"Are you really going outside the city for a mission?" In the eastern district of Menzoberranzan, the portly Boss leaned over the counter of his shop, unable to hide his concern.
"It's just clearing out a group of Greenjaw Feathers that appeared in the Ashvale outside the city. Shouldn't be a problem," Sern replied with a smile.
Even Lena hadn't shown much worry about Sern's academy mission, but Boss's concern was palpable.
Though Sern didn't say anything, he felt a flicker of warmth in his heart.
"If I were you, I'd just stay in the city and take a guard post mission. Not only is it safe, but you can even make some extra coin at the gates. Why risk going outside?" Boss shook his head. "With your status as a formal disciple of a dark mage, shouldn't such assignments be easy to get?"
"Alright, the main reason I'm going out is to test two new spells I've learned. Practical combat is far more useful than training in the academy grounds. Now hurry up and get me what I need," Sern urged with a chuckle.
Though his chubby face still showed disapproval, Boss moved quickly. After rummaging behind the counter, he placed three black cloth bundles in front of Sern.
Inside the bundles were the iron phosphor powder and sweet berries Sern had requested.
The former was a common, low-grade magical catalyst that could significantly enhance the power of fire spells—though it was unstable. Poor timing could result in backlash.
The latter was bait to lure the subterranean Greenjaw Feathers. Sern needed to eliminate at least twenty of them to complete his academy mission.
The third bundle, however, wasn't something Sern had asked for.
When he shot Boss a questioning look, the man waved his hand. "This isn't from me. It's something little Meri left here. She knew you might be going on a mission soon and asked me to pass it to you."
Unwrapping the black cloth, Sern found three slender vials—two red and one blue.
Two low-grade healing potions and one low-grade antidote, worth over sixty black gold coins.
Though Sern currently had plenty of valuable items, black gold—the common currency of Menzoberranzan—was something he lacked.
After a moment's hesitation, Sern silently accepted Meri's gift.
"You've been working with Meri lately—must've made a decent profit, huh?" Sern glanced at Boss, spotting several similar potions in the corner of the shop.
Most were low-grade healing potions, with no antidotes in sight. It seemed Meri's success rate with antidotes wasn't high.
"No, no, just small business," Boss hastily waved his hands, refusing to reveal his actual earnings.
Shaking his head, Sern said, "I'll be off then. If this mission goes well, I'll come back for another deal."
After leaving Boss's shop, Sern headed straight for the city gates.
Menzoberranzan was massive—a sprawling underground metropolis housing over three hundred thousand inhabitants.
Most were humans, given that dark mages were fundamentally human themselves.
These humans had been abducted from the surface. Those with sufficient mental aptitude were sent to the Dark Magic Academy as apprentices, while the vast majority—deemed unfit—were left to fend for themselves in the city.
No one knew how long Menzoberranzan had existed, but over decades or even centuries, these humans had gradually multiplied underground—though the population never surged.
Beyond humans, the city was also home to minotaurs, subterranean demi-humans, and other rare races Sern seldom encountered.
Under the rule of the dark mages, Menzoberranzan had become the heart of the surrounding underground world.
Though cruelty and arrogance were trademarks of dark mages, the city maintained its own peculiar order.
Within its walls, aside from the lofty dark mages, open conflict among other creatures was rare.
Even the most cunning gray dwarves had to behave themselves in Menzoberranzan.
The city even boasted a colossal arena where disputes could be settled. Occasionally, clashes between powerful subterranean creatures would draw dark magic apprentices—or even dark mages—as arbiters.
It was a unique spectacle, a testament to the authority of the dark mages.
After leaving the city, Sern headed northeast.
His destination wasn't far. With luck, he could return within five days.
Ashvale.
This was a loose, damp region where clusters of vibrant subterranean moss thrived.
The density and arrangement of the moss made it clear—these were cultivated.
With no sunlight underground and soil vastly different from the surface, common surface crops couldn't grow here.
Instead, a diverse array of subterranean flora formed the foundation of the underground ecosystem.
Whether it was the ordinary humans of Menzoberranzan or the widespread demi-humans, their primary food source came from these edible plants.
Even the rare and powerful subterranean magical beasts weren't exclusively carnivorous.
Take Sern's targets—the Greenjaw Feathers. These were omnivorous creatures that fed on moss and other subterranean plants.
Greenjaw Feathers resembled birds, measuring under half a meter in length, with two slender cyan tail feathers.
Most adults were merely magical beasts with elemental-infused talons and beaks.
Even novice apprentices could kill them using traps or physical means.
But Greenjaw Feathers were pack creatures, with groups ranging from thirty to fifty.
A single magical beast-level Greenjaw Feather was nothing, but what about twenty or thirty swarming at once?
Thus, missions to exterminate them were typically assigned to intermediate apprentices or higher.
When Sern arrived at Ashvale, aside from the neatly arranged moss fields, he spotted dilapidated wooden huts along the edges.
The humans of Menzoberranzan had cultivated this land.
The lofty dark mages offered no lasting protection or attention to these ants.
When these wretched underground humans faced attacks from creatures like the Greenjaw Feathers, their only recourse was to plead for help from the Dark Magic Academy.
But when—or if—help arrived was beyond their control.
As Sern, clad in his distinctive black robes, stepped into Ashvale, a few hunched figures reeking of filth emerged from the crumbling huts.