Wizard Jack's words struck Jeming's mind like a lightning bolt, instantly illuminating the harsh truth hidden beneath the academy's promotional onslaught.
In just five years, out of more than 5,000 people, only 153 survived.
Those who perished were not mere cannon fodder, but legitimate wizards who had undergone ten years of professional training!
Those glamorous returnees were the rare survivors from countless cannon fodder who succeeded in advancing.
The academy showcases them to attract more inexperienced young people to follow suit and become new cannon fodder.
An icy chill seeped into his bones!
This Wizard World was far more brutal and real than he had imagined.
The Wizard Academy is not merely a scholarly sanctuary but a breeding ground and conveyor belt for a massive war machine.
They desperately need "fuel," and new apprentices are the easiest fuel to ignite.
The thirty-year contract is more than just a shackle; in the face of such a high death rate, this lengthy contract also implies a tacit acknowledgment and expectation of the survival skills of Logistics Element wizards.
Yet even so, the death rate for Logistics Element wizards is close to half...
As for the Combat Element... the length of the contract speaks to the severe casualties, wizards are not philanthropists, yet even they think that as long as a Combat Wizard survives more than five years on the front line, the investment is worth it.
Such a horrifying death rate, such intense battle conditions...
"Aren't you afraid?" Jeming asked instinctively.
His question quota as a freshman was already used up, but the wizards did not ignore him.
When they heard Jeming's question, they exchanged looks and after a moment of silence, they burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!!! How could anyone not be afraid? Perhaps fearless people exist in this world, but they are certainly a rarity!" The Wizard of Magic Potions laughed and patted Jeming on the head.
Jeming's gaze was increasingly puzzled. Wizard Jack understood his gaze and smiled down at him: "Don't understand why?"
"Yes."
"We are indeed afraid of dying, but there are things worth pursuing even more than death driving us onward!"
"What things?"
"Do you know? The Multi-Dimensional Planes are vast, so vast that the destruction of a single plane is no more than a fleeting star. On the other hand, this means nearly endless possibilities."
Saying that, Jack pointed to the Combat Element's stage, where Mars, the Third Level Wizard, who was standing at the forefront of all wizards, was signing an autograph for an apprentice.
"Do you see him? That Mars guy only has Third Level Talent and theoretically shouldn't be able to become an Official Wizard, but look at him now..."
"Knowledge, power, lifespan, status, glory, wealth... any desire can be realized within the Endless Plane, and all you have to do is 'merely' survive on the battlefield."
"In pursuit of one's desires and ideals, no matter how high the death rate is, it's nothing but a 'necessary cost'!"
Upon hearing these words, Jeming felt a weight settle in his heart.
A necessary cost?
Such a mild phrase hides unimaginable bloodshed.
The clamor and excitement of the square suddenly became piercing and murderous in Jeming's ears. The young faces hungry for glory and power seemed to reveal their future fates, toppled on other planes' battlefields.
"What a... cruel world..." he murmured to himself.
"But also a world full of hope, isn't it?"
Noticing Jeming's low spirits, Jack chuckled meaningfully:
"Of course, the death rate in Logistics Element isn't actually that high; after all, Logistics Element is the true lineage of Nolun..."
"What do you mean?" Jeming was taken aback.
"There's no need to hide it from you, anyway you'll see the problem when you sign the contract later," Jack said, looking around.
"The plane we're in now is called Nolun13th Plane. The so-called Nolun Academy is actually just a base for providing fresh blood to a certain Wizard Organization, so when you sign the contract you'll be signing not with Nolun Academy but with the Wizard Organization behind it."
"As for the name of that Wizard Organization..." Wizard Jack drew out his words, "it's called Nolun Workshop."
Jeming's eyelid twitched, the information revealed in the other's words was overwhelming.
Not to mention the exaggeration of a wizard organization having multiple planes as reserve talent bases, the name itself was unexpected.
Being called a "Workshop" indicates that at least in its early days this Wizard Organization was renowned for "manufacturing."
Seen this way, it's not wrong for Jack to say Logistics Element is the orthodoxy.
But...
"If Logistics Element is the orthodoxy, then why use such a method?" Jeming wondered as he looked at the scene around him.
Compared to the crowded situation of Combat Element, the area for Logistics Element was obviously deserted.
"Doing this... surely would lose many talented geniuses, right?"
Not to mention the tangible benefits gap, even if someone did see through the danger, those young prodigies full of self-confidence would surely believe themselves to be the protagonists of the world, and those people would never choose Logistics Element.
"Because... this is originally a trial aimed at testing 'wisdom'."
At this, not only Jack, but the wizards around him also displayed looks of satisfaction:
"People with high talent indeed cultivate faster, but the most important trait for a wizard is 'wisdom'."
"Talent can be altered, but wisdom is innate. Moreover, now that we can access other planes, amidst endless opportunities, talent seems insignificant. However, unlike talent, wisdom has no clear external manifestations, so the academy devised such a method."
"The academy intentionally left many flaws, those who see through the issues behind the propaganda demonstrate the ability to think independently without being influenced by the environment, sufficient insight, and... enough self-awareness. These abilities are essential for becoming a wizard."
One of the wizards couldn't help but tease: "I heard that when wizards hadn't left the Primordial Plane, to select people of wisdom, apprentices would be sent by big ships to the academy's location, encountering various enemies along the way for testing."
"But such testing consumed too much, and the intensity was hard to control, plus we're now in a phase of massive expansion and people are needed everywhere, so they've switched to this milder method."
Disregarding the discussions of those behind him, Jack dismissed the Illusionary Barrier and waved at Jeming: "Alright, Q&A time is over, from here on out it's up to you to decide."