The low-level black magic apprentice Ilk was very poor.
Or rather, in the circle of low-level magic apprentices, there were no rich people to begin with.
Aside from the Pale Mask that caught Sain's interest, on Ilk's corroded and charred corpse, Sain ultimately only scavenged a low-level crystal with half its elemental power depleted, and a dozen Mossobla City common currency—black gold coins—that had been damaged by strong acid.
"It seems this dead guy was doing well in the plantation; he even had an energy crystal on him." Holding the orange-colored crystal in his hand and examining it for a moment, Sain muttered to himself.
Unfortunately, it was an earth-attribute crystal, not the fire-type crystal that Sain had a strong affinity for.
By the time Sain had finished collecting his spoils, those who had heard the commotion and rushed over had all arrived.
At this point, more than a dozen black magic apprentices appeared on both sides of the path in the White Crow Forest. The black magic apprentices in Mossobla City weren't too numerous, but neither were they scarce.
The reason these black magic apprentices had arrived so quickly was not only because the fluctuation from the advanced magic earlier was significant, and Ilk's dying wails were particularly惨烈, but also because this patch of White Crow Forest was quite close to the dormitories where the apprentices lived.
With no public academy courses currently in session, aside from a very few magic apprentices like Sain who would risk their lives to go out on missions, the daily routine for the vast majority of apprentices was to stay in their residences meditating to accumulate magic power, or to spend some academy points to borrow relevant magic books from the public library.
The lingering elemental ripples from the advanced magic caused the dozen or so apprentices who arrived one after another to stand a bit farther away from Sain, pointing and whispering.
In the Black Magic Academy, the strong were revered, and strength was supreme.
Most of these apprentices before him were only at the low-level apprentice stage, and some were even newcomers who had just started. Naturally, they didn't dare get too close to Sain, who had just unleashed ripples of advanced magic.
Among them, only one apprentice was an exception—a female apprentice with light yellow long hair.
Her tall figure and shiny leather boots made this female apprentice, though dressed in a black robe, give off an immediate impression of overwhelming confidence and pressure.
There were only a handful of notable figures in the Black Magic Academy, and Sain had heard of this female apprentice before him.
Senior magic apprentice Lilianya, a powerful existence ranked in the top ten among the entire academy's apprentice circles.
Like Sain, she was also a special case who had been taken as a disciple by a formal black mage.
The only difference was that Lilianya's mentor also held the title of academy vice-dean.
"Oh? Why do you have the Acid Wand crafted by Lord Mosido?" Upon arriving at the scene, Lilianya ignored the already charred corpse and walked straight up to Sain to ask.
Lilianya was much older than Sain, and combined with her tall stature, she was actually half a head taller than Sain at the moment.
Facing this senior apprentice's question, Sain put away the magic short staff in his hand and respectfully replied, "I have been accepted as a disciple by Lord Mosido. This is a gift personally given to me by the lord."
Lilianya was clearly not on the same level as Ilk, whom Sain had just killed.
Facing this powerful apprentice with a strong backing, Sain didn't dare show any negligence.
Upon hearing Sain's response, a clear look of regret appeared on Lilianya's face.
Undoubtedly, just moments ago, this powerful black magic apprentice had entertained thoughts of killing and looting.
If this magic short staff had been a mission reward that Sain received from Master Mosido, Lilianya could have killed Sain without any burden.
An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth—that was the principle.
But since Sain had already been accepted as an apprentice by Master Mosido, even with Lilianya's status and position, it wouldn't be appropriate to forcibly take this short staff from Sain's hands.
Others might not know, but Lilianya was aware that Master Mosido was notoriously protective of his own.
Added to that was his identity as an alchemist; even her mentor would have to be polite when meeting him.
Although she couldn't seize the short staff from Sain, Lilianya clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily.
The beauty, as venomous as a scorpion, let out a soft chuckle and said, "I'm afraid you don't know yet, but the low-level apprentice you just killed was highly favored by Master Katheron, who oversees the plantation."
"Although they hadn't formally established a master-apprentice relationship, it was only a matter of time before he was taken as an apprentice by Master Katheron. Even that low-tier magic mask in your hand was a gift from Master Katheron to him." Lilianya chuckled.
Lilianya's light laughter caused Sain's originally calm face to turn very grim at that moment.
Unwittingly provoking a powerful formal black mage was nothing short of a catastrophe in Mossobla City.
The only thing that allowed Sain to breathe a sigh of relief was that he had also formally apprenticed himself and become Lord Mosido's disciple.
He could only hope that Master Mosido would help Sain withstand the pressure from Master Katheron of the plantation.
But even so, being targeted and resented by a black mage still made Sain feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
The changes in Sain's facial expression were all taken in by Lilianya.
Since there were no other benefits to be had, this woman had no interest in staying here any longer.
"Clack clack clack!" The sound of her leather boots gradually faded into the distance.
None of the low-level apprentices who had gathered nearby dared to block her path.
Although Lilianya had left, it didn't mean Sain's troubles were over.
The black mages didn't mind apprentices fighting among themselves, but if it involved killing within the academy, there would still be some consequences.
A half-meter-tall owl with pitch-black wings descended from the sky. Judging solely by its elemental aura and pressure, it was even stronger than the senior apprentice Lilianya from earlier.
This was one of the academy's overseers who maintained order. These owls, circling high above the academy, would only descend to handle situations when fatal incidents occurred.
"Apprentice! You have violated Article 17 of the Mossobla City Black Magic Academy regulations. According to Dean Dadalong's requirements..." A sharp and eerie voice emanated from the owl's mouth.
However, before the owl could finish its lengthy spiel, Sain had already taken out the token given to him by Master Mosido from his bosom—the magic medal.
The appearance of the magic medal caused the overseer owl's sharp voice to come to an abrupt halt.
The so-called academy rules were ultimately established by the formal black mages.
As the apprentice of a great black mage, killing another low-level apprentice with no significant background was something these academy overseers didn't want to meddle in.
Not to mention, Sain followed up with, "Regarding this incident, I was acting in legitimate self-defense, because he attacked first."