Chapter 14: The Enemy, Riley (Please keep reading, add to favorites, and recommend!)

Chapter 14

"It's you!"

Lynn blurted out. The young man standing before him, who had come to deliver supplies, was also taken aback; he clearly hadn't expected to run into the guy who had finished off Russell.

In truth, Lynn didn't hold much hostility toward this youth or the other apprentice who had come with him.

After all, he had only fought a life-or-death battle with Russell, while these two had been responsible for tasks elsewhere.

Lynn hadn't initiated contact with them today simply out of caution. Russell had killed over twenty examinees, and the hands of the other two were clearly not clean either.

But seeing the youth before him now, a thought occurred to Lynn.

He wanted to seize this opportunity to talk, as he was in urgent need of information regarding Russell.

Although Lynn had emerged victorious in their duel, the power backing Russell would clearly not let the matter rest.

The fact that he had almost been transferred to the Alchemy Department today was the result of their interference.

Yet, regarding Russell’s background, Lynn knew almost nothing.

Lynn took a deep breath, forced a smile, and softened his tone

"It seems we have quite the connection... Please, come in. By the way, my name is Lynn. May I ask what to call you?"

He pulled the door open, gesturing for the other to enter.

Currently, both were apprentices at the Crucible and worked in the Herb Garden. They had no direct grievances, and they would likely cross paths often in the future.

"Remy. My name is Remy."

The youth seemed to understand this logic as well. He nodded, stated his name, and carried the items into Lynn’s room.

As the door clicked shut, the atmosphere between them eased significantly.

"You want to ask about Russell, right? His background and where he was headed after entering the Crucible?"

Remy paused, seemingly having guessed Lynn’s intent, and then spoke.

"Actually, my relationship with Russell wasn't that great; we were just acquaintances. He did mention a few things to me, like his plan to find his cousin in the Alchemy Department once he entered the Crucible. As for his cousin's name, it should be Riley Robert..."

"Riley Robert..." Lynn repeated the name in a low voice, nodding thoughtfully. "Thank you."

For the time that followed, Lynn and Remy chatted for quite a while, exchanging views on the Herb Garden and the inner workings of the Crucible.

When the conversation gradually came to an end, Lynn stood up, opened the door, and smiled as he saw Remy out.

Watching Remy leave, the smile on Lynn’s face slowly faded.

Lynn sat back on his bed, his mind churning with thoughts.

"Riley Robert... I'll find a chance to ask Colin to help me dig into his background."

At the very least, he now knew who the enemy lurking in the shadows was, which brought him a small sense of relief.

He let out a long breath and turned his gaze toward the window.

The sun had long since sunk below the horizon, and the night had grown deep, with specks of starlight scattered across the sky.

"I slept through the entire afternoon... I should eat something first, then study what I gained today. Especially the 'Nature Wizard' and that 'Seed of Life' the teacher mentioned."

Lynn pulled out the few loaves of bread Colin had stuffed into his hands earlier, chewed them simply, drank some water, and filled his stomach.

Afterward, he checked that the door was locked tight, sat at the desk by the window, and laid out the three books his teacher had left him, one by one.

He prepared to begin studying the contents in earnest.

The first book, *Travels of Life*, was a travelogue written by a Nature Wizard.

It recorded the adventures of a wizard across various parts of the world, filled with rich descriptions of local customs and scenery; it read more like a work of literature.

The second book, *Introduction to Nature Wizards*, and the third, *From Nature Novice to Master of the Earth*, were relatively serious foundational textbooks that detailed the introductory knowledge and the path of advancement for Nature Wizards.

However, Lynn knew clearly that he couldn't even be considered a true Nature Wizard yet.

Whether it was an Elemental Wizard, Bloodline Wizard, Summoning Wizard, or Nature Wizard, the common prerequisite was that one must first become a formal wizard.

Lynn was currently only a wizard apprentice.

Within the Crucible, the path of advancement for apprentices was much the same

Apprentices of Elemental Wizards needed to continuously increase their mental power through meditation, advancing from a First-Rank Apprentice to Second, then Third, and finally making the sprint to become a formal wizard.

Bloodline Wizards, while increasing their mental power, also needed to fuse with special bloodlines to enhance their strength.

As for Nature Wizards, their path was more unique, revolving almost entirely around the "Seed of Life."

Lynn touched the center of his forehead, where that Seed of Life—Yggdrasil—existed within his mental realm.

As he continued to flip through the pages, his brow furrowed deeper.

The path of growth for a Nature Wizard, aside from increasing mental power, required establishing a profound connection with this Seed of Life.

He had to inject his mental power into it and leave his own mark.

What followed was a long process of cultivation.

He needed to constantly nourish the Seed of Life with his mental power until it was full of vitality and began to sprout.

During this period, the Seed of Life would occupy the majority of his mental resources.

Assuming Lynn’s total mental power was one hundred, at least eighty percent—eighty points of mental power—had to be used to sustain the growth of the Seed of Life.

This meant that when using spells in his daily life, he could only utilize less than twenty percent of his mental power!

"No wonder the teacher always said her students were always poor in combat..."

Lynn rubbed his brow, a helpless smile appearing on his face.

"So that's why. The combat effectiveness of Nature Wizard apprentices is indeed not high."

He finally understood the reason.

On the long road of advancement from a First-Rank Apprentice to a formal wizard, Nature Wizards needed to dedicate eighty percent of their mental power to nourishing the Seed of Life, and the remaining twenty percent was simply insufficient to support high-intensity combat.

"Such a long development time... I hope this Seed of Life and the path of the Nature Wizard won't let me down."

Even as he said this, a trace of doubt arose in Lynn’s heart.

During his conversation with his "classmate" Remy, he had more or less inquired about the research and study directions of the Dark Wizards.

Compared to other wizard categories, the cultivation method of a Nature Wizard seemed out of place, even somewhat contrary to the "style" of Dark Wizards.

Dark Wizards usually favored spells that were quick to take effect and high in power, such as the Elemental Wizard type, which was easy to pick up and directly destructive, or existences like Necromancers, who used cold, highly lethal methods.

And Nature Wizards?

They had almost zero combat capability in the early stages. For a Dark Wizard to choose this path was no different from seeking death.

"Perhaps... this path was meant for the world of White Wizards."

Lynn sighed softly, then shook his head, casting aside his daydreams and distracting thoughts.

He knew very well that regardless of whether the path of the Nature Wizard suited him, he could no longer turn back.

Moreover, he was in the Crucible, dominated by Dark Wizards; adapting to the environment and increasing his strength was the only key to survival.

"Instead of letting my mind wander, I might as well study more about Nature Wizardry..."

Thinking of this, Lynn turned his attention back to the book in his hands and continued to read.

(End of chapter)