Chapter 36 - 1-11 I Pioneered Scientific Magic

Chapter 2: Magic is Science!

Did I somehow find myself in a magical world? Lynn quickly regained his composure after the initial shock. After all, in a world where you've crossed over, nothing seems impossible.

Lynn was naturally intrigued by the wonders of magic. The strong desire to explore it briefly overcame the fear of being pursued by the Church. As an apprentice wizard with just over half a year of training, he had limited knowledge of magic, only five basic spells.

Among them, "Elementary Material Deconstruction," "Water Conjuring," and "Mage's Hand" were the most basic zero-tier magics. They were essential but lacked offensive capabilities.

The more advanced "Fireball" required specific magical materials, and as for the other zero-tier magic, "Icy Blade," Lynn hadn't mastered it yet.

Lynn reached down to his waist pouch and took out his limited resources.

Two red firestones, three Sekas silver coins, over ten copper coins, seven scrolls with complex magic formulas, a yellowed book titled "Elemental Analysis," and a small bag of gray powder—this was the spellcasting material for "Fireball," known as "Crimson Embers."

Lynn pinched a small amount of fine powder and felt a tingling excitement. Carl's memories contained the complete casting steps for "Fireball."

First, use "Elementary Material Deconstruction" to analyze the spellcasting material, then use "Mage's Hand" to make "Crimson Embers" vibrate at a specific frequency to activate the magic.

The whole process sounded cumbersome, but the time-consuming material analysis could be done in advance. If one was proficient enough, "Fireball" could be cast in just one second.

Lynn couldn't wait to experience this supernatural power, but he ultimately restrained himself. This small amount of "Crimson Embers" was worth five Sekas silver coins and was only enough to cast "Fireball" three times. It couldn't be wasted carelessly, so it was better to start with something simpler for the first attempt.

After some contemplation, Lynn chose "Water Conjuring" as his first spell.

As one of the essential zero-tier magics, "Elementary Material Deconstruction" was the key to using magical materials, and "Mage's Hand" was the best aid for a wizard. "Water Conjuring" was a fundamental lesson for apprentices.

This basic magic didn't require pre-prepared spellcasting materials like the higher-tier "Icy Blade." It could directly extract water elements from the elemental world.

Following the method provided in his memories, Lynn closed his eyes and began to meditate. Carl had given him a solid foundation, and within a short two to three seconds, Lynn successfully opened the door to this new world.

With his eyes closed, Lynn entered an incredibly magical world. With the power of his mental senses, he could "see" the room filled with countless softly glowing magical elements.

Billions, hundreds of billions, thousands of billions? No, these numbers couldn't even begin to count the vast quantity of these elements. They shimmered like stars in the dark universe, blindingly bright.

Most of these elements were highly active, constantly changing their positions. Among them, "Sylu" was the most abundant element, accounting for about seventy percent of the total. Carl's mentor, Kora, had called it a useless element.

This spectacular sight left Lynn in awe. After a while, he focused his mind on using magic.

The steps to cast "Water Conjuring" were not too complicated. It required merging two types of water-related elements in a two-to-one ratio.

The first element was relatively abundant in the elemental world, making up about twenty to thirty percent. The second element was rarer and required more effort to find.

However, there was an easier way. The elemental world naturally contained a small amount of ready-made water elements. By drawing them out and reassembling them using "Elementary Material Deconstruction," you could easily manipulate them.

Thanks to Carl's obsession with magic, Lynn had practiced these basic spells hundreds of times. His foundation was solid, and he quickly mastered the method after overcoming the initial discomfort.

But this so-called elemental world felt oddly familiar to him.

When Lynn opened his eyes again, a bead-sized water droplet floated gently in his palm, cradled by "Mage's Hand."

"Very good, it worked!" A slight smile formed on Lynn's lips. However, the momentary distraction caused the water droplet to disintegrate and drip through his fingers.

It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and Lynn quickly snapped out of his momentary celebration. As an apprentice wizard, he was still being pursued by the Church. He couldn't afford to be complacent because of this small achievement.

Not to mention, this bead-sized water droplet would be of little use in a battle.

It probably wouldn't even quench someone's thirst!

Lynn had seen Carl, his previous self, use "Water Conjuring" as a prelude to casting a second-tier spell, "Group-Icy Blade," against bandits. In an instant, more than ten fist-sized water droplets had gathered and transformed into sturdy diamond-shaped ice blades, shooting down the attackers like a swarm of locusts.

One strike had wiped out all the incoming enemies.

With that in mind, Lynn decided to sense the elemental world and give it another try.

Perhaps due to the integration of memories after the crossover, Lynn's mental power was much more abundant than the original Carl's, allowing him to harness more magical energy.

When Lynn used "Water Conjuring" earlier, it cost him very little. He had a premonition that he could achieve even more.

Lynn closed his eyes again and entered the elemental world. This time, he didn't rush to cast "Water Conjuring" but attempted to influence every kind of element around him with his mental power.

These elements had diverse appearances, giving Lynn a sense of familiarity, and some felt unbelievably "heavy," making him mentally exhausted with the slightest effort.

Fully immersed, Lynn suddenly noticed a strange phenomenon.

The elements drifting in front of him were inexplicably drawn into his body at a peculiar frequency and then expelled, repeatedly cycling.

Did wizards need to regularly ingest these magical elements?

A doubt suddenly popped into Lynn's mind, and upon closer observation, he made a remarkable discovery. This phenomenon was precisely linked to his breathing.

Wait... this is oxygen, isn't it?

Lynn was dumbfounded, continuously taking deep breaths. In his eyes, the towering and mystical forms of magical elements suddenly crumbled.

He hadn't recognized this earlier because he didn't directly see these "elements." He had sensed them in a highly mystical way through his mental power and then manipulated them using magic.

Moreover, the chemical elements in the air of this world differed from his previous life. This was why Lynn hadn't considered this possibility before.

But now, with this insight, the process of capturing elements to create a water flow had a new explanation.

What is water? It's an inorganic compound composed of two chemical elements, hydrogen and oxygen.

The air indeed contained a small amount of water vapor, perhaps what wizards called water elements.

So, he hadn't been using magic earlier; he had been conducting a chemistry experiment?

Were wizards essentially chemists?

This conclusion momentarily stunned Lynn. However, he quickly shook his head. In this world, there was a mysterious force called "magic." From his earlier spellcasting, it seemed that magic could manipulate matter on a microscopic level. If there were no restrictions, wizards were essentially gods.

According to his past scientific knowledge, everything in the world was made up of atoms. If magic could manipulate matter on that level, it could create or destroy anything.

Lynn quickly got lost in his thoughts, realizing how terrifying the combination of his past scientific and magical knowledge could be. If in his previous life, scientific theories were used to create various machines to change the world, wizards could transform these theories directly into magic, harnessing immense power.

Lynn extended his hand once more, and the hydrogen and oxygen in the surrounding air were separated, forming a small water droplet that floated in his palm.

Then another question crossed his mind. When hydrogen and oxygen combined to form water, it typically involved a combustion reaction, creating high temperatures and energy. Where did that energy go?

Could it have been absorbed by magic? Magic, this unknown field, seemed capable of anything. Lynn couldn't be sure, but he knew he would need to conduct experiments later to find out.

Lynn shifted his focus to other spells. If his conjecture was correct, then the key to the first-tier spell "Icy Blade" was transforming the water from a liquid to a solid state, increasing its lethality.

To achieve this, Lynn would need to lower the temperature of the water.

Lynn thought back to the principles of physics from his previous life. Temperature was a manifestation of the average kinetic energy of particles within an object. In other words, molecules collided and produced heat.

In this case, he needed to slow down the movement of water molecules. With a thought, he used his magical influence, causing the water molecules in his palm to slow down and cluster together tightly. In an instant, the small water droplet solidified into a transparent ice crystal.

Just as Lynn was amazed at his successful theory, a notification sound suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Special energy detected... Source unknown... No records in the database... Would you like to create a relevant file?"

Lynn was momentarily stunned. He couldn't believe it. This sound was all too familiar to him.

But wasn't he in a different world now? His body had changed, and the auxiliary chip that had been implanted earlier should no longer exist.

"071, do you know how we crossed over here? Is there any relevant information in the system?" Lynn asked anxiously.

Due to unknown reasons, the system has undergone a shutdown and restart. There are no records during the entire process.

Lynn furrowed his brows, feeling a bit disappointed. Nevertheless, he quickly composed himself and asked, "How long can the remaining energy supply the system to operate?"

Since he had already arrived in this other world and was constantly at risk of being hunted by the Church, Lynn needed to find a way to survive. The accompanying AI was an unexpected blessing. While personal implanted auxiliary chips had limited AI capabilities due to federal regulations, 071 held extensive technological knowledge from Lynn's previous life.

In this unique world where science and magic coexisted, this information was invaluable.

Energy remaining: 37.6%. Special energy detected, available for system operation.

Was this special energy referring to magic?

Lynn contemplated. The various characteristics displayed by magic left him incredibly astonished. If he were still in his previous world, he might have rushed straight into a laboratory for experiments.

But now, he was just an apprentice wizard with no money, no power, and being pursued by the Church. Whether he would see the sun rise tomorrow was uncertain.

Lynn sighed and then spoke solemnly, "071, create a new file and name this special energy 'Magic.'"

"Loading database..."

During this moment, Lynn turned to look at the diamond-shaped ice blade floating in the palm of his hand. Due to the infusion of magic, this ice blade was different from what he had seen before. It constantly emitted a chilling aura, had a sharp conical head, and a streamlined overall shape.

Although it was called an "ice blade," describing it as an "ice arrow" might be more appropriate.

This form was called the "Kora Configuration," designed to minimize air resistance.

Clearly, his mentor, Kora, had a significant background in fluid dynamics...

Lynn couldn't help but mutter inwardly. Then, his expression turned somewhat peculiar because, compared to the memory of Kolu unleashing "Icy Blade," the one in his hand seemed a bit smaller.

Even though the air in this world contained more hydrogen than in his previous life, collecting it all still wouldn't generate enough water flow.

Thinking about this, Lynn couldn't help but wonder how his mentor was able to cast the second-tier spell, "Massive Icy Blade."

It couldn't possibly involve extracting hydrogen, oxygen, and water vapor from hundreds of meters around in an instant, could it? With such a power, Kolu wouldn't need to cast "Multiple Icy Blades"; the enemies would probably suffocate due to a lack of oxygen.

Unable to figure it out in the short term, Lynn didn't dwell on it. He simply focused on the floating ice blade in front of him and had a thought.

"071, retrieve relevant information about 'Armor-Piercing Arrows' and 'Barbed Arrows,'" Lynn silently requested.

In the next moment, an abundance of data streams flashed through his retinas. Countless images, information, and simulated 3D models left Lynn somewhat overwhelmed.

"Replace the crafting material with ice. Aim for stability, reduced air resistance, and maximum lethality. Optimize and restructure!" Lynn mused, stroking his chin, and spoke again.

The images displayed on his retina rapidly faded, and after a mere second, a completely new 3D model appeared before him.

Lynn firmly memorized the new 3D image. With a light grip of his right hand, the floating ice blade instantly disintegrated.

Zero-tier spell – "Basic Material Deconstruction."

The disintegrated ice blade reverted to its most basic elemental form, compressed in his palm under the influence of magic. It continuously changed shape to align with the image stored in Lynn's retina, quickly stabilizing.

The reconstituted ice blade was narrower than before, and its conical head was altered into a more armor-piercing and bloodletting triangular shape. It also sported two long barbs at the base. Lynn could imagine that once this ice blade struck its target, it would leave them speechless with pain.

The successful improvement of the spell experiments gave Lynn hope for survival. However, the power of "Icy Blade" was still limited, and no amount of optimization would result in a significant increase. Therefore, Lynn quickly shifted his focus to the second-tier spell that Carl mastered, "Fireball."

Unlike the process of extracting "raw materials" from the air while using "Icy Blade," "Fireball" required the use of a magical substance called "Crimson Ember."

Lynn speculated that this substance was highly flammable, rapidly expanding and igniting under the friction and heating imposed by magic.

If his assumption was correct, could he use other flammable materials to cast this spell?

"071, search for information on the production and usage of white phosphorus," Lynn silently thought.

White phosphorus was a colorless or pale yellow, semi-translucent waxy substance with a low ignition point. Upon contact with oxygen, it would ignite fiercely, reaching temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius.

What made it even more terrifying was that white phosphorus fires were challenging to extinguish and had a strong adherence. Once in contact with a person's body, it would quickly burn through the skin, muscles, and even reach the bone marrow, producing highly toxic gases.

As a data storage officer in his past life, Lynn had witnessed the horrific effects of launching new white phosphorus munitions by the federation. It was an unforgettable and horrifying sight.

When the missile exploded in the air, a continuous rain of fire fell, igniting an unquenchable blaze within a few kilometers.

The scorching heat, persistent nature, and the lethal toxicity of the resulting gases meant that even those taking cover had no escape from the clutches of death.

Because of the terrifying nature of white phosphorus munitions, they had been banned as inhumane weapons early in the last century. Various regions in the federation only dared to research them secretly.

However, the manufacturing process for white phosphorus was not particularly complex, and the auxiliary AI contained detailed records. As long as he could find the necessary materials, even without instruments, he could produce it.

Just as Lynn was pondering, a dull knocking sound suddenly echoed from behind him.

Lynn's expression suddenly changed.

He was currently hiding in the slums of the Norderland territory. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to disturb him unless...

The Witch Hunters dispatched by the Inquisition had arrived!

Chapter 3: Witch Hunter Blaine

As evening fell in the Sekas Empire, in the slums outside the Nordland territory, two unexpected visitors arrived.

The leader of the two was a man in his early thirties. He wore tight-fitting leather armor, had a longsword at his waist, and his dark golden hair flowed freely behind him. They stood out in the dilapidated and decaying slums, immediately drawing numerous hostile glances their way.

Hungry mobs and thieves lurked in the shadows, their sharp, dagger-like gazes scanning the two figures.

However, when they noticed the holy sigils on their clothes, those prying eyes quickly retreated.

In the Sekas Empire, perhaps some people didn't recognize the empire's flag, but no one was unaware of the holy sigils. They were the symbol of the messengers of the gods!

Other than the clergy in their temple robes, those bearing holy sigils were none other than Witch Hunters!

Rumors had it that every Witch Hunter was blessed by the gods, possessing abilities far beyond ordinary individuals. No one was willing to cross paths with such targets.

Noticing the hidden figures disappearing into the shadows, Andrei sneered and then wrinkled his nose as the faint, putrid stench of the dilapidated alleyways wafted over him.

"As Archbishop Anluke said, these wizards are like rats, hiding in these dark, foul corners," Andrei said, covering his nose and complaining.

"We should stay vigilant, Andrei. We're not dealing with ordinary individuals this time," the leading man warned, clearly annoyed by Andrei's brash attitude.

A few days ago, a significant event had occurred in the Duchy of Nordland. A wizard named Coru had attempted to bewitch the Duke's second daughter. Fortunately, the vigilant guards had discovered it in time, preventing the Duke's young daughter from being ensnared by the devil.

The memory of the fierce siege was still fresh in their minds.

To capture this audacious wizard, Duke Nordland had dispatched two large squads of guards, and even then, they had suffered heavy losses. If it hadn't been for the arrival of the Church's Bishop, Duke Nordland's reputation would have been tarnished.

Their current target was the wizard's apprentice, another sorcerer.

"Don't worry, Blaine," Andrei chuckled. "This time, we're dealing with a mere apprentice who's only been studying magic for a few months. These people usually only know a couple of parlor tricks. Trust me, a farmer swinging a hoe is more challenging to deal with than them."

In the half-year since he joined the Witch Hunters, Andrei had participated in several witch-hunting operations. At the beginning, he had been filled with dread about these supposed devil-summoning wizards.

However, after encountering them, Andrei realized that these wizards weren't as terrifying as he had imagined. Most of them posed no real threat; their magical powers were limited, and some were even less reliable than swords and shields.

As for the inexperienced apprentices, they could only be described as useless. Once they were distracted, they couldn't cast magic in battle and were easy prey.

What pleased Andrei the most was that the bounties for capturing these wizards were quite substantial. Duke Nordland had been even more generous, offering six whole Sekas gold coins for capturing a single apprentice. That would be enough to live in luxury for quite some time!

Of course, killing them would only be worth half the price.

Blaine glanced at Andrei but didn't argue, though he didn't let his guard down.

In his experience, Witch Hunters who relied too much on intelligence often didn't live long.

The slums outside Nordland's territory weren't large, and there was very little foot traffic. With their identities as Witch Hunters, Andrei managed to obtain information about their target's hiding place through a bit of intimidation from a homeless man.

The building before them was difficult to describe as a house. The red brick walls were covered in green vines, and the door seemed ready to fall apart with the slightest push.

Their target was right in front of them, but neither of them made an immediate move.

Andrei shot his partner a disdainful look, silently cursing in his mind. He took the initiative and placed his palm on the door, his calloused fingertips gripping the door latch. Though the door appeared rickety, it didn't budge, indicating something was blocking it from the inside.

Andrei gritted his teeth and forcefully kicked the door.

A deafening crash echoed as the door gave way, revealing the interior of the room.

The narrow room was a mess, cluttered with heaps of garbage piled up in the corners.

A candle on a wooden table at the side flickered for a moment, then extinguished due to the violent entrance, leaving the room shrouded in darkness. Only a faint glimmer of light filtered through the wide-open window, barely illuminating the tattered blanket dragged from the bed to the window's edge.

Blaine, who followed inside, scanned the room. His attention was quickly drawn to a piece of paper that had fallen on the floor.

Andrei also noticed this as he entered, and he bent down to pick up the crumpled paper. After reading its contents, his expression soured.

"Damn, it looks like we're late. This kid has already gone to meet up with other apprentices!" Andrei exclaimed in frustration. Taking into account the room's state and the message on the paper, he pieced together what had happened.

Their target, the apprentice wizard, had received word of their arrival before they got here and had left without packing up.

However, judging by the candle that hadn't completely burned out and the lingering warmth on the bed, it seemed the target hadn't gone too far.

With this in mind, Andrei grew impatient. He was determined to pursue their quarry. After all, it was six Sekas gold coins on the line, and he couldn't let the opportunity slip away.

Once their target joined up with other wizard apprentices, it would be much harder to capture them. However, compared to that, Andrei was more concerned about the possibility of other bounty hunters beating them to the punch.

"Wait a moment…"

Just as Andrei was about to hurry to the window to give chase, Blaine stopped him with a raised hand and pointed to the desk.

Andrei turned to look, and aside from the extinguished candle, there were more than a dozen copper coins scattered about, as well as sheets of paper covered with strange characters and symbols.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Andrei quickly understood his companion's meaning. If the apprentice wizard had left after receiving a warning, they wouldn't have left behind easily carried coins or these "precious" magical manuscripts.

With his experience in hunting wizards, Andrei knew most wizards would rather die than let their so-called research notes be compromised.

In other words, their quarry was likely still hiding in this very room.

Andrei sneered, and the telltale signs on the floor—dragged blankets, open windows, and the fallen note—all suggested that their quarry had fled.

It was evident that the apprentice had played a clever trick, attempting to mislead them to another location. It could even be a trap, and Andrei almost fell for it.

At this moment, hidden in the darkness, Lynn was breaking into a cold sweat. His mental state was increasingly frenzied in this life-threatening situation, his dispersed energy expanding in all directions under the influence of magic.

He could even influence the airflow to a certain extent, which had extinguished the candle without making a sound. This unique ability allowed him to remain hidden from the two witch hunters.

Blaine paid no attention to the now-aware Andrei. His gaze swept around the room, eventually landing on the dark red cabinet beside the tall window.

The cabinet was only as high as his shoulders, covered in dust, and unassuming in the drafty, dilapidated room. But it had enough space for a curled-up adult male to hide within...

Chapter 4: Recklessness Leads to Ruin

In his mind, Lynn imagined that if he were to search the cabinet without the other two knowing, they could easily launch a sudden attack from behind the cover of clothing. If the attack failed, they could jump out of the window to escape.

This was undoubtedly the best hiding spot in the entire room!

Realizing this, Lynn didn't hesitate for a moment. Without any warning, he drew his sword.

The blade slid out of the scabbard, creating a soft, resonant hum in the room.

In just an instant, the silvery blade sliced through the wooden cabinet as if it were cutting through butter, and the closed cabinet doors fell apart.

Wood splinters and torn fabric filled the air, but the expected gush of blood did not follow.

Furrowing his brows, Lynn was somewhat surprised. Had he made a mistake in his judgment? Was their target simply careless and left these things in the room?

André, who was standing nearby, was startled by Lynn's sudden unsheathing of his sword. He was about to mock Lynn for his erroneous judgment when, from the narrow gap between the bookshelf and the wall, a short sword suddenly extended out of the darkness, heading straight for André's neck!

The one launching the attack was Lynn.

As soon as Lynn saw the coins and manuscripts on the table, he knew he couldn't avoid this confrontation.

The narrow gap he had hidden in offered no cover at all. He relied solely on shadows and visual distortion to remain hidden. It was undoubtedly a very dangerous place, but Lynn and André had arrived too quickly. They were still reeling from their time travel experience, and Lynn's mind was in turmoil, leaving him no time to find a better hiding place or set up a proper ambush. He hadn't even had time to pick up the dropped parchment scrolls on the floor.

If the two of them discovered that there was no one in the cabinet and started searching the room carefully, they would quickly find him. So, Lynn acted without hesitation.

Considering the lethality of the situation, Lynn refrained from using his partially mastered and improved "Frostblade." The short sword he wielded was much more reliable within arm's reach.

The moment André saw the splintered wood flying and relaxed his guard, a strong sense of impending danger washed over him.

Before joining the Witch Hunters, André had been a renowned mercenary, constantly teetering on the edge between life and death. He was intimately familiar with this deeply ingrained feeling. It had saved him once again. Just as the sharp short sword was about to descend, André managed to twist his body and narrowly avoid a gruesome fate of decapitation.

However, Lynn's surprise attack had been lightning fast, and even though André had made an evasive move, he couldn't avoid it entirely. The sharp short sword left a deep gash on his neck.

Crimson blood flowed from the wound, and André, feeling a mixture of shock and anger, was well aware that he had narrowly escaped death.

"You bastard!" André shouted, his rage surging. He swung his longsword downward, intending to cut Lynn in half.

His strike was swift and heavy, and Lynn barely had time to react. Nevertheless, his body instinctively made a parrying motion, and the clash of their blades filled the room.

Before this, Lynn had never wielded a sword to harm another person, but thanks to the previous owner, Carl, he had a well-trained muscle memory.

It was Carl's impressive swordsmanship that had deterred the unfriendly neighbors in the slums.

However, this time, Lynn was up against a Witch Hunter who was not lacking in training. André, empowered by the Elixir of Divinity, possessed abilities far beyond the ordinary. He was a merciless opponent.

André's swordsmanship was unorthodox but ruthlessly efficient. In just three clashes, Lynn's wrist was sore, and he could barely hold onto the short sword.

"Die!" André roared, lifting his longsword to push away Lynn's short sword, and with his left hand, he reached for Lynn's throat.

Lynn, gasping for breath, his face turning red, quickly lost consciousness.

Warning, Covenant target under severe life threat. In accordance with Federal Intelligence Management Act, Article 37, the nearest law enforcement personnel will be automatically contacted...

The sudden reminder in his mind pulled Lynn's consciousness back from the abyss of despair, filling him with a glimmer of hope.

Warning... no signal... Warning... not connected to the network... Please proceed to the nearest elevated location to search for satellite signals and call for federal assistance promptly...

Lynn muttered a curse under his breath. He had forgotten that he had already crossed over and couldn't be certain if he was in the same universe anymore.

Damn it! He should have saved the money he used to buy a new spaceship and upgraded its intelligence. How was he going to find a satellite signal now?

Even if he could, did he expect federal officers to fly over to rescue him?

But at this moment, Lynn had no time for regrets. The hand tightening around his neck was like a death grip, slowly but relentlessly choking the life out of him.

Warning... no signal. Initiate emergency protocol. Highest probability of survival analysis. In accordance with the user agreement, connect to the neural network...

The prompt in his mind became more urgent, but Lynn couldn't hear it anymore. He felt as though his brain had exploded, and his soul seemed to detach from his body, examining the world in a strange state.

Lynn's dispersed mental power expanded like ripples in water, and his perception of the elements became clearer...

...

"Brunette, black eyes, looks like we've got the right person." Seeing André easily subduing their target, Blaine relaxed his grip on his sword and turned his attention to Lynn.

"You're quite capable, little mouse. If you're so good at hiding, why not cut off a hand and a leg..." André sneered.

Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt like he was struggling to breathe, and his anger continued to rise.

If it weren't for the last-minute realization that a live person was worth more than a dead one, André would have wanted to kill Lynn immediately.

Blaine, on the other hand, was unfazed by his companion's cruel suggestion and casually chimed in, "Just cut off a hand; otherwise, you'll have to carry him back yourself. Remember to be quick and make sure he doesn't bleed out on the way."

With his back turned to Blaine, André had no time to respond. His face turned purple, and the longsword he held in his left hand crashed heavily to the ground. His labored breathing, previously irregular, had now become increasingly rapid. He resembled a fish out of water, with his heart and lungs on the verge of bursting.

Ten years ago, when he was swallowed by a massive vortex in the Sea of Mist, André had experienced this suffocating near-death feeling. Breathing was nothing more than a luxury, and if he hadn't been exceptionally lucky, he might have already been buried at the bottom of the sea.

But this time, he wasn't underwater, and Lynn's recent attack had clearly not severed his windpipe.

André gasped for air, but his condition showed no improvement. Instead, it worsened, and his grey eyes seemed on the brink of popping out of their sockets.

What kind of magic was this? André immediately realized that the young wizard's apprentice in front of him was up to something, but the overwhelming suffocation response had caused him to miss the opportunity to counterattack. The hand gripping Lynn's neck grew weaker.

At the same moment, Lynn, with his head hanging low, suddenly made a move. His tightly shut eyes snapped open, and simultaneously, the oxygen in the surrounding air was instantly vacuumed away. A short sword thrust upward, piercing André's throat from below!

Chapter 5: Lynn - Since I don't need to breathe, why doesn't everyone stop!

Just a dozen breaths before, Lynn, whose neck was clamped tightly, entered a bizarre state. All the pain seemed to rapidly fade away, replaced by a significant increase in brain activity.

At that moment, Lynn couldn't help but wonder if he had already departed for the afterlife.

However, he hadn't. He could still clearly perceive the flow of blood and oxygen being forcibly cut off from his brain, and his body was gradually losing vitality.

Before long, he would truly die!

Faced with such a dire situation, Lynn surprisingly couldn't muster any feelings of panic.

How to fight back when one is being strangled and suffocated?

Of course, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!

Since I don't need to breathe, why doesn't everyone stop! Lynn sensed the vast elements in the void, and with a thought, he used his mental power as a web to instantly extract the active oxygen molecules.

What happens when a person continues to breathe in a low-oxygen environment?

Andrei was the best example!

A large amount of ineffective gas rushed into his lungs, and his blood pressure rapidly increased. In just a few breaths, signs of hypoxia had already appeared. Lynn keenly noticed the signs of weakness in the hand that was gripping his neck.

Now is the time!

Lynn suddenly opened his eyes. Based on his previous memories, the positions and reactions of everyone in the room were transformed into data in his mind. He could even perform a detailed force analysis on his neck based on the angle at which Andrei raised his arm.

Countless complex data were sorted in an instant, and Lynn constructed a 100% accurate three-dimensional image in his mind, deducing the best sword-fighting plan.

(Raise the hand and thrust directly at a 47-degree angle!)

Lynn's arm raised in sync, and he thrust out a short sword. The iron tower-like man in front of him, under the strong hypoxia reaction, had completely lost the ability to resist. He could only watch as the tip of the sword pierced his neck.

The fragile neck couldn't withstand the sharp short sword. Crimson blood sprayed out like a fountain, splattering on Lynn's clothes and face.

Andrei's eyes widened, his mouth unconsciously gaping open. His hands clung tightly to the gaping wound in his neck, and he fell down in fear and unwillingness.

Lynn didn't hesitate. At the moment he broke free from the stranglehold, he kicked Andrei's body aside, sending it towards the stunned Blaine. Lynn, on the other hand, quickly moved out of the low-oxygen area using the rebounding force.

Blaine hadn't expected the situation on the field to suddenly reverse, and a look of shock instantly appeared on his face. His reaction was a beat slower, and he instinctively took Andrei's body when he saw the lifeless state he was in. After examining the gruesome sight, his pupils shrank, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to his heart.

The greenish-purple complexion, the black-red lips, and the dilated pupils all proved that Andrei had suddenly fallen into suffocation, resulting in his neck being pierced without any defenses! How was that possible?

Blaine was filled with fear. Just a moment ago, it was clear that Andrei had been strangling Lynn's neck, but now he was inexplicably suffocated. Could this be some strange curse, enemy using self-injurious magic?

Lynn breathed heavily in a regular rhythm, quickly regaining the vitality of his limbs. Being locked in a stranglehold for a full minute, combined with forcibly manipulating a large amount of oxygen elements, had left his brain throbbing slightly.

Despite using the principle of suffocation to kill one of them by chance, Lynn didn't dare to relax in the slightest. The brief encounter had made him realize the gap between both sides.

According to his memory, these witch hunters were all elite individuals with exceptional skills. The swordsmanship of the original body could deal with a few bandits, but when faced with the witch hunters sent by the Church, it was clear that it was insufficient.

Various thoughts flashed through Lynn's mind, and then a warning sound rang out.

(Warning: In overload mode, system energy is rapidly depleting, and forced shutdown is expected in two minutes and thirty seconds.)

Lynn's body paused involuntarily, only then realizing that the sudden increase in his control over the elements was thanks to the assistance of the smart brain.

So... let's try magic! Lynn's gaze sharpened as he tightly held the blood-stained short sword in his hand. His mental power once again spread out into the air, frantically capturing the 'water elements'...

A ball of water appeared in the void, quickly condensing into shape...

A first-level spell - Frost Blade!

The icy blade, carrying a bone-chilling cold, shot like an arrow from the bowstring. Blaine's expression changed, and he didn't choose to confront it head-on. He angled his longsword, deflecting the spell off its course.

However, this momentary pause meant that Lynn had already completed his spell preparation. Gray powder floated in Lynn's palm, then explosively transformed into a scorching fireball...

That was another first-level spell Lynn had mastered - Fireball!

The room's temperature rose suddenly. Both being first-level spells, Fireball was much more powerful than Frost Blade.

The most critical part was that there was no way to escape in this small room!

Blaine smelled the scent of death, so he suddenly kicked a broken cabinet, sending it hurtling towards the raging fireball. Then, he flipped Andrei's body over and used it as a human shield.

In the next moment, the fireball collided with the shattered cabinet, exploding with intense heat, filling the entire room.

Lynn stared intently at the scattering smoke and dust, struggling to catch his breath. He didn't have an exact idea of the power of a first-level spell, but from the effect, it seemed no weaker than a combination of a hand grenade and an incendiary device. If he had faced it head-on, he would have been gravely injured or worse.

Just as he was thinking this, a sharp longsword cut through the hazy smoke, its blade illuminated by the fire. It was aimed straight at Lynn!

The speed of this strike was astonishing, and by the time Lynn realized it, the sharp longsword was nearly at his throat!

Fortunately, at this moment, thanks to the connection between his neural network and the smart brain, Lynn's reaction speed had increased several times, and his body's coordination had greatly improved. He held the sword horizontally with his right hand, left hand pressed against his right wrist, and his body crouched slightly, with the sword tip supported against the uneven wall.

Clang!

A sharp, harsh clang echoed in the narrow room. Upon contact, Lynn felt a sharp pain in his hand, and the sword tip, supported against the wall, had deeply embedded itself in the wall. A long, slender crack had appeared on the blade.

So heavy...

Lynn's mind was left with only this one thought. He then let go of the sword with both hands, sank to the ground, and narrowly evaded a kicking leg with a few tumbles.

A fierce wind passed over his head, followed by another dull sound. Lynn turned to look, and the fragmented wall had been dented by the kick.

(Wall structure under force approximately 1.75 tons, 65% chance of a North American bison collision...)

In an instant, a data analysis flashed through his mind, and Lynn's pupils shrank. If he had taken a direct kick, his internal organs would have definitely burst open.

Body modification? Cyborg? Qi cultivation?

Lynn was well aware that a normal person, even after the most scientific professional training, could never kick with such terrifying force.

This completely surpassed the limits of the human body!

Chapter 6: This is My Final Magic!

Is a character like this just a witch hunter? Are they really used to capture weak wizard apprentices like me? Lynn found it hard to believe, but in reality, the arena of combat wasn't fair. There was no matching opponents in terms of strength, and surrendering or begging for mercy held no meaning here. It was a fight for survival!

[Frosty Blade]

Lynn raised his left hand, aiming it at Blaine. His mastery of Water Conjuring had become increasingly adept, and in an instant, another ice blade materialized in the air.

However, his mental energy had reached its limit, and the nearby "water element" had been almost depleted. The ice blades he created were no longer a significant threat to his opponent.

Lynn was acutely aware of this, but he had a strong desire.

He needed more water...

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Lynn felt as if his brain had been struck hard, as though countless silver needles had pierced him, followed by a rapid consumption of his magical power, which was converted into a large amount of hydrogen and oxygen elements and "combined" into a stream of water.

At the same time, a strange rune was deeply imprinted in his mind.

Intermediate-level magic - [Multiple Frosty Blades]

In just a second, several sharp ice blades appeared in front of him, raining down like arrows!

Lynn's sudden burst of power exceeded Blaine's expectations. In haste, Blaine switched from offense to defense, but even with a rapid response, one [Frosty Blade] managed to bypass the sword's protection and pierced his abdomen.

Blaine immediately felt a piercing coldness, and the crystalline ice rapidly spread along his abdomen.

Fully aware of the mysterious nature of magic, Blaine did not dare to be negligent. He clenched the ice blade and forcefully pulled it out. Due to the unique structure of the [Frosty Blade], its barbs were embedded deeply in his flesh. As he removed it, crimson blood gushed out.

The intense pain made Blaine shiver uncontrollably, and the wound in his abdomen became a gruesome mess. More dangerously, the cold spread so rapidly that the area around the wound lost all sensation.

However, Blaine's ruthlessness took Lynn by surprise. Realizing that the wound in his abdomen would affect the upcoming battle, Blaine grabbed the burning doorknob and pressed it directly against his abdomen.

"Ah! Ah!" The scorching flames intertwined with the blurred flesh and blood. Veins popped on Blaine's forehead, and he let out a series of angry roars.

Thin wisps of smoke emanated from the contact point, and the muddled flesh and blood had become partially cauterized. There was no more bleeding, and the bone-chilling cold had disappeared under the searing heat.

This horrific sight left Lynn profoundly shocked. Whether it was Blaine's merciless use of a companion's corpse as a shield or his use of fire to cauterize the wound, it made Lynn realize that this was not an opponent to be underestimated!

Taking advantage of Blaine's distraction, Lynn wasted no time and burst through the room's door, leaving behind his short sword. In the confined space of the room, he had no chance of winning.

Blaine glanced at Andre's charred body, clenched his sword tightly, and pursued.

...

Evening fell over the slums outside of Nordland's borders, where two figures chased and fled through the narrow, dilapidated streets.

As the day grew darker, one after another, [Frosty Blades] whizzed through the air, striking the ground and walls without any pattern.

Every time Lynn cast a spell, his brain would throb with pain. But at this point, he couldn't afford to think about it. If he stopped casting, his pursuer would strike him down with a sword through his head!

On the other hand, Blaine, who was chasing behind, seemed to handle the situation with ease. His sharp eyes tracked the flying ice blades, and he skillfully dodged them, maintaining a calculated distance behind Lynn.

Blaine was cautious. After all, this apprentice wizard had displayed an unusual level of cunning, using deceptive notes within the room, the sudden burst of ice blades and fireballs, and the mysterious magic that killed Andre. Blaine was deeply impressed by Lynn's abilities.

So, even though Lynn appeared exhausted, Blaine didn't dare to act recklessly. He was like the most patient of hunters, slowly wearing down Lynn's strength until his prey fell!

During this chase, the two had moved farther and farther from the city, and a foul stench filled the area. Blaine realized that Lynn had inadvertently led him to the long-abandoned Lower City.

Nordland's region sloped from the south to the north, with the main city built along the banks of the Yen River to the north.

Over a decade ago, the Duke of Nordland, who had returned from the Holy City, was dissatisfied with the chaotic, foul-smelling appearance of the main city. He ordered craftsmen to dig a small canal to divert all the city's waste downstream into the Yen River.

This, however, proved to be a great inconvenience for the impoverished people living in the Lower City, who relied on the Yen River for water.

But the Duke of Nordland cared little for the lives of these commoners, and over time, the entire Lower City fell into disuse, with only a very small number of scavengers choosing to linger in the area.

Blaine couldn't help but worry that other apprentice wizards might be hiding here. Just as he was determined to resolve the situation quickly, Lynn, who had been fleeing all along, suddenly stopped in a maze of alleys.

The concentration should be enough...

Lynn double-checked one last time, and the strange rune in his mind was activated in an instant. Seven [Frosty Blades] materialized out of thin air, glittering in the twilight...

Forcing the conversion of a large amount of magical power into hydrogen and oxygen, the side effects became increasingly severe. Lynn felt like his brain was about to explode.

His magical power had been squeezed to its limit. This was his final magic!

In the next moment, the ice blades automatically split into two groups, shooting in random directions, sealing off all of Blaine's escape routes.

Blaine's expression turned serious as he stared ahead.

Even he couldn't completely block such a large number of attacks, but if he had to endure some injuries...

Fortunately, these ice blades seemed to lose their accuracy, mostly passing by him. Only three were aimed directly at him...

Is this a desperate struggle?

A hint of mockery appeared on Blaine's face. During their earlier pursuit, he had noticed that Lynn's spellcasting wasn't conjuring something out of thin air. There was a significant mental toll...

Clearly, Lynn was nearing his limit.

A slight smile curled on Blaine's lips as he precisely parried each incoming [Frosty Blade] with his longsword. However, he failed to notice a red sphere mixed in with the ice blades.

Clang!

The blade and the sphere collided, creating a dazzling burst of sparks.

The peculiar sensation of the impact made Blaine pause for a moment, and then he realized that he had struck a piece of flint...

Chapter 7: I Shall Reveal the Truth of This World to You!

As the sword and stone clashed, brilliant sparks scattered in all directions like a spider's web.

A sudden and inexplicable palpitation filled Blaine's mind. Before he could react, everything in front of him was engulfed by the leaping flames.

Boom!

A violent explosion resounded in the quiet lower district. Nearby, Lynn was thrown to the ground by the shockwave of the explosion. At the same time, the sound of the AI interface chimed in.

"(Energy depleted, overload mode terminated...)"

Coughing, Lynn scrambled to his feet from the ground. He felt a profound emptiness; consecutive spellcasting had drained his magical energy.

Compared to Lynn, who had been affected by the blast, Blaine, at the center of the explosion, looked much worse.

When the dust settled, Lynn couldn't help but gasp. Blaine, at the epicenter of the explosion, no longer resembled a human. His right arm, holding the sword, had been blown off halfway. The exposed skin was black and red, and his chestplate was shattered, revealing the mangled flesh and pale bones underneath.

What was even more horrifying was that the intense explosion had instantly depleted the surrounding oxygen. Blaine's piercing screams lasted for a dozen seconds before abruptly ceasing.

Lynn felt a chill. He had heard of the power of methane gas explosions in news reports, but seeing it firsthand was an entirely different experience, especially since he had caused it himself.

If Blaine hadn't been so far away and if the trajectory of his "Fireball Spell" hadn't been easy to predict, he wouldn't have risked using the methane gas explosion to lure and kill him. It was also thanks to the magical ability to manipulate the flow of air to some extent, coupled with the abundance of "materials" in the lower district, that he managed to achieve the required concentration for the explosion.

Lynn picked up the fallen sword from the ground and cautiously checked Blaine's condition.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Blaine had somehow not died immediately. Both of his eyes, stripped of their skin, stared intensely at Lynn, and he made a gurgling sound from his damaged vocal cords.

"Let me send you on your way. No need to thank me," Lynn said coldly. He couldn't help but harbor a deep resentment for Blaine, who had intruded into his home and forced him into a corner, but he had no intention of torturing him. In this state, Blaine was unlikely to reveal any useful information.

In this way, death would be the best outcome for him.

Lynn raised his sword and accurately pierced Blaine's heart. He watched as Blaine's body trembled violently and then fell silent.

Perhaps it was the influence of his hatred, or maybe it was the remnants of his original self, but Lynn felt surprisingly little discomfort about ending a life. Instead, it was the aftereffects of his previous spellcasting that occasionally caused his brain to throb.

Confirming that Blaine was truly dead, Lynn's tense expression finally relaxed. He staggered and leaned on his sword to avoid falling to the ground.

"071..." Lynn called out in his mind, but received no response. Recalling the earlier notification sound, he understood that the AI interface had likely shut down temporarily due to energy depletion.

With no clear solution to this, Lynn could only wait for 071 to replenish its energy. At this moment, he was filled with confusion.

What exactly was the magic used by wizards, and how could it manipulate chemical elements? And those strange runes that had inexplicably appeared in his mind just now...

What left Lynn in deep contemplation was the fact that in the AI interface's overload mode, he could directly convert magic into hydrogen and oxygen.

Did that mean magic could be converted into any other element?

If that were the case, the mystical nature of this phenomenon would likely surpass his expectations.

"Come with me! I shall reveal the truth of this world to you!"

Recalling the words his mentor, Coru, had spoken six months ago, Lynn couldn't help but shudder. Perhaps that old wizard had not been deceiving him back then.

It's no wonder that the original person, Karl, would abandon a stable life with food and clothing to become a wizard's apprentice.

The only regret was that Karl's time learning magic had been too short, and with Coru having more than one apprentice, the teaching time was limited, and Lynn couldn't delve into more secrets.

The aftereffects of excessive magic consumption had left Lynn quite apprehensive. When he cast his last spell, he had thought his brain was about to explode, and his body felt as weak as if he had been seriously ill, longing for a good rest.

However, Lynn knew that now was not the time to rest. Although he had dealt with two enemies, the commotion caused by the battle in the slums was considerable. It wouldn't be long before it reached the local Inquisition, and they would likely dispatch more people to capture him.

The top priority was to find a place to hide and figure out a way to contact another wizard.

Lynn looked down at Blaine's corpse and poked it with his sword. He then cut open the damaged pouch at his waist, and a small pile of coins spilled out.

One Secas gold coin, seven silver coins, and over ten copper coins.

Seeing these well-made coins that hadn't been destroyed by the explosion, Lynn's mood improved slightly.

As a noble's illegitimate child, Karl hadn't been particularly wealthy, and with half a year of running away from home, occasionally supporting his mentor's research, he could barely afford to eat...

With this windfall, he wouldn't have to risk returning to that dilapidated house. Going back now would likely be a death trap.

"Hmm." Lynn bent down to gather the coins when he unexpectedly found a rolled parchment of parchment among the coins.

Under the scorching heat, most of the writing had become illegible. Lynn could barely make out characters like "Ur Town," "Moonshine Day," "Jonny," and "Seventeen Copper Coins."

"Ur Town?" Lynn murmured to himself. Out of caution, he didn't destroy the parchment on the spot. Instead, he decided to keep the burnt parchment.

He needed someone who could answer his questions, and going to Ur Town to find other apprentices seemed like a good choice.

At least it would be much more reliable than searching for the hidden wizards on his own.

As Lynn contemplated his next steps, he reached down and grabbed Blaine's ankle, dragging the body toward the nearby foul-smelling Inlet River.

In a world where magic and sorcery existed, even the dead could not be trusted. In case the Inquisition of this world possessed resurrection magic, there was a risk of his information being revealed.

The safest method was to dispose of the body along with it!

Chapter 8: Blasphemy against the Gods!

"Bishop Ansluc, this is it! I saw that wizard and the Witch Hunter Lord come out of the house a while ago, and they fought all the way here..."

A quarter of an hour later, in the lower town, a ragged scavenger, covered in dirt, hunched over and cautiously recounted everything he had seen to the clergy of the Church.

Ansluc remained silent, his gaze lowered to the scorched marks on the ground. The bright red blood, vaporized by the high temperature, had turned into a dark red hue. The upturned earth and the scattered remains of flesh and bone bore witness to the ferocity of the battle.

The cause of such severe destruction was likely the second-tier magic spell, Flameburst!

"Where's the body?" Ansluc suddenly inquired. There were clear signs of a battle on the ground, but Braine's body was conspicuously absent.

The scavenger swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty. "After the Witch Hunter Lord died, the wizard threw him... threw him into the Yir River..."

"This is blasphemy against the gods!"

Before Ansluc could respond, a middle-aged priest behind him vehemently rebuked.

In recent years, thanks to the Duke of Nordland's "enlightened" actions, the entire downstream of the Yir River had become a true cesspool.

Braine's identity was not merely that of a Witch Hunter; he was also a member of the Church's divine punishment force and had even consumed the Elixir of the Gods in advance, making him an emissary of the gods in the mortal realm.

Participating in Witch Hunts so frequently was only to enhance his resume.

But the corrupted wizard, who had brutally killed him and tossed his body into the polluted Yir River, was undoubtedly a challenge to the Church's authority!

The scavenger's body trembled uncontrollably, and he lowered his head in fear.

Ansluc tightened his grip on his staff, his anger simmering. He turned to the trembling scavenger and questioned him once again.

"Did you get a clear look at the wizard who killed Braine? Did anyone else intervene during the fight?"

"I only saw glimpses from a distance, Bishop. There didn't seem to be another wizard involved... That person appeared to be just of age, with brown hair, about your height."

"Carl..." Ansluc muttered to himself as he contemplated the information. Until now, he had paid little attention to this obscure wizard apprentice. After all, according to the information he had obtained, Carl had only been studying magic for about half a year and was not particularly valued by Mage Coru. He was considered the least threatening among all the targets.

But it seemed that the reality might be different.

Releasing a second-tier magic spell like Flameburst, and killing two Witch Hunters in quick succession, was not something a novice in magic could achieve! Unless he possessed a powerful alchemical artifact, or... was a full-fledged wizard like Coru!

Several days later, on the border of Nordland, inside an inn in the town of Urr.

Lynn awoke abruptly from a nightmare and jumped out of the hard wooden bed. He quickly moved to the window, peering outside to assess the situation.

Seeing everything was normal, with no one coming to besiege him, Lynn finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since he had killed those two Witch Hunters in the slums five days ago, he had been constantly worried about being pursued by the Inquisition. His journey to Urr had taken him through a deliberately circuitous route, and he had even fabricated some false traces to throw off any potential pursuers.

Perhaps his half-hearted counter-surveillance techniques had worked, or maybe the Inquisition simply didn't have time for a mere apprentice wizard. So far, Lynn had not encountered any pursuit teams.

Nevertheless, he could only describe his journey as grueling.

Accustomed to the conveniences of modern life, Lynn almost felt overwhelmed by the sudden transition to a place reminiscent of medieval Europe.

After all, here, there were no cell phones, no computers, no familiar family or friends, and no hot breakfast to start the day. He had to make do with a bite of unappetizing black bread along with water...

The only saving grace was that he possessed all of Karl's memories. He understood the language and script of this world, and he had decent combat skills to deter any would-be thieves, ensuring he didn't meet an untimely demise on the road.

After enduring several days of hardships, Lynn had reluctantly come to terms with the fact that he had been transported to this world. This was already his second day in the town of Urr.

Out of caution, Lynn didn't hastily search for the whereabouts of other wizard apprentices. Instead, after discovering the marks left behind, he had discreetly returned and spent a day familiarizing himself with the terrain. He also purchased a dozen new pieces of flint and a bag of black bread.

These few days of life on the run had made Lynn increasingly wary. However, after gaining a preliminary understanding of Urr, he immediately realized why Johnny had chosen this place for their gathering.

As a small trading town on the border of Nordland, it saw a mix of people, with merchant caravans coming and going. A few unfamiliar faces now and then wouldn't attract too much attention.

As Lynn contemplated this, he reached for a nearby mortar and placed the blocky flint stones inside. With a small wooden rod, he began grinding them into fine powder.

During his time in Urr, apart from looking for marks and familiarizing himself with the terrain, the rest of his time had been dedicated to the creation of white phosphorus.

White phosphorus was a chemical element with the formula P4, appearing as a white or pale yellow translucent solid.

There were two commonly used methods to produce it.

The first involved mixing calcium phosphate, silica sand, and carbon powder into a mixture, heating it to temperatures between 1400 and 1600 degrees Celsius, and then passing the resulting phosphorus vapor through cold water to solidify it into white phosphorus.

The second method was to heat red phosphorus to 416 degrees Celsius while excluding air, causing it to sublimate and cool, forming white phosphorus.

However, in this world without industrial systems, similar to ancient Europe, gathering these raw materials in a short period wasn't an easy task.

Though 071 had shown him some ancient and "convenient" methods for extracting raw materials, Lynn didn't plan to use them unless absolutely necessary.

Fortunately, Lynn soon stumbled upon a pleasant surprise. The surface of the flint he had used was interspersed with traces of red phosphorus!

Considering that red phosphorus had been used as an efficient flame retardant in the previous century for the manufacture of matches to enhance their safety, this wasn't entirely surprising.

It seemed that the indigenous people of this world had already discovered the element phosphorus, though their application was quite rudimentary.

As Lynn continued to grind the flint with the wooden rod, the chunks of flint gradually broke down, removing impurities until only clusters of red powder remained.

He didn't have professional equipment on hand, but the magical power at his disposal was much more convenient than scientific instruments!

Mage's Hand!

With a thought, the fine red phosphorus seemed to respond to some kind of call, floating up on its own, and then, with the aid of Basic Material Deconstruction, it broke down into its basic molecular state.

Chapter 9: White Phosphorus Fire and Spell Slots

Lynn was completely focused, simultaneously emptying the air around the red phosphorus as much as possible while utilizing the principle of accelerating molecular movement to increase the temperature.

After about ten seconds, wisps of white mist scattered into the air, gathered under the constraints of magic, and quickly cooled, solidifying into a semi-transparent yellow powder.

This was white phosphorus!

Lynn was well aware of the terror this substance held and dared not touch it with his hands. Throughout the process, he held his Mage's Hand spell, carefully placing the collected white phosphorus into a bag meant for storing magical materials, which had an excellent isolation effect to prevent spontaneous combustion.

Completing this intricate procedure was quite a challenge for Lynn, who was still an apprentice wizard. If it weren't for the significant improvement in his control over magic due to the fusion of his spirit during the crossing, this attempt might have ended in failure.

Fortunately, everything went as he had planned.

Lynn secured the storage bag and remembered the horrifying scene of white phosphorus igniting the earth from his memories, sending a shiver down his spine.

He hoped he wouldn't need to use it.

As a modern-day person who had grown up in a time of peace, Lynn held great reverence for life. However, in this world where human life was as fragile as a blade of grass, he understood that, for self-preservation, he might have to make difficult choices.

"071!" Lynn silently called out in his mind after completing all the tasks. Since the shutdown of his smart brain five days ago, this had become his daily routine.

Clearly, this time, too, there was no response.

If it weren't for the slow drain of magic within his body, which was used to supply energy to the smart brain, Lynn would have suspected that 071 had disappeared completely.

The smart brain was his essential tool for survival in this unfamiliar world. Just by connecting to the neural network, it significantly enhanced his cognitive abilities, allowing him to overcome many crises.

Not to mention that, in that special state, he could convert magic into elements, releasing magic without having to prepare materials in advance.

Thinking of his mentor, Koro, using the Tier 2 spell, "Group Icy Blades," Lynn had a hunch. Being able to convert magic into elements was likely the key difference between an apprentice wizard and a full-fledged wizard.

He was sure that Carl, as an apprentice, couldn't achieve this. There were no related memories in his brain. Most likely, it was the fusion of his spirit after the crossing, combined with the help of the smart brain, that briefly broke through this limitation.

Lynn meditated, and the extraordinary elemental world once again unfolded before his "eyes."

However, his attention was now focused on the peculiar rune floating in his mind.

Inside the peculiar rune were countless tiny dots and lines arranged in a highly unique way, appearing intricate and aesthetically pleasing.

Lynn tentatively touched it with his spiritual power, and the rune instantly lit up.

Immediately, Lynn felt his magical energy decrease by one-tenth. When he opened his eyes, a rhombus-shaped "Icy Blade" appeared in his palm.

"This seems to be... a spell slot?" Lynn stroked his chin and quickly recalled the spell slots mentioned in the book "Elemental Analysis."

This was also an ability possessed only by full-fledged wizards, significantly increasing casting speed.

Overall, the process of constructing spell slots felt somewhat like programming in a past life. You set various parameters in advance, and when needed, you press the confirm button to immediately produce the desired outcome.

So, the arrangement of this rune probably meant: one part oxygen + two parts hydrogen + reduced molecular movement + special configuration = Icy Blade?

Hmm, it had to be said, this was quite scientific!

Lynn curiously attempted a few other spells, but unexpectedly, no new spell slots formed.

After some thought, Lynn quickly guessed the reason. To construct the corresponding spell slots, he probably needed to cast a Tier 1 spell without the use of casting materials.

With that in mind, Lynn temporarily abandoned his plan to continue solidifying spell slots. Without the aid of his smart brain, he still had quite a gap between him and the full-fledged wizards.

Lynn glanced outside and realized it was time to meet the other wizard apprentices.

Today was Monday, the agreed-upon last day!

The Drunken Spirit Tavern was located in the most bustling part of Ur Town.

If it weren't for following the secret mark all the way here, Lynn couldn't have imagined that Jonny would choose this place for their meeting.

And seventeen coppers for a single glass of ancient Roan wine? Wasn't that a bit steep?

Lynn muttered to himself inwardly, but as soon as he pushed the door open, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

The interior of the Drunken Spirit Tavern, a gathering place for lower-class folks, was quite lively. The warmth of the roaring hearth dispelled the night's chill, and the cramped space of less than a hundred square meters was packed to the brim. The wooden floor was covered in wine stains and vomit, and the overpowering stench nearly overwhelmed Lynn.

At the long table near the entrance, a drunken halfling spotted Lynn as soon as he entered. Seeing his young age and unfamiliar face, he boisterously shouted, "Kid, care to join us for a drink?"

Lynn turned his head, examining the drunken halfling with a curious gaze.

Halflings were a unique species on this continent. Their name didn't come from having half a body but from their diminutive stature, roughly half the height of an average adult. They resembled dwarves from fantasy tales in Lynn's previous world.

However, Lynn didn't know much about the physical structure and genetic makeup of these halflings or how they differed from humans.

Lynn's instincts as a data storage clerk were itching...

Under Lynn's scrutinizing gaze, the inebriated halfling shivered uncontrollably, as if a cold breeze had traveled from the soles of his feet to his head.

Five years ago, in the Nordland, Lynn had once met the infamous decapitator, Luke. He was a ruthless thug who took delight in dismembering people into pieces.

The gaze of the halfling resembled that of Luke at the time, as if Lynn were a cadaver awaiting dissection...

Chapter 10: Karl, Why Betray Us?

Caw...

Suddenly, a crisp crow's cry interrupted their gaze. Lynn, somewhat regretfully, redirected his attention and looked in the direction of the sound. There, a palm-sized gray crow stood on the counter, staring intently at him.

The owner of the "Drunken Spirit" tavern was a true Gewet merchant, exuding a shrewd and pragmatic air. Upon hearing the crow's cry, he momentarily paused in wiping a glass and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth, and warmly greeted Lynn.

"A rare face indeed. Welcome to the 'Drunken Spirit' tavern. Is there something you need, my guest?"

"I'll have a glass of ancient Roh wine, four vintages if I'm not mistaken. It should be seventeen Seccas copper coins," Lynn walked straight up to the counter and placed the copper coins neatly in stacks of five and seven on the table.

The tavern owner scrutinized Lynn, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the longsword at Lynn's waist, but his expression remained unchanged. "That was last year's rate. Now it's... twenty-one copper!"

Lynn hesitated for a moment, yet before he could respond, a stunning female patron at the bar pursed her lips and playfully said, "Old Hawk, are you trying to fool the newcomer? I don't recall Roh wine suddenly getting more expensive here."

As she spoke, the young woman looked with curiosity at Lynn. Seventeen copper coins for a glass of ancient Roh wine, while not extravagantly priced, was indeed a generous order for the "Drunken Spirit" tavern. Especially coming from a young and handsome man with a well-built physique, he didn't seem like the type to spend lavishly for no reason.

Old Hawk paid no mind to the woman's interjection and grinned, "Two ships capsized in the harbor this year, and the ingredients for Roh wine are scarce. It's only natural the price goes up."

Lynn furrowed his brow and said, "But I only have seventeen Seccas copper coins."

The young female patron's interest in Lynn suddenly waned. It seemed he was just another pauper spending his savings for a taste of good wine.

"In that case, I suggest you change your taste..." Old Hawk shrugged, "Of course, if you're interested in earning some extra money, I can help you with that. Lame Laut is currently in need of someone to do private jobs for him. He's always generous with his payments."

Lame Laut? Lynn raised an eyebrow. During his time investigating in Urn Town, he had heard that name more than once.

The rumors about him weren't flattering...

"Very well, I'm in need of suitable work," Lynn said after a moment of thought and nodded in agreement.

Old Hawk swept the copper coins on the table into his pocket, asked one of the tavern's servers to temporarily take over his duties, and then turned to Lynn, speaking once more.

"Follow me. Your Roh wine is stored in the cellar. I'll take it and then bring you to meet him."

As Lynn followed Old Hawk without any suspicion, the onlookers in the tavern couldn't help but display a smug smile.

Everyone in Urn Town knew that while Lame Laut was generous with his payments, he was also known for his ruthlessness. Many people who worked for him mysteriously disappeared, sometimes not even leaving a corpse behind.

You could have money but not life...

In the meantime, as the tavern patrons watched with amusement, Old Hawk led Lynn through the kitchen and into a storage room filled with flour and barrels. He stopped in front of a dirty, massive wine barrel.

Click...

Old Hawk pressed down on the lid of the barrel, and with a rush of liquid, the barrel slowly rotated, revealing a half-person tall secret passage beneath it.

"Follow this path. The person you want to meet is inside," Old Hawk whispered, lowering his voice. He handed the lit candlestick to Lynn and impatiently warned, "Be careful on your own. Don't cause trouble for me!"

Lynn expressed his thanks, picked up the oil lamp, and proceeded into the dark passage. As soon as he stepped in, the massive barrels stained with wine once again rotated back into place, and the sound of the liquid being refilled echoed.

The faint light from outside vanished, and the passage was plunged into darkness. Lynn could only see a dim path ahead, and the air still carried the scent of inferior-quality wine.

Lynn continued down the dim corridor, his guard up and his mind constantly reviewing information about several fellow apprentices.

Due to his mentor, Coru, who had been constantly on the move over the years, there was no fixed place for him to stay, and he wouldn't keep all the apprentices close by.

After all, having too many unfamiliar faces suddenly appearing in a city would draw unwanted attention and hinder their ability to conceal their identities.

So, the original Karl's knowledge of these individuals was quite limited. He had only met them a few times and knew their names and faces to some extent.

The only one he was somewhat familiar with was Jonny, who had sent him letters before.

Of course, this familiarity was one-sided.

To put it simply, the original Karl had some teenage infatuation towards Jonny.

As one of Coru's most promising students with high magical talent, Jonny was just one step away from becoming a full-fledged wizard. After Coru's death, he had become the de facto leader of their group of apprentices.

However, this one-sided infatuation wasn't likely to be of any help to Karl.

As Lynn continued to ponder, the narrow dark passage ahead gradually widened. With the dim candlelight, Lynn suddenly realized that this dark passage was leading to a dense forest outside Urn Town.

Even though it was deep into the night, the sky wasn't as dark as expected. Silver moonlight filtered through the leaves of the forest, casting a soft glow on the solid earth, making it appear as though it was covered with a sheer veil. Lynn felt the magic within him become more active.

This must be a Monday, he thought.

Through the dense trees, Lynn could faintly see the sparkling stars in the sky and the massive moon. According to Karl's memories, this unique celestial event occurred only once a year and lasted for about three to five days.

But Karl's memories didn't mention that moonlight could affect magic.

That made sense; Karl had only become a wizard six months ago.

As Lynn was thinking about this, a series of hurried noises suddenly echoed through the area. More than a dozen solidified Magic Missiles shot out from the dense trees surrounding him, blocking his escape routes.

A trap?

That thought immediately crossed Lynn's mind. In the next moment, he reacted swiftly. With his left hand free, he flipped it over, and a gray powder fell into his palm. It was the remaining material for his spell, the Ember of Red Flame!

Lynn threw it with force, and the tiny particles ignited instantly, creating a scorching wall of fire in front of him.

However, his hastily used spell, the Lesser Fire Wall, couldn't withstand the combined effort of several apprentice wizards. The Magic Missiles almost instantly penetrated the wall of fire.

But Lynn had already achieved his goal. The heat and chaos caused by the fire disrupted their aim, and their Magic Missiles scattered, striking the trees and the earth behind him.

Seeing four figures in dark robes closing in on him in a semicircle, Lynn silently drew his longsword, while simultaneously opening a pouch containing phosphorus. He was ready for a fight.

His preparation for battle involved using a small amount of phosphorus, and he didn't have much of it, but now wasn't the time to hold back.

However, before Lynn could make a move, a cold voice spoke ahead of him.

"Karl, why did you betray us?"

Chapter 11: The Land of Wizards

The sudden question left Lynn momentarily puzzled.

As a few figures approached, Lynn immediately recognized the leader, the person he had been searching for – Jonny.

The young woman, cloaked in black robes, appeared to be around twenty years old. She had unique silver-gray hair and bright, gem-blue eyes.

Jonny had grown thinner since their last meeting, a result of constant evading and hiding. A sickly paleness now marred her complexion.

"I don't understand what you mean, Jonny!" Lynn's tone was unwavering, his memories confirming that Karl had not betrayed them in any way.

At most, Karl might have harbored some thoughts, but that shouldn't have necessitated hiding in the slums, fearing for his life.

"Where did you get that sword?" the gray-haired witch continued her questioning, her eyes fixed on the longsword Lynn held.

Lynn then noticed that Jonny had been staring at the hunter's longsword in his hand. He realized where the problem lay.

"This is a weapon commonly used by witch hunters!" a burly wizard apprentice named Buck exclaimed, his emotions running high.

"Of course, it's my trophy. Is there a problem, Buck?" Lynn replied calmly, though he was breaking into a cold sweat.

He had unwittingly been carrying around what was essentially a ticking time bomb for days. But it was understandable; he had left his personal short sword back at the slum's hideout, and it wasn't wise to just throw away a readily available weapon.

More importantly, Karl's memories contained no information about "witch hunters carrying standard weapons." Considering that Lynn had encountered no trouble in recent days, it seemed that very few people knew about this detail. However, it evidently didn't escape the old Hawk from the "Drunken Ghost" tavern.

No wonder they had hesitated and offered excuses when he tried to buy Galroth wine. The information about him possessing a witch hunter's longsword was probably passed on by old Hawk to Jonny's group.

"Your trophy? Are you saying you killed a witch hunter and took his sword?" Buck sneered. "Karl, if I remember correctly, you couldn't even master the most basic elemental spell, Frostblade. You'd be better off with a more plausible excuse."

As lackeys of the Church, witch hunters were the cream of the crop, highly skilled and usually operating in small teams. Even seasoned wizards found them formidable opponents.

For Lynn and the other apprentices, simply surviving an encounter with a witch hunter was considered a stroke of luck.

"Sometimes strength isn't everything, Buck," Lynn shook his head. "Besides, the last time we met was four months ago, right?"

As he spoke, Lynn extended his hand, manipulating the hydrogen and oxygen in the air to swiftly create a diamond-shaped ice blade, a bizarre yet strangely beautiful form.

The other wizard apprentices present were taken aback, not by the unfamiliar shape of the ice blade, but by the incredible speed at which Lynn had cast the spell. In their world, before becoming full-fledged wizards and gaining access to memory slots, rapidly performing complex spells presented a significant challenge.

Real combat didn't wait for you to finish casting your spells, and most apprentices were considered good if they could prepare a spell within two seconds. Lynn had compressed the entire process into about a second, opting for pure speed, even if the shape of the ice blade wasn't the perfect Kro'ah configuration. Nevertheless, it was enough to capture everyone's attention.

"Furthermore, I don't think the Church would make a wizard a witch hunter and provide them with such a weapon," Lynn continued before the others could recover from their surprise.

Buck was left speechless. The Church had a strict policy of not letting any wizard they suspected of "demon corruption" become a witch hunter, let alone equipping them with a witch hunter's weapon. This was seen as blasphemy against the gods.

The other apprentices also realized the gravity of Lynn's argument and softened their hostility.

Jonny, however, remained vigilant. She turned to one of the apprentices, Dove, and asked, "Have you checked the surroundings, Dove?"

Dove, her voice trembling, responded, "No one has surrounded this place..."

With the confirmation, Jonny then turned to Lynn and apologized, "I'm sorry, Karl, but the situation is urgent, and we had to be cautious."

"So you're only suspicious of me and ready to kill without evidence?" Lynn questioned.

"I assure you, the magic I used was just a test. No one would want to harm their comrade," Jonny explained earnest

Lynn was briefly taken aback, then rummaged through his memories to recall that Kent was Kora's third disciple, the only one of the wizard apprentices who was absent. He couldn't believe that Kent had met his end.

"On the same day our teacher was captured by the Church, the guards of the Nordland territory launched an attack on Kent's hiding place. Afterward, Buck, Barton, and Will were also pursued. Only Dove, with her unique abilities, managed to evade the attack beforehand," Jonny explained.

"Unique abilities?" Lynn asked, raising an eyebrow.

He instinctively glanced at Dove, who seemed incredibly young, probably around thirteen or fourteen. She was considerably shorter than him, her face adorned with sparse freckles, her hair disheveled. She was feeding a few gray crows in a corner.

Lynn quickly recalled the crow cries he had heard in the tavern and guessed that she possessed some kind of animal-controlling magic.

"I suspect someone has leaked our information. That's the only way the Church could have found our hiding place so precisely," Jonny said with a worried expression.

"How many people are supposed to know our hiding place? It should be just a handful of us, right?" Lynn asked, getting to the core of the matter.

Jonny pondered for a moment and then shook her head. "In normal circumstances, only a few of us should know."

"Could it be our teacher..." Buck hesitated and asked.

"Absolutely not!" Jonny shot back firmly.

Buck immediately fell silent. Lynn didn't dwell on this issue too much. Instead, he asked the second question that had been on his mind.

"So, what's our plan from here?"

Lynn was starting to regret seeking out these apprentice wizards. He had hoped that, even though they were pursued by the Church, they would have a stable internal organization. He believed that even if he couldn't find another full-fledged wizard to join him, they would still be a valuable asset. However, it didn't seem so now.

If Jonny didn't have a reliable plan to evade the Church's pursuit, he would look for an opportunity to leave the group. Solo action was much safer than sticking with a group of rookies.

Buck and Will also looked at Jonny, and even Dove paused her feeding of the crows in the corner.

During the time they had been pursued by the Church, they had asked the same question multiple times, but Jonny had always evaded giving a clear answer, insisting they wait until everyone was present.

Jonny didn't hide this time and answered promptly, "We will take a boat to cross the Misty Sea and head to the Wizard's Land - Greenrill!"

"Does Wizard's Land actually exist?" Will, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked. "I've heard that beyond the Misty Sea is a dead land, and those who set sail never return."

"Yes, I've been there with my mentor. It's a land exclusively for wizards, with no presence of the Church or witch hunters. Everyone can freely study magic there!" Jonny stated firmly.

"That sounds as wonderful as the Holy Land of Aila," Barton muttered softly. He couldn't imagine a world where wizards weren't hunted and could practice magic freely. It was like a dream.

"Just so you know, Aila doesn't like wizards..." Dove, who had been squatting in the corner, spoke softly, interrupting Barton's fantasies.

"So, how do we get there?" Will asked eagerly.

Jonny hesitated for a moment but then replied honestly, "The town of Uhl is close to the Nordland territory's port. We can take a boat from there. I believe... Lame Loude will help us."

"Loude?"

Lynn was somewhat surprised. The owner of the "Drunken Goblin" tavern, Old Hock, had also mentioned this name. Rumors had it that Loude had been a pirate in his youth, earning quite a reputation, until he lost a leg in an attempt to raid a merchant ship. He had narrowly escaped death by pretending to be dead. However, this event turned his fortunes, and Loude had surprisingly become a legitimate businessman. He now controlled the liquor trade in Uhl and the port, making him the biggest kingpin west of the Nordland territory.

Lynn immediately realized that the so-called liquor trade was just a cover. Loude's true business was likely to maintain contact between the Wizard's Land and the outside world.

"Anyway, we have to act quickly. The road to the Wizard's Land will only be open for five days this year, as indicated by the stars," Jonny said as she outlined the plan. Lynn and the others listened carefully, committed the plan to memory, and, when finished, Jonny created a fireball to destroy the drawing she'd made on the ground.

"Let's end it here for tonight," Jonny said, looking at everyone as the fire flickered. Finally, she added, "Dove, you're in charge of the night watch. Tomorrow, Karl will carry you on our journey."

"Why me?" Lynn couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that he was singled out. Were they targeting the newcomer?