When Edwyn heard the man introduce himself, he jolted upright.
"Greetings, Chancellor!"
The Grand Mage of the Black Tower burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand, instantly awakening the other apprentices.
"This batch of young ones looks promising. Elric, you've been putting in the work these past few years."
Elric gave a slight nod. "Just doing my duty."
Following the Grand Mage into the room, Edwyn found himself in a grand study. Towering bookshelves covered half the space, and the other half was filled with bizarre curios displayed on stands, protected by transparent barriers, likely the Grand Mage's personal collection.
Despite his status, the Grand Mage acted without airs, or perhaps someone of his level no longer needed to maintain appearances.
The title Grand Mage was rare; only about a thousand individuals held it across the entire Magus World. The name itself symbolized power and prestige.
In most planets of the Star Ocean, a Grand Mage was synonymous with another title, World Overlord.
The Grand Mage approached a female mage. Her hair, infused with elemental blood, blazed like living fire, sparks dancing with every flicker.
"Little Susanna, it's been two hundred years, hasn't it? Did you miss your old teacher?"
Susanna gave an awkward smile and a small nod.
Though she was over four thousand years old, before this man, she felt like a child again.
"This one's your student?" The Grand Mage glanced at Elia, who immediately turned pale.
"Yes, Chancellor," Susanna answered.
"She looks talented." He patted Elia's head and casually handed her a gem radiating intense heat.
"A lava gem. A little trinket from another planet. Have an Alchemist turn it into a wand, it'll boost your fire-element spells by at least twenty energy units."
Hearing that, the other students looked at Elia with envy.
Connections had their perks.
Elia glanced at her mentor, who gave her a resigned nod. Only then did she accept the lava gem.
"Thank you, Chancellor!"
The Grand Mage led the group to a large door.
"Behind this door is the secret realm. Most of it reflects the Age of Enlightenment of the Magus World. A few parts are fragments I spliced in from other worlds. You'll be teleported randomly, where you land is up to fate." As he spoke, scrolls flew from his sleeves and floated to each student.
"Hold onto these scrolls. You'll have three hours to explore. When time's up, the scroll will activate and eject you. It'll also protect you from the intelligent beings within, but only if you don't provoke them."
He paused, then added, "And the scrolls won't protect you from brainless creatures. So stay sharp, and don't die in there."
Everyone nodded and tucked their scrolls into their robes.
Following the leaderboard order, Edwyn and another High Apprentice entered first.
The moment Edwyn stepped through, he felt a wave of nausea, and his vision dissolved into shifting blobs of color.
When his sight cleared, he found himself in a warped, pitch-black forest.
Edwyn steadied himself and surveyed the area.
The secret realm's sky had a sun just like the Magus World. It didn't seem much different, except for one thing: the mana density.
Here, it far exceeded even the 301st floor of the Central Black Tower. In fact, his mana regeneration now matched the speed of absorbing Mana Stones.
"So this was the Age of Enlightenment of the Magus World... what did the Mages do to ruin it?"
Edwyn sighed, then dove into exploration. Three hours wasn't short, but it wasn't long either.
Within the twisted forest, he easily found many magical plants, several of which had been extinct in the modern Magus World.
"Golden Needle Grass, primary ingredient for neuro-antidotes."
"Brown Bear Mushroom, base for low-tier strength potions."
"Holy crap, White Crystal Flower! This thing's extinct outside. A single specimen can sell for hundreds of Mana Stones, and there's a whole patch here!"
As a student of the alchemy school, Edwyn felt like a rat in a grain warehouse, tempted to strip the soil clean.
Meanwhile, the other nineteen students had begun their own search. But compared to Edwyn, their knowledge fell short. Most couldn't even identify what they found. They just scooped up everything and planned to sort it out later.
All of this was being broadcast to the mentors via the Grand Mage's projection spell.
Watching the students fumble around like headless chickens, the Grand Mage sighed.
"Don't they teach natural science anymore? Back when I was an apprentice, natural history was mandatory."
The surrounding mages looked embarrassed. In today's world, there were virtually no rare wild materials left. Natural studies had been reduced to a side elective, only the alchemy school still taught it.
"Forget it." The Grand Mage waved his hand. "Let's get to the point. Remember that cross-academy exchange I mentioned with the White Tower Magus Academy? The council approved it…"
…
As Edwyn ventured deeper into the twisted forest, he began to encounter things beyond his knowledge.
"What's that?"
The soil ahead seemed soft, something beneath it was wriggling.
His eyes narrowed. Lightning-fast, he snatched a black worm from the ground.
It looked like an earthworm: soft, segmented, black. But unlike normal worms, this one was finger-thick and a full meter long. From a distance, it could be mistaken for a snake.
It had nine pale rings across its body.
"Nine-ring worm…"
A memory clicked. A fragment of knowledge surfaced.
"This is a Runeworm! Its bodily fluids accelerate healing and can unlock physical potential." Edwyn lit up.
This creature was nearly extinct in the modern Magus World. A few still survived in the central continent's forests. It was a Class II protected species, hunting banned, but captive breeding allowed.
He'd seen this worm in the notes for Body of Adaptation. According to Joron, adding its extract to the potion could activate regenerative effects during training.
Joron had once raised a runeworm, but it died during an experiment. He'd never found another one since.
"This is gold. Into the bag you go."
Edwyn pulled out a nutrient-filled case from his magic pouch. Runeworms were incredibly resilient. Even in a vacuum, they could survive hours. With nourishment, a few days in the pouch wouldn't be a problem.
He ventured a few hundred meters deeper and suddenly entered a clearing.
There stood a towering tree, hundreds of meters high. Its gnarled limbs twisted like a monster. Nestled among the branches, Edwyn saw a massive bird nest.
It was built from twigs, but also littered with bones radiating powerful auras.
"That's gotta be the Chancellor's pet. Even its nest is made of elite corpses."
Edwyn didn't dare linger. The Chancellor's warning echoed in his mind. He could feel a powerful presence inside, likely a hatchling or egg.
But with so much else to explore, there was no need to pick a fight.
Moments after Edwyn left, another apprentice arrived.
Sensing the life within the nest, greed glinted in his eyes.
But before he could act,
A piercing screech split the air beside his ears.