"The fragrance of freedom!" Sene exclaimed, taking in the faint yellow glow of the luminous gems overhead as he stepped out of the dungeon. Although he had only been confined for half a day, the sight was refreshing to him.
This dungeon was no ordinary place; few apprentices entered and emerged unscathed. It was rumored that even some formal dark sorcerers had faced judgment here, though Sene could not confirm that.
Leaving the dungeon, Sene leaned on Lina for support, the two of them limping back to their home. Vice Dean Dadalong hadn't come to see them off, and the old witch had also vanished, having presumably given Lina some parting instructions before departing.
"Not only did we miss out on the Blacksharp Scale Fish, but it seems like our moving plans are also going to be delayed," Sene said with a wry smile.
At that moment, Lina's injuries were almost as severe as Sene's. When he smiled, she lowered her gaze, returning to her usual icy demeanor.
After a prolonged silence, just as they neared their dormitory, Lina finally broke the quiet. "My uncle, Ferenna, has expressed her intention to take me as her apprentice, to inherit our lineage's dark elemental magic."
"In truth, Ferenna has been watching over me since my mentor's passing, but it was only after I advanced to a high-level apprentice that she firmly proposed to accept me as her disciple."
"By strength and depth of research into dark elemental magic, Ferenna seems to be even more capable than my mentor was," Lina explained.
Hearing Lina's words allowed Sene to finally relax the tension he had been holding onto. Though each of them harbored secrets they had not openly shared, the bond they had forged through battling side-by-side and facing life-and-death situations encouraged Sene to hope for more openness between them.
Lina's revelation brought a genuine smile to Sene's face. Having a powerful formal dark sorcerer willing to take her on as a disciple was undoubtedly good news for Lina.
Furthermore, this news deepened the connection between them beyond what it had previously been.
For a long time, Sene had been the more proactive one in their relationship. He hadn't expected that Lina would one day open up to him as she did.
"Perhaps it's time for me to talk about my own surname and childhood background with Lina," Sene thought to himself.
The plans to move from their dormitory would have to be shelved for the moment.
However, after three days, Sene was required to report back to Master Mosido's laboratory. Unlike three days ago, when he had only suffered a stomach wound and mild signs of poisoning, he now bore significantly greater injuries.
Even as he knocked on the door to Master Mosido's laboratory, his left arm was wrapped in a thick bandage.
Upon seeing Sene, whose injuries appeared even worse, Master Mosido's yellow eyes narrowed as he inquired, "What happened?"
As Sene entered Master Mosido's lab, he felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him. The generally cruel and rebellious nature of dark sorcerers made him worry that Master Mosido might simply toss him out upon seeing his current condition.
After all, the Dark Magic Academy did not coddle the weak, and given Sene's state, he would undoubtedly be of little help in Master Mosido's experiments.
However, Sene steeled himself; Master Mosido was his strongest ally in the academy. While Lina had her own support through Ferenna, at the end of the day, Sene would need Master Mosido to help him navigate situations involving formal dark sorcerers.
Sene had not forgotten how Vice Dean Dadalong reacted upon hearing Master Mosido's name.
Though it was clear that Master Mosido's strength did not surpass Dadalong's, he surely possessed areas of expertise that could draw Dadalong's attention.
Sene was released from the dungeon entirely due to the influence of Master Mosido.
Upon seeing the seemingly stern expression on Master Mosido's face, Sene took a deep breath and recounted the events of the past few days: his battle with the low-level apprentice Ilk, the subsequent confrontation with Scarface Jork in Black Street, and finally, being imprisoned in the dungeon and rebuked by Vice Dean Dadalong.
Sene recounted every detail, knowing he could not afford to hide anything, as he was relying on Master Mosido's name to keep himself safe.
Moreover, the tremendous advantage in both of his fights—his strong acid staff—was a gift from Master Mosido himself.
After a brief pause, Master Mosido suddenly burst into uproarious laughter.
"Not bad, not bad! You're doing better than your two unfortunate senior brothers."
"They were weak and fell to external forces. But you boy, you managed to kill someone of the same rank and then took down a mid-level apprentice!"
"Although much of that was thanks to the strong acid staff I gave you, your guts and emergency combat skills are indeed commendable!" Master Mosido praised.
The unexpected praise from Master Mosido, instead of reprimands for the chaos Sene had caused, was perplexing.
Clearly, the personality of dark sorcerers could not be gauged by common logic!
Also, this show of approval from Master Mosido informed Sene that despite being the fifth disciple, he was only one among three remaining apprentices—there was just one older brother and one sister, and the other two brothers had met their unfortunate fate.
At present, only the three of them remained under Master Mosido's guidance.
"Alright then, since you're in no condition to join me in experiments right now, you should focus on studying these two spell notes I'm providing you."
"And it's about time you changed your meditation method. Here's our lineage's initial meditation technique," Master Mosido waved his hand, conjuring two parchment scrolls covered with notes and a small crystal ball that appeared before Sene.
Thick and substantial, the two scrolls were titled: An Introduction to Alchemy and Fundamentals of Fire Element Magic.
These were the subjects Master Mosido lectured on in the public classrooms of the Dark Magic Academy; however, unlike the rigid and sterile knowledge imparted there, the scrolls contained handwritten magical notes by Master Mosido himself.
These notes were the true essence of the scrolls, serving to expedite Sene's learning of those subjects.
The small crystal ball, slightly larger than his palm, was a simple yet valuable trinket Master Mosido had crafted that contained a precious meditation technique.
After handing over the three items, Master Mosido shook his head and walked deeper into the laboratory to resume his experiments.
Meanwhile, at Master Mosido's indication, Sene headed toward a side room in the lab, where he would begin his journey of knowledge and magical inheritance.