Chapter 18: Core Area (Please keep reading, please add to favorites, and please recommend!)

Chapter 18

Big news, absolute big news!

The Crucible has finally launched a war against the outside world!

Everyone knew that the Crucible would launch an external war roughly every ten years or so.

On one hand, it was to seize resources; on the other, it was to purge the internal apprentices and wizards.

The Crucible required elite wizards and apprentices. It had to be a process of picking the best from the best—only the strongest could remain and survive!

As for how they filtered them, it was, of course, through war!

For a dark wizard, only those who survived the war could be considered elites, worthy of continuing to exist within the Crucible!

When Lynn heard this news from Colin, his heart jolted violently.

Even though he had been somewhat prepared—after all, for the past two months, neither Sonia, Colin, nor his teacher or his enemies had come looking for him, clearly indicating that something unusual had occurred within the Crucible—hearing it directly from Colin still made his teeth tighten.

War!

This was no trivial matter.

A war by the Crucible was a declaration of war against external extraordinary powers; it was a declaration of war against other wizarding factions!

In such an environment, wizard apprentices were nothing more than soldiers in a secular army, serving essentially as cannon fodder.

An enemy wizard could wipe out a whole group of apprentices with a single casual spell!

Only formal wizards could be considered commanders on the battlefield, qualified to survive such a war.

Of course, "qualified" was merely a term; after all, there were precedents of formal wizards falling in the Crucible's wars.

After speaking, Colin kept his gaze locked on Lynn's face, observing his reaction.

When he saw the shock in Lynn's pupils, he nodded with satisfaction.

But he also noticed that although Lynn's heart was churning, he remained calm on the surface, maintaining an air of composure.

"You really can stay calm... Haha, as expected, you can't be intimidated..."

Colin shook his head with a laugh, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"You must remain calm no matter the circumstances; that is the mark of a good prospect for becoming a wizard. I have high hopes for you, Lynn."

Beside them, Sonia stood with her hands on her hips and gave a light smile. Although her face looked somewhat haggard, her smile possessed a unique charm.

"Hmm?"

Listening to the words of the two Level 3 wizard apprentices beside him, Lynn felt somewhat confused.

"Let me explain," Sonia said softly with a slight smile.

"Although the Crucible has declared war, our Magic Potion Garden is the safest place. We are responsible for logistics. Unless the Crucible is conquered by the enemy, we will not participate in frontline combat. Therefore, Lynn's safety is not an issue."

While Sonia's words were reassuring, her weary expression suggested that the Magic Potion Garden was indeed not as easy as it seemed on the surface.

Though they didn't have to go to the battlefield personally, as a logistics department, they still had to expend immense energy and effort.

Compared to wizards going directly to war, while the wizards of the Magic Potion Garden could preserve their lives, they could not afford to be careless.

"However, it seems Colin doesn't work in the Magic Potion Garden..."

Lynn suddenly remembered something.

To his surprise, Colin smiled and shook his head easily.

"I resigned a few days ago. Today, I officially transferred to work in the Magic Potion Garden."

"Deserting your post... aren't you afraid of the Crucible's punishment?"

Lynn couldn't help but complain inwardly. Seeing Colin's shamelessness, replaced instead by a look of smugness, he found it hard not to laugh.

However, with Teacher Rosalind's protection, Colin's safety wouldn't be an issue.

After holding a simple welcome ceremony for Colin, Lynn decided to start his vacation tomorrow and take the opportunity to visit the Wizardry Testing Room.

According to the regulations, every apprentice had two days of leave per month, which they could choose freely.

Lynn planned to take two consecutive days off and use the gap to check out the Wizardry Testing Room Sonia had mentioned.

The Crucible was divided into several areas: the Magic Potion Garden, the Beast Pen, the Alchemy Department, the Living Area...

The Wizardry Testing Room was not within these areas; it was located in the Core Area of the Crucible.

The Core Area consisted of a high tower. The tower was towering, and the entrance to the first floor required swiping an identity plaque to enter.

To enter this area, one had to pay a small amount of points just as a passage fee.

From his work over the past two months, Lynn's total wages amounted to fifty points.

When he swiped his card just now, one point was deducted, leaving him with forty-nine.

"Is the reason I don't like going out because I don't have money to spend? I might as well just meditate in the dormitory..."

Lynn muttered helplessly. He raised his hand to swipe his identity plaque again, and seeing the number change from fifty to forty-nine, he felt a pang of heartache.

Upon entering the high tower, Lynn was stunned by its scale.

The tower was exceptionally massive. Looking up, it appeared to have over ten floors, with each floor being more than four meters high and spanning an extremely wide area, giving off a sense of grandeur.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was captivated by the exquisite and magnificent architecture.

Although Lynn had experienced the shock of the skyscrapers of the modern era, this tower built through wizardry was completely different from modern reinforced concrete buildings, giving him an unprecedented sense of impact.

"The Wizardry Testing Room is on the first floor, just walk inside."

Lynn had looked at the map earlier, and he was currently navigating through the first-floor hall.

Although entering the Crucible's Core Area required a point, it wasn't as deserted as he had expected; instead, there were quite a few people.

Tall figures moved through the surroundings, everyone wearing the uniform robes of the Crucible.

Although Lynn was young and his physique had not yet fully developed, making him appear relatively small, he was already a Level 2 wizard apprentice. The energy factors and aura he carried gave him a unique presence, and no one looked down on him because of it.

"Here it is, the Wizardry Testing Room!"

Upon entering the Wizardry Testing Room, the first thing that caught his eye was a lobby that required points to enter, which was subdivided into multiple rooms.

When Lynn reached the lobby, he found that many people were already queuing, and some rooms were even occupied. Clearly, one would have to wait a while before testing could begin.

"Could it be because the Crucible is at war that everyone is coming here to test their combat strength, check for weaknesses, and supplement their power in advance to increase their chances of winning?"

Lynn speculated privately.

He walked toward the nearest Wizardry Testing Room, swiped his plaque, and selected the most basic testing item.

The testing fee was twenty points per hour. After swiping, he only needed to wait patiently; when it was his turn, his plaque would react.

Although this world had not developed high technology, wizardry, from a certain perspective, possessed technological characteristics and even surpassed conventional technology in certain aspects.

Furthermore, Lynn wasn't worried about being cut in line. In this Core Area, even formal wizards would not dare to interfere with others at will.

This was under the very nose of the Crucible Lord; anyone causing trouble here was essentially seeking death.

"I'll just wait a bit..."

Lynn muttered to himself, preparing to wait quietly, when suddenly, a surprised cry came from behind him.

"Lynn!"

Lynn froze slightly and turned around to see three figures walking toward him.

Although he only recognized one of them, that familiar figure made his eyebrows twitch.

It was the youth who had entered the Crucible alongside him and Remy during the assessment; Lynn had some impression of him.

Standing beside the youth were two tall figures wearing heavy robes with hoods covering their faces, making their features indistinguishable.

Before Lynn could speak, one of the people beside the youth pulled back their hood. With a half-smile playing on their lips, they spoke

"So you are Lynn, the Lynn who killed my useless brother."

Upon hearing these words, Lynn's pupils suddenly constricted.

He quickly realized the identity of the person, his expression darkening as he thought to himself

"Riley Robert!"

(End of Chapter)