Darkness enveloped the world, yet humanity held the light.
…
"Roar!!!"
Suddenly, a series of deep, terrifying roars echoed through the silence of the underground valley!
The sound was like thunder, sending chills down one's spine as it echoed through the unknown darkness, relentlessly assaulting the eardrums of the young man in the black cloak by the lake. He clutched his ears, his face contorted in pain.
As his black hood fell to the ground, it revealed a handsome face marked by an aristocratic quality. Despite his pale complexion and bleeding ears, his eyes shone with clarity, and his expression firmed once more.
Sene, a humble apprentice of dark magic.
At that moment, rocks from the vaulted ceiling of the lake began to collapse in an avalanche, crashing down around Sene as he could only clumsily dodge them.
"Roar!!!"
The deafening roar resounded again, as if mocking the insignificance of a human before absolute power, making any struggle or resistance seem futile.
The source of this terrifying roar was a mid-level magical beast: the brackish water giant crocodile.
The underground lake beneath Sene was its territory.
Now it had ceased its roaring and was gazing at this human, its massive tail striking against the rocks, the horrifying aura it emitted sending shivers down Sene's spine as he gasped for breath!
Its white, milky eyes glimmered in the shadowy light, and burns covered much of its head, a testament to the damage from Sene's earlier magic.
However, it was obvious the creature perceived Sene as nothing more than a provocation.
Yet the fear of death had not completely crushed this dark magic apprentice; however, the giant crocodile's patience had run out!
With a violent charge, it lunged toward Sene, its massive jaws snapping open to bite at his head, sharp fangs dripping with drool, the stench nauseating.
In a fleeting moment, Sene moved!
The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
His left hand suddenly scattered a handful of iron phosphorus powder!
With what little magical energy he had left, he unleashed a long-stored spell with the tip of his right finger—
Incendiary Fireball!
In an instant, a fireball the size of a soccer ball hurtled forward!
"Boom!!!"
The powder ignited explosively upon contact, and alongside the fireball's impact, it detonated spectacularly!
The deafening explosion shook the entire valley, shattering the giant crocodile's massive jaw into pieces, its flesh scattering everywhere.
The force of the blast knocked Sene back three or four meters. Struggling to his feet, he gazed at the corpse of the giant crocodile, excitement bubbling within him as he pumped his fist in triumph.
He had been right!
Thanks to the iron phosphorus powder that triggered the explosive reaction, the fireball he had high hopes for unleashed far more power than he could have imagined.
As the battle ended, mental fatigue set in, and his magical energy was nearly depleted, leaving Sene's face pallid.
Once he had regained a bit of strength, he forced himself to stand, swim to the small island in the center of the lake, and pluck three vibrant stargrass plants. He then returned to the battlefield to collect the giant crocodile's most precious magic crystal, along with a giant skull filled with rich elemental power, before quickly leaving the lakeside.
In truth, Sene only managed to take away half of the value of the mid-level magical beast, the brackish water giant crocodile.
Much of the valuable materials and blood containing abundant magical elements were left behind; it wasn't that he didn't want to take them, but in this underground world, danger lurked at every moment.
Now at his limits, Sene had no combat power left and could not afford to be caught in danger again.
The three stargrass plants were his ultimate goal for daring to venture into the territory of the giant crocodile, the fundamental reason for risking his life in a battle beyond his means.
"Whew, whew." Low breaths echoed from the darkness.
The sound seemed to come from the direction of the lake.
Sene quickened his pace, eager to leave this treacherous place.
Morsobla City.
As the center of the "Dark Regions" of the underworld, it was the only city ever established by dark sorcerers, a place that all dark creatures held in fear.
The twenty-meter-high city walls were built from azure stones that exhibited the weathered marks of history, and nestled between those stones were arcane, oppressive magical runes, infused with the remnants of countless shed magical beast blood.
After two days of hurried travel, Sene arrived at this magnificent city, a weight finally lifted from his heart, knowing that his safety would soon be secured.
"Hey, Sene, you look like you've been through a lot!" As Sene reached the special passage reserved for sorcerers, a mocking laugh floated down from the city walls.
A dozen individuals in black cloaks, similar to Sene's, stood atop the walls. The one speaking was a scarred, dark-skinned man in the center.
Though he had no personal enmity with Sene, he relished the chance to see him in trouble.
The other apprentices present didn't openly mock him, but their faces wore expressions of indifference.
It wasn't that these apprentices were cold-hearted; it was simply the norm in the underground world.
Even among the black magic apprentices of Morsobla City, there were rivalries; strength was revered, and kindness had no place in this environment.
Survival of the fittest was the only law.
Sene himself would not help anyone without reason.
If he saw another black magic apprentice in misfortune, he might even secretly rejoice, glad to see one less competitor for resources.
Ignoring the taunts from the black sorcerers on the walls, Sene produced his token and addressed the minotaur guard manning the gate. "I am an apprentice of dark magic, under the orders of Master Mosido, returning from a collection task. Allow me to enter the city immediately!"
The solid minotaur captain, whose strength rivaled that of high-level magical beasts, displayed a surprising level of respect and obedience before Sene, the low-level apprentice.
It was not Sene himself that commanded such awe but rather his identity as a dark sorcerer and the name of Master Mosido he had just spoken.
In Morsobla City, or rather throughout the entire Dark Regions, dark sorcerers represented the truth!
Unfazed by the apprentices' cold remarks, Sene walked straight through the gate after entering the city, much to the dismay of the onlookers who thrived on chaos.
In the black magic academy within Morsobla City, Sene was indeed a prominent figure; at sixteen, he was on the cusp of becoming a mid-level apprentice.
Yet potential alone did not guarantee the future of a young person; what truly drew the attention of these black magic apprentices were the praises he had received from several great dark sorcerers.
No one knew when Sene might strike it lucky and be taken as a disciple by a powerful sorcerer.
Once Sene became a disciple of some esteemed master, his standing within the apprentice circle of Morsobla City would instantly elevate to the upper echelons.
"Hmph!" Sene's indifference and disdain only served to further anger the scarred apprentice.
The scarred apprentice had no intent to directly provoke Sene; he was wary of Sene's girlfriend.
With a sly glance, the scarred apprentice whispered to his lackey, "Spread the word about Sene's serious injuries to Ilk."
"They're sworn enemies; heh, I'm sure Ilk would prefer that Sene never shows up before him as a mid-level apprentice one day."
The scarred apprentice wielded mid-level magic, while his lackey had only recently arrived in Morsobla City and was merely an entry-level apprentice.
In the Dark Regions, anyone lacking strength needed to find a powerful ally.
The lackey felt compelled to obey the scarred apprentice's orders, even if it meant incurring Sene's wrath and that of his volatile girlfriend.
If Sene really were to fall at the hands of Ilk, that wild woman would surely not let it go easily.
As for the scarred apprentice?
He had his own backing, so he had nothing to fear from her.
In fact, in certain domains, the scarred apprentice was in direct competition with Sene's girlfriend.
That was why he found everything about Sene, who lived with her, so distasteful.