With the directions settled, Daniel handed out the
Tree of Origin
saplings and corresponding forging materials to his students.
After some thought, he also imbued each of them with a fragment of his own willpower—a safeguard against the residual forces of gods and devils they might encounter.
This safeguard would allow them to suppress those corrupted energies when necessary.
Prepared and resolute, the group headed toward the teleportation array in
Sunken City
.
The air in Sunken City seemed cooler than it had been in previous days, or so some locals remarked.
A passerby jokingly speculated, “Could it be that the fire in the Fire Abyss is finally burning out?”
The comment drew laughter from the crowd.
“Burning out? Impossible!” someone retorted. “The Fire Abyss has been producing flames for countless generations. It’s a lifeless place, brimming with magma and unending heat.”
“Sunken City has stood longer than all our lifetimes combined,” another added. “Worrying about it running out of fire is absurd!”
Daniel overheard the conversation and smiled faintly but said nothing. He knew better.
The Fire Abyss’s
world node
had already been stabilized with a
Tree of Origin
, which would gradually transform the environment.
While the changes might take time, the inexhaustible magma would eventually diminish.
The once-fiery abyss might one day earn a simpler name: the Abyss.
As Daniel prepared to step onto the teleportation array, Nina hurriedly blocked his path.
“Headmaster! Wait! Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Am I?” Daniel asked, momentarily puzzled.
“You promised me a reward!” Nina exclaimed.
Ah, that promise. Daniel vaguely recalled agreeing to it earlier.
After a moment of thought, he replied, “Oh, yes. I gave it to Green. You can ask him for it.”
Without waiting for a response, Daniel activated the array and vanished with Hayes and the grand steward.
Nina turned to Green expectantly.
Green’s expression twisted with reluctance.
He did indeed have something stored in his
storage crystal
, but its contents were far from what Nina might have hoped for.
Books, study materials, and numerous practice exercises—essentially, a treasure trove of academic torment for someone like Nina.
“Green! Don’t just stand there! Give it to me!” Nina urged, brimming with excitement.
Resigned, Green handed over the crystal and quickly fled, mimicking Daniel’s earlier departure.
Nina, oblivious to his hasty retreat, eagerly activated the crystal.
Her anticipation turned to despair as the contents were revealed: stacks of books and piles of assignments.
“This… Green! I’ll get you for this!” Nina fumed.
Curious, Nora peeked over her shoulder, then burst into laughter. Of all things, Green had given Nina what she hated most.
“Well,” Nora mused, “maybe this really
was
the headmaster’s idea.”
Karea Academy Headquarters
Nestled within the central mountain range of the continent, the headquarters of Karea Academy resembled a sprawling city rather than a conventional academy.
Its grandeur dwarfed places like Lake City, making them seem like mere rural villages in comparison.
The city thrived with powerful mages, most of whom were at least
Tier-Platinum
in rank.
“This is just a nearby city,” Hayes explained. “The headquarters itself is located behind the mountain range.”
“Lead the way,” Daniel said.
The three figures soared toward the headquarters.
Before long, they arrived at a massive mountain gate flanked by steep, seemingly endless stairs.
“Daniel Headmaster,” Hayes said, gesturing toward the structure. “This is the entrance to our headquarters.”
Daniel nodded and instinctively touched the
Ring of Origin
on his hand. Shifting his perspective, he observed the academy through the lens of the world’s structure.
What he saw confirmed his suspicions.
Countless black tendrils extended from the academy, reaching into the surrounding mountains and lands.
These tendrils siphoned power from the environment, transforming it within their corrupted cores before releasing it back into the world, subtly altering its essence.
The roots of these tendrils were buried deep beneath the academy, concealed within its very foundations.
Even Daniel couldn’t see the precise source, which meant he would need to delve deeper into the headquarters to investigate.
“Daniel Headmaster,” Hayes interrupted his thoughts. “The academy headmaster should be in the rear mountains. Would you like to meet them?”
Before Daniel could respond, a deep, resonant bell rang through the air.
Its tone reverberated across the mountains, drawing his attention to a specific location: the academy’s aptitude testing grounds.
Curiosity piqued, Daniel glanced toward Hayes.
“Is that your aptitude testing area?” he asked.
“Yes,” Hayes replied. “Every new student undergoes tests for talent and temperament there.”
“Interesting. I think I’ll give it a try,” Daniel said, heading toward the site.
“Daniel Headmaster, wait!” Hayes called after him, his voice uncertain. “The tests are only for individuals under fifty years old…”
His words trailed off as realization struck. Daniel couldn’t possibly be under fifty… could he?
Watching Daniel walk away with such confidence, Hayes and the grand steward exchanged bewildered glances.
If Daniel truly was under fifty, then their centuries-long lives seemed embarrassingly wasted in comparison.
When Daniel arrived at the testing grounds, he found a group of instructors debating over a recent student’s impressive results.
The student’s talent and temperament had impressed everyone, leading to a heated competition among teachers to recruit them.
“Next!” the test proctor called, looking at Daniel with a mix of hesitation and skepticism.
“Please remain quiet during the test,” they added, motioning for him to step forward.
Daniel entered the
magic array
, a complex formation used to evaluate both aptitude and mental fortitude.
As he stepped into the array, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The formation began to glow, its circuits flickering erratically before abruptly shorting out.
The test proctor glanced at their monitoring device, about to declare Daniel’s aptitude nonexistent, when the device exploded in their hands.
The blast sent the proctor stumbling back, nearly injured by the unexpected detonation.
Daniel walked out of the array unscathed, his expression calm.
“So… what’s my result? What’s my aptitude?” he asked.
The proctor stood frozen, unable to respond.
What had happened inside the array was clear to Daniel.
As he entered, he quickly deduced the mechanics of the formation.
It was well-designed for its purpose, but he noted several areas where it could be improved.
Perhaps once this business was over, he would create a similar array for Crossbridge Academy.
Curious about his own aptitude, Daniel had allowed the array to assess him without holding back. However, he’d overlooked one crucial factor: the
Ring of Origin
on his finger.
The ring’s power was far beyond the array’s capacity to measure.
Overwhelmed, the array had frozen, triggering a cascade of failures that ultimately led to its collapse.
Now, as Daniel emerged from the ruins of the test, every eye in the vicinity was on him.
“Well?” he asked again, looking at the stunned proctor. “What’s my aptitude like?”