"I think we should wait for Priest Ante and Knight Commander Lules to return before making the final arrangements," the young knight suggested.

Ante and Lules were the two most formidable leaders in the alliance army, and their combined strength was enough to contend against what those wizards called a "First Level Official Wizard."

This time, entering that strange region for investigation, they led over a hundred of the most elite warriors.

"No way!" The previous Knight Commander resolutely refused, "The battle lines are constantly retreating, and those wizard apprentices are already getting heady with victory, starting to rally on their own. This is the best time for us to launch a full assault! Once we miss it, and they scatter again or become alert, our plan would have slim chances of success."

"Exactly, abandoning the achievements in front of us for an unknown enemy is not worth the effort."

"Ante and Lules are strong enough; they can certainly handle the issue of that region and then come to support us."

Under the insistence of other leaders, although the young knight was filled with strong unease, he could only reluctantly abandon this thought.

He chose to trust in Ante and Lules' strength, believing in their myth of countless victories.

He believed that the two leaders, plus a hundred elite knights, were more than enough to annihilate any enemy.

...

...

Meanwhile, over that desolated wasteland marked "Unknown Territory" by the indigenous leaders.

Jeming stood on the ground, stepping on layers of ashes and unrecognizable remnants.

The air was filled with a pungent burnt odor and traces of smoke, and all that met the eye was a charred blackness, as if the earth had been washed by flames.

This horrifying scene was caused by him alone.

"Really inexplicable," Jeming muttered, furrowing his brows while looking at the ashes beneath his feet.

He was merely searching for materials ordinarily and was suddenly ambushed by a large group of indigenous people, their numbers were such that it seemed they intended to completely overwhelm him.

However, it meant nothing to him. Jeming immediately launched a saturation fire output, thoroughly "plowing" through these people along with this area.

The Talisman Witchcraft displayed fearsome destructive power in the violent elemental environment, turning this place into a purgatory within minutes.

He used Deciphering Skill to probe the energy fluctuations around and quickly locked onto a faint life essence yet to dissipate wholly.

Moving closer, Jeming discovered an indigenous person in heavy armor—its style and material markedly superior to what he had encountered before—likely a leader-level figure.

Yet now, this leader had only half a body left—a vertical half.

He carefully used Alchemy and Deciphering Skill to confirm the absence of danger, then squatted down to remove the other's charred, damaged visor.

Behind the visor was revealed half a face with a massive scar, the eyes full of resentment and fury.

This person seemed to want to say something, their mouth struggling to move a few times.

A hoarse voice squeezed out from a throat that may or may not still have existed, carrying a heavy tang of blood.

Jeming tilted his head, striving to perceive the other's spiritual fluctuations, attempting comprehension.

Unfortunately, the language structure and spiritual transmission method of this indigenous person were entirely different from his known systems, rendering comprehension impossible.

He could only watch as the last light in the person's eyes dimmed and they finally perished.

"Muttering nonsense, probably nothing good," Jeming uttered, pursing his lips, feeling somewhat wronged by being inexplicably cursed.

"Could there be a large gathering point nearby? Was I taken for an intruder, crossing their guard line?" he speculated blankly, "Truly makes one feel wronged, I harbor no ill intentions whatsoever... though I indeed am an intruder on this plane."

Shaking his head, he dismissed this doubt.

Unveiling Alchemy and Deciphering Skill, Jeming suddenly lifted a finger to fire several fireballs in a distant direction.

Boom...

From afar came the roaring sound of explosions, and when Jeming approached, he saw several bodies, faces twisted in terror, now charred remains.

It appeared the opposition was part of the indigenous squad, previously hidden at the rear.

Yet, they were discovered by Jeming.

Incidentally, this lifeless wasteland compensated for Jeming's weakness in detection sorcery.

Alchemy could probe material and soul fluctuations, while Deciphering Skill detected subtle energy changes; combined, any life fluctuation not belonging to the environment could be instantly sensed by Jeming across this wasteland, without any concealment.

...

On the other side of the Gray Rock Realm, inside a temporary wizard apprentice camp.

Weary apprentices gathered around, sharing the intelligence and potions they had just acquired.

Despite their less than ideal state, camp atmosphere lifted slightly by a freshly received piece of news.

"Have you heard? The news has arrived!" an apprentice whispered in excitement, eyes sparkling, "The location of the indigenous alliance's leader has been discovered!"

"What? Leader?!"

"Really? Where?!"

"Supposedly in a hidden valley deep within the plane, intelligence was brought back by a reconnaissance-type wizard who risked their life; they seemed to think no one would discover their base camp."

News spread like wildfire, apprentices looking at each other, varying lights flashing in their eyes.

The intelligence seemed too easy to obtain, so much so that almost every apprentice saw through it immediately—it was very likely a trap.

Nevertheless, given Horn and Augusta's astonishing battlefield performances, alongside various geniuses, wizard apprentices' attitudes towards the indigenous people shifted once more.

They witnessed how the geniuses easily broke through the indigenous encirclement, crushing knights and shamans who seemed powerful.

Such events and the ever-advancing battle lines increasingly excited the apprentices, making them subconsciously downplay the indigenous threat.

Even recognizing it as a trap, they were unconcerned.

"So what if it's a trap? With Miss Augusta and Young Master Horn's prowess, even the strongest trap can be forced through!"

"Exactly! These natives' traps might hinder us regular apprentices, but those geniuses could rival Official Wizards!"

The key is if these indigenous are considered a test by the academy, then killing their leader would surely yield significant points!

The greed born from achievements, blind worship of geniuses, and misjudgment of the enemy's strength, entwined factors led apprentices to a decision.

"Let's go! Let's head to that valley!"

"Even if there's danger, following Miss Augusta and Young Master Horn, we could get a share!"

Drawn by prospects of gain, a steady stream of apprentices gathered, liaising with each other to form larger teams.

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