Headmaster Slade turned around and addressed the group of apprentices: "You are all among the most outstanding apprentices of Black Bone Forest Academy. You have been through blood and fire, battle and slaughter — you are not flowers grown in a greenhouse, but young and ferocious lion cubs! I want you to hunt your prey, track them, ambush them, and finally — tear them apart!!!"
As he spoke those last words, Headmaster Slade's bright eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, shooting out a savage light. His entire face looked somewhat twisted.
Leilin's expression was grave, and he honestly didn't know what to say.
Next, the headmaster promised a great many rewards — all related to the precious materials and advanced knowledge one could obtain by killing the opposing apprentices. The group of apprentices lit up, their eyes gleaming.
"Just as the rumors say — our headmaster is an extremely aggressive person!" Leilin sighed inwardly. "I wonder how many of these people will actually survive in the end?"
Meanwhile, the headmasters of Gothic Sage's Cottage and Whitewood Castle were also giving their speeches. Judging by the way their apprentices kept cheering and nodding, Leilin actually felt a small spark of hope.
The academies on the South Coast had each inherited the style of their respective headmasters. Black Bone Forest Academy clearly valued bloodshed and violence, openly promoting the theory of the strong devouring the weak — its overall style leaned heavily toward Dark Wizards.
These two rival powers, on the other hand, were clearly more aligned with Light Wizard tendencies. Although many of their apprentices had already reached the third rank, Leilin didn't see the sharpness and cunning in their eyes that he expected. In fact, quite a few still had a touch of naivety — much like several retired apprentices he'd met in Polar Night City.
"If that's the case, then there's still a chance!"
Leilin's eyes flashed with a glint of light. His only goal was to earn enough contribution points to trade for Glengreen Water — he had absolutely no desire to stir up unnecessary trouble.
One vial of Glengreen Water cost fifty contribution points. That meant Leilin needed to kill five third-rank opposing apprentices, or slaughter even more second-rank ones, to accumulate enough.
"Wizard Apprentices don't have the defensive fields that full Wizards do. As long as I have time and carefully choose my targets, I can definitely earn enough contribution points!"
Leilin studied the opposing apprentices, his gaze lingering on a few third-rank ones whose fluctuations were noticeably weaker.
These would be his prey!
"Alright! The entrance to this secret realm will remain open for three days. During these three days, you will be randomly teleported to various locations within the realm. Keep your badges safe — they are proof of your merit and your guide back!!!"
With a wave of Slade's hand, the Black Bone Forest Academy apprentices formed orderly lines and began filing into the secret realm's entrance.
Under the mediation of the Black Night Lighthouse, Black Bone Forest had secured several favorable conditions — such as entering before the two rival academies, gaining a certain advantage.
But Leilin understood all too well how laughable that slight edge was in the face of the opponent's overwhelming strength.
Both sides had roughly the same number of apprentices — around two hundred each — but the opposing side's third-rank apprentices outnumbered them by five or six times over.
Setting aside those who had fallen in large numbers during the war, many Black Bone Forest apprentices had also failed to return in time, or had directly defected and been killed. The result was a massive gap in elite power — Black Bone Forest was far inferior to its rivals.
And yet, under these circumstances, the headmaster of Black Bone Forest Academy still provoked the enemy like this. It almost made Leilin believe the earlier rumors — that the war had been started single-handedly by this very Headmaster Slade!
While lost in thought, Leilin followed the apprentice in front of him and stepped through the entrance to the secret realm.
……
Bzzzz!!!
The moment he entered the realm, Leilin's vision went black. When he came to his senses, he was standing on unfamiliar ground.
His head was spinning, as if a hundred thousand bees were all buzzing their wings at once. Leilin grimaced, nearly vomiting on the spot.
"Host experiencing adverse reactions — symptoms include dizziness and nausea. Preliminary assessment: aftereffects of spatial transfer!!!"
The Chip's voice rang out. Leilin slapped his forehead, then opened his water flask and splashed the icy water across his face before feeling somewhat better.
He looked around. Before his eyes stretched a landscape of low bushes and shrubs, with a few unknown fruit trees scattered among the surrounding grass. They bore clusters of purplish-red berries covered in fine, bristly hairs.
"Chip, scan the surroundings!"
Leilin issued the command, and immediately a three-dimensional blue holographic image materialized before his eyes.
"Seems like there's no danger." Leilin nodded, then recited a few syllables.
As the spell incantation sounded, Leilin's face underwent a strange transformation — his eyes grew larger, his lips thinner, his hair changed color, and he became a completely different person. Even his height shrank by several centimeters.
Most remarkably, after this zero-level spell was completed, the energy fluctuations emanating from Leilin's body gradually weakened, dropping from third-rank apprentice to second-rank, and finally settling at roughly first-rank apprentice levels.
"Mimicry Spell (Improved Version) — can alter a person's height and appearance, as well as adjust spiritual power fluctuations. Cost: 3 mana, 3 spiritual power!"