The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Wang Ya stepped onto the deck carrying a deep-red, crustacean-like Sea Beast. Harak flew down and landed on his shoulder.

The other Wizard Freshmen on deck were still like strangers to one another. They cast him a passing glance, showing no intention of striking up a conversation.

On his way to the storage room, he happened to run into Anna coming out. Her brow furrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

There were far too many maverick Wizard Freshmen trying to get her attention. Such tactics were useless.

The two of them passed each other.

After weighing the Sea Beast and recording the information, Wang Ya moved on to his next task: completing the follow-up improvement plan for his Fear-Burning Fire Witchcraft.

Inside his room, Wang Ya sat in a chair, spread out a sheet of draft paper, and began writing down his insights on Witchcraft Knowledge.

Experimenting with the Fear-Burning Fire Witchcraft and analyzing the data had solidified Wang Ya’s understanding of this particular piece of Witchcraft Knowledge.

His shortcoming was his weak foundation. He understood *how* to perform the spell, but he hadn’t yet grasped its fundamental principles.

It was like being able to use a tool without understanding the principles of how it worked.

He needed to systematically study a vast amount of basic Extraordinary Knowledge, covering topics like the relationship between active and inert Elemental Particles, the influence of Fire Elemental Particle Energy’s frequency and amplitude on a Witchcraft’s power, Elemental Essence Theory, a detailed explanation of Wizard Particle Energy, and analyses of Extraordinary Books.

On the bookshelf, Wang Ya found introductions to these basic fields of Extraordinary Knowledge, along with notices explaining their importance.

The Dark Land Wizard Influence had already started its investment aboard the Wizard Ship, though it was subtle, requiring a discerning eye to notice.

For the Wizard Freshmen, the tests and trials had begun the moment they stepped onto the Wizard Ship.

The Eye of Truth was a shortcut, but building a solid foundation was also extremely important.

Wang Ya set down his feather pen. He had finished writing the improvement plan for his Fear-Burning Fire Witchcraft.

The plan could be broken down into two main parts.

First, he needed to improve his proficiency with the Witchcraft, ideally shortening the casting time to under two seconds.

Second, he had to supplement his foundational knowledge to understand the essential process of how Fire Elemental Particles form the Witchcraft and are then released to create an effect.

This would give him a more thorough understanding of subsequent Advanced Witchcraft Knowledge, and even High-tier Witchcraft Knowledge.

It might even become possible for him to add his own innovations to the original framework.

The last rays of twilight sank below the distant horizon.

Wang Ya closed the window, the light inside his room holding the encroaching darkness at bay.

[Prompt: ’Fire Elemental Particle Energy Shield’ analysis complete.]

Wang Ya first went to the washroom and splashed some water on his face. A massive influx of Extraordinary Knowledge flooded his mind, making him slightly dizzy. He paused for a moment, then began to absorb it all. The method for casting this Witchcraft, how to control the amount of Particle Energy, and the nature of its effects—all of it became clear in his mind.

As its name suggested, it was a type of Energy Shield Witchcraft. Energy Shields formed from different Elemental Particle Energies all had subtle differences in their effects.

In a battle between Wizards, an Energy Shield was crucial, as it could defend against an enemy’s Witchcraft Attacks to a certain extent.

While on the defensive, a Wizard could rely on their Energy Shield to buy time and regain the momentum of the fight.

According to the information in the Inheritance Witch Book, a fully cast Fire Elemental Particle Energy Shield could withstand a single Witchcraft Attack of 15 degrees or less.

Any attack from a mundane metal weapon, like a sword or blade, would be turned into molten metal the instant it got close.

Only the Extraordinary can contend with the Extraordinary.

Time at sea passed quickly. With the aid of the Eye of Truth, it took him about ten days to successfully master this Low-tier Witchcraft.

However, an accident occurred while he was testing the Witchcraft.

While out hunting Sea Beasts, Wang Ya ventured far from the Wizard Ship, arriving at a stretch of sea where the surface was unusually calm.

He was even farther out than the last time he had tested a Witchcraft; perhaps having Extraordinary Power had made him a little too bold.

Before he could even test the Fire Elemental Particle Energy Shield, a faint GURGLING sound made the color drain from his face. He started swimming back toward the Wizard Ship as if he had seen a ghost.

He swam with all his might toward the Wizard Ship, even directing Harak to fly back to him.

The once-calm surface of the sea suddenly rippled. A great number of green, granular objects bubbled up from below, floating on the water.

But that wasn’t the critical part. Below the surface, a massive, shadowy silhouette was drifting toward Wang Ya.

Looking closely at the green particles, one could see tiny black dots at their centers that pulsed open and shut, like the eyes of some creature.

[Prompt: Information on the Middle-tier Extraordinary Creature ’Jellyfish with Thousand Green Eyes’ has been collected. Begin analysis...?]

The shadowy silhouette below moved in tandem with the green particles on the surface. It was fast—at least, faster than Wang Ya could swim.

As he watched the distance between them shrink, the underwater silhouette extended several tentacles, which stretched out toward him.

All of Wang Ya’s Witchcraft was based on Fire Elemental Particles. Out here in the vast ocean, its power was already diminished, to say nothing of the fact that this behemoth was an Extraordinary Creature on par with a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice.

The few Particle Energy Units he had were barely enough to cast a single spell.

This was a life-or-death crisis.

Wang Ya felt a pang of regret, but it was overshadowed by a stark realization. ’I can’t let a little bit of power make me lose my Wizard’s Heart.’

’Be cautious. Be careful. And always maintain absolute fear and respect for the unknown.’

The shadowy silhouette extended at least ten tentacles, which snaked toward him to ensnare him.

Wang Ya’s expression turned grim. He stopped treading water. At some point, an ancient sheepskin scroll had appeared in his hand, covered in countless Wizard Runes.

Only a Wizard could understand the meaning composed by the script.

It was called Decay of the Water Prison, a Middle-tier Witchcraft!