Chapter 51: The Exam Begins

Time flew by, and before Richard knew it, the day of the exam had arrived.

Standing in the same clearing where the entrance exam took place, Richard wore his Cloak of Shadows and stood in a corner, feeding Wuni with iron pellets.

"Richard, you still like to hide."

A voice came from beside him. Turning, Richard saw a female wizard apprentice with a pointed hat and a long staff, sporting dark circles under her eyes, approaching him.

"Ellie, long time no see," Richard greeted, handing Wuni over.

Over the years, their relationship had cooled from intense affection to a more composed friendship. This change came with time and the teachings of their wizard mentors.

One core lesson they both learned was clear: without becoming a wizard, everything else was meaningless.

Despite this, some actions between them exceeded mere friendship, like...

Sharing research findings.

They developed a productive collaboration: Richard provided magic stones to purchase spell models and library resources, which Ellie modified, and they shared the results.

In essence, Richard funded the projects, Ellie did the work, and both enjoyed the fruits.

Of course, this sharing was surface-level. Ellie couldn't, and wouldn't, share what she learned from Susanna.

Nonetheless, Richard gained a lot.

Ellie also commissioned Richard to create magical items and alchemical gadgets, which he provided at cost.

Ellie stroked Wuni's feathers, and it nuzzled her hand affectionately.

"This time it'll probably be random teleportation again. Want to plan a meeting spot?"

Richard pulled out the map distributed by the academy. The exam area was expansive, a circle with a fifty-kilometer radius. Within this area, apprentices would survive for a month, aiming to acquire at least one apprentice mark.

The apprentice mark, a curse mark embedded in each apprentice before the exam, would vanish automatically afterward.

This curse mark served two purposes: preventing apprentices from leaving the exam area by exploding into a deadly curse, and tracking kills by transferring to the apprentice who killed another.

Unlike the entrance exam, this time the academy allowed apprentice marks to be exchanged for magic stones. Each mark was worth 100 magic stones, with no limit on the number.

If one was strong enough, they could earn a fortune from this exam.

Additionally, the academy established a leaderboard. Each apprentice mark gained added a point. The top ten at the end would receive academy rewards, with special prizes for the top three from the principal.

Moreover, the exam area contained ten magical creatures with the strength of advanced apprentices. These creatures would indiscriminately hunt apprentices. Killing one didn't grant a mark but awarded a high-quality magical item and fifty points.

Thus, from a points perspective, one magical creature equaled fifty apprentices. To compete for a top spot, defeating these creatures was essential.

"Let's meet at the center point," Ellie suggested, marking the map.

"With random teleportation, who knows where we'll end up. At least the center point is marked by the academy."

Richard nodded. "Alright, see you at the center. Don't let anyone get the drop on you."

Ellie gave Richard a knowing look. "You think I'm still the Ellie from ten years ago?"

The exam time arrived quickly, with Vice Principal Ereks acting as the examiner.

Ereks flew into the air, his powerful presence silencing the apprentices.

"Apprentices of the 432nd cohort of Black Tower Wizard Academy, I'm your examiner, Ereks. There are 4,121 candidates present. The exam rules have been distributed, so I won't repeat them.

Now, I declare the exam begins."

With a simple opening, Ereks waved a hand, and white light illuminated the ground beneath the apprentices. Simultaneously, black chains extended from the ground, imprinting a black pentagram on their hands.

As the scenery before him dissolved into abstract colors, Richard vanished from the teleportation array.

When his surroundings normalized, he found himself in a shrub-filled hilly area.

"Still a bit nauseating," Richard muttered, the teleportation's queasiness mitigated by his constitution but still unsettling.

Scanning around, Richard noticed another apprentice nearby, who also spotted him.

"Lucky me," the apprentice laughed, launching a fireball at Richard.

"Indeed, fortunate," Richard replied calmly, a magic barrier manifesting before him.

Boom!

The fireball exploded, but the barrier didn't even ripple.

"Too weak. Using the academy's basic fireball spell with no improvements."

Richard shook his head, stepping forward to appear before the apprentice, greatsword in hand.

"Goodbye."

With a swing, the apprentice's head flew off.

This apprentice hadn't reached the intermediate level, standing no chance against Richard.

After the kill, Richard glanced at his hand, noticing the black pentagram darkening slightly.

He sensed a faint magic pulse emanating from the mark.

"Interesting. This pulse must be the wizard world's signal," Richard speculated.

Looking skyward, he saw a beam of light marking the exam center, a navigation aid for apprentices.

Just as Richard was about to head toward the light, a chill ran down his spine.

His Guardian Pendant activated, a magic shield forming to block an invisible wind blade. Simultaneously, Richard used his breathing technique to fully activate his bloodline.

In an instant, the ambushing apprentice saw Richard transform from a tall, ordinary apprentice into a two-meter-tall humanoid covered in black scales.

"Bloodline alchemy! And at least twice," the apprentice gasped, erecting a magic barrier instinctively.

The next moment, a greatsword wreathed in black flames struck the barrier.

The flames spread rapidly, draining the apprentice's magic.

The fire consumed his magic.

"Escape!"

The apprentice thought only of fleeing, knowing he couldn't defeat this alchemy apprentice.

He held up the barrier, retrieving a scroll from his pocket.

With a "bang," the apprentice burst into smoke, vanishing instantly.

"Short-range teleportation," Richard recognized the spell effect, smirking.

"Wuni, track where he teleported."

The death crow cawed joyfully, ascending into the sky.

"Think you can run? Not so easily."

Meanwhile, similar scenes unfolded across the exam area.

Elemental apprentices wielding staffs unleashed fire crows, incinerating foes; necromancy apprentices pointed fingers, causing opponents to collapse, flesh shriveling into skeletons; soul apprentices shouted, mental shocks incapacitating nearby foes. Curse apprentices, though weaker in direct combat, unleashed cursed inse

cts from hidden corners.

Every apprentice showcased a decade of study, determined to pave their wizard path with the bones of others.

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