Death Swamp, Shadow School.
The serene, deep blue moonlight poured down, eerily blending with the swamp's unrest, like the whisper of some creature.
Rotten, foul-smelling dead leaves, slick, viscous mud, and old trees whose shadows obscured the sky.
This was the scene Salun saw before his eyes.
At this moment, he was following the crowd into a towering spired building.
A tall, thin figure, body hidden within a black cloak, led the way.
Salun’s boots sank into the mud, causing an uncomfortable sensation.
He looked up at the blue moon and let out a soft sigh.
Transmigrating as the second son of a baron, he hadn't even enjoyed the extravagant life of a noble before being chosen by a Black Wizard.
To be honest, he had no choice at all.
If he didn't agree to become a provisional apprentice, a fate more terrifying than death awaited him.
As a transmigrator well-versed in novels, he understood the operating principles of these Black Wizards all too well.
Not only him, but even the baron's family would probably cease to exist.
Thinking of this, Salun’s face showed helplessness.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, bright red glows began to flash from the hearts of most of the surrounding youths.
As time slowly passed, the frequency of these red flashes grew faster, like an old man on his deathbed gasping for breath.
“So many people are going to die? Wait…”
Salun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully scanned these provisional apprentices.
“They all died in battle with a magical beast like the Devouring Frog.”
He pondered for a moment, a plan forming in his mind.
Those who had transmigrated knew this was his inherent Golden Finger.
The function of this Golden Finger was simple: it could see the reasons for others' deaths in the near future.
And by saving them, he could receive rewards.
Unfortunately, he hadn't triggered it even once until now.
At this moment, Salun fixed his gaze on a pale, overly weak youth at the back of the crowd.
“Teamed up with Salun and successfully killed a Devouring Frog, but at the last moment when retrieving the spoils of war, the frog’s corpse exploded, and both were unfortunately blown to pieces, their flesh and blood turning to mud.”
Salun stared intently for a few seconds, clenching his fist tightly.
He took a deep breath, his expression returning to indifference.
He knew these Black Wizards were unreliable! Pits everywhere!
Even after killing the magical beast, they still died!
If he wasn’t mistaken, the much-anticipated ‘test’ phase was next.
And the penalty for failure was his own life.
Salun subtly slowed down, gradually falling to the back of the crowd.
“Beirut.”
He spoke in a low voice.
The pale youth, who looked as if he might faint at any moment, looked up.
“Salun? Are you going to hit me like them too?”
The other party showed a perfectly timed sneer, his exposed skin covered in bruises.
“No, I think we can cooperate.”
“Cooperate? Why me?”
Beirut was stunned.
“We both come from the Tulip Kingdom, and we both failed to break through to Novice Knight as noble offspring, and the Seed of Life within us has already been severely damaged.
Only by cooperating can we gain a foothold within this malicious School.”
“A reason, I need a reason to cooperate.”
Beirut’s expression was hesitant, then his pupils suddenly contracted.
He saw the words Salun quickly wrote on the ground with a dry branch.
“Among all the provisional apprentices, only you and I are the weakest. You know the madness of Black Wizards better than I do.
How do you think the Wizard adults will arrange things?
Of course, I’m just assuming the worst-case scenario. Maybe the Wizard adult will have a change of heart?”
Salun shrugged, feigning ease.
Then he gestured with his eyes to Beirut, indicating to pay attention to the Wizard adult leading the way, and erased the writing.
In front of a Wizard, no amount of caution was too much.
The other party’s expression was hesitant; he was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily.
“Okay, I agree.”
He had also thought that, given the nature of Black Wizards, they would undoubtedly despise him and Salun.
Useless, no need to live!
To those high and mighty Wizards, the struggles of the weak were like a magnificent feast.
Satisfying their twisted tastes while also obtaining two sets of human material.
After getting Beirut’s agreement, Salun, who already knew what was coming, smiled.
“Welcome to the team.”
It took everyone two hours to reach the spired building.
Only up close could one perceive the immense and awe-inspiring scale of this Wizard Tower.
The extraordinary abilities of a Knight alone could never have accomplished the construction of such a colossal tower.
Its exterior was adorned with exquisite carvings, predominantly black, perfectly aligning with the aesthetic of Black Wizards.
“Now, follow me closely, remain silent, and keep your heads down. This is the self-awareness of a weakling.”
Uluoge, the official Wizard of the School leading the way, spoke indifferently, devoid of any emotion.
The apprentices’ breathing hitched, their footsteps slightly disordered, then they quickly readjusted.
Uluoge led Salun’s group of provisional apprentices into the Wizard Tower.
After a period of dizziness, everyone arrived at a place that resembled an arena.
The ground was stained with blood, exuding an ancient, savage aura, yet the surroundings were incongruous.
Precise alchemical instruments, towering guardian golems, and inscriptions that made one dizzy just glancing at them… Faintly, those inscriptions seemed like living insects ceaselessly wriggling.
Salun dared not look further; with his limited knowledge, he only recognized a few of them.
“Now, listen carefully, all of you. The School does not need the weak. Your first lesson has already begun.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Uluoge took out his staff and gently tapped the ground.
Immediately, the entire space erupted in light, as if a brilliant sun had bloomed.
Salun, tears streaming, struggled to open his eyes, only to find that everyone had been teleported into an enclosed space.
Touching it gently with his hand, he could feel that the surroundings were enveloped by a giant transparent barrier.
“Wizards pursue truth, truth is often accompanied by madness, and madness alone achieves greatness.
Listen carefully, I will only say this once.
Each of you has been assigned a companion. Next, you will face the weakest magical beast together—the Devouring Frog.
Hmm… according to the classification of Knight realms in the mortal world, it’s roughly equivalent to the level of a Novice Knight.
Kill it, find its extraordinary organ, and only then will you be considered successfully joined to the School.
And you will also receive additional integral rewards.
The air barrier can withstand any damage from energy levels below an official Wizard; you can attack freely.
But similarly, you cannot escape.”
Uluoge’s figure vanished, his voice becoming increasingly ethereal and distant.
As soon as his words fell, everyone’s expressions turned very ugly.
Among the provisional apprentices present, only a few had broken through to Novice Knight; the rest were still within the realm of ordinary people.
Not everyone at this age possessed both talent and financial resources.
Fortunately, there was still a way out. From the Wizard adult’s words, it seemed two people could cooperate to kill it?
Human wisdom was undoubtedly far superior to such a low-level magical beast; it seemed they could win?
Everyone’s eyes brightened, and this thought arose in their minds.
And the apprentices assigned to Novice Knights naturally felt lucky, but their joyful expressions didn't last long, completely destroyed by Uluoge’s next words.
“The Devouring Frog has three abilities: pounce, flying tongue, and acid corrosion. Be careful to dodge them.
Oh, it’s worth mentioning that this magical beast also has a very interesting characteristic.
When eating humans, its entire body becomes immobile, and it will lose its offensive capabilities.”
A hint of mischief subtly crossed Uluoge’s scarlet pupils, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
“Indeed.”
Salun’s heart sank. He knew these Black Wizards were no good.
He quickly scanned the others, finding their faces filled with suspicion and wariness.
Salun sighed softly internally; he knew these apprentices would have a hard time surviving.
Moreover, Uluoge had concealed an extremely important piece of information.
After killing the Devouring Frog, its body would also undergo a violent corpse explosion!
Its power was several times stronger than a grenade from his previous life!
The hard-won victory and the excitement of about to obtain the spoils of war were enough to dull the vigilance of these young people.
They would never imagine that a false victory would become the earth that buried them.
Salun turned his gaze to Beirut beside him.
The other party was also watching him with a strange look.
Both nodded in tacit understanding, then together they stared intently at an iron cage that had suddenly appeared in front of them.
Inside was a giant gray monstrous frog.