After leaving Master Mosido's laboratory, Sene made his way through the sprawling buildings of the Dark Magic Academy, heading towards his small dwelling.
Morsobla City was vast, and the high-ranking dark sorcerers did not reside in the same area as the apprentices. As Sene passed the towering lecture halls, he encountered many other apprentices on his way to his dormitory. However, like Sene, they all wore expressions of urgency, rarely stopping for conversation. The academy's rules were cold; between magical apprentices, apart from subservience, there was only animosity—friends were a rarity.
The last stretch of Sene's journey to his dormitory led him through a grove of dark green white crow trees, and it was here that he ran into a roadblock.
"Hmph, Sene! It turns out Scarface Jork was right; you've taken a serious beating," came a sharp, mocking laugh.
A black-robed apprentice, wearing a white mask, suddenly leaped out from the white crow trees lining the path. This apprentice was roughly Sene's height but differed markedly; while Sene sported coveted short golden hair, this one had a dull mixed shade of gray and white.
Conflicts among magical apprentices were common.
The enmity between Sene and this apprentice, Ilk, dated back ten years to when Sene first arrived in the Dark Regions. In a desperate bid for food to avoid starvation, he had once knocked out a fellow captive his age with a single punch—unfortunately for Sene, that kid happened to be Ilk's brother.
Now, a decade later, the once helpless boy had grown into a low-level dark magic apprentice. Due to a lack of food and the force of Sene's punch, Ilk's brother hadn't survived long enough to qualify for the academy's testing of initial mental strength. Even if he had lived, he might not have met the academy's recruitment standards.
Clearly, Ilk had transferred all his resentment onto Sene.
Why Ilk hadn't sought revenge in those early years was likely because Sene's strength and prowess as a child had intimidated him.
Over the past ten years, Sene and Ilk had clashed multiple times within the confines of the academy. There had even been two occasions where they nearly ended each other's lives.
This mutual hatred had escalated to a point where neither could afford to let the other live.
Conflicts between apprentices like Sene and Ilk were not unusual in Morsobla City. Strangely, the high-ranking dark sorcerers did not intervene to stop these internal skirmishes; instead, they watched with keen interest, as if observing a form of entertainment in their experimental pursuits.
Time dragged on, and the situation could soon attract the attention of academy overseers or other apprentices. So, after mocking Sene for a few moments, Ilk took immediate action.
Unlike Sene, who practiced a portion of fire magic, Ilk was adept in plant-based magic. He had even earned a low-level magical tool—known as the Pale Mask—due to his excellent performance in the academy's horticultural studies, which was the very mask he wore now.
This also reinforced the reality that Ilk lacked sufficient strength to challenge Sene on equal footing.
With a hushed chant, Ilk launched three green arrow projectiles toward Sene.
Typically, a regular green arrow spell would only cast two arrows, but the fact that Ilk could summon three indicated that he, like Sene, was very close to mid-level apprentice status!
Amidst Ilk's aggressive advance, Sene remained unfazed.
The three green arrows flew straight for Sene's head, heart, and groin, clearly aiming to kill him in a single strike.
Having just returned from his task, Sene's depleted mental energy and drained magical power made it difficult for him to employ his strongest spell, the Incendiary Fireball. Additionally, his severely injured body left him unable to swiftly evade the three oncoming green arrows.
As Ilk released the arrows, a smile crept beneath his white mask.
Due to the limited mental energy and magical power available to magic apprentices, their spell repertoire and usage were strictly regulated. For example, both Sene and Ilk could typically cast a maximum of two green arrows or incendiary fireballs in peak condition.
However, three green arrows were enough to threaten Sene's life. In truth, even one could potentially pulverize his skull.
Yet, Ilk's smile faltered as Sene produced a magical short staff from his robes.
Before Ilk could counter or react, Sene activated the last remnants of his mental energy, unleashing a stream of corrosive acid contained within the staff!
This was a passing gift from Master Mosido, a simple item crafted during one of his alchemical experiments—but in Sene's hands, it was potent enough to take on any mid-level apprentice in single combat.
In addition to the high-level corrosive acid spell, the staff helped with slow magical regeneration and mental recovery. Since leaving Mosido's lab, Sene had been gripping this staff, and although his energy and magical power were still low, it was sufficient to address any sudden challenges.
The corrosive acid was in a completely different league compared to Ilk's low-level green arrows—by power, release speed, and precision.
The three arrows, which had earlier seemed so threatening, turned to smoke in the face of the corrosive acid's yellow glow.
Not only did the acid neutralize the arrows, but it also surged forward, striking Ilk directly. He had no time to cast another spell or evade.
"Ah!!!" A scream of pain erupted from him.
The hisses of the corrosive acid made the skin tighten with unease.
Soon, Ilk's cries grew faint.
When Sene approached, he saw that aside from Ilk's head, which remained somewhat intact, the lower part of his body had been reduced to a charred mass.
A foul stench filled the air as Sene stood over him, indifferent to the grisly scene before him.
The commotion had already begun to draw attention—other dark magic apprentices and possibly academy overseers were surely on their way, having sensed the disturbance.
Without haste, Sene began to collect the spoils of battle.
The low-level magical tool, the Pale Mask, was the first item he removed from Ilk's grotesquely disfigured head.
As a low-level magical tool, the Pale Mask contained a simple low-level spell—Clear Sight, allowing its wearer to see more clearly in darkness.
Though its value was far less than that of the short staff in Sene's possession, it was still a notable acquisition and deserved his attention.