Realizing she was about to be surrounded by wasteland wolves, a grim expression crossed the apprentice's face.
Without hesitation, the apprentice shoved her right hand backward.
Crack! Her right palm split open, revealing rows of pale white teeth, as though a second mouth had sprouted from it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
From the mouth on her right hand, several globules of foul-smelling green solution were instantly launched.
"Awoooo…"
The solution struck the wasteland wolves, immediately producing thick plumes of white smoke and corroding them at a terrifying speed, exposing the wolves' vivid red muscle and stark white bone.
The wolves' assault faltered, and seizing the opening, the apprentice rapidly chanted a few syllables, casting an acceleration spell on herself.
At last, just before the wolf pack could catch up, the apprentice lunged into a layer of white mist.
Once inside, she let out a heavy breath of relief.
She glanced around.
Strange to say, there were a good number of human structures here, all wooden — they looked like a temporary settlement.
Surrounding the area, numerous official wizards and apprentices in Black Bone Forest Academy attire were moving about.
"Halt! Apprentice! State the password! And show your identification!"
Countless black owls swarmed around the apprentice, assembling into a colossal humanoid figure. A voice issued from its mouth.
"Black Bone supreme!" the apprentice whispered, then produced a black badge and held it up before the giant.
"Correct!" the giant said, and its form dissolved back into a multitude of owls that scattered in every direction. The apprentice, meanwhile, pulled out a map and compared it against her surroundings.
"I didn't realize I'd penetrated this far in. This area is marked as a danger zone with three or more white bones. Unless you're at the rank of an official wizard, you'd best leave as soon as possible…"
"Well, well! What a revolting smell! Let me guess who's shown up!"
Just then, the apprentice was surrounded by a group of apprentices heading outward.
The one leading them was also dressed in apprentice robes, but the fabric was noticeably fine. Around their neck hung a slender silver necklace radiating powerful energy fluctuations — clearly a magical item.
"As if there's any need to guess? That nauseating stench, like something crawling out of a sewer — who else could it be but our pig-girl Nis?"
The other apprentices burst into laughter.
The one who had spoken now strode forward and yanked back the apprentice's hood.
Beneath it was revealed an exceedingly ugly face.
A bald head, sparse teeth, and a pig-like snout — her entire body reeked of filth.
This apprentice who had entered the outpost turned out to be Nis — Leilin's former countrywoman and old classmate.
"Lady Lilisite!" Nis bowed, though her expression was stiff.
She had endured countless acts of discrimination and petty cruelty at the Black Bone Forest Academy because of her appearance, but most apprentices never went quite this far.
The apprentice blocking her path was of the Lilisite family bloodline, trailed by a retinue of lackeys, their arrogance on full display. They had frequently mocked Nis for her looks back at the Academy.
"Mm." The lead apprentice gave a curt nod, a look of smug superiority on their face.
"Pig-girl Nis, this is no place for you. Don't let your stench disturb the honored wizards! They're all my ancestors, you know!"
The Lilisite apprentice covered their nose, a sneer of contempt twisting their features.
"I… I'll leave right away…" Nis scrambled backward.
But as she turned to go, she tripped, and almost without thinking, the red mineral in her hand was exposed.
"Hold on!" The apprentice immediately called her to a stop. "What's that in your hand? Hand it over!"
"No! No! It's nothing!" Nis retreated again and again. Though she tried desperately to hide her panic, the fear in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
"You worthless wretch!"
The apprentice cursed and suddenly struck. His entire right arm bulged grotesquely, muscles swelling one lump after another, veins standing out in thick, bulging lines.
Bang! He drove his fist into Nis's face, sending her entire body flying like a rubber ball.
In midair, a red mineral tumbled from her grasp and hit the ground, spinning like a top.
"A Makov Crystal? And red-quality, at that?" The Lilisite apprentice stared at the red mineral on the ground, a flash of delight and greed flickering through their eyes.
"That's mine… that's mine…" Seeing the greed on the Lilisite apprentice's face, Nis felt her heart sink. But this crystal was enormously important to her — it was her ticket to advancement. Summoning every ounce of her courage, she said in a low voice, "It belongs to me."
"What a thick-skinned little tramp!"
The Lilisite apprentice who had struck her shook out his arm. "This crystal is clearly what I harvested yesterday. You filthy little thief, you shameless scoundrel — you not only dare to steal it, but you actually claim it's yours?"
The apprentice waved his hand. "Get her! Seize this thief and hand her over to the Academy's enforcement squad!"
Behind him, the other apprentices closed in with malicious grins.
Nis stumbled backward, yellow pus streaming from her eyes.
The nearby apprentices watched the scene unfold, yet for some reason remained perfectly calm. Even several visiting wizards among them did nothing.