a crimson sphere about the size of a fist.

During a private conversation between Faye and Sein, it became clear that they had invested nearly three months in developing the pyro element fission generator.

The discussion between Zorro and Morsidor had already commenced before Sein became the fifth apprentice of their faction.

With the pyro element fission generator now complete, Master Morsidor needed to craft the hydro, geo, and aero element fission generators.

The crafting process for the latter three elements should be smoother following the pyro element fission generator’s success.

Sein had assumed the same until the third day of crafting the hydro element fission generator.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion outside rocked Master Morsidor’s residence.

The incident not only disrupted the occupants of the laboratory but also broke the hydro-attribute crystal they had set up on the experiment table into two.

Rich hydro elemental energy immediately flooded the laboratory.

Most of the laboratory equipment was partially submerged. Master Morsidor, who was working at the central experiment table, was caught off guard and pushed back several meters by the surge of hydro elemental energy from the crystal.

While Master Morsidor, as a full-fledged black mage, remained largely unharmed, the same could not be said for Zorro, who was working not too far from him.

Zorro was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged black mage, but he had not attained this status yet.

Unlike Master Morsidor, he lacked the means to instantly summon an elemental shield for protection against the unexpected surprise.

Sein and Faye, working further away from the central experiment table, quickly took cover under their table. With their mentor and Zorro taking the brunt of the hydro elemental surge, they managed to remain unscathed.

Sein had heard of many experiment mishaps before.

His girlfriend, Leena, had been a victim of one such mishap, which had left her physically frozen in the form of a teenager.

However, the incident this time did not seem like an accident. He could not help but wonder what could have caused the explosion earlier.

While Sein was left baffled by the unexpected elemental surge, Master Morsidor had stormed out of the laboratory after quickly assessing Zorro’s condition.

“WHO DID THIS?” A fiery aura befitting a full-fledged black mage radiated from Morsidor.

This was the first time Sein had seen his mentor lose his temper so uncharacteristically.

Morsidor’s body was engulfed by a layer of pyro elemental flames, but what truly caught the eye were the several metal disks hovering around him.

As a renowned alchemist who considered advanced magic items like the Acid Wand to be mere “toys” crafted during his spare time, Morsidor naturally had a remarkable collection of personal magic equipment.

Each of the metal disks surrounding him was of the highest quality, suitable for the protection of a full-fledged black mage. However, Morsidor’s wealth allowed him to possess more than one of these valuable pieces of equipment.

One of the metal disks whisked Master Morsidor out of the laboratory, while the others revolved around him protectively.

In addition to the metal disks, another item piqued Sein’s curiosity. Morsidor had drawn a brass-colored magic rod, one Sein had never seen him use before.

Furthermore, Morsidor’s magic robe, collar, boots, and cuffs were all emitting powerful magic fluctuations.

Sein was aware that Faye had clinched the academy award for senior initiates during the annual assessment, largely due to her extensive collection of magic equipment. It was clear that she had adopted this strategy from Master Morsidor.

Sein speculated that this was likely one of Master Morsidor’s distinct combat styles.

After all, he himself had also previously defeated Elrik and Jack swiftly thanks to the Acid Wand gifted to him by their mentor.

Following their mentor’s swift exit, the apprentices knew they could not continue hiding in the laboratory either.

Faye was the first to trail after Morsidor, but Sein, recognizing his own limited strength, hesitated to follow suit.

Instead, he made his way to the center of the laboratory to assist Zorro, who appeared pale and weakened. Sein helped him to his feet and guided him cautiously out of the laboratory.

“Are you all right, Zorro? I have a basic healing potion here, I’m not sure if it would be of help.”

Sein retrieved a vial of pink potion from his chest pocket and offered it earnestly.

This was one of the three healing potions he had received from Marie not long ago. Two of them had already been administered to Leena, leaving this as the final one in his possession.

A basic healing potion held little value for an initiate like Zorro, who was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged black mage.

Even an advanced healing potion would be considered trivial to someone of his caliber.

However, in this moment, Sein’s compassionate gesture warmed Zorro’s heart.

Zorro accepted the basic healing potion with a smile and assured, ”Thank you. I’ll be fine. Master Morsidor had cast a Flesh Regeneration spell on me just now.”