The Senior Apprentice's eyes widened—not just at Kai's arrogance, but because Jack had heard similar words before. During the last Regional Tower Academy War, a Tower Archapprentice known as the "Despair Bringer" had dominated the battlefield, sweeping through all five towers to claim first place. His catchphrase? "The weak don't deserve to live."
Jack had been lucky enough to escape him back then. For fifty years, that cold, dismissive voice had haunted his dreams and meditations. He knew the Despair Bringer had become an Official Mage just two years after the last war, earning the title "Thunder Controller."
Kai's power still lagged behind the Thunder Controller's apprentice-era strength, but the icy malice in his spells was eerily similar. Jack watched Kai fly away until he vanished, too frozen with fear to speak another word.
A female Archapprentice noticed his oddity. "Are you okay?"
Jack jolted back to his senses, his hands trembling slightly. He forced a weak smile. "I'm fine. Let's make this medium node our main defense point."
The Purplewood Grove had given Kai a huge (point) boost and an otherworldly corpse, but no extra magical materials—he couldn't stuff a ten-meter-tall purplewood tree into his spatial bracelet. Still, the war had its perks: apprentices kept all resources they collected, from (points) (exchangeable for crystals or coins after the war) to loot like the alien corpse.
Over the next two weeks, Kai passed two more medium nodes and dozens of small ones. Every medium node was guarded by otherworldly beings, trapped by magic to act as training targets. With Azure Source's numerical advantage, these creatures stood no chance against the overwhelming spellbarrages—when elements filled the sky, even the bravest foes despaired.
Kai earned a few hundred more (points) and claimed another alien corpse (Senior-tier). Flying solo, striking fast and ruthless, he'd gained a reputation among lower-tier apprentices, who secretly called him the "Golden Mask"—fitting, since few knew his name, and his mask was unmissable.
Half a month later, a winding river appeared. Below its bed lay a medium node: Water Secret Ore. But only a handful of Low and Mid-tier apprentices lingered here—no Seniors or Archapprentices.
"Why haven't any higher-tier apprentices marked this node?" Kai asked, landing before them.
The apprentices saluted respectfully. A freckled male replied, "The ore is guarded by alien water snakes, Senior. Our friend Slary was poisoned and had to activate his badge to escape. As for the higher-tier apprentices… three Seniors and two Archapprentices came, but they left right away—like they didn't want it."
A female Mid-tier apprentice spoke up bluntly: "The other side of the river is Shadow Tower's territory."
Kai froze. "We're already at the border? And I haven't seen a single large node yet?"
He realized his mistake. He'd flown east nonstop since entering the trial space, efficient for covering ground but blind to nodes in other directions. Each tower should have 4-5 large nodes; even weak Azure Source should have 3. Missing all of them meant he'd chosen the wrong path.
His expression darkened, but the mask hid it. He noticed the apprentices hadn't fled Shadow Tower's border—a curious choice. Turning back for large nodes was a waste of time; his goal was top 20. Azure Source's Mages had only detailed rewards for top 20 (not top 10), hinting they'd be thrilled with even one top-20 apprentice (last year, they'd had just one).
To keep earning (points) fast, Kai had to cross the river into Shadow Tower's territory. There, every unmarked node was a new gain, and defeating Shadow apprentices would net him half their (points).
A month into the war, most small nodes were claimed. Remaining targets were tough medium/large nodes and alien spawns. Low-tier apprentices might even have more (points) than Seniors if they'd lucked into early small nodes. But the war's true horror lay ahead: 20-30% casualties meant over 20,000 dead out of 70-80,000 apprentices. Why? Because killing was the fastest way to earn (points)—nodes could be stolen, but dead apprentices couldn't reclaim their (points).
By the war's sixth month, full-scale tower vs. tower battles would erupt, lasting over a year. Most apprentices would die or flee; only elites would stay to fight for top 100 or top 20. For now, even Earth College and Tower focused on their own nodes—not cross-border raids.
Kai wasn't being reckless—he was choosing the smartest path. And Shadow Tower had ganged up on Azure Source last war. This was payback.
First, he needed to take the Water Secret Ore node. "Do you plan to claim this node?" he asked the apprentices.
The freckled boy shook his head. "We can't beat the snakes. Each is as strong as a Mid-tier beast on land, Senior-tier in water. Only Velly and I can fight underwater—no one else can help."
Velly was the female apprentice. Water distorted spells, making it hard for Low-tiers to hit the snakes. Higher-tier apprentices had avoided this node to skip the hassle and the risk of Shadow Tower stealing it later.
"I'll handle the snakes. You'll help with distractions," Kai said.
The apprentices gaped, then the freckled boy cheered. "Yes, Senior!"
The river exploded. Water shot 20 meters high, and golden light sliced through the current. The snakes' hisses faded, replaced by the apprentices' cheers. Kai wasn't as cold as Jack thought—he respected those who proved useful. The apprentices had done little, but Velly had even finished off a wounded snake with a lucky Fireball, earning 100 (points) that made her scream with joy.
Kai claimed first mark (500 (points)) and 400 (points) for the four snakes he'd killed—total 2,300 (points). He collected nearly 100 Water Secret Ore chunks (valuable for alchemy or resale) before warning the apprentices: "Medium nodes give 5x more (points) than small ones for holding, but don't stay here long."
Velly nodded, but the freckled boy's eyes were fixed on the ore. Kai said no more—he activated Levitation and crossed the river into Shadow Tower's territory.
Velly stared in shock. The freckled boy snapped her out of it: "Help me underwater! There's so much ore—and don't waste your snake corpse!"
Outside the trial space, beyond the Tower Lords and Summer Guardian, Azure Source's Mages, grade directors, and deans monitored the war. They couldn't see the battlefield, but they tracked the (point) board—a joint system showing all towers' rankings.
At Azure Source's board, Mages whispered:"Who is Kai?""Master Morris, is he your apprentice?""No—only Daniel is mine.""Lady Sarefin? Yours?""Anna is mine, and I only take female apprentices."
Johnny and Irene looked uneasy. Then a Mage named Lanqi spoke up: "Kai… I remember him. He took my otherworldly biology class—sharp kid."
More Mages nodded, recalling a quiet apprentice who sat front-row, scribbling notes, never socializing. He'd left a faint impression only because he'd sat so close.
Their words made Johnny's jaw tighten. Azure Source had its stars: Daniel (top of the combat rankings, apprentice to Level 2 Mage Morris) and Anna (second-ranked, apprentice to Level 2 Mage Sarefin, Dean's wife). These were the favorites for top 20.
Daniel had 2,230 (points) in a month—impressive. Anna had 2,050, clinging to 19th place. But Kai, with 2,350… where had he come from?
Before Johnny could admit Kai was his grade's apprentice, a gasp went up. On the board, Kai's (points) jumped to 2,860—600 more than Daniel, catapulting him to 9th place overall.
It was just a real-time rank, not final. But in Azure Source's history, no apprentice had ever achieved this.
Inside the Trial Space Kai stared at the two dead Shadow Tower apprentices, silent for a moment. As it turned out, Magic Apprentices could sometimes be easier to take down than otherworldly creatures—most hadn't endured the brutal trials of life-or-death combat. When Kai appeared out of nowhere, radiating unrivaled dominance, they hadn't even put up a decent fight.
Shortly after crossing into Shadow Tower's territory, Kai had encountered three of their apprentices: one Senior, two Mid-tier. Shadow Tower badges were black, fitting for a tower that drew many Dark and Necromancy Mages.
When Kai ambushed them, the Senior Apprentice barely resisted before activating his badge to flee the trial space. The two Mid-tiers hadn't even had a chance to escape.
This wasn't cruelty—it was survival. The Regional Tower Academy War wasn't a game; it left countless apprentices dead every time. Many struggled to adjust to the violence, but Kai wasn't one of them.
His high-tierInvisibility Cloakwas invaluable here. Confident in his strength but never arrogant, Kai had used it the moment he stepped into Shadow Tower's unfamiliar territory. For ambushing unsuspecting apprentices, it worked better than he'd imagined.
Killing the two Mid-tiers weighed nothing on his conscience. He'd braced for the worst when he entered enemy territory—their deaths were just a result of their own weakness and bad luck.
After a brief pause, Kai sorted through his spoils. Two dead, one fled—total gain: over 500 points. It was a stark reminder: killing was the fastest way to seize points.
He also found two spatial rings on the corpses. Besides trivial items and energy crystals, what caught his eye were several rare resources unique to the trial space.
"There must be resource nodes nearby… I just hope Shadow Tower doesn't have too many guards posted," he muttered. "Shame the Senior got away—he probably had better loot."
After incinerating the bodies with aFireball, Kai pressed deeper into Shadow Tower's territory.
Once inside Shadow Tower's domain, Kai's point gain skyrocketed—but he didn't target the countless Low-tier apprentices. He even let some Mid-tiers go. His prey was exclusively Senior Apprentices and above.
This wasn't kindness. Low-tiers had barely any points a month into the war; after hunting a few, Kai realized it was a waste of effort. Chasing 10 points from a Low-tier wasn't worth depleting his mental power or magic—especially when they could activate their badges and escape at any time.
A single Senior Apprentice's points were worth dozens, even a hundred, Low-tiers. As a Mage, Kai knew better than to waste energy on trivial gains.
He'd leave the Low-tiers for later—"fattening them up," so to speak. The trial space's rules gave weak apprentices a way to earn points: holding resource nodes. In a year or two, those points would accumulate, making them prime targets. That's why the war always reached a bloody peak in its second year.
Kai moved like a patient hunter, stalking Shadow Tower's lands. Shadow Tower was stronger than Azure Source, with far more Senior Apprentices and above—his prey was endless.
Outside the Trial Space
Johnny stared at the point board, his face numb as Kai's score jumped upward nonstop. Kai had no idea he'd already become a minor celebrity among Azure Source's Official Mages. Since entering Shadow Tower's territory, his rank had soared—from 9th to 5th in just a week.
The top 5, even top 10, on the leaderboard were the cream of the crop from every tower. Their names were familiar even to Johnny—geniuses always stood out.
Take Gade, currently in first place: Earth College Tower's so-called "top apprentice in a century." He'd vowed not only to keep Earth College in first place overall but also to erase the shame of the last war by claiming the individual top spot.
(Last war, Earth College won the team title, but Martinez— Tower's peak apprentice—took first place individually.)
Nearly every name in the top 10 was one the Mages recognized. Only Kai's stood out as an unknown.
"Let's hope he keeps this up," one Mage said, staring at the board. "He's definitely this war's biggest dark horse."
The others nodded in agreement. Johnny took a deep breath, thinking to himself:Come on, you little brat. If you stay in the top 10, I'll give Midici that otherworldly Rainbow Sprite I've been hoarding in my lab. You've given Azure Source a real gift.