Chapter 14 Black Tower Wizard Academy

"Finally solved."

Richard wiped the sweat from his forehead. This battle was the most perilous moment since he had arrived in this world. If not for the Fireball Magic Wand, this powerful weapon, ten of him wouldn't have been enough to stand against that madman.

After searching through the forest, Richard collected Saban's arm bracelet and Great Sword.

To Richard's surprise, the pair of arm bracelets turned out to be Magic Tools, and they even had the ability to recharge themselves with Magic Power. The Great Sword, however, was simply made of extraordinary material and was not a Magic Tool itself.

Richard tried refining the arm bracelet with the Miracle Furnace, but the furnace remained unresponsive.

"What exactly is the pattern to this refining skill? I can refine Heisen Baron's Great Sword and the Synthetic Beast Core, but why can't these Magic Tools be refined?"

Richard was clueless for the moment and had to put the issue aside. He began to study the function of the arm bracelet.

He put the arm bracelet on his arms, and in an instant, a cool surge of Energy flowed from his arms throughout his body. The wounds on Richard's body began to clot and heal at a visible rate under the influence of this energy.

"No wonder that madman couldn't be killed by a barrage of minor Fireballs; he was wearing such a treasure."

Richard marveled for a moment, then suddenly felt some scratches inside the arm bracelet.

After taking it off, he discovered an inscription on the inside.

"What is this?"

Richard read it once and found that it detailed a method of breathing. This seemed very familiar to Richard, as if the Heisen Baron from his past life knew something similar.

"Forget it, I should leave first. Once I'm at the Academy, I'll have plenty of time to figure it out."

Richard shook his head, put the arm bracelet back on, and once again started on his way.

...

On the fourth day after the exam began, some of the more powerful Apprentices had already started arriving at the rendezvous point.

Kevin Medici staggered out from the woods.

After four days of traveling and battling, this young lord, who was neither a Knight nor a formal Wizard Apprentice, was completely exhausted.

Fighting, traveling, being on guard, escaping, and finally reaching the rendezvous point.

Having completed all this, Kevin felt as if he had transcended, confident that no hardship in this world could defeat him.

"Griffith, we've arrived," Kevin called back.

Behind him, a blond, brawny man carrying a Great Sword was slowly advancing. He was Kevin's teammate and the main reason he had survived being pursued by Magic Beasts.

This man named Griffith had single-handedly slain a Magic Beast as powerful as a Demon.

"Mm."

Griffith nodded.

Griffith hadn't revealed his identity, but judging by his temperament and his formidable strength, Kevin guessed he must be a Cultivator from some monastery.

Entering the rendezvous point, Kevin collapsed on the ground, his entire body relaxing at once.

The rendezvous point was a safe zone; reaching it meant he was safe.

"Kevin?"

At the sound, Kevin looked up and saw a slender figure carrying a Great Sword and holding a Magic Wand emerge from the crowd of Apprentices.

"Richard!?"

On recognizing the person, Kevin was shocked. Compared to his own disheveled appearance, Richard, despite looking a bit ragged, was brimming with vitality. In contrast, Richard hardly seemed like he had just been through a life-or-death exam.

"It really is you."

Richard walked over to Kevin, smiling, and pulled him up.

After all, Kevin still owed him a Magic Stone.

"It seems my decision wasn't wrong, aligning myself with you was the right choice. Too bad we never got to use it," Kevin said, smiling wryly to Richard.

The alliance he had worked so hard to build had been turned into a joke by a single statement from a Wizard.

"Isn't being alive all that matters? Go and register with the Wizard quickly. There's a Transmission Array at the rendezvous point. It activates for every hundred people; counting your friend, we're about to reach a hundred."

With that, Richard squinted at the brawny blond man behind Kevin.

This blond giant had been watching him ever since he appeared.

"Friend, why are you staring at me?"

Griffith bowed slightly to Richard, "It seems Saban died at your hand."

"You recognize the owner of this sword?"

Richard looked up into the eyes of the brawny man, who was at least a Knight. Moreover, judging by his aura, the man had established a Magic Power circuit; he was a Dual Cultivation Warrior.

"Let me introduce you, this is Griffith, a genius knight from another continent."

Kevin stepped between the two, acutely sensing that the atmosphere was a bit off.

"I know him. Back in the Norton Empire, he always wanted to kill me," Griffith sighed, "He had great talent, what a shame."

Seeing that this was not about seeking vengeance, Richard didn't say more.

After Kevin and Griffith had registered, the wizard issued the teleportation command.

"Prepare for teleportation. Apprentices who experience dizziness from the Transmission Array, close your eyes.

Three, two, one, teleport!"

In an instant, the meeting point flashed with light, and Richard's vision was once again filled with the chaotic colors unique to teleportation.

When his vision returned to normal, he saw a scene he would never forget in his life.

"This is..." Richard murmured.

Before him stood a colossal tower that could only be described as majestic. It reached towards the heavens as if connecting the earth with the divine abode of the gods. The myriad carvings on the tower were so lifelike, they seemed to have souls sealed within them. At the tower's corners, the gargoyle statues with their snarling faces and claws looked as if they might come to life at any moment.

"This is the Central Black Tower. Originally, it was the Wizard Tower of the dean, only accessible to wizards. After the academy was established, the dean opened up the first fifty floors for educational purposes."

Richard looked toward the source of the voice, which belonged to an owl twice the normal size.

The owl spoke human language, clutching a large sack in its talons.

"Little fellow, I am the Academy Inspector and your guide. I am responsible for monitoring whether you all adhere to the school's rules," said the owl before throwing the sack to the ground, which was filled with smaller pouches.

"Now get your stuff and follow me. I'll show you around the academy."

...

The composition of Black Tower Wizard Academy was quite straightforward. Apart from the Central Black Tower, where classes were normally held, it was divided into three areas: the Experimental Zone, the Living District, and the Commercial Area.

The Experimental Zone was for wizards and Wizard Apprentices to conduct hazardous experiments and was the largest of the three areas. The Commercial Area, on the other hand, was used for selling experimental materials, casting ingredients, and Magic Tools. In addition to shops run by wizards from the academy, external Wizard Commerce companies and Wizard Apprentices from within the academy also set up their businesses there.

The common currency of the Commercial Area was the Academy Coin, issued by the academy, but it also accepted Magic Stones. The value of one Magic Stone was pegged at one hundred Academy Coins.

Lastly, the Living District catered to the apprentices' daily needs of clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. Ready-to-wear shops, restaurants, and even carriage services could be found in the Living District. Numerous black towers dotted the landscape, where every Wizard Apprentice had their own private room with no rent required.

Richard followed the owl for a whole day and finally completed a full tour of the academy. At the end, he caught sight of Ali among the newly arrived apprentices.

"Hey! Richard! You really made it through!"

Ali looked a bit disheveled, her originally beautiful blond hair had been singed quite a bit by flames, and there was a charred scar on her forehead. Her clothes were somewhat tattered, but Richard was no better off in that aspect.

It was quite normal to have your clothes torn by branches and thorns while walking through the forest.

"I was a bit luckier, got here before you."

Even though it had only been a few days since they last saw each other, seeing a familiar face in this strange academy was somehow comforting.

As the sky darkened, plants resembling dandelions began sprouting beside the academy's pathways. The dandelions emitted a bright yet soft glow, illuminating the path like street lamps.

"Night Light Dandelions, a trophy from the dean's conquest of another Plane. They are used as street lamps in the academy during the night."

As Richard walked, he introduced the general situation of the academy to Ali. Her group of apprentices had arrived right at dusk, and the owl, thinking that the new students needed rest, handed out items and left on its own.

"So beautiful."

Ali, looking at the dandelions, had a look of surprise and fascination in her eyes, overwhelmed by the scenery of the academy.

Was this really the academy that seemed so murderous during the entrance exam? Shouldn't the grounds be filled with crosses, debris everywhere, students sitting on coffins in class, and teachers each as ferocious as demons?

"But remember not to touch them. If provoked, they will use their seeds as weapons. The blast from the seeds is not any weaker than the low-level Fireball Technique."

Richard's words abruptly shattered Ali's illusions.

Richard pointed to a tower not far away, "Over there is the Living District, new apprentices have their own tower. Don't worry about not finding a room."

The academy had a special area for newcomers to serve as a buffer. After the newcomers had been in the academy for three years, they would move out of the newcomer area to find new accommodation.

As Richard headed toward the tower, he suddenly felt someone pulling at the hem of his clothes.

"Oh, then... let's be neighbors from now on."

Ali was tugging on Richard's clothes, her hair falling to the side, covering her expression.

"Be neighbors?" Richard didn't pay much attention to Ali's reaction. The minds of young girls were like the summer's clouds and rain, unpredictable.

"Sure, the academy doesn't specifically separate male and female students."

"Really! That's great."

Ali looked up suddenly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Let's go," said Richard, pointing to the tower in the distance, "Arriving early has its perks: no one to fight over rooms with. It's already so late, let's find a room we like and settle down for now."