Chapter 15

After having his breakfast, Cain, with Zyrk perched on his shoulder, walked towards the main academic building, taking in the various sceneries of the academy. He observed the hustle and bustle of apprentices moving about, the lush gardens filled with many magical and unknown plants, and the sight of other magical animals moving around them. This kind of view was all a new experience for Cain.

Just as he was about to reach the main academic building, he noticed a familiar face in the crowd of newly arriving apprentices. It was Ebel with the usual salesman like smile on his face.

He was about to bypass Ebel without making a sound, but their eyes met as Ebel suddenly looked his way.

"Oh, what a coincidence that we meet again, Cain."

"Ahaha, indeed so," Cain replied politely, despite wishing he hadn't met Ebel.

"Well, it looks like you're also heading to atten the coming free lecture. How about we go there together?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to have some company," Cain reluctantly agreed, having no obvious good reason to decline.

As they walked towards the main academic building, Ebel suddenly asked, "Cain, have you made a decision about my offer to join our welfare club?"

'Ah, here it is,' Cain thought, feeling a bit annoyed since this was the main reason he had wanted to avoid Ebel. Nonetheless, he feigned some hesitation and replied, "Uh well, I haven't really decided yet. I was busy meditating after we parted yesterday."

"Well, you should think about it carefully. It could be a major decision for the sake of your future and I sincerely hope you join our welfare club," Ebel said in a caring tone.

"Yes, I will definitely think about it today."

Redirecting the conversation to another topic, Cain asked, "Ebel, do you know what today's lecture will be about?"

"Huh, didn't your guide tell you?" Ebel responded.

"Well, he only mentioned the timing and that we have free courses for the next three months," Cain answered.

"It's not that secret. Today's lecture is on 'Basic Wizard Knowledge,' and it will be given by an official wizard. The wizard will also give some tips regarding practice of 'Shadowless Meditation Method.'"

"Well thanks for answering my questions ."

"No problem."

While chichating for a few more minutes, they arrived at the main academic building and inquired where the lecture for newly admitted apprentices would take place.

Entering the lecture hall, they saw it was already about 70% full. Ebel spotted a group of apprentices he was familiar with and asked Cain, "Would you like to join me and other members of the welfare club?"

"You can join them without me. I don't really know anyone else, so it might be a bit awkward for me," Cain said formally.

"Well, if you say so. And once again, I would be very happy if you consider joining us," Ebel replied before heading towards a group of apprentices.

Relieved to see Ebel leave, Cain took a deep breath. Although Ebel spoke politely, his constant reminders about joining the 'Welfare Club' were getting on Cain's nerves.

'Father, do you need me to get rid of him?' came an inquiry from Zyrk.

'No need. He just annoys me, which is not a valid reason for getting rid of him. Well now the lecture is about to start, so don't make any noise and try to act like a trained raven.'

After instructing Zyrk, Cain found a seat in one corner of the hall and sat down.

About ten minutes later, the sound of footsteps filled the room. The door opened, revealing an old man in dark robes who looked to be in his 60s, with a shriveled body. He wore a badge with a single star, similar to Wizard Draven's. All eyes in the hall focused on him as he walked to the center of the stage.

"Hello everyone, I'm Wizard Cyrus, responsible for teaching you the basics of wizard knowledge," the old wizard said in a dry tone.

"So first of all, before starting the topic, I want to remind you all that I will not tolerate any disturbances while I am speaking. For doubts, you can come to me after I've finished."

"Having came into contact with the wizarding world, most of you might think that the most important things in the wizarding journey are talent, resources, etc., but let me tell you the truth: what really matters is knowledge."

"We wizards are known for pursuing and studying about the truths of the universe, from understanding the workings of nature, to how various things intersect. Hence, wizards are divided into different categories based on the truths they pursue."

"The one who pursues truth to fulfill his curiosity is called a scholar wizard, while the one who seeks truth to make himself stronger is called a fighting wizard. As you all can guess, most dark wizards are fighting wizards, while a scholar wizard might be weaker than a fighting wizard , it is only the poweress compared among themselves. As even a newly promoted scholar wizard can kill a many peak 3rd rank wizard apprentices effortlessly."

"The value of knowledge matters so much to wizards that no wizard is willing to share his or her knowledge without something of equivalent or greater value in return. Hence, you should be thankful to our academy for providing you with basic knowledge in the form of free lectures."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Now, before I go into more basic wizard knowledge, let me introduce you to the history of how the first wizards came into being."

"Before wizards came into being, our wizarding world was known as the Aries World. At that time, humans were a weak race who had to appease other powerful creatures to survive. From sacrificing to killing their own kind for the amusement of these creatures, humans had to endure it all," Wizard Cyrus said, his tone tinged with emotion.

"But all of this changed when some of our ancestors began to resist the rule of these powerful creatures," he continued, his voice rising with passion. "Though humans were a weak race, they possessed exceptional thinking capabilities that helped them survive. Those ancestors used the corpses of dead powerful creatures and studied them tirelessly, day and night, to understand what made them so much stronger than humans. Through this relentless study, they discovered a kind of energy in them, or mana, as you may call it. These ancestors were the first batch of wizards."