From Wizard Apprentice to Conqueror of Myriad Worlds

"The core logic here is that only by staying alive, and living long enough, can you continue to grow and eventually become strong.

"You can simply avoid any monster you can’t defeat right now. When you’re strong enough in the future, you can come back and kill it with ease.

"All in all, what the Academy truly values has never been a momentary victory or defeat, but rather who is left smiling at the very end.

"To the Academy, an excellent Wizard is one who possesses great potential, makes the right decisions when faced with danger, and thus creates the opportunity to turn that potential into real strength."

Reflecting on these words now, Mo Ning felt a deeper understanding dawn on him.

After entering Mist Valley, these new Apprentices had hastily charged into the forest, only to hastily charge right back out. In a short span of time, they had made a frantic round trip in the pouring rain.

They had no idea that the Academy had already quietly slapped an "unqualified" label on them.

A minute after Mo Ning’s departure, the first battle between the newcomers and the forest’s monsters finally erupted.

They were small, monkey-like creatures covered in a hard hide patterned like tree bark, with claws as sharp as hooks.

They were called—Tree Bark Monkeys.

Many of the new Apprentices sustained minor injuries in the melee, but with strength in numbers, they managed to push back a troop of Tree Bark Monkeys.

Man and monkey began a tense standoff, with the edge of the forest as the dividing line.

Ceaseless rustling echoed from the canopy, where pairs of ghostly green eyes flickered in and out of view, sending a chill down the spine.

The downpour intensified.

Countless raindrops slammed into the ground, kicking up a fine mist that flowed low across the earth—a bizarre sight.

Normally, a heavy rain would wash away any fog, but here, mist and water coexisted.

The name "Mist Valley" suddenly surfaced in the mind of Vino, serial number 014, the female newcomer widely acknowledged as "Number One" during the cafeteria assessment.

Her brow furrowed as she thought, ’This is bad. The fog is about to roll in.’

If the fog truly rolled in while a large troop of Tree Bark Monkeys watched them menacingly from the forest, the situation would only grow more perilous.

"AWOOO—!"

An especially loud roar erupted from the depths of the dark forest.

To Vino’s ears, the sound seemed to reverberate.

"Ooo... ooo..."

Vino’s expression changed slightly.

She instantly realized that the Tree Bark Monkey that had roared was far stronger than the others.

She immediately corrected her earlier assessment. ’This place will *definitely* become more dangerous.’

Before, it was "probably"; now, it was "definitely."

For some reason, the image of three figures walking silently through the rain flashed through her mind.

Vino was naturally gifted with a broad awareness. This wasn’t to say she was adept at observing details, but rather that she was extremely sensitive to changes in her surroundings. She had been the first to notice Mo Ning and his two companions leave.

A piece of advice surfaced from the depths of her memory:

"You must always remember: when you can’t control the situation, you must get away from the chaos and danger."

It was her grandfather’s teaching.

Her grandfather, who had passed away over twenty years ago, had once been a Second Level Apprentice at Black Tower Academy.

Her thoughts raced. ’Maybe Anya’s actions weren’t reckless at all. Maybe they were shrewd and farsighted.’

Like most of the others, she had assumed Anya was the leader of that small group.

The noble girl was usually quiet, modest, and gentle. She had only shown a wild side once, during a rather insane display in the Steel Bamboo Forest. That was the first time Vino had truly taken notice of her.

Now, Vino suddenly realized, ’This unassuming noble girl... she’s the truly clever one.’

Vino turned to her two teammates and said decisively, "We’re leaving here."

One of her teammates, Parker, serial number 77, stared down at the mist swirling around his feet in astonishment.

"The fog is about to set in. We don’t know Mist Valley, and blundering around in this weather could lead to all sorts of unexpected dangers."

Her other teammate, Sido, serial number 101, gave a slight nod. "The weather is terrible right now. We’d be better off waiting for the rain to let up before we decide anything."

He glanced around and added, "Since Uma died, the Battle Group doesn’t seem to be pushing anyone away. Sticking together with everyone else is safer than just a few of us wandering the wilds alone."

Vino sighed inwardly.

Anya had managed to lead her group away with ease, without a single argument. Yet here, at this critical moment, the two teammates Vino had so carefully chosen were objecting.

For the first time, she felt that she, who considered herself a Strong Person among the newcomers, was inferior even to Anya, whose serial number was far behind hers.

Vino asked seriously, "Parker, Sido, I believe now is the right time to leave. Are you willing to trust me?"

The two exchanged a look, both hesitating.

Their gazes shifted from each other’s faces to the misty curtain of rain, but ultimately, they said nothing.

Her grandfather’s words echoed in her mind once more:

"At the Academy, teammates are important, but finding competent ones is no easy task. Only when a truly critical moment arrives do you learn whether the people by your side are truly dependable."

Before, she had merely listened to the words. Now, every single one felt like a needle piercing her heart.

She then recalled another of her grandfather’s lessons: "My child, never, ever team up with fools. Stay far away from them, or they will get you killed."

Vino stated flatly, "Then I’m leaving."

’These two can’t even read the situation,’ she thought. ’They’re operating on the laughably simplistic logic that there’s ’safety in numbers,’ which perfectly fits my grandfather’s definition of ’fools.’’