Chapter 0070: Training Camp

Countless apprentices, all with dark circles under their eyes from desperately trying to catch up on sleep, burst out of their tents in a rage, loudly cursing their inconsiderate companion. Yet, when they saw the young figure standing before the great boulder, playing with such abandon, all they could do was wave their fists in frustration and grumble as they crawled back inside.

Soon after, flickering lights of various magical hues glimmered atop many tents. These sleep-deprived fellows had no choice but to use magical wards to block out the disturbance and return to their dreams.

It took Grim a full half hour of labored, gasping breaths to deplete his spiritual energy to a dangerously low level. Yet, in his keen perception, he could still sense a steady stream of fiery source energy welling up from deep within his bones and flesh, soothing the depletion of his spirit. The process had slowed considerably, now remaining within the limits of what his mind could endure.

“How are you feeling now? Any better?” A deep voice sounded behind him.

Grim turned to see it was Blackhand Kevin.

“Do you have any idea how many people in camp envy the way you feasted yesterday?” Kevin folded his arms, his face wearing an inscrutable smile. “That earthfire drake banquet yesterday is something many here have dreamed of but never tasted. To be invited by Afo for a meal—that’s more cause for celebration than returning from a victorious expedition underground!”

“That meat must have been expensive, right?” Grim scratched his head.

“Expensive? Not especially! On the market, fresh earthfire drake steaks go for a hundred magic crystals per pound, and a cup of drake’s blood is two hundred crystals.”

Though Kevin spoke lightly, Grim couldn’t shake the feeling that he was gritting his teeth all the same.

Grim was no longer the naïve youth who’d first arrived; he now understood quite well the value of a magic crystal. Apprentices like him, sent out on basic underground reconnaissance missions, typically earned about five contribution points and ten magic crystals per trip. Even elite apprentices like Kevin would only earn ten contribution points and thirty to forty crystals per venture. After deducting expenses for materials and necessities, an elite apprentice with two or three hundred crystals on hand would be considered wealthy indeed. Otherwise, why would so many elite apprentices bear Grim such grudges after yesterday’s wager, their expressions murderous with envy?

It was fair to say that, after those two bouts, Grim had nearly drained the entire camp’s elite apprentices of their magic crystal reserves. If not for Bald Afo’s protection, the moment Grim stepped outside the camp, there would be countless apprentices waiting to ambush him.

Even after gaining such a windfall, when Grim heard the true price of earthfire drake flesh and blood, he couldn’t help but feel his face twitch.

After a long moment of restraint, Grim finally couldn’t hold back and let out a howl.

“If I’d known it was so expensive yesterday… yesterday… I definitely…”

“Wouldn’t have dared touch it?”

“I’d have eaten even more!”

“…”

After a brief bout of laughter, the two faced each other again, and a hint of camaraderie appeared in their eyes.

The truth was, since the day they’d met, Grim had been a little awed by these elite apprentices, all tempered by life and death. Though he’d already bested two notable senior apprentices, that had only been in open, rule-bound duels. If the restrictions of the arena were lifted, if magic of any kind were permitted, Grim—as a lower-ranked apprentice—would be hopelessly outmatched.

His strength lay in his supporting golem; his own body was far too weak.

If he and Blackwood were tossed into the wilderness, Blackwood—with his mastery of curses—would have a hundred ways to torment him to death. If he faced Kevin, Grim might not even realize how he’d died.

He couldn’t hide underground all day to avoid attacks; he would eventually have to return to the surface to eat, drink, and sleep. The moment he relaxed, his enemies could easily take his life.

So, despite the recognition his combat abilities had earned, Grim was keenly aware of his own limitations. He might pose a threat to some in the camp, but not a fatal one—thus, the camp members could afford to be tolerant.

If he allowed himself to be blinded by the false glory of his two victories and tried to mingle with the others as a supposed strongman, all he would earn would be endless hostility and resentment.

Thus, when Kevin showed a hint of goodwill, Grim responded with tenfold enthusiasm.

Kevin, though older by several years, was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight—still a young man—so there was little barrier to their camaraderie.

After a few words, Kevin tossed Grim a worn cloth pouch.

“This is your winnings from yesterday’s wager. I thought it might be inconvenient for you to carry, so I converted most of it into a magic crystal card. You can exchange it at any of the scattered wizard towers. It’s far more convenient than strolling about with thousands of crystals in your pocket!”

Grim was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

“No need for thanks over such a small thing! If anything, I should thank you. If not for you, I wouldn’t have made a tidy profit myself yesterday. Ha! You should have seen the look on those guys’ faces—priceless!”

Grim rubbed his hands, unsure how to reply. Befriending Kevin was nice, but he seemed to have made even more enemies.

“Don’t worry; Afo has already spoken. From now on, you’re part of my squad. You probably don’t know this yet, since you’d already been carried out of the cabin when he made the announcement.” Kevin couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Despite the teasing, Grim detected a note of genuine envy.

“Kevin, would you mind explaining the roles and responsibilities of the camp apprentices to me?”

“Of course! Come, I’ll walk you back to the wizard tower and fill you in on the details of this training camp along the way.”

Thus, as Grim returned to the wizard tower with his newfound fortune, he finally began to understand the purpose behind the training camp.

As its name suggested, the training camp was indeed a place to train elite apprentices—but it was also a consortium that safeguarded the interests of the smaller wizard families.

The name “Shadowy Caverns” didn’t just refer to the deep, dark underground—it encompassed nearly thirty thousand miles of mountains and resource-rich forests surrounding the Kreila Range. This was one of the most lucrative regions in all of Dagon.

The only resident second-rank wizard from the Scattered Tower Association stationed in the Shadowy Caverns remained secluded within the wizard tower, rarely appearing. Unless there was some great upheaval—like the surface being invaded by fallen wizards—he paid little heed to local affairs, wholly absorbed in his own magical experiments.

Now and then, he might quietly venture into the depths to gather knowledge or resources for his work, but he seldom involved himself in the struggles between surface wizards and the fallen.

Thus, the seventeen first-rank wizards who resided at the Shadowy Caverns tower were the true masters of all matters here. Behind each one stood a wizard family of considerable influence in Dagon.

These families, though insignificant compared to the Scattered Tower Association, dominated the Dagon region. Ordinary nobles and merchant guilds survived only under their protection, taking their cut from the Kreila Range’s bounties through these families’ grace.

Medicinal herbs, timber, rare plants, furs, magical beast cores, mysterious creatures—anything one could imagine could be found here. Countless hunting parties and expeditions traversed the mountains and valleys, bringing back precious resources and enriching their sponsors.

But these were all low-level resources. What truly filled the wizard families’ coffers were the magical materials from the underworld: shadowgrass, specter mushrooms, nightstones—materials coveted even by full-fledged wizards, and the lifeblood of the families’ centuries-long prosperity.

Ordinary people could never reach or harvest these rare resources from the depths. Only those with mystical means—the wizard apprentices—could traverse the territories of subterranean creatures and return with these treasures.

The seventeen resident wizards represented the seventeen foremost wizard families of Dagon. As long as they remained, so too did their family’s untouchable interests. Naturally, as full wizards, they would not waste time on the menial and exhausting work of gathering resources. Instead, they sent younger apprentices from their families to complete these tasks.

This ensured the continuity of family interests while tempering the most promising among the younger generation. And so, the training camp was born.

If the seventeen resident wizards were the heads of their respective families, then the elite apprentices in the camp were their enforcers. Should any threat to family interests arise, these apprentices would act to defend their family’s honor and assets.

Of course, if a family-sponsored expedition discovered a rare magical beast or creature that was beyond their means, the apprentices stationed in the camp would be called upon to provide magical support for the hunt.

Still, the main focus of these elite apprentices remained the Shadowy Caverns themselves.

For it was there that the true lifeblood of the wizard families lay.