Chapter 16

"They slowly learned how to access this mana, but one problem still hindered them."

"That we were so dependent on the outside environment to absorb mana, which could be a threat if access to mana was cut off somehow. To overcome this problem, those ancestors, after countless trials and efforts, created the first meditation method, which can be used to produce mana with the help of spiritual energy itself within the body."

"Then they named themselves as a group who study truth, or 'Wizards'. After their success, they taught many other talented people the wizard breathing method, and their students also took on many students themselves, thus increasing the population and power of wizards."

After taking another mouthful of air, he continued, "Now, the wizards no longer needed to collect corpses to study; they had gained enough strength and knowledge to hunt down these powerful creatures themselves. This marked a significant shift in the balance of power. However, the top Creatures, known as 'Gods', remained an imposing challenge. These gods, having been born with their divine status, were imbued with extreme pride and a sense of invincibility. To them, the rapidly advancing wizards were nothing more than an insignificant group of ants. And this perception worked to the wizards' advantage. Our ancestors understood that maintaining a low profile was crucial. They knew that if they displayed too much power or their rapid growth, it could provoke these prideful gods into launching a preemptive attack. Hence, they strategically chose to lay low, biding their time and consolidating their power discreetly."

With a feverish look on his face, Wizard Cyrus continued, "This continued until the birth of the first Grand Wizard, a being who could fight several gods without losing momentum. Thus began humanity's counterattack. Seeing the power of the Grand Wizard, those prideful gods knew they couldn't let the wizards continue to develop, so they prepared for an all-out war with the human race."

"But it was already too late. With the birth of the first Grand Wizard, several other Grand Wizards were born continuously. Then the horns of war sounded off, and the war continued for centuries without leaning toward anyone's favor, as the main participants were the gods and Grand Wizards. Without any of them falling, the war couldn't be concluded."

"But the first major turning point came with the fall of one of the most powerful gods, The God of War, caused by the joint effort of two Grand Wizards. This gave wizards the upper hand, and the tide turned in their favor. In the following decades, many other gods were continuously killed."

With a prideful expression, Wizard Cyrus said, "From finding dead bodies of powerful creatures to study, the powerful wizards now had gods on their experiment tables. Realizing their inevitable fate, the gods fought with a desperate, suicidal fury, hoping to inflict as much damage as possible before their end. However, their fate was sealed. In the next few years, the Grand Wizards joined forces to hunt down all the other gods in the whole world."

"This period of time was called 'The Dawn Period' in wizard history, referring to the dawn of human control over their destiny. Some also call it 'The Bloody Dawn' due to the countless human lives sacrificed for this freedom, among which thousands of wizards and even one Grand Wizard died."

"After that, the human race began to prosper in the 'Aries World', later renamed 'Wizarding World'. However, the continuous emergence of wizards caused a large shortage in resources. Thus, wizards began to conquer other worlds by developing various world-traveling spells and props."

"This accelerated the growth of the wizard continent further by providing more knowledge, resources, and labor. As a result, the Wizarding World not only prospered but also ascended to become one of the highest-ranking and most influential worlds within the vast and infinite Multiverse."

Listening to Wizard Cyrus's explanation, the blood of Cain and other wizard apprentices boiled with excitement.

Seeing the red and excited faces of the wizard apprentices gave Cyrus a sense of fulfillment. Refocusing on the main reason he was there, he continued, "Now, I will tell you about some tricks and points that you can use to make your Shadowless Meditation more effective."

Though the points Wizard Cyrus mentioned were not useful for his 'Dark Abyss Breathing Method', Cain listened attentively, knowing that some knowledge and experience of Wizards Cyrus might prove helpful in his future.

The lecture then continued for about an hour. After finishing the lecture, Wizard Cyrus said, "Now that the class is about to end, let me mention some important things for all of you."

"Firstly, for the lectures in the next three months, you can select the ones you will take. Remember to choose only those that might be useful, as time is crucial at your stage."

"Secondly, after these three months, all free services except the cafeteria will no longer be provided. You must pay with equivalent mana stones to redeem them. You can earn these mana stones by taking tasks from the mission hall, such as helping some professors or collecting materials. But remember, if you go outside the Fog of Sighs to do your mission, the academy will not be responsible for your life and death."

"Thirdly and lastly, all of you who become a wizard apprentice in these three months can go to the Resources Hall to get extra resources like spells and potions. The top three will get more than the others."

After Wizard Cyrus explained these points, some wizard apprentices asked questions about the lecture, which Wizard Cyrus answered calmly. Then he finished the lecture.

Leaving the main academic building, Cain headed to the cafeteria to get some food and then went directly to his house.

Remembering the third point mentioned by Wizards Cyrus, he knew that the apprentices who could become first-tier wizard apprentices in the next three months might get resources that would put them ahead of others in their group. Not wanting to waste that opportunity, Cain immediately began meditating after instructing Zyrk to keep watch just in case anything happened.