Chapter 23: Death, Relics

The sword accurately pierced into the squirming tissue, Darren's body shook violently, and it let out a painful howl.

But the attacker had no intention of stopping. He gritted his teeth, used all his strength to push the sword deeper, and stirred repeatedly to cause an open wound.

[One-hit kill! Basic Sword Technique Experience +5]

Blood and brain tissue mixture sprayed out from the wound, splashing all over him.

Finally, the giant-brain monster's body fell to the ground with a thud and stopped moving.

The attacker stared closely at the twisted creature in front of him until he confirmed that it no longer made any movement.

The light on that deformed brain had completely extinguished, turning into a mass of dull tissue.

Luo En stood in place, panting heavily, covered in mutated blood and tissue fluid.

He almost couldn't believe what he had just done—he had killed a person who was also a candidate apprentice, a neighbor who had spent months with him.

But the instinct for survival quickly made him calm down again.

In the Black Mist Forest, this kind of thing was normal.

The survival of the fittest is the only law here, and what he just did was nothing more than following this law.

"Sorry, Darren." Luo En whispered, a hint of extremely complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "But the one who must survive is me."

The battle ended, and he began to approach Darren's corpse cautiously, hoping to find something useful.

In that pile of twisted flesh, a small notebook was miraculously preserved intact. Perhaps even after Darren completely lost his sanity, he was instinctively protecting his research results.

Opening the notebook, Luo En found that it was densely recorded with Darren's research notes on sonic spells.

There were many messy sketches and conceptions, although most were difficult to understand, a few pages were quite clear—it was a simplified embryonic form of a sonic spell, which had been perfected by Darren to a stage that could be practically applied.

"This is what he was desperately trying to complete..." Luo En whispered to himself, carefully putting away the notebook.

This information was undoubtedly precious, not only because of its academic value but also because it might help Luo En pass the upcoming assessment.

[Unlocked Special Skill: Sonic Tremor (Embryonic Form)]

[Description: This is a spell conception that has not yet fully matured, but it already has basic practical value]

[Effect: Can produce aggressive sound waves, causing both physical and mental damage to the target]

He was about to further check Darren's relics when he suddenly heard a rush of footsteps coming from afar.

The school's law enforcement personnel had clearly noticed the commotion here and were rushing to handle it.

Luo En quickly organized his state, ensuring that he looked like a victim of legitimate self-defense, rather than an active attacker.

Although in the Black Mist Forest, the survival of the fittest is the basic law, the school still had a set of rules to maintain basic order.

Soon, a team of law enforcement personnel appeared at the end of the corridor.

Leading them was a tall man wearing an advanced apprentice badge on his chest.

He lifted his hood, revealing a slightly pale and thin face, his expression indifferent, his sharp eyes scanning every detail of the scene.

Luo En saw the face of this leading apprentice and felt somewhat familiar.

When he smelled the strong herbal fragrance coming from the other party, he suddenly remembered that wasn't this the advanced apprentice who bought a lot of stardust grass at the herb shop a few days ago—Holte?

"What happened?"

He saw Luo En, and his eyes also fluctuated slightly, but when he asked, he didn't carry a trace of personal emotion.

Luo En took a deep breath and understood in his heart. He didn't show that he knew the other party, just narrated the matter concisely, emphasizing Darren's aberration and active attack behavior.

"He used some kind of forbidden drug, which caused brain aberration, and then attacked me. I had no choice but to defend myself passively."

Luo En whispered, his expression showing both a hint of shock and grief, and maintaining appropriate calmness.

Holte listened expressionlessly, then walked to Darren's corpse and squatted down to check carefully.

He took out a small bottle from his waist and collected some liquid flowing out of Darren's brain.

"Typical catalyst aberration." He stood up and said to the other law enforcement personnel: "There have been more and more such cases recently."

He turned to Luo En: "According to the regulations, I need to conduct a mental power test on you to confirm that you have not been contaminated."

Luo En nodded and accepted the test obediently.

Holte placed a small crystal on his forehead. The crystal emitted a faint blue light at first, then gradually turned green, and finally returned to normal.

"Very good, no signs of aberration." He took back the crystal, "The mental power fluctuation is very stable, and the defense is appropriate."

Holte's gaze fell on the sword in Luo En's hand, raising his eyebrows slightly: "Killing an aberration with a wooden sword, your sword technique seems good."

"Just lucky." Luo En replied modestly, not wanting to attract too much attention.

The other party seemed to see through his thoughts, the corners of his mouth raised slightly:

"Caution is a good thing, but there is one thing you might not know—our school has always encouraged apprentices to defend themselves legitimately when encountering danger."

He signaled the other law enforcement personnel to step forward to handle Darren's corpse, then walked to the side and whispered to Luo En:

"The research on sonic spells has always been one of the key rewarded topics of the school. If you found valuable information in Darren's relics, I suggest you make good use of it."

Luo En felt a chill in his heart, not sure if this advanced apprentice was hinting at him or testing him.

But in any case, the other party clearly noticed the notebook in his hand.

"Thank you for the reminder, my lord, I will consider it seriously." Luo En cautiously replied in the same low voice.

At this moment, Luo En suddenly understood what Andre had said before.

These people in positions of power, although they hold the power of life and death, often give appropriate guidance and help to apprentices with potential, rather than suppressing them at will.

Holte's private tip was undoubtedly a recognition of his potential.

"So understanding the rules of the school and showing enough potential is perhaps the key to surviving here?" Luo En thought in his heart.

"You are a smart person, it seems I don't need to say anything more."

Holte nodded, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny and reassessment:

"The incident report will be recorded, but given that the nature belongs to legitimate self-defense, it will not have any negative impact on you. The assessment is coming, I hope you can be prepared."

After saying that, he left the scene with the law enforcement team without dragging his feet, leaving Luo En standing alone in the blood-stained corridor.

Luo En took a deep breath and returned to his room.

He needed time to organize his thoughts and digest everything that had just happened.

Today's experience made him deeply realize the cruel reality of the Black Mist Forest again.

Here, everyone struggles for survival and is crazy for power.

Locke, Emily, Darren... and more white bones he couldn't see, were the best portrayal of this twisted reality.

But no matter how dangerous the environment is, what ultimately determines fate is one's own choices and strength.

………………

In a secret room somewhere in the Black Mist Forest, a faint blue light illuminated several figures in white robes.

The walls were covered with crystal balls of various sizes, each showing different areas within the school.

In one of the crystal balls, the whole process of Luo En's battle with Darren was clearly presented.

"Seventy-eight points."

A serious-looking wizard announced, holding a complex scoring device in his hand:

"This candidate apprentice's performance is quite good, especially when facing this intensity of sound wave attack."

"I give seventy points." Another white-haired old witch said, her bright purple eyes staring at the screen:

"Although his sword technique and adaptability are commendable, his reaction was slightly slow when encountering the first wave of sound wave attacks."

"I agree with Yuni's view."

The third wizard—a tall middle-aged man nodded: "However, his final fatal blow was very accurate, which is worth extra points. For a candidate apprentice, being able to keep calm in this situation is already quite rare."

"Then let's set it at seventy-five points." The old man presiding over the discussion finalized the score:

"Record his name, Luo En Ralph, and consider putting him on the key observation list for next year."

A duty apprentice standing in the corner quickly recorded this decision.

At this time, Holte had arrived at the scene with the law enforcement team and was conducting an inspection on Luo En.

"Interesting, he should be the new assistant recruited under Allen, I seem to have some impression."

Witch Yuni raised her eyebrows: "It seems old Allen's eye is as accurate as ever."

In the crystal ball, Holte had already left the scene with the law enforcement team and Darren's corpse, leaving only Luo En standing alone in the blood-stained corridor.

"He looks in bad shape." The serious-looking middle-aged male wizard commented: "The internal injuries caused by those sound wave attacks cannot be underestimated. I am curious if he can survive tonight."

"It will be fine." The old man presiding said faintly, "He has the aura of the sun, his self-healing ability should not be weak."

"The sun?" This word attracted the attention of other wizards: "You have confirmed it?"

The old man nodded: "Although it is very weak, it does exist, which is why I am interested in him."

"Then it is even more worth observing," Yuni said thoughtfully:

"In recent years, apprentices with elemental affinity have become less and less common. If he really possesses the sun aptitude, cultivating him might bring considerable 'favors'."

Hearing the word "favor", the expressions of all the wizards became subtle.

"Speaking of 'favors'." The middle-aged male wizard suddenly changed the subject, flattering the old man presiding:

"Vice Dean, you seem to be getting younger and younger recently. It should be because you cultivated Wizard Corinna decades ago, bringing you quite generous 'favors'."

"That's why everyone must discover more seeds in the surrounding mortal kingdoms..."

The old man, who was honored as the Vice Dean, said softly: "A student who successfully promotes to a formal wizard can at least help the mentor extend their life by fifty years. I see that the Trish that Corinna found recently has great potential."

"Of course, this is our necessary responsibility as mentors in the school." Everyone echoed, and someone whispered on the side:

"Without the 'favors' brought by cultivating students, we old guys would have long been swallowed by pollution."

"This is also why we need such an environment." The Vice Dean said seriously:

"Moderate danger and competition can allow truly potential apprentices to stand out. Just like Oliver a few years ago, it was in this life-and-death environment that his originally inferior mental power aptitude was stimulated with astonishing special talent."

"That's right." Yuni agreed: "True powerhouses cannot grow in a greenhouse. Only by experiencing true life-and-death tests can apprentices' greatest potential be stimulated."

"Those children who take forbidden drugs are also part of this system."

The middle-aged male wizard added calmly: "Their failure and death are precisely the nutrients for other apprentices to grow. Survival of the fittest, this is the eternal law."

The Vice Dean stood up, ending this assessment:

"Continue to pay attention to the candidates on the list, and let those 'Black Vipers' slow down their activities in the next few days. The number of aberrations recently has exceeded our plan."

"Yes, my lord." The recorder replied respectfully.

Yuni shook her head and smiled: "Apprentices probably never dreamed that the black market organization they regard as dangerous is actually a tool controlled by us."

"Necessary evil, that's all." The Vice Dean said calmly:

"Some apprentices will indeed die because of this, but more will become stronger. Just like what we experienced back then, survival of the fittest."

"Alright, let's adjourn." He waved his hand: "Has the next batch of mental catalysts arrived?"

"It's already prepared, Vice Dean," the recorder replied: "However, according to your instructions, the formula has been adjusted. The aberration probability of this batch should be reduced to less than half."

"Very good." The old man nodded: "Still the same old saying, we need competition, but it cannot be too intense. Too much is as bad as too little, after all, true geniuses are still very rare."

As the wizards left, the image in the surveillance crystal ball gradually dimmed.

(End of chapter)