Lina had a notoriously bad temper, which was one of the reasons many magical apprentices referred to her as the "Madwoman."
Over the years Sene had spent at the Dark Magic Academy in Morsobla City, he had managed to arrive at this point alive and well not only due to his cautious nature and determined character, but largely because of Lina's protection.
Lina was a powerful mid-level apprentice; she had already reached that status when Sene first met her eight years ago. If a low-level apprentice could barely avoid being bullied, only those who achieved mid-level or higher could truly be considered strong by other apprentices.
As for high-level apprentices, they were rarely seen by ordinary apprentices. For example, the high-level apprentice Liliana, whom Sene had conversed with just yesterday, was someone he had previously only heard rumors about.
Now, seeing the blood seeping from Sene's chest made the surrounding temperature drop a few degrees.
However, upon hearing that Ilk had attempted to kill him but had instead been killed by Sene, Lina's anger began to abate when she learned the true cause of Sene's injuries was from the attack of a mid-level beast, the brackish water giant crocodile.
"Why did you go looking for trouble with a brackish water giant crocodile? Even I wouldn't want to face off against such a beast," Lina furrowed her brows as she questioned him.
In previous years, Lina hadn't been this concerned about Sene; to her, he was merely a reliable research assistant. However, after their relationship grew beyond mere friendship two years ago, she gradually began accepting him and showing warmth beneath her cold exterior.
Sene then explained his journey to the habitat of the brackish water giant crocodile in search of stargrass and how he had been formally accepted as a disciple by the dark sorcerer Mosido.
Upon learning that Sene had become a disciple of a formal dark sorcerer, Lina's icy features revealed a hint of surprise and a touch of relief.
"Becoming a disciple of a formal dark sorcerer is certainly a good thing," she said slowly. "But you should have waited for me to return; the brackish water giant crocodile is not something you can handle alone at this stage."
"Master Mosido had set a time limit for the task, and I was worried the stargrass might be eaten by the crocodile or that something else might go awry," Sene explained. "Besides, if I had gotten the stargrass through your hand, perhaps Master Mosido wouldn't have accepted me as a disciple."
"To survive in places like the Dark Regions and achieve anything, one must face various dangers. I can't rely on you for protection forever," he added, shaking his head.
Lina was taken aback by Sene's response, her cold expression flickering with surprise. However, Sene didn't notice the change in her demeanor and instead asked her about her recent whereabouts.
"Where have you been for the past two weeks? I was worried about you," he asked softly.
Seeing the genuine concern in Sene's voice, a smile began to emerge on Lina's formerly icy face.
This was the first time Sene had seen her smile in nearly two years; her joy stemmed not only from his concern but from something deeper as well.
"I've been promoted to high-level apprentice," she admitted, her smile widening. "For the past two weeks, I've been in the academy's training room meditating."
"We can move to a new room soon—the back two dormitory buildings have much better rooms and fully equipped experimental stations than this one," Lina suggested.
Her promotion to high-level apprentice was the reason behind her smile, and she hoped Sene would share in her joy.
Though it would be challenging for Sene to adapt to leaving the place they had called home for the past eight years, it was ultimately for a better living environment and opportunities for both of them. Plus, Sene had become a disciple of a formal dark sorcerer, making it a double celebration.
"Heh, I'll go to Black Street and buy a fish—we'll celebrate properly today," Sene grinned.
Magical apprentices were still people, after all, and they needed to eat. Since returning to his dormitory yesterday, Sene had only drunk half a bottle of mid-level antidote and hadn't eaten anything.
Since Lina didn't cook, it was always Sene's responsibility to handle their meals.
Initially, during their first few years of cohabitation, Sene had gradually gained Lina's acceptance, not only due to his handsome looks and his competent performance in experiments, but also because of the many little things in daily life.
Black Street.
A special commercial street located within the academy, it was a popular destination for apprentices.
From spell-casting materials and alchemical potions to magic artifacts and everyday goods, everything could be found here!
It was said that behind each shop on Black Street, a high-level apprentice or even a formal dark sorcerer lurked in the shadows. Such backing was needed to possess the ability and resources to create the corresponding magical equipment or alchemical potions.
When Sene arrived at Black Street, Lina was beside him. Perhaps confined for two weeks had left her feeling restless, or maybe she was concerned about Sene's injuries not fully healing. The usually quiet and reclusive Lina was accompanying him to buy groceries today.
His primary objective was to obtain "Blacksharp Scale Fish," a product of the underground dark river.
This was no ordinary fish; it was a magical creature imbued with elemental power, roughly equivalent to the entry-level apprentices just starting their studies at the academy.
With its large, formidable mouth, sharp teeth, and spiky scales, it was evident that this creature was not a passive animal.
At the center of Black Street, at the "Koda Magic Materials Shop," the price for this Blacksharp Scale Fish was a hefty eight Black Gold coins.
Having just struck it rich from Ilk's demise, Sene didn't mind the expenditure of eight Black Gold coins. In fact, trying to acquire an entire Blacksharp Scale Fish from the academy cafeteria would cost at least twenty Black Gold coins.
As the universal currency of Morsobla City, Black Gold had remained steadily valued over time.
Sene couldn't guess how much money Lina had saved for herself over the years, but he had accumulated only about twenty coins throughout his time there.
Generally speaking, no low or mid-level apprentice would indulge in purchasing magical creatures. While consuming such creatures could indeed enhance their physical capabilities, most apprentices would rather spend their limited funds on spell-casting materials or magical tomes.
After securing the Blacksharp Scale Fish, Sene and Lina were preparing to leave when trouble came calling.
Leading the group was the same scar-faced apprentice from the city wall.
Conflicts were rare at Black Street because few apprentices could afford to challenge the shopkeepers here.
The scar-faced apprentice and his companions had no intention of causing trouble for Sene and Lina. However, upon spotting the Blacksharp Scale Fish he was carrying, Scarface Jork laughed unpleasantly. "Look at you, Sene. I heard you killed Ilk yesterday."
"Tsk, tsk, that Blacksharp Scale Fish you're holding—did you pay for it with Ilk's Black Gold?" Scarface Jork mocked.
In his group, they were numerous, and Sene had no desire to provoke a fight with them at that moment. It was evident that this guy was poorly informed and had no idea that Sene had been taken in as a disciple by a formal dark sorcerer, Mosido.
Aside from Liliana and Lina, Sene hadn't mentioned this to any other apprentices.
Given Liliana's high standing, she obviously wouldn't be interested in mingling with a bunch of low-level apprentices.
Scarface Jork's derision elicited laughter from his entourage, not all of whom were simply Jork's lackeys. Within the crowd were three middle-level apprentices, standing at a level equal to Jork's.
If it had been just Sene, he may have withstood Jork's taunts; the sheer number of their group made things different. Sene had now pledged himself to Master Mosido; he would have ample opportunity to deal with them later.
But the significant factor was that Sene was not alone this time.
"Whoosh!" A fireball, the size of a basketball, suddenly appeared at the tip of Lina's finger.
Unbeknownst to anyone, she must have completed her incantation in silence, preparing to attack directly on Black Street.
The immense fireball was not only larger than Sene's Incendiary Fireball, but its hue was far from the typical red; it glimmered with an unsettling and eerie deep blue!
"High-level apprentice!" A startled voice came from one of the acquaintances in Scarface Jork's crew.