The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The Captain’s Room was in ruins, filled with a dark radiance that shielded it from outside eyes.

THUMP-THUMP!

His heart beat faster and faster, and a sharp pain threatened to tear the very flesh from his chest.

Tuta Wizard sat on the only intact sofa, silently enduring the side effects of the Extraordinary Potion he had taken.

Wielding Power beyond one’s current State always came at a price.

The five years this body had left were now shortened to two. Even if he found a way to extend his life and Vitality, he could last another year or two at most.

Only by becoming an Official Wizard could he achieve Sublimation and ascension, using his powerful Spiritual Power to alter his own fated reality and be reborn.

A deep sigh echoed through the room. ’Becoming an Official Wizard is anything but easy.’

He was, for all intents and purposes, a washed-up failure.

The normal lifespan of an Extreme Wizard Apprentice was around three hundred years.

The best time to advance to the rank of Official Wizard was within the first two hundred years; the longer one waited, the slimmer the chances became.

One had to achieve a perfect Balance between the body and the Spirit, realizing the Unity of Spirit and Body.

How could a decrepit, aging body possibly handle Spiritual Power and Particle Energy as vast as an abyss? He might even die, killed by the potent Particle Energy his own body could not withstand.

On the bright side, the enemy had been repelled.

His opponent’s injuries were likely just as severe, and it would cost a fortune to heal them.

A sinister coldness glinted in Tuta’s eyes. ’That was a Wizard from the Dark Land.’

He’d recognize the Inheritance Witchcraft recorded in the Book of Darkness, the Dark Heart, even if he were blind.

But he couldn’t figure out the reason why. ’Who is this person? What’s the point of all this?!’

His slightly weakened Spiritual Power spread throughout the Wizard Ship. The damage was even worse than Tuta Wizard had anticipated.

The propulsion and navigation systems were largely unharmed, so they could still reach the Dark Wizard Academy on schedule.

The problem was the automated cafeteria that sustained them. It was completely unusable; the integrated facility for hunting and preparing food had been utterly destroyed.

Tuta Wizard’s brow furrowed. Thirty Wizard Freshmen had survived, and they were beings who required a massive amount of Energy.

He couldn’t leave the room. The dark radiance was not only the effect of his Witchcraft, but also a precious healing resource he had expended from his personal reserves.

It would take at least two months to heal his injuries.

The fact that these Wizard Freshmen had survived last night’s ordeal meant they all possessed considerable Abilities of their own.

He decided it was time to change the rules on the Wizard Ship.

The hallway was filled with a thick, putrid stench. Most of the Wizard Freshmen had gone back to wash up, but Wang Ya remained on deck. Suddenly, he heard a familiar, booming voice from behind.

”Wang Ya! That’s great, you’re alive too! Last night scared me to death.”

Gray was struggling to hold a large brown lizard, nearly half the size of a grown man. He’d clearly had a rough night; his hair was a mess, and his clothes looked as if they’d been rolled in filth. As he approached, the overwhelming stench intensified severalfold.

At least he had survived. Wang Ya managed a smile and took a few steps back, happy for his friend’s survival.

Gray ran a hand through his matted, messy hair and bared his yellowed teeth. ”You have no idea what I saw last night,” he said. ”Good thing I’m so clever—I knew to cover my whole body in crap. I hid in a room and watched through a crack in the door. I saw Arthur, out in the hall... to save his own skin, he abandoned his two companions, Rovena and Ossen. That guy is ruthless. I wonder if he made it.”

He then added, ”He probably did survive. A guy that ruthless isn’t going to get eaten by some Thorny Sea Beasts.”

’He did survive,’ Wang Ya thought. ’And now he definitely looks the part of a ruthless man.’

Just as Wang Ya was about to say something, his brow furrowed slightly as he looked toward the Captain’s Room.

Gray looked up in surprise as well.

A voice echoed throughout the entire Wizard Ship, reaching the ears of every single Wizard Freshman.

It was Tuta Wizard. He was delivering a message, and its content made the expression on every Wizard Freshman’s face change dramatically.

”Starting today, while the existing rules of order remain in effect, a new rule for acquiring food is hereby added: The Wizard Ship will be anchored for a period of time, during which all Wizard Freshmen are to enter the sea and hunt Sea Beasts for food. Each Wizard Freshman must meet a certain quota, and food distribution will be directly tied to this quota.”

They had to personally go into the sea and hunt Sea Beasts? It was never like this before.

”Why would Tuta Wizard make a decision like this? The Endless Sea is so dangerous, who knows what kind of Sea Beasts are out there?”

”Yeah, can’t the automated cafeteria produce food anymore? Why make us go hunt Sea Beasts? We’re Wizards, not slave laborers!”

The group of Wizard Freshmen immediately broke out in complaint.

The previous rules of order had forbidden any deaths or overly severe injuries from occurring on the Wizard Ship.

”What if the automated cafeteria’s ability to produce food was damaged?” a calmer, more perceptive Wizard Freshman pointed out.

Many of the Wizard Freshmen immediately fell silent. The events of last night were still vivid in their minds.

The endless, profound darkness, the rampaging Thorny Sea Beasts, the waves of Particle Energy as powerful as the abyss itself... it all pointed to one conclusion.

It was highly likely that some of the Wizard Ship’s functions had been destroyed.

”Don’t be stupid,” a Wizard Freshman sneered. ”You think you can refuse a decision made by Tuta Wizard?”

Gray complained to Wang Ya, ”You’ve got to be kidding me. That Tuta Wizard really knows how to screw with people. Hunt Sea Beasts ourselves or we don’t eat? I think he’s specifically targeting us Wizard Freshmen from the Extraordinary Cultivation Species.”

Cultivating creatures required massive amounts of food to provide the Energy needed for their transformation.

Harak had already successfully transformed into an Extraordinary Creature, so it no longer needed Wang Ya to find food for it. It could hunt in the sea on its own.

In fact, this new rule could even help Wang Ya meet his required hunting quota for Sea Beasts.

The brown-skinned, flat-headed lizard, far larger than any normal lizard, had its eyes closed in a deep slumber.

From what Wang Ya could tell, the lizard had not yet become an Extraordinary Creature. Furthermore, Gray was still a long way from achieving the Ancient Physique of a Wizard.

For Gray, however, this new rule would be considerably more difficult.

Gray’s shoulders slumped. ”What else can we do?” he said helplessly. ”We just have to put up with it. No one can change Tuta Wizard’s mind.”

”I just hope there aren’t any more nasty surprises. We need to get to the Dark Wizard Academy as soon as possible.”