Darkness shrouds the world—but humanity clings to light.
"ROAR!!"
A low, terrifying bellow shattered the silence of the empty underground valley. Like thunder rolling through the unknown dark, it sent chills down the spine, battering the eardrums of the robed boy by the lake. He clamped his hands over his ears, his face contorted in pain.
His black hood fell away, revealing a handsome, noble-looking face. Though his skin was deathly pale and blood oozed from his ears, his eyes remained clear—and his expression hardened once more.
Kai, a lowly black magic apprentice.
Above, chunks of rock cascaded from the underground lake's ceiling like an avalanche, crashing around Kai. He dodged frantically, his movements clumsy but desperate.
"ROAR!!"
The roar came again, a mocking taunt—proof of how insignificant humans were before raw, absolute power. All struggle, all resistance, was futile.
The owner of that roar? A mid-tier monster: the Saltwater Crocodile. The lake beneath Kai was its lair.
Now, it fell silent, its cold gaze fixed on the human. Its massive tail slammed against the rock, sending a wave of dread washing over Kai—even as he finally caught his breath. Its milky-white eyes glowed faintly in the gloom, and large patches of its head were scorched black—scars from Kai's earlier spells.
To the crocodile, this human was nothing but a pest, daring to provoke it. Fear of death hadn't broken the apprentice—but the crocodile's patience had run out.
It lunged.
Its jaws, wide enough to swallow Kai whole, snapped toward his head. Saliva dripped from its razor-sharp fangs, carrying a stench so foul it made Kai gag.
In that split second—Kai moved.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for.
His left hand shot out, scattering a handful of iron-phosphorus powder into the air. With his right, he channeled the last of his mana into a spell he'd been holding back—
Lesser Fireball!
In an instant, a fireball the size of a soccer ball hurtled forward.
"BOOM!!"
The powder ignited. The fireball struck. The explosion was deafening, shaking the valley to its core. The crocodile's massive upper jaw shattered, flesh and bone flying in all directions.
Kai was thrown three meters back by the shockwave. He stumbled to his feet, staring at the crocodile's corpse—and pumped his fist in triumph.
He'd gambled, and he'd won.
Thanks to the explosive iron-phosphorus powder, the Lesser Fireball—one he'd pinned all his hopes on—had unleashed power far beyond its usual limits.
The fight was over, but Kai's body had been drained dry. His mental power was depleted, his mana gone. His face turned ashen, and he swayed unsteadily.
When he'd regained a sliver of strength, he forced himself up. He swam to a small island in the middle of the lake, plucking three vibrant Starlight Grasses. Then he returned to the battlefield, prying the crocodile's precious magic core from its remains—and a chunk of its skull, still humming with elemental energy—before fleeing the lakeside.
In truth, he'd only taken half the crocodile's value. More corpse materials and mana-rich monster blood lay abandoned. It wasn't that he didn't want them—every second in the Underworld teemed with danger. Kai was already at his limit; he couldn't risk lingering.
The three Starlight Grasses were why he'd dared to challenge a mid-tier monster. Why he'd risked his life in a fight far beyond his rank.
"Hu… hu…"
Heavy breathing echoed from the darkness—seemingly coming from the lakeside.
Kai ran faster, escaping the scene of his victory.
Menzoberranzan.
The heart of the Underdark, the only city ever built by black mages—a place feared by all dark creatures. Its twenty-meter-tall walls, made of weathered cyan stone, bore the marks of time. Between the bricks, dried monster blood crusted thick—and faint, oppressive magic runes were carved into the rock.
After two days of frantic travel, Kai reached the great city. A weight lifted from his chest; at last, he was safe—for now.
"Hey, Kai! Looks like you took a beating!"
A mocking laugh drifted down from the wall as Kai approached the mage-only gate. A dozen robed figures stood above, identical to him in dress. The speaker was a dark-skinned man with a scar across his face. He and Kai weren't mortal enemies—but he relished seeing Kai suffer.
The other apprentices said nothing, but their faces were cold. It wasn't cruelty—it was the Underworld's way. Disputes between Menzoberranzan's black magic apprentices were common; here, only the strong survived. Kindness was a death sentence.
Kai was no different. He wouldn't help others without reason. If he saw another apprentice fall, he'd silently one less rival for resources.
Ignoring the scarred man's taunt, Kai pulled out a token and held it out to the minotaur captain guarding the gate. "I am an apprentice sent by Lord Moxido to gather materials. Let me enter—now."
The minotaur, whose strength matched that of a high-tier monster, bowed respectfully. It didn't fear Kai—the lowly apprentice. It feared the title of "black mage"… and the name "Moxido" Kai had spoken.
In Menzoberranzan, in the entire Underdark—black mages were the embodiment of truth.
Kai walked through the gate without a backward glance, leaving the gossiping apprentices disappointed. He was something of a celebrity at the Black Magic Academy. At sixteen, he was on the cusp of becoming a mid-tier apprentice.
Potential alone didn't earn respect—but Kai had won praise from several great black mages. No one knew when he might get lucky, taken as a disciple by one of the elite. If that happened, his status among the apprentices would jump to the upper ranks overnight.
"Hmph!" The scarred apprentice's face twisted with anger at Kai's indifference. He didn't dare confront Kai directly—not with Kai's girlfriend in the picture. Instead, he leaned down to a smaller apprentice beside him, his voice low. "Tell Ilk that Kai's badly hurt. Those two hate each other. Ilk won't want Kai to become a mid-tier apprentice before him."
The scarred man was a mid-tier apprentice; his lackey was a new arrival, only in Menzoberranzan for two years—still a beginner. In the Underdark, those without strength clung to powerful backers. The lackey couldn't refuse—not even if it meant angering Kai and his "crazy" girlfriend.
If Kai died at Ilk's hands, the madwoman would never let it rest. But the scarred apprentice didn't care—he had a backer of his own. He even competed with Kai's girlfriend in certain circles. That's why he'd always resented Kai.
"Jiejie… Well done, Kai. Mature Starlight Grasses—perfect for my upcoming experiment…"
A hoarse voice echoed from the robed figure before him. The wide hood concealed most of the mage's face; only half a desiccated, corpse-like cheek and one murky yellow eye were visible.
Kai had stayed calm even against the Saltwater Crocodile—but now, his body trembled uncontrollably. He knew: with a single flick of this mage's finger, even the fiercest monster would kneel like a docile cat.
This was the power of magic. The majesty of a black mage. True terror. True despair.
"Now, Kai—we mages believe in equal exchange," said the mage, whose name was Moxido. His pale finger tapped his staff. "What do you want?"
Kai took a deep breath. The movement pulled at his wounds; fresh blood seeped through his robes. But he didn't pause. He bowed deeply—ninety degrees—his voice filled with humility and respect.
"I wish to be your apprentice, Lord Moxido. To serve you, to solve your troubles… to seek the true essence of magic."
He held the bow, waiting. Until Moxido answered, he wouldn't move.
Tick.Tock.
A magic quartz clock marked the slow passage of time. Kai couldn't see Moxido's expression—only a skeletal finger, tapping slowly against the staff's head.
Having his fate in another's hands was agony. But Kai knew: if Moxido accepted him, he'd have a better chance at controlling his future than seventy percent of the academy's apprentices. He wouldn't end up as a specimen on a mage's lab table, killed for a bad mood.
The wait dragged on. Blood dripped from Kai's chest, pooling on the floor. Normally, defiling a noble mage's laboratory was a death sentence—but Moxido said nothing. And Kai, too focused on his plea, didn't notice.
"Hehe… I've heard that old hag Angenia and that creep Koroslon also praised your performance in class," Moxido finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Why not ask them to take you as a disciple?"
Kai had his reasons—but he couldn't say them aloud. Could he admit he'd chosen Moxido because he seemed "normal"? Unlike Angenia, who flew into rages, or Koroslon, who loved experimenting on his apprentices' limbs.
Moxido taught "Introduction to Alchemy" and "Fire Element Basics" at the academy. Kai had a natural affinity for fire, and most of his limited magic knowledge centered on fire spells. After careful thought, he'd decided to ask the reclusive Moxido for mentorship.
The Starlight Grasses he'd risked his life for? They were key neutralizers in alchemical experiments. Worthless to most mages—but invaluable to Moxido. They couldn't be grown artificially, only found in the wild.
After a moment's hesitation, Kai replied, "Because I believe you have walked farther on the path of magic than Lord Angenia or Lord Koroslon. Only by your side can I grasp the true essence of magic."
Moxido burst into laughter—a harsh, rasping sound that made the quiet laboratory feel even more sinister. Praise for himself and slight against the others had lifted his mood. But what truly convinced him was Kai's last sentence.
"Grasp the true essence of magic? Not just chase greater power?" Moxido's laughter faded. "Heh. Kai, if you truly understand that knowledge is a mage's greatest power… you've already surpassed ninety percent of the academy's apprentices. Even many formal mages forget this, blinded by power. They've lived underground too long—they've forgotten what magic really is."
A green beam of light shot from Moxido's staff:Body Regeneration. A high-tier healing spell, cast by a true mage. The moment Kai saw it, the tension in his body melted away. Exhaustion washed over him, and a tingling sensation spread across his chest as new flesh grew.
"Rest first. I'll take you as my fifth disciple." Moxido's eyes narrowed. "There's still paralytic toxin in your blood. Did you use blue moss?"
"Yes, Master," Kai replied, using the title without hesitation. "I used it to treat my wounds on the way back to Menzoberranzan."
Blue moss was a common low-tier plant, with little magical value—but it numbed muscles. The cost? It was toxic, requiring an antidote afterward.
Moxido seemed cold—but Kai knew he'd made the right choice. The mage pulled a vial of mid-tier antidote from his robe, along with a short staff and a medal. All three hummed with strong magical energy.
Kai had never seen real magic items before.
The staff was a gift—something Moxido had crafted in his spare time. A "trinket" to the mage, but a treasure to Kai. It held a charge of corrosive acid, strong enough to melt high-tier monster scales.
The medal was a key, granting Kai access to Moxido's laboratory. A symbol of his new status as Moxido's apprentice.
"Rest well. Return to my laboratory in three days—I have an experiment that needs your help." Moxido waved him away.
At last, Kai dared to look up. Beneath the hood stood a middle-aged man with a sinister face and yellowing eyes.